What Nature Does For Britain by Tony Juniper [281 pages, Profile Books, 2015; Guardian bookshop; Amazon UK paperback/kindle UK; Amazon US paperback/kindle US]
Publisher’s synopsis: From the peat bogs and woodlands that help to secure our water supply, to the bees and soils that produce most of the food we eat, Britain is rich in ‘natural capital’. Yet we take supplies of clean water and secure food for granted, rarely considering the free work nature does for Britain. In fact for years we have damaged the systems that sustain us under the illusion that we are keeping prices down, through intensive farming, drainage of bogs, clearing forests and turning rivers into canals. As Tony Juniper’s new analysis shows, however, the ways in which we meet our needs often doesn’t make economic sense.
Through vivid first hand accounts and inspirational examples of how the damage is being repaired, Juniper takes readers on a journey to a different Britain from the one many assume we inhabit, not a country where nature is worthless or an impediment to progress, but the real Britain, the one where we are supported by nature, wildlife and natural systems at almost every turn.
My first impression: This fascinating travelogue provides an in-depth look at Britain’s natural resources, and explains how restoring and protecting natural landscapes benefits society as well as wildlife. The author provides a thoughtful yet carefully-researched and engaging argument that what is good for nature is also good for people. Although this book focuses upon Britain, the story’s narrative and the information presented makes it compelling (and inspirational) reading to a much wider audience.
Ten Million Aliens: A Journey Through the Entire Animal Kingdom by Simon Barnes [480 pages, Short Books Ltd., 2014; Guardian bookshop; Amazon UK hardcover/kindle UK; Amazon US hardcover/kindle US]
Publisher’s synopsis: Life on planet earth is not weirder than we imagine. It’s weirder than we are capable of imagining. And we’re all in it together: humans, blue whales, rats, birds of paradise, beetles, mollusks the size of buses, gladiator slugs, bdelloid rotifers that haven’t had sex for millions of years, and water bears -- creatures that can be boiled, frozen, and fired off into space without dying.
We’re all part of the animal kingdom, appearing in what Darwin called “endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful.” In this audacious book, Simon Barnes brings together all of the world’s creatures, seeking not what sets them all apart but what unites all. He explores arcane knowledge from the works of Darwin to James Joyce and David Attenborough to Sherlock Holmes, in addition to telling his own wild, don’t-try-this-at-home adventures in humorous and compulsively readable prose.
Fascinating, entertaining, and perfect for Discovery Channel enthusiasts, Ten Million Aliens will open your eyes to the real marvels of the planet we live on.
My first impression: This beautifully-written and witty book provides the reader a glimpse into what makes a particular species of animal so special -- and every species is special, so there’s a world of material out there, waiting for us to discover it. The book is thick, but each chapter is short -- a mere niblet like a short blog essay, really -- perfect for reading on the Tube, subway or during a short break from work. This fascinating exploration of the animal kingdom examines how the world’s creatures -- weird, wonderful, and everything in between -- are inextricably linked.
Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale by Marina Warner [226 pages, Oxford University Press, 2014; Guardian bookshop; Amazon UK hardcover/kindle UK; Amazon US hardcover/kindle US]
Publisher’s synopsis: From wicked queens, beautiful princesses, elves, monsters, and goblins to giants, glass slippers, poisoned apples, magic keys, and mirrors, the characters and images of fairy tales have cast a spell over readers and audiences, both adults and children, for centuries. These fantastic stories have travelled across cultural borders, and been passed on from generation to generation, ever-changing, renewed with each re-telling. Few forms of literature have greater power to enchant us and rekindle our imagination than a fairy tale.
But what is a fairy tale? Where do they come from and what do they mean? What do they try and communicate to us about morality, sexuality, and society? The range of fairy tales stretches across great distances and time; their history is entangled with folklore and myth, and their inspiration draws on ideas about nature and the supernatural, imagination and fantasy, psychoanalysis, and feminism.
Marina Warner has loved fairy tales over a long writing life, and she explores here a multitude of tales through the ages, their different manifestations on the page, the stage, and the screen. From the phenomenal rise of Victorian and Edwardian literature to contemporary children’s stories, Warner unfolds a glittering array of examples, from classics such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty, the Grimm Brothers’ Hansel and Gretel, and Hans Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, to modern-day realizations including Walt Disney’s Snow White and gothic interpretations such as Pan’s Labyrinth.
In ten succinct chapters, Marina Warner digs into a rich hoard of fairy tales in their brilliant and fantastical variations, in order to define a genre and evaluate a literary form that keeps shifting through time and history. Her book makes a persuasive case for fairy tale as a crucial repository of human understanding and culture.
My first impression: everyone grows up hearing Fairy Tales, so we all know something about them. This small book, designed to fit comfortably into the palm of an adult’s hand, presents an scholarly yet readable overview of the function and history of Fairy Tales and an exploration for why they are universal. For those who want to read more about the topics mentioned in this book, there is an extensive list of further readings for each chapter that will keep you busy.
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When she’s not got her nose stuck in a book, GrrlScientist is very active on twitter @GrrlScientist and lurks on social media: facebook, G+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
