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hootsinboots's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Excellent excellent excellent! As a biologist I often find reading non-fiction (either in my field or adjacent) frustrating as I feel patronised because I'm already versed in that area. This book was brilliant, accessible to laymen without talking down.
Loved it!
Loved it!
heylook's review
2.0
No coherent thread flowing from chapter to chapter, more a collection of essays on various aspects of shell life. Unsurprisingly very dry at times (no pun intended, hey hey)
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
In a book covering an unimaginable array of topics, marine biologist Helen Scales introduces readers to the world of mollusks.
I downloaded this book on a whim from the library, thinking that it would work for the 2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge “hobby” category since I can’t resist picking up seashells when I’m at the beach. As I read, I decided it would work better for the “oceanography” category but either way, I found the book captivating. Let me be clear. I have a dusty biology degree but I’ve always been much more interested in mammals than anything else. Birds do have a certain appeal. But mollusks as anything other than beautiful shells that catch my eye? Bo-ring!
Oh, how wrong I was. Mollusks are fascinating!
There were so many interesting topics that I don’t even know where to begin.
I had to read a few chapters before the book really hooked me. Mollusk evolution doesn’t interest me that much. The intricacies of shell building caught my attention a bit more but still aren’t really my thing. The next chapter, about shells as money and jewelry in ancient times finally started to intrigue me. This is the point where I started to regularly share my newly-learned facts with my husband and my sister. That’s a sure sign that I’m enjoying a book. It only got more engrossing from there. I was soon Googling snail species I’ve never heard of and watching them hunt fish (Yes! Slowpoke snails hunt and eat fish. And can kill a human within heartbeats. Who knew?) I looked up Noble Pen Shells and the “seasilk” that artisans historically wove from their byssal fibers. Jeanne Power, a female scientist who’s largely been forgotten but who finally settled the question of whether or not argonauts make their own shells, went on the list of people I’d like to read more about. I looked up snails that literally encase themselves in iron chain mail of their own making. And I watched videos of sea butterflies swimming through warming oceans and indicating, like canaries in coal mines, that all is not well.
I downloaded this book from my digital library and read it on my Kindle Paperwhite. It wasn’t until the very end that I realized that it includes color plates with pictures of all these species. I did look at the pictures on my phone’s Kindle app (Paperwhites do not render pictures well), but I spent so much time looking things up on my own that I don’t feel like I missed much. Still, I do recommend a physical copy if you can get your hands on one.
This book obviously isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re curious about nature and science, I highly recommend that you give it a try.
I downloaded this book on a whim from the library, thinking that it would work for the 2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge “hobby” category since I can’t resist picking up seashells when I’m at the beach. As I read, I decided it would work better for the “oceanography” category but either way, I found the book captivating. Let me be clear. I have a dusty biology degree but I’ve always been much more interested in mammals than anything else. Birds do have a certain appeal. But mollusks as anything other than beautiful shells that catch my eye? Bo-ring!
Oh, how wrong I was. Mollusks are fascinating!
There were so many interesting topics that I don’t even know where to begin.
I had to read a few chapters before the book really hooked me. Mollusk evolution doesn’t interest me that much. The intricacies of shell building caught my attention a bit more but still aren’t really my thing. The next chapter, about shells as money and jewelry in ancient times finally started to intrigue me. This is the point where I started to regularly share my newly-learned facts with my husband and my sister. That’s a sure sign that I’m enjoying a book. It only got more engrossing from there. I was soon Googling snail species I’ve never heard of and watching them hunt fish (Yes! Slowpoke snails hunt and eat fish. And can kill a human within heartbeats. Who knew?) I looked up Noble Pen Shells and the “seasilk” that artisans historically wove from their byssal fibers. Jeanne Power, a female scientist who’s largely been forgotten but who finally settled the question of whether or not argonauts make their own shells, went on the list of people I’d like to read more about. I looked up snails that literally encase themselves in iron chain mail of their own making. And I watched videos of sea butterflies swimming through warming oceans and indicating, like canaries in coal mines, that all is not well.
I downloaded this book from my digital library and read it on my Kindle Paperwhite. It wasn’t until the very end that I realized that it includes color plates with pictures of all these species. I did look at the pictures on my phone’s Kindle app (Paperwhites do not render pictures well), but I spent so much time looking things up on my own that I don’t feel like I missed much. Still, I do recommend a physical copy if you can get your hands on one.
This book obviously isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re curious about nature and science, I highly recommend that you give it a try.
louisadassow's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
As gripping as the byssus thread of a noble pen shell. This book and its trove of facts will be (oyster) embedded in my brain. I absolutely loved it, from noisy limpets to vampire nutmeg hunters and the Costa Rica pencil-eating surfer snails. The plight of the flighty sea butterflies is one already close to my heart and it's reflection on the health of our whole oceanic ecosystem is a driver behind all of my work and research.
I would note that there is a certain lack of decolonial criticism in the exploration of sea-shell collecting, particularly in the narrative of Hugh Cuming and the inherent entitlement of globetrotting shell theft. It still gets rounded up to five stars though for being incredibly engaging and inspir(al)ing science writing. 9/10
I would note that there is a certain lack of decolonial criticism in the exploration of sea-shell collecting, particularly in the narrative of Hugh Cuming and the inherent entitlement of globetrotting shell theft. It still gets rounded up to five stars though for being incredibly engaging and inspir(al)ing science writing. 9/10
alexrudd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
le_mur's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced