Science & Nature
Wild Sea: A History of the Southern Ocean by Joy McCann ($33, PB)
THE BURIED ARK James Bradley Callie risked everything to get her little sister Gracie to the safety of the Zone. She must now learn to survive in an alien landscape where nothing is what it seems.
THE DOCTOR’S DIET Dr Sandro Demaio 110 recipes plus clever tips for making sure that preparing and eating good food is the most pleasurable way possible of getting well and staying healthy.
FORCE OF NATURE
THE NEW KID
Jane Harper
James O’Loghlin and Matthew Martin
From the author of THE DRY ‘a breathless page turner’ New York Times ‘Force of Nature bristles with wit; it crackles with suspense; it radiates atmosphere. An astonishing book from an astonishing writer.’ A.J. Finn
New kids aren’t cool. Everyone knows that. Eleven-year-old Sam is the new kid at school but he has a plan, or two, or three to make himself the most popular kid ever.
The Lambs: My Father, a Farm, and the Gift of a Flock of Sheep by Carole George ($37, HB)
In this touching memoir about the relationship between father, daughter, and animals, Carole George explores life after adopting 13 pet Karakul lambs. Throughout her years with the lambs & her aging father, she comes to realize the distinct personality of each creature, and to understand more fully the almost spiritual bond between man & animal—her life raising, caring for, and eventually losing the lambs parallels a similar experience with her father. ‘... beautifully written, and right on target as an example of the natural—pastoral—world where we may achieve the fullness of human experience. Our descendants may gravitate toward the equivalent of [Carole’s] Virginia farm.’ —Edward O. Wilson.
Making Dogs Happy by Paul McGreevy & Melissa Starling
Studies have shown that many dog owners incorrectly interpret their dog’s behaviour & emotions—this book will ensure you’re being a good human to your canine companion. Learn what motivates your particular dog & you can train it accordingly, making your dog as happy as they make you. McGreevy & Starling are experts in dog behaviour, and their book introduces the idea of dogmanship—the ability to interact with & train dogs. Fully photographed, demonstrating key behaviours of dozens of furry charmers, this is the one handbook no dog lover can go past. ($35, PB)
Mrs Moreau’s Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names by Stephen Moss ($33, HB)
We use names so often, and with such little thought, that we often forget to pause & wonder about their origins. Many of our most familiar birds are named after people or places, sometimes after their sound or appearance, or perhaps after their quirky little habits. But sometimes a little more detective work is required to find the deeper meanings & stories behind the names. And a familiar face such as the blackbird, may not turn out to be named after its colour after all. Through unexpected encounters with the bird kingdom, from the familiar sparrow to the many-coloured rush-tyrant of Patagonia, Stephen Moss shows us that something as small as a name can carry a whole story—an arctic expedition, a pitched battle between rival ornithologists or the discovery of a new system of genetic hybridisation. This book is a journey through time, from when humans & birds first shared the world, up to now, as we find ourselves struggling to coexist sustainably with our feathered friends.
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Unimpeded by any landmass, the mysterious Southern Ocean flows completely around Earth from west to east between the seasonally shifting icy continent of Antarctica and the coastlines and islands of Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa. Weaving together sea captains’ journals, whalers’ log books, explorers’ letters, scientific research and ancient beliefs with her own voyage of discovery, Joy McCann reveals the secrets of a little-known ocean and its importance as a barometer of climate change. ‘Written with intensity and excitement, Wild Sea is a poetic exploration of a vast, wondrous ocean and a ripping yarn.’—Tom Griffiths
The Human Planet by Simon Lewis & Mark Maslin
Meteorites, methane, mega-volcanoes & now human beings; the old forces of nature that transformed Earth many millions of years ago are joined by another—us. Our actions have driven Earth into a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. For the first time in our home planet’s 4.5-billion year history a single species is dictating Earth’s future. To some the Anthropocene symbolises a future of superlative control of our environment. To others it is the height of hubris, the illusion of our mastery over nature. Whatever your view, just below the surface of the Anthropocene, is a heady mix of science, philosophy, religion & politics linked to our deepest fears & utopian visions. Tracing our environmental impact through time Simon Lewis & Mark Maslin show what the new epoch means for the future of humanity, the planet & life itself. ($20, PB)
Totally Random: Why Nobody Understands Quantum Mechanics (A Serious Comic on Entanglement) by Tanya & Jeffrey Bub ($45, PB)
Measure two entangled particles separately, and the outcomes are totally random. But compare the outcomes, and the particles seem as if they are instantaneously influencing each other at a distance—even if they are light-years apart. This, in a nutshell, is entanglement, and if it seems weird, then this book is for you. Totally Random is a graphic experiential narrative that unpacks the deep and insidious significance of the curious correlation between entangled particles to deliver a gutfeel glimpse of a world that is not what it seems.
Pasta For Nightingales: A 17th Century handbook of bird-care and folklore foreword by Helen Macdonald ($30, HB)
Art patron Cassiano dal Pozzo, (1588–1657) commissioned a number of exquisite studies of birds as part of his famous ‘Paper Museum’. In 1622 the lawyer & ornithologist Giovanni Pietro Olina used these drawings as the basis for the illustrations in his Uccelliera. This volume combines Cassiano’s original artwork with selections from the first English translation of Olina’s text. It includes such enchanting insights as the idea that robins were epileptic, or suffered from dizziness, and that the hoopoe overindulged in grapes until it became ‘dazed and half-drunk.’ It also includes much fascinating early natural history & ornithological observation—as well as the secret recipe for pasta to keep your nightingale happy and encourage it to sing.
The Weather Detective: Rediscovering Nature’s Secret Signs by Peter Wohlleben ($30, HB)
As soon as we step out of the door, nature surrounds us. Thousands of small & large processes are taking place, fascinating details that we’ve long forgotten how to recognise them. Peter Wohlleben invites you to become an expert, to take a closer look & interpret the signs that clouds, wind, plants & animals convey. Chaffinches become weather prophets, bees are live thermometers, courgettes tell us the time. The Weather Detective combines scientific research with charming anecdotes to explain the extraordinary cycles of life, death & regeneration that are evolving on our doorstep, bringing us closer to nature than ever before. A walk in the park will never be the same again.
The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos & the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos by Christian Davenport ($40, HB)
For years, space enthusiasts have imagined people in spaceships colonizing the cosmos, and for more than four decades, US presidents have been predicting a real-life journey to Mars. Little progress, however, has been made since the halcyon days of the Mercury and Apollo programs—until now. Chris Davenport tells the story of the ‘Space Barons’—notably Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, but also Richard Branson & Paul Allen—and their unbelievably big ambitions to revive the US manned space program and reignite ancient dreams. These tycoons, with deep imaginations and deeper wallets, have ambitions to go far into space, well beyond the lower Earth orbit of the International Space Station. ‘Do we want’, Elon Musk asks, ‘a future where we are forever confined to one planet until some eventual extinction event—however far in the future that might occur? Or do we want to become a multi-planet species, ultimately out there among the stars?” With an inside track on the businesses, rivalries, and rocketry that are fuelling the new space race, this is the story of how these billionaires plan to open the space frontier, extending humanity’s reach and fulfilling the dreams of a generation.
