Science and Inquiry discussion
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Book Club 2024
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June 2024 Nominations
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I nominate “Dinosaurs: How they lived and evolved”. It's the best natural history of dinos for adults. I reviewed the 1st edition ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ). Also, this group needs more dino love ;) Seriously, the last time a dino book won was March 2019 ( https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ).P.S. Those who can't read Dinosaurs in print can borrow ebook copies from the Internet Archive.
Mod
Herman, there still is no audio edition. Plus there are only 216 review on Goodreads. Surely there are some other dinosaur books that might qualify.
Mod
Susanne, we read The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance just last month. Here is the discussion thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Betsy wrote: "Herman wrote: "I nominate “Dinosaurs: How they lived and evolved”. It's the best natural history of dinos for adults. I reviewed the 1st edition ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... )...""Herman, there still is no audio edition. Plus there are only 216 review on Goodreads."
I thought those were guidelines, partly b/c they read "should be/have" (as opposed to "must be/have"). Also, while I get that it helps to nominate books w/500+ ratings & audio options, disqualifying books just for not having those things is WAY too restrictive. Off the top of my head, that's like disqualifying all job candidates who don't speak a 2nd language despite being objectively great overall (especially compared to current employees in similar roles). More specifically, many of the best books don't qualify. This is especially true for dino/paleo books: As of this comment, I've reviewed 43 5-star dino/paleo books for readers of all ages & ranging from the 1980s to the 2020s; At best, only 2 books come closer to 500+ ratings (I.e. Howard's "Dinosaur Empire!" w/351 & Martin's "Dinosaurs Without Bones" w/380); None of the others even have 100 despite being better overall than the March 2019 book. & yes, I checked the best dino/paleo books not reviewed by me (E.g. Sampson's "Dinosaur Odyssey" & Holtz's "Dinosaurs") & the same goes for them.* Point being, while there might be other dino/paleo books that do qualify, they (like March 2019) definitely don't represent the best that dino/paleo science has to offer, & if we can't nominate the best, what's the point?
*Just to clarify, I wouldn't actually nominate Holtz's book for book club b/c it's an encyclopedia (& thus, not meant to be read from start to finish). I'm just using it as an example b/c it both is 1 of the best dino/paleo books of its kind & has been very popular for many years, yet still doesn't qualify.
To add to my previous comment, why not just modify the rules to be a little less restrictive? My nominee still has hundreds of ratings & multiple editions to choose from, including foreign language editions. Surely, it's readily available enough for most club members. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seriously doubt that most club members can ONLY use audio books ( https://www.pewresearch.org/short-rea... ).
Mod
There are dino/paleo books with more ratings and editions. Just from a quick search in GR, there is the Steve Brusatte book, which we've already read of course, with over 30,000 ratings. Or how about Dinosaurs Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology with over 4,000 ratings, or The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World with over 2,000 ratings. And both of those have ebook and audio editions, as well as non-English editions.
Mod
For the last several years we have been using less restrictive rules and we end up having books nominated and selected that no one actually reads, not even the person nominating them. Part of the reason for that is apparently lack of accessibility. Books that are more widely read tend to be more accessible.
These new guidelines are an attempt to increase actual participation. They may not work. If not, we may change back. But for the time being these are the rules.
Betsy wrote: "Herman wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Herman wrote: "I nominate “Dinosaurs: How they lived and evolved”. It's the best natural history of dinos for adults. I reviewed the 1st edition ( https://www.goodreads..."I already mentioned March 2019 in my previous comments. Again, like most of the dino/paleo books that still qualify, it definitely doesn't represent the best that dino/paleo science has to offer. That's even more true for "Dinosaurs Rediscovered" (which, like most of Benton's popular books, is not-so-well written/fact-checked). Based on what I've read of "The Last Days of the Dinosaurs", it's mostly good for what it is (I.e. 4-ish stars), but not 1 of the best (E.g. Very narrow in scope; Very few illustrations, none of which are anything special).
IIRC, the old rules don't dictate the # of ratings or editions so long as print copies are readily available. I get why that'd be considered too lax, but the new rules clearly go WAY too far in the opposite direction. Surely, we can settle on something more reasonable btwn those extremes (E.g. Having 200+ ratings; Having both print & some kind of digital options, but not necessarily every kind). Until then, we're effectively stopping ourselves from nominating most (if not all) of the best dino/paleo books. Again, if we can't nominate the best, what's the point?
I'll nominate Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World by David Owen (2019). I listened to it recently; here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'll toss in two nominations, one I've read recently and one I want to read. I recently listened to the audiobook for this one and enjoyed it: The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses. It traces the geological record left behind by each of the mass extinctions in Earth's history and relates these back to current issues we're facing in the modern world.
I intend to read: When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon. This is a medical history of the developments that have made transplantation possible. Working in hospitals, I feel I'll have something to say about this whether I like the book or not.
If we get a lot of nominations, and only one of these can be chosen as an official nominee, please prioritize the one I already have read.
On Trails: An Exploration https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of mobility by focusing on the science of trails, associated human psychology of following trails, and early trail trace fossils from the precambrian / cambrian transition.
I'll nominate A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains. I found it while browsing and scooped it up due to my recent obsession with consciousness, neuroscience and AI. It was very good. It blended neuroscience and evolution to show how brains have evolved to be what they are over time. It also ties in a little AI. I highly recommend it.
Mod
This book looks interesting, but doesn't have enough ratings to qualify under our current guidelines. However, based on the number of people who list it as currently reading or want to read, that may change in the next few months. So you might consider renominating it then.
Tiff, what other books in that realm have you found? I too am very interested.
Jordan wrote: "I intend to read: When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon...."I read it. It's really good, 5*.
I’d like to nominate Blue Machine by Helen Czerski & Material World by Ed Conway.
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4..."
Katia, this looks really interesting to me, but unfortunately it looks like it doesn't have an audio edition.
Mod
Not enough ratings, and no audio edition.
I just found this book at a library sale today and I think it qualifies...How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems
Randall Munroe
I'm going to read it either way!
Mod
Please vote for your preference at the following poll:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
which will be open through April 24
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Science and Inquiry
Books mentioned in this topic
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (other topics)Wasteland: The Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future (other topics)
A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains (other topics)
A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains (other topics)
The Ends of the World (other topics)
More...
Please do not nominate a book unless you have read it or you have the sincere intention to read it if it is selected.
Please use the "add book/author" link just above the comment box to insert a link to the Goodreads book page for the book you are nominating, so other members can more easily assess it. Apparently this only works on the desktop version of the site; if you use the app, the link is not available yet, so just be sure to put the full title and author.
To check whether a book has been previously read or already selected to be read, check the following list: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
You may nominate a book which has been suggested previously and did not win. You may nominate more than one book, but we might not include all of your nominations in the voting.
Authors and publishers may not nominate their own books.
Please do not nominate a book which is unlikely to be available to most members, such as one which was just published within the last four months or which is only available on Kindle in the U.S. We will be checking availability more strictly than we have before. Any book nominated should be available in at least one print version (hardback and/or paperback), at least one ebook edition, and at least one audio edition.
A nominated book should have at least 500 ratings in Goodreads and it's average rating should be at least 3.5.
Nominations will close on April 22 or when we have about 7 good nominations, whichever occurs first.