Account of a team's scientific expeditions to Greenland to study ice as an indicator of climate change. I liked the mix of everyday routines, complex Account of a team's scientific expeditions to Greenland to study ice as an indicator of climate change. I liked the mix of everyday routines, complex measurements and experiments, and reflections on life as a scientist. The author is quite sentimental. There is a nod to the Inuit peoples but the work is done far from the settlements....more
I liked the comprehensive view of facing the world with the particular senses and abilities that Haben has. I especially liked learning about the suppI liked the comprehensive view of facing the world with the particular senses and abilities that Haben has. I especially liked learning about the supports required, such as people, policies and technologies....more
Deep friendship, guilt, and being too "cool" for connections - true account of one's twentiesDeep friendship, guilt, and being too "cool" for connections - true account of one's twenties...more
I started reading Book of Days on January 1 and it became my companion for the year. On the first of each month, I read a month's worth of entries, anI started reading Book of Days on January 1 and it became my companion for the year. On the first of each month, I read a month's worth of entries, and once a week, I re-read them, so I've actually read the book 4 times. Patti (I feel like we're on a first-name basis now) provides one of her photos for each day of the year, accompanied by a couple of descriptive lines - carried over from her Instagram page. If you know Patti, much of her life and art revolve around remembrance and commemoration. Her lyrics and other writings are often triggered by thinking of someone's birthday or the anniversary of their death or a visit to their grave. She also collects keepsakes to feel closer to people she's known and/or admired: Sam Shepard's pocketknife, an Alexander McQueen T-shirt from Michael Stipe, Margot Fonteyn's slippers, a letter written by Emily Dickinson, Rimbaud's house! She also photographs the personal belongings of artists and writers in museums and galleries. All this interspersed with some pics of her family and her elderly cat.
It was fascinating to see into Patti's mind and history in this way, to see her influences and all the people, things and memories she surrounds herself with. I am not sure how I will get through 2024 without another such book, but the best part is, it makes me want to create my own page-or-post-a-day about my own idiosyncratic loves....more
As a so-called grownup, I should really stop eating maltodextrin, calcium/magnesium stearate, flavours and colours, i.e. the ingredients in all my favAs a so-called grownup, I should really stop eating maltodextrin, calcium/magnesium stearate, flavours and colours, i.e. the ingredients in all my favourite candy...more
Intended as a field guide that can be used by a beginner to identify flowers in the wild, the entries are arranged by flower colour. Most people will Intended as a field guide that can be used by a beginner to identify flowers in the wild, the entries are arranged by flower colour. Most people will love this book for browsing and identifying. It includes a massive number of different flowers and describes how to tell similar ones apart. If you are a person who likes wildflowers and looking at pictures of flowers and saying, "I've seen that one!' - buy the book!
Further details: Each entry has a "characteristics" section for which you will need to constantly refer to the glossary (e.g. does the plant have sessile or petioled leaves?) - but you will pick up the terminology as you go along. There are indexes by common name and Latin name; for some, you have to know the exact common name to look something up. As an example, lupines can only been found under "large-leaved lupine." So do you find them in the white, pink or blue section? (Answer: blue). I did notice that many of the common and Latin names are not the ones you hear or see most often; such as "Pink corydalis" instead of "Rock harlequin," but those are always going to vary locally. The author occasionally includes a key to identify plants, as seen in the section on violets.
The most confusing aspect of the book is that many of our most common "flowers" are not included, such as blueberry, blackberry, teaberry, hobblebush, meadowsweet, multiflora, etc. The reason being, they are all shrubs (or sub-shrubs, who knew?), but the average person wouldn't make that distinction. I can personally recommend the author's tree and shrub book too!
It's always good to supplement field guides with online resources so you can zoom in on petals, leaves, etc. I will be using this book for years to come as a reference guide. ...more
A tightly focused book on O'Keefe's career, influences, and influence - with 120 illustrations. This treatment does not fawn or pander, and doesn't geA tightly focused book on O'Keefe's career, influences, and influence - with 120 illustrations. This treatment does not fawn or pander, and doesn't get sidetracked into the personal. Although I want to know more about her life, it didn't need to be here. The World of Art series has over 300 titles, but most are about art movements rather than individuals. It appears the only other female artists with their own volumes are Cassatt and Hepworth!
It makes me happy that O'Keeffe was respected, famous and influential during her lifetime AND she made money and left a $65M estate....more
Exceptionally vivid, fresh and real. The author works through his mental health, mental wellness (via punk music, culture and friendships) and the menExceptionally vivid, fresh and real. The author works through his mental health, mental wellness (via punk music, culture and friendships) and the mental health "system." I felt kinship each time he mentioned one of my favourite bands (Against Me!, Converge) or bands from the Canadian scene (DOA, Propagandhi). I was pleasantly surprised by all of the musicians and therapists he had access to through his podcast, and their stories are integrated here. I found some advice I wasn't looking for, that will be super-useful. Now I just need a playlist of all the songs with lyrics quoted in the text!
Book purchased from the author in Halifax (Sept 2023)...more
So much more than I expected! I anticipated a book about birdwatching, impacted by the high-profile racist incident the author experienced. The incideSo much more than I expected! I anticipated a book about birdwatching, impacted by the high-profile racist incident the author experienced. The incident is barely mentioned until the last quarter of the book because Cooper has chosen not to let it define him. Instead we get a multi-faceted tale of growing up Black, Gay and a Comic Book Nerd in the 1970s suburbs. Interwoven with his love for birding and providing useful birding tips, the story has it all - coming out of the closet, travelling around the world, having many a gay adventure, coming to terms with his difficult but activist family, and working for Marvel Comics. He refers often to his messy, complicated family and self, but for me, this is what integrity looks like....more
Siri Hustvedt is one of my two favourite novelists (the other being Nicole Krauss). This is a collection of her essays on literature, art, neurosciencSiri Hustvedt is one of my two favourite novelists (the other being Nicole Krauss). This is a collection of her essays on literature, art, neuroscience, psychology and philosophy, and how they intersect. They share a common thread: a creator produces their work through a combination of unconscious thought and bodily actions (such as writing, typing, drawing or painting). The reader or viewer brings their own unconscious thoughts and beliefs to their experience of interacting with that creation, which is imbued with the thoughts, beliefs, intent and actions of its creator. An "intersubjectivity" is born. It's beyond the process of vision attached to concepts and memories, and is always affected by emotion.
There is much to engender controversy here, such as the idea of othering, and the right to inhabit the experience of a person or group. The essays are about personal experience, which is always "true," not about collective experience or actions. There is a certain willful blindness to the impacts of racism, ableism, and heteronormativity - because if each person's experience is individual, then there is no collective responsibility to filter or protect.
A dense, slow read but much to think about....more
Can living things have intelligence if they have no brain? Mancuso makes the case that intelligence can be distributed throughout. He's talking about Can living things have intelligence if they have no brain? Mancuso makes the case that intelligence can be distributed throughout. He's talking about the ability to sense, to react, and to change future behaviour based on memory of inputs. As such, he makes the case for plant intelligence. At the least, why not consider plants to be at the same level as "lower-order" animals like oysters or clams?
It's unlikely to be resolved soon that plants (or molluscs) have intelligence because it all comes down to definitions, and comparisons to mammal intelligence. The question of whether "lower-order" animals experience pain is a big one - chemical and electrical signals, and avoidance behaviour (the "will to survive") are going to be present. I have faced the fact that I will be eating plants whether they experience pain or not!
The book covered materials I didn't expect, such as comparing plants to social insects, looking at the influence of plants on architecture, and summarizing growth of plants in no-gravity environments (space travel). Mancuso has been involved in diverse experiments, and he is fine with concluding that there is much more work to be done, but the doors to plant intelligence have certainly been opened....more
The author lived on the coast of Scotland and became interested in tidal pool creatures. Frustrated with the tides sweeping the critters out to sea, hThe author lived on the coast of Scotland and became interested in tidal pool creatures. Frustrated with the tides sweeping the critters out to sea, he decided to create his own more permanent tidal pools using rocks and concrete! Needless to say, these artificial ecosystems were problematic: overgrowth of some organisms, weird food chain imbalances - 'it was too high up on the shore and out of the sea too long between each tide,' etc.
I enjoyed the chapters where he described his observations and the life cycles of prawns, crabs, anemones, etc. I also liked the descriptions of the terrain (geology) and accounts of historical naturalists. I was less interested in his tales of the ancient peoples in his area and their legends (in the chapters Sacrifice, Survival, and Belief). He tied his own experiences to philosophy and poetry and concluded that living "alongside" the sea and its creatures was spiritual - I would not disagree. Overall, the author has a romantic view of the sea and the heritage of coast dwellers, to which many readers are sure to relate....more
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