Sierra
This book is fantastic. You think you're getting a book on fungi, and you are, you really, really are, but the author has necessarily connected the world of fungi to our lives as humans, to plants (which are all but inseparable from fungi, as you will learn, yet overshadow them), and to the environment and past and future of the planet. While reading this I kept telling my family interesting facts I'd learned; I couldn't help myself. You walk away from this book with a new, more complete perspective on the natural world. As a bonus, the author has the best name. Imagine: this book on your shelf, covered in beautiful illustrations of fungi, authored by one Merlin Sheldrake. What more could you want??
This book is fantastic. You think you're getting a book on fungi, and you are, you really, really are, but the author has necessarily connected the world of fungi to our lives as humans, to plants (which are all but inseparable from fungi, as you will learn, yet overshadow them), and to the environment and past and future of the planet. While reading this I kept telling my family interesting facts I'd learned; I couldn't help myself. You walk away from this book with a new, more complete perspective on the natural world. As a bonus, the author has the best name. Imagine: this book on your shelf, covered in beautiful illustrations of fungi, authored by one Merlin Sheldrake. What more could you want??
I love this book and feel it deserves more attention considering the astronomical popularity of the author's Twilight. I think this has wider appeal in terms of subject matter, target audience, and the way it was written. If you're not much a fan of Twilight, but enjoy science fiction and romance, you might just love this. And if you love Twilight... what took you so long?? Read it! Don't watch the movie beforehand though... not a fan. It's been a while since I saw it, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't "good bad" as many people see the Twilight movies.
I love this book and feel it deserves more attention considering the astronomical popularity of the author's Twilight. I think this has wider appeal in terms of subject matter, target audience, and the way it was written. If you're not much a fan of Twilight, but enjoy science fiction and romance, you might just love this. And if you love Twilight... what took you so long?? Read it! Don't watch the movie beforehand though... not a fan. It's been a while since I saw it, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't "good bad" as many people see the Twilight movies.
The premise of this book is very unique and interesting. However, as someone who studied zoology and anthropology, some parts of this book pulled me out of the illusion. The way the book is written in terms of themes and events seems to suggest the author subscribes to the unscientific belief in dominance theory among dogs and that human nature is competitive and cut-throat. This book is really about what makes us human, not about what makes a dog a dog, and yet despite trying to incorporate both, it fails to really explore the reality of either. It does not add anything new to the conversation of our humanity and works off of a relatively narrow view uninformed by anthropology, sociology, or linguistics. I feel like this book could have been great if the author knew more about the subjects he was using for themes.
The premise of this book is very unique and interesting. However, as someone who studied zoology and anthropology, some parts of this book pulled me out of the illusion. The way the book is written in terms of themes and events seems to suggest the author subscribes to the unscientific belief in dominance theory among dogs and that human nature is competitive and cut-throat. This book is really about what makes us human, not about what makes a dog a dog, and yet despite trying to incorporate both, it fails to really explore the reality of either. It does not add anything new to the conversation of our humanity and works off of a relatively narrow view uninformed by anthropology, sociology, or linguistics. I feel like this book could have been great if the author knew more about the subjects he was using for themes.
