An interesting, informative and, in parts, amusing book. It includes a useful introduction to collective nouns in general, explaining how (as a group)An interesting, informative and, in parts, amusing book. It includes a useful introduction to collective nouns in general, explaining how (as a group) they came into being as terms of venery, that is of hunting, particularly as practised by the aristocratic classes. The author tells us that the 'terms were recorded because they formed part of the education of the nobility'. Some, however, appear to be fairly modern and some to have been made up by compilers of collections of collective nouns.
Indeed, the peculiarity of this book is that in modern times, most collective nouns appear only in such collections. Although a few are familiar from everyday language, and some may be found in literature, I cannot ever recall reading of such things as 'a watch of nightingales', 'a hover of trout' of a 'zeal of zebras', nor can I imagine any context in which these terms might justifiably be used.
Nevertheless, it is intriguing to read of the origins of these terms, and to know that in some cases this can only be a matter of speculation....more
A sensible introduction to the subject, although possibly a little dated. In seeking the roots of druidism, it makes a lot of interesting connections.A sensible introduction to the subject, although possibly a little dated. In seeking the roots of druidism, it makes a lot of interesting connections. Well worth the read....more
This is a brave, fair-minded, thoughtful, interesting, challenging book. The author describes himself as a Christian but the book is written from a veThis is a brave, fair-minded, thoughtful, interesting, challenging book. The author describes himself as a Christian but the book is written from a very neutral perspective. I doubt if any pagans, who are treated very sympathetically, would have any objections to what is expressed. Christians should not, and there will be some who do not, but I suspect that some will have difficulty with it....more
A gently amusing read. At first sight it is a fantasy imagining the possible consequences of HRH becoming a book-worm, relatively late in life. But onA gently amusing read. At first sight it is a fantasy imagining the possible consequences of HRH becoming a book-worm, relatively late in life. But on closer inspection, one finds an extended essay reflecting on the pleasures and purposes of reading - and, ultimately, of writing too.
It is rather sympathetic towards the Queen, and to some of the 'ordinary' people that she encounters, but rather less so towards her senior staff, and politicians. ...more
This is Bill Bryson at his best: observant, inquisitive, informative, sympathetic and wryly humorous. His account of walking large parts of the AppalaThis is Bill Bryson at his best: observant, inquisitive, informative, sympathetic and wryly humorous. His account of walking large parts of the Appalachian Trail (AT), mostly with ‘Stephen Katz’, a school friend from Iowa and now a more-or-less reformed alcoholic, is thoughtful and honest. It is surely a true reflection of what happens when a couple of unfit forty-somethings, both with a tendency to become cantankerous, set out on such an enterprise.
Descriptions of the walk from Georgia to Maine (with some gaps), of what they did, what they saw and who they met, digress into readable discussions of the history, sociology and hazards of the AT, of the places that it passes through, the local natural history, the numerous conservation issues that surround it, and the successes and (many) failures of the government agencies involved. Bryson is pleasant and generous in writing about the many lovely people that he encounters, unmercifully skewers the obnoxious minority, and is quietly and sadly scathing where he contemplates the deficiencies of the powers-that-be.
As a snapshot of aspects of life in the USA in the late 20th century, this has much to recommend it; yet more so for anyone who is thinking of walking the AT (or something similar), who might do so one day, or who has a loved one who is.
This is the second time that I have read this book (prompted by a viewing of the enjoyable Robert Redford film, which follows the spirit of the book pretty well), and I doubt it will be the last. ...more
This is a quasi-autobiographical account of life for a certain kind of twenty-somethings, mostly men, in the USA of the last 1940s, going into the 195This is a quasi-autobiographical account of life for a certain kind of twenty-somethings, mostly men, in the USA of the last 1940s, going into the 1950s: the so-called ‘Beat generation’. It is written in Kerouac’s ‘spontaneous prose’ style, which puts me in mind of being in a bar in the early hours, having my ear bent by a garrulous, excitable friend determined to tell me everything, but everything, that has happened to him – and what he felt about it – in the past few years since we last met.
The story is told by ‘Sal Paradise’, a New Yorker of Italian descent, who follows the anarchic but likeable Dean Moriaty through their poverty-stricken lives, in which a great deal is always happening, I mean really ‘happening’ man, dig it, but in which ultimately nothing of much consequence really does happen. Together and separately they travel the breadth of continental USA in search of … what? They seem often to be on the threshold of recognising ‘IT’, without it ever being explained – to themselves or to the reader – just what ‘IT’ is. They are constantly either being ‘on the road’ (metaphorically and literally) or contemplating being so.
The writing style seems ideal for capturing the essence of the lifestyle that it describes: continuous, breathless narrative, in constant motion. Rejection of the conventional is everywhere. Some of the best passages relate the events of all-night partying, here and there all over town, and the excitement of live jazz and ‘bop’ (bebop – see Wikipedia’s clear description of the kind of music these guys ‘dug’) in back-street clubs, or just in back streets. In passing, the book gives what seems an excellent feel for life in hand-to-mouth post-war America. Elements remind me of Steinbeck, as in ‘Grapes of Wrath’, but here they just serve as a backdrop to the protagonists’ restless searching and travelling. Like the lifestyle it describes, this writing style will not be to everyone’s taste, but I suggest that, like life on the road, you just go with it and see where it takes you.
The introduction to this Penguin edition, by Ann Charters, is highly informative and helps set the book in context.
Most kids enjoy nursery rhymes, and kids of all ages can enjoy witty re-workings of the well-known traditional versions. This slim children’s book preMost kids enjoy nursery rhymes, and kids of all ages can enjoy witty re-workings of the well-known traditional versions. This slim children’s book presents a dozen or so charming, amusing re-takes of the ‘black sheep’ rhyme, each with a lovely, colourful illustration by the author on the facing page. It ends with an enjoyable ‘twist in the tale’.
Most young children will love having this read to them, I imagine, and will enjoy searching out the details described in each picture. Later on, no doubt, they will like to return to it by themselves as they begin to learn to read.
This book is mostly about the behaviour of open water ‘in the wild’; in puddles, lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. It also contains a bit about clouds bThis book is mostly about the behaviour of open water ‘in the wild’; in puddles, lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. It also contains a bit about clouds but little about the physics and chemistry of water, or about ice, or hydrogeology and the water cycle, but it is little the worse for that. Mainly it describes observations that can be made of water, and what can be discerned from them. These range from the blindingly obvious (although I grant that what is obvious to some may not be to all) to the truly unexpected, fascinating and extraordinary.
The book explains such things as why the shape of a reflected ‘moonpath’ may vary down its length, the origin of those smooth streaks of water one sometimes sees on lakes (which I had wondered about for many years), the difference between a ripple, a wave and a swell (and why a wave breaks), the behaviour of currents (including rips and tidal races), ranging through to the phenomenal abilities of some Polynesian islanders to navigate between Pacific islands, out of sight of land.
The author is, amongst much else, a yachtsman and navigator, and the book also veers (or does it ‘back’?) off-topic to celestial navigation, and how to determine the wind direction and strength by observing the set of a sailing vessel’s sails.
All together this is an entertaining and informative book and a useful reference source for the many topics that it covers (and there is an index). ...more
This small book consists largely of 10 short speeches by the author, made between September 2018 in Stockholm (when she was about 15½ years old) and AThis small book consists largely of 10 short speeches by the author, made between September 2018 in Stockholm (when she was about 15½ years old) and April 2019, in the Houses of Parliament, London, when she met leaders of most UK political parties and Michael Gove, Minister for the Environment. There is also a lengthy Facebook posting from February 2019, in which she explains the origins of her ‘school-strike’ (starting in August 2018) and responds to questions and criticisms levelled at her actions and motivation.
Thunberg’s message is simple: there is a climate crisis, and we need to take urgent action, so why are our leaders not doing so? If global temperatures increase by more than about 1.5°C, the consequences will be so dire that nothing else will matter, so why are we bothering to argue about Brexit, for example? Why is this not in the news headlines every day? She realises that solutions will not be found in the present political and economic systems, and appeals to the powers-that-be to find ways to change them.
This could be naïve, but it is not: it is a well-thought-out recognition of what is important and what is not. Thunberg speaks and writes in a very direct way, stripping the arguments to their basic elements. She recognises that she should not have to say what she does, and that some will not accept being told what to do by a Swedish teenage girl: she says ‘If you don’t want to listen to me, that’s fine, but do listen to the scientists, and then I can go back to school.’ All the time, she stresses the urgency of the situation: she says ‘act now, please find a way not to do business as usual.’ Thunberg is clearly very well-informed, smart and (in her own way) witty. ‘We are school-striking,’ she says, ‘because we have done our homework’.
This book is a short, easy read and (unlike many others on this topic) could change peoples’ minds. ‘Is my microphone on,’ she asks, ‘can you hear me?’ I urge you to read this book, and listen to Thunberg’s words, soon....more
This thoroughly-researched, thoughtful, very well-written book is essential reading for anyone interested in British wildlife. I hoExcellent. Read it.
This thoroughly-researched, thoughtful, very well-written book is essential reading for anyone interested in British wildlife. I hope I can write a review that will justify that dogmatic statement, and that will do justice to the excellence of the book itself. Here is an attempt.
Cocker starts with a heart-felt question: why does he put so much effort into managing his small patch of Norfolk land for the benefit of other species? His answer leads to another, broader, question: why it is that although Britain has proportionally the largest memberships of conservation organisations in the world, so much of its landscape is thoroughly degraded for the purposes of wildlife, and is (for the most part) still on a trend of decline. His exploration of the major UK conservation organisations, and of the degradation of British landscapes is a masterpiece. He leads us on an admirably clear path through some extremely tangled thickets and yet (to mix the metaphor) always manages to show us the wood as well as the trees. His writing is not only clear, it is evocative, entertaining and persuasive. And it is also subversive, quietly impassioned, and authoritative: each chapter is peppered with links to a five-page select bibliography, and he acknowledges the assistance of more than 50 individuals, many of them well-known experts in environmental or related fields.
The book is cleverly structured as an exploration of some of the key British landscapes: the north Norfolk coast, Fenland, the Pennines of Derbyshire and Upper Teesdale, and the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland. Cocker introduces each with some of his personal experiences, leading us into an explanation of the major environmental players in the UK (both non-governmental and within government), explaining their mutual relationships, and the frameworks of legislation and, critically, land ownership within which they operate. In turn, this leads to an exposition of a number of key case studies that exemplify some of the problems and processes that have contributed (and are contributing) to the decline of nature.
He concludes with ‘Ten Truths’, as he sees them, together with some potential ways forward. The tenor of these summaries is shown by the first, in which Cocker writes that between 1920 and 2018, ‘the British people have devastated large areas of their environment, largely through the instruments of farming and forestry policies’. They have ‘drained their landscape of wildlife, otherness, meaning, cultural riches and hope.’ Moreover, he points out, ‘the citizens of this country have paid for these processes through government subsidies’.
Cocker’s answer to the question that he poses himself can be stated simply. We should look after wildlife (and places where it lives, such as our gardens, for example) because it is in our best interests to do so; for in caring for wildlife, we care for ourselves. If you read this book, it may well change the way that you view the British ‘countryside’, and how you think and feel about it. It may make you angry. There are ways to stop the decline, it seems, but radical action is required. Without significant changes, the decline will continue. ...more
This book sets out with a good idea, which is to relate what is known about the physics and chemistry of water, and about the parts it plays (and has This book sets out with a good idea, which is to relate what is known about the physics and chemistry of water, and about the parts it plays (and has played) on Earth and on other celestial bodies. In this it largely achieves its objective. It has some very good points – for example, it explains such things as the anomalous expansion of water as it freezes (and goes some way to explain the significance of that phenomenon). It also explains the significance of water to life on Earth – and that leads into an interesting discussion of the nature of life, and what life might look like on other planets, where it might depend on molecules other than water for its existence.
This heavy-duty science is leavened by a first person account of the author’s experience on a scientific cruise to Antarctica. This provides the starting point of descriptions of ice formation (although the book is a bit thin on glaciology), the oceanic circulation system and the existence of life at extremes of temperature, and so forth.
The trouble is, the book also shows signs of having been thrown together, and it would benefit from a thorough editing. The text is rather rambling and somewhat repetitive, and it looks as if the author has decided to include all the facts and opinions that his extensive research has revealed. Even the voyage to the Antarctic is related in tedious detail – perhaps the author’s mother was interested in his experience of sea-sickness but I was not. There is also a good deal about planetology and space exploration that seems to me to be off-topic. This seems exhaustively researched but I feel the information could have been better selected and better organised. There is one major lapse that I recognised (and where there is one, one wonders if there might be others): on p.251, the author claims that the geological maps produced by remote sensing from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are so detailed that planetary scientists ‘know more about the red planet’s geology than geologists do about the Earth’s, which is largely covered by vegetation and the oceans’. The author (and seemingly the planetary scientists that he spoke to) should discuss this a little with some geological surveyors (such as the author of this review), who will quickly put them right.
Further, the author’s background in journalism shows: some of the text is structured a bit like a newspaper article, with the key points in the leading paragraph. This may be one reason why many of the chapters seem so poorly structured. Altogether, I was left a bit disappointed and with the hope that there are better books about water that have been (or will be) written....more
A slim collection of short stories, poems and other bits and pieces. They are from among the author's early work but show his originality, wit and remA slim collection of short stories, poems and other bits and pieces. They are from among the author's early work but show his originality, wit and remarkable magination. Some are brilliant and will be read again and again, others I didn't care for. ...more
The book. It was elegant. It was beautiful. It was so close that I could reach out and touch it. And I did so, and read it within a single sitting.
AndThe book. It was elegant. It was beautiful. It was so close that I could reach out and touch it. And I did so, and read it within a single sitting.
And it was unquestionably his, Neil Gaiman's.
This is a lovely little addendum to Neverwhere (which in my view should be read first) - and in the hands of a less careful author or a more indulgent editor, it might have been crammed into that book. I am thankful that it wasn't - but also that it has made it into print. Very witty, clever fantasy writing....more
To be read by anyone who does art of any kind, and by anyone who loves someone who does suBrilliant; inspiring; wise; funny - splendidly illustrated.
To be read by anyone who does art of any kind, and by anyone who loves someone who does such art. Can be read in a single sitting; good to keep to hand, to be dipped into....more
The title is explained thus: 'you see, if only they didn't speak English in America, then we'd treat it as a foreign country - and probably understandThe title is explained thus: 'you see, if only they didn't speak English in America, then we'd treat it as a foreign country - and probably understand it a lot better.'
Sopel writes much as he presents his 'pieces to camera' as North America Editor for the BBC: clear, engaging, well-informed, thoughtful and fair. He makes his case, that the USA is a lot more different from the UK than most people realise, in a very cogent and entertaining way - partly from his own experience (and he is deeply sympathetic with, and understanding of most Americans he meets) and partly from his evidently thorough research.
Although he does not set out to do so explicitly, he goes a long way towards explaining something that has puzzled me: why so many Americans voted to have Trump as President.
This edition has an extra chapter, covering the first year of the Trump presidency. With luck, he will be persuaded to write a follow-up, on the rest of that period. ...more
Ten chapters of this wonderful book are each devoted to a seabird, or a group of related seabirds, most resident in the North Atlantic: Fulmar, PuffinTen chapters of this wonderful book are each devoted to a seabird, or a group of related seabirds, most resident in the North Atlantic: Fulmar, Puffin, Kittiwake, gull, Guillemot, Cormorant and Shag, shearwater, Gannet, Great Auk and Razorbill, and albatross. Nicholson starts with the observation that seabirds are the only creatures that are at home at sea, in the air and on land. He points out that of some 10,000 bird species, only about 350 have adopted this lifestyle; the ten birds (or groups of birds) exemplify different solutions to the problems that it presents, and they divide the sea (and its food resources) between them accordingly. Consequently, each displays a different sensitivity and response to environmental changes.
In his extraordinarily wide-ranging accounts, Nicholson weaves together strands of scientific research, both old and very new (often remarking on the people involved, sometimes from personal acquaintance), including bits of archaeology and palaeontology as well as the expected ecology, anatomy, physiology and tracking by ringing, GPS and satellite, amongst other means. Unusually, he keeps an eye on ethical considerations, and changing practice in research. All this is combined with elements from his own extensive personal observations and far-travelled experience, and notes from poetry and prose literature, myth and legend. In doing so, he discusses characteristics of plumage, nesting and other breeding behaviour and social interaction, foraging strategy and feeding behaviour, and, where it occurs, interaction with man, including notes on collected eggs of the Great Auk. He relates these things to the concept of 'umwelt', which refers to an animal's self-centred subjective world: its own unique sensory universe.
These descriptions include some remarkable observations and discoveries: the fulmar travels most efficiently by soaring and gliding in winds of Force 5 and greater (so must live in high latitudes); the bright orange feet and bills of the breeding puffin indicate the carotenoid-rich diet of a successful hunter (male or female); the reasons why there are many more puffin species in the Pacific than in the North Atlantic (and, incidentally, none in the Indian and southern oceans); kittiwakes time their fishing according to the state of the tide when prey is most available in their fishing grounds, and choose different foraging locations according to whether they are feeding their chicks (low-nutrient but local and more frequent) or themselves (high-nutrient but more distant); the strategies employed by the Glaucous Gull in hunting 'fat little floating sausages' (Little Auks); the Guillemot's murderous tendencies in nesting colonies that are stressed by lack of food; the conceptual map of the oceans developed by the Manx Shearwater based on their sense of smell, and so on. Fascinating stuff.
Nicholson points out that of his ten subjects, the populations of seven are in significant decline: seabirds as a whole have had their numbers reduced by 70% over six decades. He explores reasons why this is so - and why a few species are nevertheless holding their own or increasing. The final chapter considers the greater, generally grim, picture but even here his relentless optimism can see some faint signs of hope.
All this is set out in consistently readable, lucid, fluent prose with an engaging, sometimes quirky, turn of phrase. Altogether it is a hugely well-informed, comprehensive and thoughtful account....more
