psiloiordinary's reviews from LibraryThing

Life in the Undergrowth by David Attenborough Productions Ltd

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:49:47 -0500

psiloiordinary's review: "Attenborough makes the most of the media and adds loads of interesting stuff not covered in the TV series. From one point of view they are "Creepy Crawlies" from another they are the original conquerors of the land and perhaps it's ultimate inheritors. So why not learn a bit more about them. There is no "exchanging a meaningful glance with wild Gorillas" moment but there is plenty to make you stop and think. PLenty of great pictures too. Some you can scare your granny with."
BBC Books (2005), Hardcover, 288 pages

Aunts Aren't Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 09:36:02 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "A master of farce with another masterful farce. Cats, horses, revolutionaries and Aunties combined into a fun read. Not his best but then his worst is still bloody good. Read it what."
Penguin Books Ltd (1977), Paperback

The Wit of Cricket by Barry Johnston

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:28:26 -0500

psiloiordinary's review: "A collection of anecdotes, a few laugh out loud, most not. I suppose if you are really into cricket and it's history then this would appeal to you, otherwise don't bother."
Hodder & Stoughton (2009), Hardcover, 304 pages

Stephen Fry in America by Stephen Fry

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:16:12 -0500

psiloiordinary's review: "This is no more than it claims to be - a visit to every state and even Fry, with only a page or four for each state, can only fail to engage and entertain. An entertaining TV series that never would have and never did make a good idea for a book."
HarperCollins (2008), Hardcover, 320 pages

Last Chance to See by Mark Carwardine

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:36:04 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "I read this just as I finished watching the TV series. So it is my own fault that my only complaint is that it doesn't add a great deal to the series. Having said this it is a perfectly adequate stand alone book with plenty of fascinating material and unexpected twists e.g. being raped by a parrot or being moved to tears by Chimps. In fact what do I mean, "perfectly adequate"? It was in fact enjoyable and stimulating. The stimulation was both positive and negative; giving you hope for the future, and in my case hope about the kind of world my kids will raise kids in, and also giving you a glimpse of how big a mess we have made of things so far. I imagine the celebrity involvement, the beautiful pictures and the adventure travel theme are all good reasons that this will perhaps be a good book to give someone who doesn't appreciate what we have on this planet in the hopes that it might just make them think. And that is probably as good a compliment as I pay any book."
Collins (2009), Hardcover, 320 pages

Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History by STEPHEN JAY GOULD

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:13:25 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "This is another collection of essays loosely based around evolutionary biology (with some inevitable baseball references). This is what the author is best at. He like language and uses it in his own verbose and slightly pompous manner but once again we can see that he doesn't seem to have a nasty bone in his body. Having now seen him talk on you tube I can picture him reading the book to me, slightly out of breath, fiddling with his glasses dramatically and pausing for effect quite often. This only helps the enjoyment all the more. Some of the material covered is getting old now (1987) so bear that in mind, but I particularly enjoyed some of the "period" references e.g. the dino-killing impact theory. If you haven't read Gould then this might be a decent place to start - if you have read him then this is a cracking example of him in the medium he does best."
W. W. Norton & Co. (1987), Paperback, 480 pages

How to Fossilise Your Hamster: And Other Amazing Experiments For The Armchair Scientist by Mick O'Hare

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:28:42 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: " A nice bit of fun with real science sneaked in. Plenty of material to entertain the kids, of any age. Will be trying the others in the series."
Profile Books (2007), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 224 pages

the lost World ( Being an account of the recent amazing adventures of Professor George E.Challenger,Lord John… by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 06:03:54 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "A jolly good romp. A good demonstration of the same effect that makes many 1970s sit coms now un-showable. Casual racism, sexism and and a total disregard for anything living, this tale has enough style to just about make this funny."
Oxford University Press (1998), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 206 pages

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by DR Prothero

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:14:12 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "A very rare occurrence, five out of five stars. First of all I like all the small unimportant things about it. It's a hardback, and a good quality one, with heavy paper and a lovely cover, and colour plates, and nice margins for scribbling notes, and a thorough index and bibliography (breathe). Best of all of these things it has a comprehensive further reading list at the end of every chapter. Joy. Second and, of course, far more important than all that stuff, this guy knows his stuff, isn't afraid of saying when he doesn't know stuff, or isn't sure about stuff, and he has actually done the science stuff (ok well not all of it). Comprehensive coverage of the politics and religion behind the creationist agenda methods and arguments and a comprehensive take down of why they are wrong. An understanding of what science is and how it works shows us that creationists are 'not even wrong' in the sense that they aren't even doing science. A brief history of the brief history of creationism (it is very modern). A tour of fossilisation, dating, 'flood geology', the grand canyon and quote mining followed by a potted history of the evolution of evolution and a list of the main kinds of evidence supporting evolution as a fact of history (aside from fossils) and a quick summary of the current understanding out how it works.. But this is just a warm up for Prothero, next he brings out the oft neglected big guns and gives us a comprehensive overview of some of the main lines of fossil evidence supporting the modern synthesis. Diagrams, photos, anecdotes and of course plenty of places to go next if you want to dig deeper. I'm doing a couple of talks to BHA folks later in the year on creationism in the UK and I have found a few gems to work into my talk somewhere. Wit and wisdom, hard facts and open acknowledgement of what we don't know makes him my kind of author. Buy it."
Columbia University Press (2007), Hardcover, 408 pages

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:02:03 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "Another cracker. New characters that you may fall in love with before the end. Not really about football. As usual Pterry writes about you and me. If you haven't tried him then you must. Perhaps try this or maybe a witches one. The first few are a bit juvenile, the rest are enlightening."
Doubleday (2009), Hardcover, 400 pages

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas by Various

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:19:06 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "This book is like a box of chocolates. 42 men and women adding their 5p worth on the vague topic of atheism and christmas. Contributions are split into science, stories, art, philosophy etc. Some genuinely very good entries and a fair few fair ones. All in a great cause as well. So get it for that church going relative for Xmas."
The Friday Project (2009), Hardcover, 272 pages

Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies: The Straight Scoop on Freemasons, the Illuminati, Skull and Bones, Black… by Arthur Goldwag

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:13:41 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "If you find this kind of madness to be fun and interesting then you should get this book. If you don't then this won't change your mind. This is effectively an encyclopaedia of madness with so many repeating themes that you might think no ever learns anything in this world. Great fun apart from the bits were there are mass suicides, murders, prejudice and horror. A great buy for any gullible relatives."
Vintage Books USA (2009), Edition: 1 Original, Paperback, 384 pages

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:07:09 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "A brilliant little book that never quite bites off more than it can chew. The development of science as told as mini biographies of a series of great explorers and experimenters. There is lots you don't know about these folks that you will be glad you find out. Joseph Banks and the impact on societal morals not just the biological sciences. Herschel's family background and driven nature. Mad balloonists, drug taking Davy and the battle of wills over the lamp. Easy to read and well deserving of the various awards it won. Put it in your wish list."
HarperPress (2009), Paperback, 380 pages

DNA: The Secret of Life by James D. Watson

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:01:09 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "An excellent read. The story is told but also so much more background and context is given. We get the science and the personalities and the politics. In fact comprehensive coverage of all three aspects of this pivotal time for the whole human race. You don't need any biology before you read this. Ultimately you are getting one mans views but then again he was there in the middle of it all. Definitely recommended."
Arrow Books Ltd (2004), Edition: New edition, Paperback, 544 pages

The Strangest Man: The Life of Paul Dirac by Dr Graham Farmelo

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:50:35 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "The title says a lot. He was pretty odd, in a distant but ultimately very human way. You may feel sympathy, frustration, even despair for him while reading this. Although in the end he raised a family and led a successful life by anyone's standards. The science is put very simply and there wasn't enough of it for my tastes, but you probably know by know that I have more appetite for it than most. Well written, with a sense of humanity that the subject would perhaps only be puzzled by. I would like to hear what Dirac thought of the book but of course we will never know. Doesn't shy away from areas of family dispute and seems to present all sides without judging. Once again this narrative speaks to the contingent nature of our lives, change a little something here or there and what would Dirac have made of his life? Overall satisfying and well worth a read."
Faber and Faber (2010), Paperback, 560 pages

The Counter-Creationism Handbook by M Isaak

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:58:34 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "This is a book version of the index of creationist claims on www.talkorigins.org/indexcc . So you don't really need it. The claims themselves change very little over the years. Creationists don't do science so they only update their claims much in a blue moon. Claims labelled by them as "new" are usually just old ones re labelled - like irreducible complexity - the new Paley etc. The science that debunks their claims is being updated constantly and grows more comprehensive with each passing year. So perhaps the web version is your best bet. But if, like me, you like to hold a book in your hands and scribble notes in the margins then why not. Answers to claims are organised by subject for easy reference and give a response suitable for the layman with references to further reading if you want to delve deeper. Very well done but only of interest if you find creationists fascinating (like me). I hope this continues to be true - they day when biology teachers need a copy of this book (I live in the UK) will be a dark one."
University of California Press (2006), Edition: 1, Paperback, 362 pages

Life Stories by Sir David Attenborough

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:51:21 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "The man is a legend and this collection of anecdotes (its adapted from a radio series) gives you a glimpse into his rich store of curiosities. Not really autobiographical more a few entertaining tidbits. His story telling ability shines through and you will find yourselves by turn amazed, amused and horrified. Well worth it, wether or not you heard the radio series (I didn't)."
Collins (2009), Hardcover, 224 pages

How To Keep Dinosaurs by Robert Mash

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:47:27 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "A daft bit of fun but very well done. Even manages to sneak a bit of science in without you really noticing."
Weidenfeld & Nicolson (2003), Edition: New edition, Hardcover, 96 pages

Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide by Dingle Cooke, Hutchinson, Mckay, Schodde, tait and Vogt

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:42:48 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "A beautiful book. Great illustrations and photography. Probably totally outdated because of those interweb thingies but a pleasure to leaf through or to dip into."
Weldon Owen (2008), Hardcover, 608 pages

NATURE OF BRITAIN by RSPB NATURE OF BRITAIN

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:26:00 -0400

psiloiordinary's review: "I picked this up very cheap on a WH Smiths bargain shelf. Not worth paying the £25 for but easily worth half that. Beautiful photographs and handily organised into a calendar of what to see where and when."
Dorling Kindersley - DK (2009), Hardcover