Lights Out: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds

Lights Out: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds - 48 pages

Jessica Stremer, Bonnie Pang (Illustrator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

Based on the real-life Lights Out movement, this inspirational picture book shows how even the smallest of actions, like flipping a switch, can make a big difference in helping migrating birds.

When the seasons change and it’s time for a flock of sparrows to move on, a map made of stars guides their way. But when they reach the city, light pollution masks the map and confuses the birds. One sparrow becomes separated from the flock. A girl rescues the lost sparrow and decides to take action so this doesn’t happen again.

She rallies a group of friends, and together they encourage people all over the city to help the sparrows by turning off their lights at night. But will the city be ready by the time the flock return?

Review

A nice story (rooted in real life, of course!) with a good amount of helpful information for anyone looking to learn more and take action.  The additional information is explained in a manner accessible to younger readers, so I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in nature, the environment, and conservation!  

Little Brown Nut by Mary Auld

Little Brown Nut - 28 pages

Mary Auld

Summary (From Goodreads)

Little Brown Nut starts small, with a large fruit falling from the tallest tree in the Amazon rainforest. Inside is a little brown Brazil nut, surrounded by 20 others. It sits and waits for an agouti, a rodent with teeth so strong that it can free the nut from its hard casing. The story of the Brazil nut tree and the agouti is told clearly and carefully, with facts about germination, photosynthesis, seed dispersal. 

Review

I liked that beyond just elaborating on the life cycle of a tree as it relates to the Brazil nut specifically, this book also included facts about the ecosystem in which the tree is found.  It also touches on how human cultures and livelihoods intersect with these trees and the nuts they produce, and conversely the impact humans have on these trees.  

Dive!: The Story of Breathing Underwater

Dive!: The Story of Breathing Underwater - 48 pages

Chris Gall

Summary (From Goodreads)

How do you breathe underwater? What tools can we use to go deeper and deeper into the oceans? And...what's down there?

Two-thirds of our Earth is covered in ocean, yet only 5% of it has been explored.

DIVE deep into our long history of sea exploration to learn why, how, and when humans have dived, and uncover our biggest questions about what hides in the Earth's deepest waters.

Review

I've never been diving, but I still found this an interesting and informative read!  

Club Microbe

Club Microbe - 56 pages

Elise Gravel

Summary (From Goodreads)

It's a germ’s world. We’re just living in it!

In Club Microbe , Elise Gravel teaches young readers that germs live all around us―and even inside of us! Guided by Gravel in this formidable introduction to the fascinating world of microorganisms, we learn that some microbes get a bad rep for making us sick, but that most are helpful creatures that allow us to digest food, make cheese, and even enable snowflakes to form in winter.

In her signature colorful cartoon style, Gravel describes the invisible work of microorganisms that aid in creating our food, producing oxygen, and keeping our planet alive. She gives us a tour of the heroes and the villains of the microbe world, stopping to marvel at their unique names and wondrous shapes.

Review

This was as charming and humorous as it was educational -- the perfect way to get kids (and me!) interested in learning more about science!  

Are There Rainbows in Space?: A Colorful Compendium of Seriously Cool Science

Are There Rainbows in Space?: A Colorful Compendium of Seriously Cool Science - 128 pages

Sheila Kanani, Liz Kay (Illustrator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

What color is a polar bear under its fur? How do flamingos turn pink? What is a blue moon? Find the answers to all these fun questions and much more in this fact-filled adventure into the colorful world around us!

The science of colors is hard at work all the time—from ultraviolet light to the baby blue tint of the sky. Readers will learn tons of interesting scientific facts about color and its whys and hows—like why blood is red, how hippos keep cool, and how some animals can change color to hide from predators. Bursting with incredible illustrations and some seriously cool science, this book is sure to dazzle both nature lovers and reluctant readers alike.

Review

Seriously cool science indeed!  With a wealth of information on topics ranging from every color on the visible light spectrum and beyond, to the difference between luminescent and incandescent, this book was a delight to read!  

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by  Neil deGrasse Tyson, 222 pages   *challenge book

What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? Today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.

 

Elephants on Acid: and Other Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese

 

Elephants on Acid: and Other Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese - 290 pages

Alex Boese reveals to readers the results of scores of outrageous, amusing, and provocative experiments found in the files of modern science.

When Tusko the Elephant woke in his pen at the Lincoln Park Zoo on the morning of August 3, 1962, little did he know that he was about to become the test subject in an experiment to determine what happens to an elephant given a massive dose of LSD.

In Elephants on Acid, Boese details the results of this scientific trial, as well as answers to the Why can't people tickle themselves? Would the average dog summon help in an emergency? Will babies instinctually pick a well-balanced diet? Is it possible to restore life to the dead?

Read on to find out...

Wow, a bunch of crazy experiments all in the name of science.  I had a very hard time with the one about keeping a decapitated dog's head alive, along with the monkey head transplant.  And of course there's the elephant on acid...yikes.  Other experiments weren't so dark so that helped; if they were I don't think I could've read this one.  Overall an interesting read.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood -- 389 pages

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.

Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

208 pages

★★★★★

This memoir is a collection of essays that follows Bailey as she falls ill and becomes bedridden and has nothing to do besides watch the daily activities of a snail on her bedside table. She begins to discover more about herself and her own world as she learns more about the snail and its small world.

This book gave me a better appreciation for life and the things we are capable of, as well as more understanding about the science and nature of snails. It also just made me really want a pet snail!

Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood

Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood -- 139 pages

It will take the frosty terrain of the Arctic to show these rival scientists that their chemistry burns hot.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…

Hannah’s got a bad feeling about this. Not only has the NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station—but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival.

Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams…but he’s never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?

Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood

Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood -- 127 pages

Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…

Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart, you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader—she’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.

Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie’s superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik’s steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can’t help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed….

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood -- 112 pages

A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis – it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn….

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren -- 360 pages

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before her daughter was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get ‘to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood -- 354 pages

Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project - a literal dream come true - Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school - archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas... devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green -- 293 pages

A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

 Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson-208 pages

I have wanted to read this since it came out. I am not an astrophysicist by any means and I am not extremely interested in the subject. However, this book intrigued me because it's a short, readable introduction by one of the foremost astrophysicists of our time. I am not really a subscriber to the Big Bang Theory, but I like to read and understand different perspectives than my own. I am mildly interested in science in general (more so biology than physics or astrophysics). I did learn a few things from reading this book. I learned about dark matter and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The temperature of the CMB is 2.725 degrees Kelvin, but 2.7 or 3 degrees is acceptable. Also, there are myriad galaxies out there and some are millions of light years away. Dark matter is still invisible, nearly undetectable, but scientists are convinced of its existence. It is mind-boggling to consider that billions of stars permeate the Milky Way Galaxy and that there are billions of stars in the universe. On top of that, it's possible that there could be other universes. Earth is a tiny blue dot compared to the universe and even our own Milky Way Galaxy. I enjoyed Tyson's short anecdotes and humble humor, such as when he mentions that an asteroid is named after him and he's glad it hasn't hit earth (yet). He also mentions that his asteroid is one of hundreds of thousands that have been discovered and one each is named after Merlin, Santa, and James Bond. Neil DeGrasse Tyson also briefly discusses the history of Astronomy/Astrophysics and some of the early names of scientists. Overall, I enjoyed reading this brief introduction to Astrophysics and I found it very readable. 

Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky - 128 pages

It’s a scientific fact: Women rock!

A charmingly illustrated and educational book, Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists, and more!

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne - 32 pages

Four people enter a park, and through their eyes we see four different visions. There's the bossy woman, the sad man, the lonely boy, and the young girl whose warmth touches those she meets.  As the story moves from one voice to another, their perspectives are reflected in the shifting landscape and seasons.  This is an intriguing, multi-layered, enormously entertaining book that demands to be read again and again.

Exploring different points of view.

Who Was Galileo? by Patricia Brennan Demuth

Who Was Galileo? by Patricia Brennan Demuth - 105 pages

Like Michelangelo, Galileo is another Renaissance great known just by his first name--a name that is synonymous with scientific achievement. Born in Pisa, Italy, in the sixteenth century, Galileo contributed to the era's great rebirth of knowledge. He invented a telescope to observe the heavens. From there, not even the sky was the limit! He turned long-held notions about the universe topsy turvy with his support of a sun-centric solar system. Patricia Brennan Demuth offers a sympathetic portrait of a brilliant man who lived in a time when speaking scientific truth to those in power was still a dangerous proposition.

Believe it or not, to summarize all the facts about Galileo helped me remember some forgotten ones.

Endurance by Scott Kelly

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
by Scott Kelly
400 pages

"A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station--a candid account of his remarkable voyage, of the journeys off the planet that preceded it, and of his colorful formative years.

"The veteran of four space flights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have.  Now, he takes us inside a sphere utterly inimical to human life.  He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both existential and banal: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the comforts of Earth; the pressures of constant close cohabitation; the catastrophic risks of depressurization or colliding with space junk, and the still more haunting threat of being unable to help should tragedy strike at home...  Kelly's humanity, compassion, humor, and passion resonate throughout, as he recalls his rough-and-tumble New Jersey childhood and the youthful inspiration that sparked his astounding career, and as he makes clear his belief that Mars will be the next, ultimately challenging step in American spaceflight.  A natural storyteller and modern-day hero, Kelly has a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come.  Here, in his personal story, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy."  --from the publisher

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It hooked me from the beginning with the easy, natural voice of Mr. Kelly.  And what a story!  Kelly is truly an "everyman" who made the effort (and had the talent) to achieve his goal.  His humility and gratitude are remarkable.