When I stand among these mighty Leviathan skeletons, skulls, tusks, jaws, ribs, and vertebræ, all characterized by partial resemblances to the existing breeds of sea-monsters; but at the same time bearing on the other hand similar affinities to the annihilated antichronical Leviathans, their incalculable seniors; I am, by a flood, borne back to that wondrous period, ere time itself can be said to have begun; for time began with man. Here Saturn’s grey chaos rolls over me, and I obtain dim, shuddering glimpses into those […]
For my first read of 2019, I decide to learn EVERYTHING
Although probably best known for travel writing, Bill Bryson has written a number of science-based nonfiction books, and in 2003 he published a book that pondered the scientific questions and attempted to answer, well, nearly everything. The jump from travel writing to his Short History of Nearly Everything is not such a tremendous leap, however, if you think about it like a travelogue, starting with the beginning of the solar system and ending with life as we know it. In the introduction, Bryson describes how […]
When you have Yeti Crabs
Seymour Simon is a genius. I have been recommending him for years without really having read a book cover to cover. The other night I found two reader copies just laying around, waiting to be read. I figured I had a few minutes to skim them. I have no idea how many hours later I have not only read Elephants and Sea Creatures, but I am sharing an online video of a Vampire Squid. I will also be checking out Yeti Crabs as well. Simon’s […]
Two different stories that tie into each other
Fur, Feather, Fin All of Us Are Kin and Mapping Sam are two science books that are not dull science. While Fur is more traditional science, it is written so it reads as a story. And Sam is a story that has information in it. Mapping Sam was my favorite out of the two. Joyce Hesselberth creates a story of a cat that puts their family to bed then goes out into the night on their nightly adventures. They explore all sorts of areas, climb […]