The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
SPRING CHALLENGE 2023
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Group Reads Discussion - An Immense World
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I learned a lot about how various animals communicate with other animals and their environment. I also admire the work various scientists : the precision they take in recording result, and their tenaciousness in pursuing a task which is at times tedious and repetitive. I also enjoyed learning about people with physical handicaps who learned to cope using methods employed by other animals .It was entertaining enough that I was ready to take notes so I could remember my favorite parts
I loved this book! I learned about the idea of the umwelt in my zoology class way back in underground and I was very interested in the time, but never really had a chance to pursue it.This is my second read from Ed Yong, and I think he does a really good job explaining the science without being dry. He seems to be especially good at analogies, which I appreciate.
Some of the ideas were a little mind-bending, which I appreciate. Others sent me down some pretty deep rabbit holes on the internet, which I also appreciate and enjoy. Thinking about how we might even start to understand senses we don't have or don't realize we have is an incredibly interesting thought exercise!
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Sometimes I find science books can get bogged down in technical jargon, but Yong did a wonderful job of explaining things in layman's terms - as Jessica said, he's especially good at analogies. For the most part this was a really accessible read on an extremely complex subject, and one that makes it much easier to appreciate just how spectacular the natural world is. The final chapter about the effect of human-created sensory pollution was all the more sobering for it, but it's heartening to know that some damage at least can be mitigated.
I'll definitely be recommending this one to a few of my friends!
Kristen IAI had heard of this book on a couple of podcasts and it sounded interesting but I wasn't sure it would be right for me. I'm not the most science-minded person but I found this to be very accessible and so fascinating!
I listened to the audio, which was narrated by the author, and I enjoyed his little quips every now and again like, "Close your eyes, unless you're driving..." It added a bit of lightness and humor to what could be sometimes dry material. My favorite parts were when he discussed how different species see color and hear sound (the discussions of ultraviolet and ultrasound). It made me think about how there are so many things in this world that are beyond our human perception but serve a purpose for other species. I also appreciated that he didn't frame this as an argument of how one species "umvelt" is superior to others but a look at how diverse they are and how they serve particular purposes for each species.
This book gave me so much appreciation for all the different species and how they connect with one another and the world. It amazes me the amount of research that has gone into this over many years. This was a great book that I cannot stop talking about! Thanks to the SRC for giving me the nudge I needed to pick this one up.
i'm about 2/3 of the way through right now - while interesting (and i'm listening to the audiobook) - i'm finding the chapters really long - 70-85 minutes is too long for my attention span (I say that kind of jokingly but its longer than my daily one way commute)
wrapping this up today - while the last few chapters were interesting - i felt like a good editor - or breaking this into two books would have worked better - i ended up speeding up the narration to 1.15 because i honestly felt myself falling asleep while listening - lots of good research and good writing style, just too much for me
This was a 5 star read for me. I love science and nature writing and this was an excellent example. So much interesting information, so well written that I couldn't put it down.
Kristen wrote: "Kristen IAI had heard of this book on a couple of podcasts and it sounded interesting but I wasn't sure it would be right for me. I'm not the most science-minded person but I found this to be ver..."
Yes! "Close your eyes, unless you're driving” I just got to this point a little while ago. My mind is starting to wander though, so I’m taking a break. (I started thinking of my favorite books that I read during long trips.)
I love the concept of “umvelt.” I’m surprised I never heard it before. It’s like when I learned about “ethnocentrism” in relation to human cultures. It seems like a crucial and obvious idea. Knowing the term feels like something just clicked in my brain. I’ve been reading a lot about nature and ecology in the last few years, so I guess I was half-way there. Now I think I’ll be more aware when I fall into the old way of thinking about other animals and plants.
I'm with Dee on this one. I started it, gave up, tried Persuasion, gave up on that and then came back to this book. The audiobook became background noise with the author droning on and on. It felt like listening to a textbook--dry and repetitive--and I was bored. As an animal lover as well, this was a disappointing read.
I really enjoyed this book. I agree that some of the chapters were too long, and I tuned out sometimes while listening to the audio, but I heard something in every chapter that was interesting. In total it left me with a feeling of awe about the world. I encourage everyone to give it a try. If nothing else, the pictures in the print book might trigger your curiosity - or your kid's interest.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.