Review: The Meaning of Evolution: A Study of the History of Life and of Its Significance for Man, Revised Edition

The Meaning of Evolution: A Study of the History of Life and of Its Significance for Man, Revised Edition by George Gaylord Simpson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I purchased this used book at Kew & Willow.

It was definitely interesting to read this book from the 1940s. After the atomic bomb but before the elucidation of the structure of DNA, this book gave me some perspective on what was known and being discussed at that time.

The subtitle of the book A Study of the History of Life and of Its Significance for Man is not on the cover, so I didn't realize that a great deal of the book would be dedicated to the implications evolution has on human ethics and politics. I feel like relating evolution to these concepts is misguided, and I didn't enjoy reading the many chapters spent on a connection that I don't see.

But the first part of the book that summarizes the understanding of evolution at the time was enjoyable. I was especially excited that George Gaylord Simpson intended this as a book for the layperson.

I really don't understand the figure on the right side of the cover.

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Review: The Murmur of Bees

The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was one of the ebooks I received for free from Amazon's World Book Day 2019. This was the first I read of all of them, and it's a strong start.

While I found the changing perspective a little jarring, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Segovia switches between first, second, and third person across chapters, some of which are very short. But it all somehow comes together at the end.

I've always been a fan of magical realism, and it seems to be dominated by Latin American authors. I wonder if there's something about Spanish that lends itself to it, or if it's something more ingrained into the culture? Regardless, the magical part is not very dominant in this book, but it's certainly there.

I'm excited to read more books by this author. Hopefully more will be translated soon!

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Review: Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying

Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying by Ram Dass
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an Uncorrected Proof of this book for free from Kew & Willow as part of their rewards program. Given a choice among non-fiction, fiction, and young adult, I chose non-fiction.

While I am not a complete skeptic and have sought out meditation and mindfulness practices, I was mostly unconvinced by this book. I found the psilocybin and LSD use especially eyebrow-raising, with Ram Dass using LSD during his father's funeral.

I did appreciate how this book encourages you to think about death and approach it in a way that reduces fear. As a thirty-year-old, I don't feel particularly close to death (but who knows!), but as someone who has watched a loved one die, I definitely found many parts of this book to be relevant.

I was reminded of a friend who uses the app WeCroak, and it actually got mentioned as a recommendation in this book!

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Review: Christine

Christine by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I purchased this book at the Union Square Barnes & Noble.

I have read many Stephen King books, and now I'm picking up some of the ones I had missed. This one's quite a long book, and I found the change to a third person narrative in the middle of the book a little strange. I like how it went back to Dennis's perspective in the end, though.

I was surprised by the end as I found it darker than a lot of King's novels. But I guess it's not quite dark enough to be a Bachman book? The denouement was very exciting and occurred appropriately at the very end; not too much wrap-up afterwards.

I found the motivation for some of the characters' deaths to be a little unconvincing. Even upon finding out who is being motivated to do the killing, I found 'killing becomes a habit' to be a little unsatisfying as the reason for people dying.

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