Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Nevermore: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, OCME, Sea of Tranquility, Moss Gardening

 

Reported by Garry

 

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. This little book is chock-full of fascinating information about these often overlooked and reviled little creatures. Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris—a common woodland snail. Taking the time to observe the snail in its surroundings, she discovers the incredible life including its decision-making, hydraulic locomotion, and defenses. Our reader enthusiastically loved this book and stated how it is a beautiful, hopeful book that she strongly recommends.  KM

 


OCME: Life in America’s Top Forensic Medical Center by Bruce Goldfarb. Goldfarb worked at Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where every sudden or unattended death in the state is scrutinized, for 10 years as both a public information officer and forensic investigator. During his time at the office, it was embroiled in numerous scandals, including Derek Chauvin's trial for the murder of George Floyd, and the tragic killing in police custody of Freddie Gray. Things got so bad at the OCME that in 2022, they had to ask FEMA to step in and assist with the huge backlog of autopsies. Goldfarb digs into this incident as well as others in this informative, witty memoir.  CD

 


Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. This work of speculative fiction revolves around the lives of four main characters over a period of 500 years, tied together by the sound of a violin. St. John Mandel is the highly acclaimed writer of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, and as with her previous books, this one is full of interwoven storylines and beautifully constructed characters. Our reader commented that this book, on top of being very well written had many quotable passages and a great amount of wisdom, and highly recommends it.  PP

 


Moss Gardening: Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures by George H. Schenk. We all have mosses in our yards and this book has a plethora of ways to use these ubiquitous pioneers (mosses are at least 470 million years old) in your gardening and landscaping, including tips on how to replace your lawn with mosses. Schenk lists approximately 60 varieties alphabetically by genus, with advice on propagating, cultivating, and transplanting them, and includes 97 color photographs.  AH

 

Also Mentioned:

 

Fairy Tales of Appalachia edited by Stacy Sivinski

Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands by Susan Goldman Rubin

Earth Colors by Sarah Andrews

The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Schott Wilbanks

The Book of Killowen by Erin Hart

Weyward by Emilia Hart

The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson

House of Wolves by James Patterson and Mike Lupica

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru by Hugh Bonneville

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance by Mensun Bound

Pucky, Prince of Bacon:  A Breaking Cat News Adventure by Georgia Dunn

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

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