Category Archives: Books
Water Always Wins
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of both flooding and drought all over the world. Erica Gies thinks our modern obsession with controlling water has made things worse. In her book Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age … Continue reading
Nonfiction November 2023 Week 4: Worldview Shapers
It’s Week 4 of Nonfiction November and Rebekah @ She Seeks Nonfiction is hosting. The topic is worldview shapers: “One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all kinds of things about our world which you never would have … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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