Review: Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish

Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish by John Hargrove
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I purchased this book at Kew & Willow.

I had not heard of Blackfish before reading this book, but I watched it as well as some YouTube videos of Sea World orca shows. It does seem like Sea World is making some efforts to become more educational and scientific in their shows, which was nice to see.

I admire people who know what they want from life and achieve it. I'm sure there are countless young children who are inspired by going to a zoo or aquarium and wanting to be a zookeeper or animal trainer when they grow up. But here's a story of one who becomes that coveted orca trainer. Hargrove depicts his transition from a true believer to one who speaks out against the terrible treatment of whales and trainers. The actual attacks of the whales against the trainers are terrible, but I was also disturbed by the physical toll that Hargrove suffered from the day-to-day of swimming with the whales.

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Review: A House Among the Trees

A House Among the Trees by Julia Glass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I took this book from the Free Books in the faculty lounge where I used to teach. It is an uncorrected bound proof. I like to read books without knowing anything about them, and I picked this book up simply because of the word "Trees" in the title.

I read this book after my husband's father passed away, and he was (and still is) in the middle of handling all that happens after a death. That made this book poignantly relevant to me. I enjoyed the shifting perspectives, but probably mostly because I don't think I could have handled an entire novel written from Tomasina's point of view.

This is the first book by Julia Glass I have read, and while I have no plans to read others, I won't rule it out. I only found out after I read this that it was inspired by Maurice Sendak and Where the Wild Things Are. There is so much description of Ivo and Colorquake in this book; I would love to see a recreation of it.

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Review: The Essex Serpent

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from my brother-in-law, Danny. I unfortunately don't remember what he told me about the book and why he was lending it to me. I may update this later if he reminds me.

This was an unexpectedly pleasant read! It's definitely a slow start, and I can't say I particularly like any of the characters, but I enjoyed the novelization of natural history in the late 19th century, even if it was not the major force of this book. Hooray for name-dropping Lyell and Darwin! It made me speculate how our scientific knowledge today will serve as a backdrop for the fiction of some future day a hundred-something years from now.

I didn't think I particularly favored Victorian England as a setting, but I enjoyed it here. I might be discovering a bias with this book now that I think about it, as I also liked Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White and Michael Cox's The Meaning of Night. Something to explore...

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Review: The Tao Made Easy: Timeless Wisdom to Navigate a Changing World

The Tao Made Easy: Timeless Wisdom to Navigate a Changing World by Alan Cohen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I used $1.99 worth of free Amazon credits toward Great on Kindle eBooks to 'purchase' this book.

It seems a lot of self-help books end up on Amazon at very low prices. This is the only book I've read about the Tao Te Ching, and I probably won't try any others. The format was interesting, with fictional anecdotes of Lao Tze and an unnamed follower interspersed with Cohen's recapping the Tao Te Ching and giving examples from the world and his own life. The fictional anecdotes were probably my favorite part of the book. The rest seemed the same hash over and over again.

Some of the things Cohen states as bald fact are just too outrageous to give credit, like the mention of the Global Consciousness Project. While I love me a random number generator to help me make a decision, I don't believe we're psychically influencing it. And this line made me laugh: "The Earth in its original state was rich in oxygen far beyond the levels we experience today."

One thing I can get behind: "Life is about love, and love does not depend on bodies." I just finished reading Bag of Bones by Stephen King, and this could be a one-line review of that book.

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Review: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from my brother-in-law, Danny.

This is a rambling book following the alliance of France with the US during the American Revolution. It's roughly linear in chronology, interspersed with anecdotes from more modern times, including the author's own experiences visiting memorials related to Lafayette. The interspersions happen within the text, though, with only a paragraph indent to indicate a separation from the main narrative of Lafayette's story.

I'm not big on history, but Vowell's tone throughout the book is approachable and veering on irreverent.

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Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I purchased this book in Librairie Bertrand in Montreal. This was one of the books that was under consideration at the school where I used to teach for the middle school summer book. I am surprised that the school considered this book in light of the allegations against Alexie, but I generally like to separate my appreciation for works of art from the character of the artist, so I appreciate this.

I generally enjoyed the interspersion of art and comics throughout this novel. It definitely feels like a book that middle school students would enjoy, but maybe not if it is assigned in school. The less a book like this feels "sanctioned" by adults, I bet the more kids like it. Junior seems like quite a likable guy, and because of his varied interests, I'd guess most readers can find a way to relate to him, whether it be through his dedication to basketball or his, er, physical reaction.

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Review: Bag of Bones

Bag of Bones by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My absolute favorite novel for quite personal and subjective reasons. This is a book about love in so many forms. I fell in love with this book the first time I read it, which I believe was after my mom passed away when I was in high school. I loved the portrayal of the love between mother and daughter, and I held the marital love of this book as a sort of ideal as I made my way through young adulthood. I went back to reread bits and pieces of this book as I was preparing for my wedding, and I was moved to tears many times as I rediscovered what Stephen King had to write about marriage.

I asked my husband to read this book, not because I thought he would enjoy it (I knew he wouldn't, since he really dislikes horror), but because I wanted him to see the book that influenced me heavily during my formative years.

I just finished rereading this book for the umpteenth time. I don't love everything about this book, and I feel like its flaws are starting to show through like a well-worn blanket, but I don't know if I will ever love a book as much as this.

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Review: Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505

Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505 by Daniel V. Gallery
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I used $0.99 worth of free Amazon credits toward Great on Kindle eBooks to 'purchase' this book.

The vast majority of the books that cost $0.99 on Great on Kindle seem to be older war history books. At the end of the book, there was a note to the reader that mentions www.digitalhistorybooks.com, and I imagine many of these books are associated with this. I purchased another two such books for $0.99: Black History: The Story of the Schweinfurt Raid by Martin Caidin and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.

Considering that this book was first published in 1956 and that I'm not all that into military history, this was an interesting read. The story was persuasive, diving into the lives at sea of the principal characters. The number of times he made fun of scientists did irk me, but overall it was surprisingly pleasant to read. I expected something drier and more pedantic, but Gallery seems like a very colorful man and really tries to get into the minds of his fellow and enemy combatants.

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Review: The Brave Ones: A Memoir of Hope, Pride, and Military Service

The Brave Ones: A Memoir of Hope, Pride, and Military Service by Michael J. MacLeod
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eBook through IHG's Free Kindle eBooks benefits.

I don't really seek out books about military history (although this is quite contemporary), but I decided to give this a try. Two things stick out:

1) At the beginning of the book, the author states that he used only his memory and did no additional research to write the book. I found this a very interesting choice and made me wonder what he means by "additional" research. Not a criticism by any means, but it also made me take a lot of his anecdotes with a grain of salt. Also interesting that one of the genres listed for this book is "Military Fiction." Hm...

2) My brother-in-law was in the army (hi Danny!), and while I really have no idea how his experiences compare to the ones of MacLeod, reading this book made me feel a little too much like a voyeur for comfort. But I don't think it's a bad thing to feel uncomfortable reading a book like this.

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Review: The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History

The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I purchased this book along with Eight Little Piggies at Second Story Books near Dupont Circle.

Due to my own personal bias, I prefer Gould's essays that address more biological rather than biographical topics. He does warn us in his Preface, but I still enjoyed this book and love his sense of humor.

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Review: Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History

Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever since I read The Panda's Thumb some years ago, I've considered Stephen Jay Gould as one of my person heroes. Every time I go to a second-hand bookstore, I look in the Science section for some of his books. I picked this one up at Second Story Books near Dupont Circle along with The Lying Stones of Marrakech, which is next on my list to read.

One of the aspects of Gould's writing that I absolutely love is how he uncovers "the other side" of stories that most people don't contemplate. Of course, I don't know what he was like as a person, but the impression I get from his writing is that when he finds that he disagrees with someone, he would truly listen to the other person and try to understand where the disagreement comes from. I feel like this characteristic is something that we should all be trying to cultivate these days.

This paragraph from Essay 29 "Shields of Expectation--and Actuality" is a great representation of what I love about Gould's essays:

"These extreme positions [extreme realism vs. extreme relativism], of course, are embraced by very few thinkers. They are caricatures constructed by the opposition to enhance the rhetorical advantages of dichotomy. They are not really held by anyone, but partisans think that their opponents are this foolish, thus fanning the zealousness of their own advocacy. The possibility for consensus drowns in a sea of changes."

Though Gould is talking about scientific realism and relativism, I feel this applies to any highly divisive topic, and I try to keep this in mind any time I am thinking about these topics.

A small complaint: I feel like there is an error in Essay 30 "A Tale of Three Pictures." Gould writes:

"Agassiz placed Cephalaspis as the first side branch from his central stock of the most "primitive" group--the ganoids (sharks and their relatives)."

I appreciate Gould placing the word "primitive" in quotes as that is another often misunderstood and misapplied adjective in the context of evolution - that's not my concern. I did a double-take at the parenthetical. Ganoids are definitely NOT sharks and their relatives. The figure Gould refers to looks to be in French, but I can tell that the sharks and relatives are in a completely different group from (the right-most, if you have a copy) labeled "Ordre des Placoides" with subgroups like Chimerides (chimeras), rayes (rays), squalides (dogfish), and ...cyclostomes? That last definitely doesn't belong, but makes sense in the historical context.

The group labeled "Order des Ganoides" contains acipenserides (sturgeon), but that's really the only subgroup I recognize as a ganoid. The group names suggest that Agassiz classified the fishes into four groups using the type of scales they have, but I guess there wasn't as much close study on the scales of some of these other subgroups he considers to be ganoids.

I wonder if it was actually Gould who put that in or some editor who felt an explanation was necessary? I'm sure he would have received plenty of letters pointing out this error before the compilation of his essays into a book. Or maybe I am missing something?

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