I am actually a little shocked when I was looking back through the blog at what I had written and realized I hadn't updated the reading/read list since January. Six months?! Oh geez. I have a lot read even with the much slower pace.
I am currently reading two books. The first is Splendid Isolation about South America's Cenozoic mammals. It's a good read but feels dated. Given its age, that shouldn't be a surprise. Is there a more updated treatise on the subject? I am also reading The Medea Hypothesis. I am holding my cards close to my chest on this one until I am done.
In the recent past, I read Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. I didn't realize that dogs were a North American lineage (along with horses and camels). The Old World equivalent was the hyena. Which dogs are now pummeling. Continuing the paleo theme, I also read In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs. I didn't realize there was an aquatic sphenodont: tuatara relative for the rest of you. I also read The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs. It's interesting to see the intellectual debate raging on back then: competition vs mass extinction opportunism.
I also read The World Without Us and found it underwhelming. Better was The Earth After Us. It was a little too short of discussing what would survive in the strata over time in favor of explaining the mechanics of how geology works. A bit of a bummer. Seems like we need a next step higher: a "yeah we get the basics big time, but we're not quite pros yet" level.
I read Solar Sails and found the last third to be the best part since it was the actual juicy technical part. I still like Starsailing better, but Starsailing lacks a lot of the guts of the last 1/3 of Solar Sails.
Much to my great pissy annoyance, my copy of Byzantium Viewed by the Arabs disappeared part way through. I also read History of the Persian Empire. Wow. Talk about being written in a completely different era. I picked up a copy of Byzantine Infantryman, but not read it yet. Intended as a bit of background for my writing. I am waiting for a copy of The Great Arab Conquests.
I also have the Long Thaw, Principles of Paleoclimatology, Fire and Ice, and An Introduction to Celestrial Mechanics. I also haven't finished Russia's Far East.
Anyways, I'll comment on The Medea Hypothesis. I'm only in a small way and I am already getting "hmmmm" bits. Oh yes, and the number of books may sound like a nontrivial amount, but its not. Prior to marriage, I was reading 3600+ pages per month, which translates into around ten to fifteen books per month. What I read up there is probably about that much over six months.
I am currently reading two books. The first is Splendid Isolation about South America's Cenozoic mammals. It's a good read but feels dated. Given its age, that shouldn't be a surprise. Is there a more updated treatise on the subject? I am also reading The Medea Hypothesis. I am holding my cards close to my chest on this one until I am done.
In the recent past, I read Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. I didn't realize that dogs were a North American lineage (along with horses and camels). The Old World equivalent was the hyena. Which dogs are now pummeling. Continuing the paleo theme, I also read In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs. I didn't realize there was an aquatic sphenodont: tuatara relative for the rest of you. I also read The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs. It's interesting to see the intellectual debate raging on back then: competition vs mass extinction opportunism.
I also read The World Without Us and found it underwhelming. Better was The Earth After Us. It was a little too short of discussing what would survive in the strata over time in favor of explaining the mechanics of how geology works. A bit of a bummer. Seems like we need a next step higher: a "yeah we get the basics big time, but we're not quite pros yet" level.
I read Solar Sails and found the last third to be the best part since it was the actual juicy technical part. I still like Starsailing better, but Starsailing lacks a lot of the guts of the last 1/3 of Solar Sails.
Much to my great pissy annoyance, my copy of Byzantium Viewed by the Arabs disappeared part way through. I also read History of the Persian Empire. Wow. Talk about being written in a completely different era. I picked up a copy of Byzantine Infantryman, but not read it yet. Intended as a bit of background for my writing. I am waiting for a copy of The Great Arab Conquests.
I also have the Long Thaw, Principles of Paleoclimatology, Fire and Ice, and An Introduction to Celestrial Mechanics. I also haven't finished Russia's Far East.
Anyways, I'll comment on The Medea Hypothesis. I'm only in a small way and I am already getting "hmmmm" bits. Oh yes, and the number of books may sound like a nontrivial amount, but its not. Prior to marriage, I was reading 3600+ pages per month, which translates into around ten to fifteen books per month. What I read up there is probably about that much over six months.
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