5 days agoAllergicOur Irritated Bodies in a Changing World — by Theresa MacPhail An estimated 235 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. Globally, 240 to 550 million people may suffer from a food allergy. Drug allergy may affect up to 10 percent of the world’s population and up to 20 percent of all hospitalized patients worldwide. These are just some…Allergic1 min readAllergic1 min read
May 13BiocivilisationsA New Look at the Science of Life — by Predrag B. Slijepčević A very surprising and thought-provoking book. It challenges many of the tenets of life sciences, and while I am not sure I agree with every theory presented here, it is unquestionably a fresh and compelling vision. I liked the radical departure from anthropocentrism–given all the evidence…Biocivilisations2 min readBiocivilisations2 min read
May 13August in KabulAmerica’s Last Days in Afghanistan — by Andrew Quilty I can’t forget the horrifying scenes of the evacuation of Americans from Kabul in August 2021, which I saw on television and social media. I was pretty up to date on the situation there, but I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Since then, I have…Netgalley2 min readNetgalley2 min read
May 6When the Heavens Went on SaleThe Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach — by Ashlee Vance I remember enjoying Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon Musk (although it’s hard to like his subject nowadays), so I was eager to read the next volume of his space non-fiction saga. And I was not disappointed. …Netgalley2 min readNetgalley2 min read
May 2Trail of the LostThe Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail — by Andrea Lankford The Pacific Crest Trail is one of the longest and toughest in the world — and one of the most famous, thanks in part to the best-selling book and the movie Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Every year, many people, known as…Netgalley2 min readNetgalley2 min read
Apr 29WastelandThe Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future — by Oliver Franklin-Wallis “Waste is not the most appealing subject for a book,” admits Oliver Franklin-Wallis in the introduction. But don’t let appearances fool you. From the very first pages you will realise that this is not only an important topic, but a fascinating one. After all, our ‘modern economy…Book Review2 min readBook Review2 min read
Apr 22Chasing GiantsIn Search of the World’s Largest Freshwater Fish — by Zeb Hogan; Stefan Lovgren As the author rightly points out, freshwater fish are somehow neglected animals. …Netgalley1 min readNetgalley1 min read
Apr 22The Heartbeat of the WildDispatches From Landscapes of Wonder, Peril, and Hope — by David Quammen I am a big fan of David Quammen — in fact, he is one of my favourite writers, and some of his books have deeply influenced my thinking — so I was delighted to read this new anthology of his magazine pieces. Previous collections of his writing…Netgalley2 min readNetgalley2 min read
Mar 15Earth, Ice, Bone, BloodPermafrost and Extinction in the Russian Arctic — by Charlotte Wrigley Permafrost is a fascinating subject. I am hearing more and more about it in relation to the climate crisis and the future of our planet, so I was very eager to read a book dedicated to it. …Netgalley1 min readNetgalley1 min read
Mar 6Deadly Quiet CityTrue Stories from Wuhan by Murong Xuecun As we enter the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s easy to become complacent about how we’ve dealt with it. The West has effective vaccines and acquired immunity, and even in China the Party has finally loosened its grip and ended the cruel lockdowns. But we…Nonfiction1 min readNonfiction1 min read
