Perhaps the greatest environmental catastrophe you've never heard of, Dan Egan details our tumultuous relationship with phosphorus over the years.
From its discovery through human waste in labs, to its destruction of our waterways during the 50's and 60's due to our need to be sudsy clean, up to our current crisis with agriculture's obsession with it.
The Devil's Element is concise, easily readable, and compelling. A lovely delight!
I tend to prefer a bit more substance in my books. That said, Diane WIlliams has done something I haven't experienced while reading: she left me totally satisfied in as little as a few sentences.
She masterfully crafts her writing in a way that every word just seems to fit perfectly. No more, no less. This is refreshingly unsettling and jarring in the absolute best way. A true delight!
Oh man. This is the perfect romance novel! Anita Kelly writes fantastic characters here. It's funny, heartwarming, thrilling (spicy!) It has it all. And it fulfilled my deep desire for everything to include birding!
Reminiscent of the famous fabulist Aesop, Nadine Robert tells a classic story of patience and smarts versus greed. We all know how it ends. So much credit needs to be given to Sang Miao. Her artwork makes this book an instant classic. It's so good!
If you wanna be angry and raise your blood pressure to prehypertension levels, read this book. All of the heinous practices in the pharmaceutical industry can be traced back to Arthur Sackler, and down through his demonic progeny. I'm certain you don't know just how deep this stuff goes.
An interesting and quite nuanced reappraisal of Nero's reign as emperor, this history reads much like a novel. Turns out that historians of Nero's time despised him, which screwed over his position in history. However, Everitt shows us that there's much more to this story than we've been led to believe.
I'm not much of a YA reader, I couldn't say they last time I read one. That said, I very much so enjoyed this! A tender, sweet and often times hilarious story of young queer love. I recommend this to anyone looking for a light, heartwarming read to sit in the sun with.
Green does something very special here. Rather than situate the victims in the story of the killer, he focuses on the victims themselves. They're people, not simply a statistic. Green adeptly illustrates that, which makes the book even more of a page turner. I read it over one night, I couldn't put it down!
Clear and alarming, Seabrook delves into a practice that's as American as apple pie: gerrymandering. From the Founding Fathers to the current congressional maps, Seabrook deftly shines a light on this egregiously undemocratic process. With the current redistricting following the 2020 census giving us maps like those of Florida and Ohio, this is a must-read for all who care about voting rights.
This is a book I come back to every so often. While this falls under the "hippie self-help" umbrella, this is, to me, life-changing and one of those "essential reads." If you're interested in authentically relating to people, resolving issues with others peacefully, and making everyone feel heard and cared about, among other things, then pick this up!
The latest book in my "quit lit" have-reads, McKowen's memoir gives us an up-close view of her dark experiences under addiction. She then showcases the joys and hardships of sobriety, which those of us who suffered with alcoholism (or any other addiction), can attest to. A raw and emotional, yet beautiful, memoir, We Are the Luckiest is sure to impact you!
Dying is, to most, an uncomfortable topic. Even more taboo is assisted dying. Hannig approaches this topic in a sensitive and accessible way, shedding light on a conversation that we as a society should have.
It's been over 20 years since Weidensaul's previous work on migration,and it's hard to think much more can be added. Well, he does, and he does it in that evocative and immersive way that us bird lovers know Weidensaul for. The past two decades of technology have deepened our understanding of migration and, even moreso, how our species' impact on the planet puts the avian world in peril.
