About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Susan Casey
Positive Booklist Casey immerses the reader in the science and history of deep-sea exploration ... While Casey’s joy and awe at what has been and what waits to be discovered resonate throughout, also addressed are the significant threats facing the ocean, including the potential impacts of mining companies eager to explore its depths. Casey’s thrilling account of the wonders to be found on the ocean floor will captivate readers.
Emily Pennington
Positive Booklist Pennington’s story of personal growth is told with unflinching insight and immense awe at the natural wonders she encounters; her expressive storytelling is sure to engage and inspire readers.
Keith Seifert
Positive Booklist Seifert, a life-long mycologist and researcher, explores the vast and varied relationships of fungi with people, other living things, and the environment...The book is arranged by sections that examine different types of habitat where fungi live and flourish...Seifert’s writing is animated, and interspersed in the text are fascinating facts and anecdotes...Some of the most thought-provoking information appears in the section on how current fungi research might contribute to a sustainable planet, including the creation and production of mycomaterials that mimic materials like leather and a type of Styrofoam being considered for an eventual colony on Mars...Seifert, in this fascinating, engaging, and approachable work, provides an improved understanding of how fungi surround and affect our lives.
Seirian Sumner
Positive Booklist ... a fascinating introduction to the much-maligned wasp ... [Summer\'s] passion for wasps and their global importance as both predators and pollinators is compelling ... The text is full of intriguing facts about wasps, ranging from cultural references to their complex social lives. The writing is engaging and humorous ... While entertaining, sections describing imagined conversations with wasp whisperers of the past and a dinner party with Aristotle seem slightly out of place. The book concludes with a detailed notes section. This interesting and entertaining work is sure to leave readers buzzing.
Ashley Ward
Positive Booklist Ward’s lively and oftentimes surprising observations and quirky and wry writing will appeal to readers. The juxtaposition of animal and human behavior will linger long after readers have turned the last page.
Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry
Positive Booklist The authors have a humorous and engaging writing style, posing both thoughtful and amusing questions to the reader throughout the text, while also explaining phenomena like belief perseverance and confirmation bias that impact scientific research ... The book is teeming with curious facts and interesting anecdotes around topics including animal form and function, the end of the world, and animal senses and perception. Detailed sidebars (many more than a page in length) are included throughout to highlight specific scientific examples; footnotes appear throughout to add detail and author commentary. The book concludes with a list of web links to references for specific research, articles, and studies cited in the text. The science is detailed and comprehensive in this fun and fascinating read, originally published in the UK.
Giles Whittell
Positive Booklist ... a fascinating study ... [Whittell\'s] keen interest and enthusiasm for the topic are apparent, and his footnotes contain both citations and observations ... Whittell covers a broad range of topics ... Readers will want to grab an extra blanket when reading this well-researched and fascinating title, which was originally published in the UK in 2018.
Seth Fletcher
Rave Booklist This engaging narrative ... [gives readers] a front-row seat to the action ... The explanations of astrophysics topics are clear, and Doeleman’s challenge is a compelling one: he is in a race to secure funding, get international cooperation from observatories around the world, and beat the clock, as there is only a small window (a few weeks in spring) when everything is aligned for the perfect shot—and that’s only if the weather cooperates at all of the sites. Captivating and informative, this text will appeal to those with an interest in the topic and to general readers alike.