books

Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize shortlist announced

Posted 20 May 2013 by GrrlScientist

Summary: Finally, what I know you've all been waiting for: the six shortlisted young people's science books have been selected and are now in the mail to hundreds of children across the UK who will select the winner of the 2013 Royal Society's Young People's Book Prize! The complete shortlist for the 2013 Royal Society's Young People's Science Book Award. Image courtesy of the Royal Society. Are you a scientist who was inspired to pursue your passion after reading a... Read more

Posted in Prizes & awards |

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Alphabet Bird Collection | Book Review

Posted 8 May 2013 by GrrlScientist

Summary: A delightful book for baby birders that is crammed with poetry, information and gorgeous paintings of birds! Oh yeah, it teaches the letters of the English alphabet, too. Magpie. Image: acrylic painting by Shelli Ogilvy (2008). Do you wish to share your love of birds, art and books with (your) children? If so, then you will really enjoy the Alphabet Bird Collection, a lovely children's book that was written and illustrated by Shelli Ogilvy [Sasquatch Books, 2009; Amazon UK;... Read more

Posted in Birds, Book review |

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I’m a judge for the Royal Society’s Young People’s Science Book Prize

Posted 7 March 2013 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: how The Royal Society is helping me indulge my inner child and my passion for books Today is World Book Day so it seems like the proper time to tell you that I have been chosen as one of the judges for the Royal Society's Young People's science book prize. As a judge, my job is to read all the nominated books and to help my fellow judges choose the shortlist. This shortlist -- six out of the more... Read more

Posted in Literature & writing, Prizes & awards |

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The viral storm: the dawn of a new pandemic age | book review |

Posted 27 November 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: This book reveals the origins of some of the world's most deadly microbes, explains how modern life makes them more dangerous and explores how new technologies may prevent pandemic threats What if we could develop the technology to predict where and when the next viral pandemic will pop up? How might we do this? In the book, The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age, American virologist Nathan Wolfe takes us from steamy African jungles into modern... Read more

Posted in Book review |

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Book Review: Evolution in a toxic world

Posted 2 October 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: The author investigates how from its very beginning, life evolved to deal with all sorts of toxins, a process that continues today, and she predicts what the future may hold Earth is a hostile place -- and that's even before one starts attending school. Even when life first sparked into being, it had to evolve defenses to deal with a number of toxins, such as damaging ultraviolet light, then there were toxic elements ranging from iron to oxygen to... Read more

Posted in Book review, Evolution |

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Book review: The Scent of Scandal by Craig Pittman

Posted 28 August 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: This recent book chronicles the collision between human greed and international laws governing trade in endangered species Bloom of the rare Peruvian ladyslipper orchid, Phragmipedium kovachii. Unlike the rare and endangered plants in Craig Pittman's book, this plant was purchased with full CITES paperwork from a commercial grower in Germany in early 2010. After 18 months it came into bloom.Image: Achamore (Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.) You can see them in windows of houses whilst driving... Read more

Posted in Book review |

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Sparrow [Book Review]

Posted 16 July 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: A lovely exploration of sparrows, the scientific insights they inspire and how they influence human culture Regardless of where you go, there they are. In bushes, in parking lots, on sidewalks, underfoot. They’re chirping, eating, hopping, quarreling, fornicating. “Little brown jobs,” bird watchers murmur dismissively. Sparrows. They’re seemingly everywhere. In the opening sentence in her new book, Sparrow [Reaktion Books; 2012: Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US], environment writer Kim Todd immediately captures her readers’ attention by stating; “The... Read more

Posted in Birds, Book review |

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Why do old books smell?

Posted 2 May 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: That old book smell brings back so many memories, but what creates that smell? Old books.Image: William Hoiles from Basking Ridge, NJ, USA (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.) Every time I catch a whiff of that special old books smell, I am transported through time and space to the cool welcoming basement of The Strand Bookstore in New York City, where I spent many hot humid summer afternoons, searching for some used book I’ve never seen nor even... Read more

Posted in Chemistry, Journal club |

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Principles of Biology [Book Review]

Posted 15 March 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: A new introductory biology textbook has been published that is affordable, lightweight and never ever goes out of date When I was a graduate student, one of the many ways I earned some desperately-needed cash was working as an in-house textbook reviewer for several publishing houses. An in-house book reviewer’s job is to read and fact-check a book, and to catch any remaining copy editing errors before the book goes to press. After reading and extensively commenting on a... Read more

Posted in Uncategorized |

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The joy of books [video]

Posted 12 March 2012 by GrrlScientist

SUMMARY: What happens in your local bookshop after the lights go out? One of many shelves in GrrlScientist’s library [<a href=""http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6713317137_39d89ecf7c_b.jpg" width=“1024” height="768">library-ise]. What happens in your local bookshop after the lights go out? This magical freeze-frame video reveals the answer to that very simple question, a question that I am sure occupies your thoughts when you awaken in the middle of the night: ... Read more

Posted in Uncategorized |

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