Nature and Science
August 2023
Recent Releases
What An Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds
by Jennifer Ackerman

What it is: a "captivating survey" (Booklist) of owls, their biology and behavior, by the author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way.

Did you know... that owls can recognize one another by voice alone? And that some species decorate their nests?

Further reading: Miriam Darlington's The Wise Hours or Jonathan C. Slaght's Owls of the Eastern Ice.
The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality
by Andy Clark

The big idea: The brain is not a passive organ that receives information but rather an active "prediction machine" that constantly adjusts and adapts its forecasts based on the input it receives.

Why you might like it: In accessible language, philosopher and cognitive scientist Andy Clark describes how the theory of predictive processing explains how the brain interacts with the external world. 

You might also like: Annie Murphy Paul's The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain or Erik Hoel's The World Behind the World.
Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World
by Christian Cooper

What it is: an engaging memoir from birder and activist Christian Cooper, whose Central Park encounter with a white dog walker went viral in 2020.

Read it for: Cooper's love for the natural world; insights on how his hobby informs his experiences as a gay Black man; tips for birdwatching.

Media buzz: Cooper is the host of the National Geographic Wild series Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper.
The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals, and Real Estate in the California Redwoods
by Greg King

What it's about: California's redwoods, from their prehistoric origins to their discovery by commercial logging interests to their uncertain future.

Why you should read it: Only 4 percent of the original 2 million-acre redwood ecosystem remains standing, and may not last much longer.

Try this next: Lyndsie Bourgon's Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America's Woods.
Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic
by Emily Monosson

Fungus among us: From the fusarium wilt threatening bananas to the drug-resistant candida auris infecting immunocompromised humans, fungal pathogens rank among "the most devastating disease agents on the planet."

The last of us? Author and toxicologist Emily Monosson describes how global travel and commerce, as well as climate change, are making us increasingly vulnerable to deadly fungal infections.

Another perspective: For a more optimistic look at fungi, try Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life or Keith A. Seifert's The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi, both written by mycologists.
Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark
by Sarafina El-Badry Nance

What it's about: Egyptian American astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance recounts the challenges she faced as she pursued her chosen career while candidly discussing the institutional racism and sexism faced by women scientists of color.

You might also like: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's The Disordered Cosmos, Hakeem M. Oluseyi's A Quantum Life, or Aomawa Shield's Life on Other Planets.
Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses
by David Scheel

What it is: an accessible introduction to octopuses by marine biologist David Scheel, who shares what he's learned about these extraordinary creatures from decades of studying them.

Read it for: enlightening discussions of the anatomy, physiology, and life cycle of these fascinating cephalopods, as well as vivid and detailed descriptions of their behavior in the wild.

Further reading: Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus, Danna Staaf's Monarchs of the Sea, or Katherine Harmon Courage's Octopus!
Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the...
by Melissa L. Sevigny

What it's about: In the summer of 1938, pioneering botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter conducted a survey of the Colorado River during a treacherous 43-day, 600-mile rowboat journey.
 
Read it for: an evocative and richly detailed tribute to Clover and Jotter, who braved both the elements and the rampant misogyny of the scientific community to become the first to catalog flora in the Grand Canyon.
 
Featuring: the pair's journals and letters from the trip.
Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History
by Rebecca Struthers

What it is: a "vivid history" (Publishers Weekly) of timekeeping, from sundials to atomic clocks, which also explores the profound cultural impact of these technologies.

About the author: Professional watchmaker Rebecca Struthers also has a PhD in antiquarian horology.

You might also like: Chad Orzel's A Brief History of Timekeeping or David Rooney's About Time.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Sonoma County Library
707-545-0831www.sonomalibrary.org