Author Archives: Harry Katz

COP28 Explainer

After a year of record-shattering heat waves, floods and forest fires, world leaders will gather in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12, 2023, for COP28, the most important annual international conference on climate change. Climate change … Continue reading

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Nonfiction November 2023 Week 3: Book Pairings

Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home is hosting Week 3 of Nonfiction November. The topic is book pairings: “This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. Maybe it’s a historical novel and the … Continue reading

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The Nutmeg’s Curse

Trading rare and exotic spices has been a powerful force in history and economics for many centuries. Nutmeg is no exception. In the early 1600’s, the Dutch East India Company, known by its Dutch initials VOC, formed as the world’s … Continue reading

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Nonfiction November 2023 Week 2: Choosing Nonfiction

Week 2 of Nonfiction November 2023 is hosted by Frances @ Volatile Rune. The topic is: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have … Continue reading

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Nonfiction November 2023 Week 1: Your Year in Nonfiction

I’m delighted to be taking part in this year’s Nonfiction November, an annual celebration by and for nonfiction book bloggers. Week 1 is hosted by Heather @ Based on a True Story. The writing prompt is: Celebrate your year of nonfiction. … Continue reading

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The Spirit of Green

In The Spirit of Green: The Economics of Collisions and Contagions in a Crowded World, Yale economics professor William D. Nordhaus examines a wide range of economic, social and political issues from a Green perspective. Nordhaus won the 2018 Nobel Prize … Continue reading

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Babel: An Arcane History

Once or twice a year I take a break from nonfiction and read a novel. This time it was R. F. Kuang’s Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution. Quite a mouthful. I’ll … Continue reading

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After the rain …

Evening walk, down by the lake, after the rain. If you liked this post, please subscribe to Unsolicited Feedback.

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Crow Planet

On a recent holiday in Ireland, we encountered several species of birds from the crow family that are quite different from the American Crow we see almost every day at home. The Hooded Crow has a black head but a … Continue reading

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Some Assembly Required

Last month, I reviewed The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen. It’s all about the destruction of life through mass extinctions. Fascinating but grim. The book left me with a nagging question, though: after each mass extinction how could … Continue reading

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