bookshelves: audiobooks, currently-reading
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bookshelves: audiobooks
It's difficult to review this book because I don't know if I agree or disagree with the ideas Stewart Brand puts forth. I like the overall premise of the book; that individual "green" decisions like buying organic vegetables or taking a short shower aren't going to save civilization from climate change, and that the green movement should be doing more to incorporate hard science into their arguments. But, I don't know if the solutions Brand recommends are realistic or sensible, or even based in truth.
So, rather than review the book on its factual merit, I'll tell you about how much I enjoyed listening to it. I do my audiobook listening right before bed, and no matter how good the book is I usually listen for about 15 minutes a night before I start drifting away. This book had me up late several nights because it was so interesting. The chapter on cities and the chapter on genetically modified foods were especially engaging.
I wish more people were debating the ideas in this book, mostly because I want to know if they're crazy ideas. Some of this comes across real weird: toward the end Brand starts getting into the idea of resurrecting the wooly mammoth as part of an effort to bring megafauna back to the United States.... which would certainly be awesome in a comic-book kind of way, but also sounds kinda insane.
This book has given me a lot to think about and has made me want to read more about some things I've been turning my nose up at -- genetically modified foods, for example. So even if it's all crackpottery, I'm glad I read it. ]]>
Marie
read and liked
Joe's
review of Twilight (Twilight, #1):
"Save your time: here's the entirety of Twilight in 20 dialogue snippets & a wiggedy-wack intermission.
First 200 pages:
"I like you, Edward!"
"You shouldn't! I'm dangerous!"
"I like you, Edward!"...more "
"Save your time: here's the entirety of Twilight in 20 dialogue snippets & a wiggedy-wack intermission.
First 200 pages:
"I like you, Edward!"
"You shouldn't! I'm dangerous!"
"I like you, Edward!"...more "
I figured, hey, it's Thanksgiving weekend, I'm gorging myself, why don't I read the book on the top of everybody's "guilty pleasures" list? Well....
Here's the thing, if I was 12, this book would have made my head explode. In fact, when I finish my time machine, I'm stuffing this in my middle-school self's locker -- with instructions on how to format a manuscript for publication, of course. I'd beat that Eragorn kid by like, a decade.... God, what am I doing writing Goodreads reviews when I should be working on the time machine! ]]>
bookshelves: currently-reading
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bookshelves: kindle-edition
Before I begin, a memo to authors and publishers who wish to sell me a Kindle edition:
Kindle footnotes are imperfect. They involve the clickwheel and are all kinds of clunky, so if you're going to sell me a Kindle edition, be judicious with footnotes. If you must use footnotes, either make them all relevant or all irrelevant, so I can quickly decide if it's worth making the click. Don't mix illuminating facts and bad jokes. Under no circumstance use a footnote for a pun joke. No, it's not your fault that the Kindle isn't perfect, but yes, it is your fault if your footnote sucks.
Format-whining aside, I enjoyed this book. It's a fast paced and tantalizing primer on microbiology. It is not, however, funny, even though the author clearly put forth his best nerdly effort. Still worth a read if you're intrigued by microbiology and aren't sure where to begin. ]]>
bookshelves: audiobooks
A thought provoking potpourri of botany, history, and social science. A bit repetitive and scatter-shot, but thoroughly enjoyable. ]]>
bookshelves: audiobooks
My knowledge of Marco Polo and the Mongols was limited and only partially accurate before I read this book. I knew Marco Polo as the man who brought noodles to Italy (not true) and the Mongols as the absolute worst civilization to play as in Civilization Revolutions (oh so terribly true).
It's dry in parts, and a little bit hard to follow in others -- which I blame mostly on my own lack of knowledge of Asian history -- but for the most part the book is as engaging and escapist as a novel. I felt transported into the past, when the world was a mystery to all but a brave few. ]]>
by Dr. Seuss
I think you've pinpointed the reason I feel a creeping guilt every time I read The Lorax to my kid; I know deep down in my heart that I'd totally buy that fool Thneed! ]]>