Review – The Genius of Birds

Posted April 5, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Genius of BirdsThe Genius of Birds, Jennifer Ackerman

If you’ve read much about animal intelligence, most of the stuff in this book won’t be all that surprising, though of course since it’s entirely about birds, it includes a lot more anecdotes and bird-focused studies. As a whole, the book definitely makes a case for birds as specialised, well adapted, and very intelligent in their own spheres. We won’t be having philosophical discussions with them any time soon, though, if that’s what you thought ‘genius’ meant. And I think honestly that Ackerman makes less of a case for bower birds’ displays being art than others I’ve read.

It’s an easy read, and good for some ‘huh, cool’ moments, but not the most rigorous or unmissable popular science book out there.

Rating: 3/5

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WWW Wednesday

Posted April 4, 2018 by Nicky in General / 12 Comments

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

Cover of Improbable Destinies by Jonathan LososWhat are you currently reading?

Some of the same books as last week, plus Jonathan Losos’ Improbable Destinies. It discusses whether evolution can be repeated, and mostly suggests that yes, evolution does tend to repeat itself through convergence. I’m not entirely sold on it because there are some flaws in the experiments as described; I’ll probably look them up for myself and see if the authors address those at all. There are some compelling points, though. Hopefully, I’ll have actually finished this by the time this post goes live in the morning; I’m about to retreat to bed with it for a cwtch.

Cover of A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. WrightWhat have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was A Matter of Oaths, I think! I thought it was great, but my review is already up, so you can go there to see me babble about it.

Cover of Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R.LoracWhat will you be reading next?

I rather fancy picking up another of the British Library Classic Crime series, so I’m thinking of Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R. Lorac. Of course, the ‘Belfry’ in the title is making me think of Sayers’ The Nine Tailors, but I love that book so much I think it’s best to try not to think of it, lest this one suffer in comparison.

I’m also quite tempted to pick up City of Brass finally, since I accidentally read the first chapter today and was quite intrigued.

What are you currently reading?

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Review – A Matter of Oaths

Posted April 3, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments

Cover of A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. WrightA Matter of Oaths, Helen S. Wright

Throughout reading this, there were basically two major thoughts in my mind: one, why didn’t I read this sooner? And two: fans of Ann Leckie and Becky Chambers are probably the ideal audience (and maybe fans of Yoon Ha Lee, as well). And hurrah! It’s been republished recently, so it’s out there and ready to be picked up by just those people. I can’t quite put my finger on all of the things that reminded me of those authors, but nonetheless, remind me it did (without them being in any way derivative — that’s not what I’m saying).

Worldbuilding? Got it in spades. A unique way of interfacing between ship and crew, two warring empires, a mystery plot that turns out to reflect on the politics quite significantly, overt and perfectly matter of fact queerness… I loved the characters, even though they have their flaws (and I think I’d have liked to see more of Vidar, who kept fading in and out). I loved the way things came together, one question raising other questions while answering things you wouldn’t expect it to answer. And I read it really fast, too: I’d look up and I’d be 50 pages down the line with no real sense of time having passed.

And the ending. So much potential, without the need for more but just… telling you that more is there: the world goes on after you’ve left, as it began before you arrived. I’d love more time with Rafe and Joshim and Rallya; I’ll probably eventually reread this to get that. But the ending in itself is satisfactory and doesn’t, to my mind, leave anything hanging in a bad way.

I’m trying to think if I have criticisms, and really, I don’t. What the hey: I’m going for five stars here.

Rating: 5/5

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Review – Murder in the Museum

Posted April 2, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Murder in the Museum by John RowlandMurder in the Museum, John Rowland

I’ll admit that I was hoping for more of the Museum atmosphere from this, and that I was a little sad that the academic rivalry subplot peters out. But it’s still entertaining: nothing too solid, fairly stereotyped cast of characters for a Golden Age crime novel, quick to read… I wasn’t expecting anything revolutionary (and indeed, don’t remember Martin Edwards mentioning this author at all in The Golden Age of Murder, which talked about some of the more interesting members of the Golden Age crime fiction movement and particularly the Detection Club), but this was the sort of undemanding, mild fun I imagined. Despite involving murder, it’s pretty darn cosy. The only uncomfortable bit is the abduction of the female character.

So not an enormously high rating, but it deserves at least a three. I had fun. Not recommended if you don’t like Golden Age tropes, though!

Rating: 3/5

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Stacking the Shelves

Posted March 31, 2018 by Nicky in General / 24 Comments

So my excuse for last week was that I’d been good for ages. My excuse this week is… um… look, I’ve been restrained all year, now it’s breaking out. I can’t help it. I’m in the UK with books easily accessible to buy, I know I’m going away again until my exams, so I have to make the most of the opportunity.

Speaking of being in the UK, though, I’m still away from my buns so here’s a couple of pics of them being adorable that my wife sent.

Photo of Hulk and Breakfast booping noses through the pen Picture of Hulk sitting up and cleaning her face

Review copies

Cover of The Atrocities by Jeremy C. Shipp Cover of Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White

Because Tor are so good to me. <3

Bought 

Cover of Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton Cover of Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft Cover of The Rift by Nina Allan Cover of Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Cover of Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell Cover of A Tyranny of Queens by Foz Meadows Cover of The Honest Truth About Dishonesty by Dan Ariely

Cover of Verdict of Twelve by Raymond Postgate Cover of The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley Cover of Murder in the Museum by John Rowland

Quite a mixture, as ever, though perhaps not as mixed as I’d like — I was tempted by more non-fiction, but it didn’t exactly fit into the budget.

Books read this week:

Cover of Built on Bodies by Brenna Hasset Cover of The Genius of Birds

Not much read, I know. Failboat.

Reviews posted this week:

–The Terracotta Army, by John Man. Pretty clear and accessible history about something I knew sadly little about. Particularly fascinating on the politics around the Terracotta Army, both ancient and modern. 3/5 stars
–The Gene, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Fascinatingly written, if not quite as good or as expert as Mukherjee’s other book. 4/5 stars
–The Mummy Congress, by Heather Pringle. The kind of archaeology book I love — wide-ranging and totally absorbing. 4/5 stars
–Built on Bones, by Brenna Hassett. A good history of the development of the city, told through bioarchaeology. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday: The weekly update.

How’s everyone doing? Plenty of books, or going through a dry spell? Getting reading done, or way too stressed?

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Review – Built on Bones

Posted March 29, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 3 Comments

Cover of Built on Bodies by Brenna HassetBuilt on Bones, Brenna Hassett

This is one of the Bloomsbury Sigma titles, so it’s fairly light-hearted, accessibly written, and not too heavy on the scientific footnotes (though there’s a lot of joking ones), but trustworthy enough that I found it fascinating. Hassett discusses mostly bioarchaeology and what it has to say about that great human endeavour: city life. A lot of people are very critical about city living and its suitability for humanity, but Hassett’s mostly pretty positive about it (after the initial transition period, at least).

And surprise! There’s also a lot about disease, making it super relevant to me in my interest in zoonotic diseases especially. A whole section on leprosy and TB! It’s like it was written for me.

A fun and informative read, definitely good popular science/archaeology, if that interests you.

Rating: 4/5

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WWW Wednesday

Posted March 28, 2018 by Nicky in General / 6 Comments

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

Cover of A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. WrightUh, I’ve kind of got too many books on the go again: An Accident of Stars (Foz Meadows), A Matter of Oaths (Helen Wright), Evolution in Four Dimensions (Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb) and also Daphne du Maurier (Margaret Forster). At… least it’s a balance of fiction and non-fiction? I didn’t actually mean to pick up A Matter of Oaths yet; it just sort of happened.

What have you recently finished reading?

Cover of Built on Bodies by Brenna HassetBuilt on Bones, by Brenda Hassett. It’s one of the Bloomsbury Sigma books, so predictably enjoyable and fairly light, while still being informative about a lot of things — in this case, mostly bioarchaeology and what human remains tell us about urban life and how it developed (and whether or not it’s good for us).

What will you be reading next?

Cover of Exiled from Camelot by Cherith BaldryI’m playing Book Bingo, actually, so my next title strategically will probably be my reread of Exiled from Camelot (Cherith Baldry). I haven’t read it since I wrote part of my dissertation on it! If I don’t go for that, it’ll probably be The Genius of Birds (Jennifer Ackerman).

How’s everyone? What’re you reading? I’m behind on comments due to a new client and travel. I’ll be trying to get to all of that today!

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Review – The Mummy Congress

Posted March 27, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Mummy Congress by Heather PringleThe Mummy Congress, Heather Pringle

Mummies are always fascinating to me, at least in non-fiction, and this book was especially so because it covers a lot of ground, from Inca child sacrifices to Stalin to ancient bog bodies. It’s the kind of book I love, with something new (but related) in each chapter, introducing new sites and concepts I wasn’t aware of without going into any one thing exhaustively. I found myself googling for images to match the text.

The only thing I would really criticise is the hyperbolic breathlessness about how some of these mummies “look as if they were alive” or “wouldn’t look out of place on the street”. No, the preservation is amazing, but I have yet to see a mummy that is truly so immaculately preserved that it wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb trying to walk around the streets. The faces are sunken, the jaws and teeth and cheekbones too prominent, etc, etc. They’re obviously dead. I find I have more respect for them while recognising that they’re dead than trying to pretend that they look just as they did when alive. They don’t.

There’s an amazing amount to be learned from some of these bodies, and Pringle does a great job of showing some of the breadth of what’s out there and what questions we need to ask.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Gene

Posted March 26, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Gene by Siddhartha MukkherjeeThe Gene: An Intimate History, Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Gene isn’t quite as great as The Emperor of All Maladies: the fact that this isn’t as much Mukherjee’s forte definitely shows, and there’s a couple of points of fact I’d quibble about. For the most part, though, it’s a really great discussion of genetics and the way they actually affect people, tracing a history of mental illness in Mukherjee’s own family as an example. I know this field pretty darn well by this point, and this is far from the first book I’ve read about genetics, but Mukherjee is a good writer, making it all seem fresh and worth reading even when it’s stuff I know backwards and forwards, and probably inside out too.

If you’re curious about genetics, about what genetics can do for us, and about how exactly things like recessive genes and pleiotropy work, this is a good choice. It’s not for experts, but it’s still a pleasant read even if you do know the topic already.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Terracotta Army

Posted March 25, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Terracotta Army by John ManThe Terracotta Army, John Man

The Terracotta Army is great popular history: atmospheric, easy to read, almost a travel guide to seeing the Army in the modern world as well as to understanding its context and how it came to be. Man writes engagingly about the politics that informed the creation of the Terracotta Army and how it was seen, and about the politics which informed the revelation of the Army and the way it is now viewed in the world. He makes a lot of smart points, and though I don’t know the history of the period or the area well enough to judge whether he’s right in his analyses, it seemed convincing to me.

I’m definitely thinking of picking up more of Man’s work; this wasn’t unputdownable, but it was definitely easy to just keep reading instead of finishing a chapter, putting it down, and going to sleep. He brings the events and politics to life very clearly. It doesn’t feel greatly in depth, but it’s entertaining and informative.

Rating: 3/5

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