Category: Writing

author: Richard W. Wrangham
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2010/04/25
date added: 2013/03/03
shelves: history, non-fiction, psychology, science, sociology, health
review:
Review of the evidence for cooking as an important part of our evolution, looking at the fossil record, the habits and physiology of other primates, and the practices of modern hunter-gatherer groups.

He spends a chapter taking down the raw-foodist movement, mostly based on a German study, before getting into the evidence for cooking in our evolution. Most of that study’s participants were at a chronic energy deficit, and a number of the women suffered from amenorrhea…and they had access to all the foodstuffs and processing devices of the modern world!

The physiology bits were fascinating: the trade-off between energy use in the gut and energy use in the brain, the differing jaw and teeth formations.

There’s quite a bit of just-so-story of the kind that one often finds with evolutionary psychology & biology, but it seems more carefully constructed than some. The chapter(s) on cooking and the evolution of the pair-bond relationship are troubling but hard to refute, at least by me. (Cooking leading pretty much directly to patriarchy. Damn.)

I could have used some graphics, both to show the actual differences, and to keep track of the timeline. I often had to jump back to remember which groups were which, and who might have evolved what when.

But definitely interesting nonetheless.

author: Richard W. Wrangham
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2010/04/25
date added: 2013/03/03
shelves: history, non-fiction, psychology, science, sociology, health
review:
Review of the evidence for cooking as an important part of our evolution, looking at the fossil record, the habits and physiology of other primates, and the practices of modern hunter-gatherer groups.

He spends a chapter taking down the raw-foodist movement, mostly based on a German study, before getting into the evidence for cooking in our evolution. Most of that study’s participants were at a chronic energy deficit, and a number of the women suffered from amenorrhea…and they had access to all the foodstuffs and processing devices of the modern world!

The physiology bits were fascinating: the trade-off between energy use in the gut and energy use in the brain, the differing jaw and teeth formations.

There’s quite a bit of just-so-story of the kind that one often finds with evolutionary psychology & biology, but it seems more carefully constructed than some. The chapter(s) on cooking and the evolution of the pair-bond relationship are troubling but hard to refute, at least by me. (Cooking leading pretty much directly to patriarchy. Damn.)

I could have used some graphics, both to show the actual differences, and to keep track of the timeline. I often had to jump back to remember which groups were which, and who might have evolved what when.

But definitely interesting nonetheless.

author: Lorraine Massey
name: Elaine
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: non-fiction, self-help, health, own
review:
I’ve been letting my hair grow out, and I’m trying to treat it right; snapped this book up when I saw it at the library. Mostly skimmed, might take another read-through before I take it back, to try some of the “recipes” for hair stuff or hairdos. Basically, I should be treating my (wavy) hair like one of my wool sweaters. 🙂 After a couple of days experimenting, I’m liking the way my hair looks/feels so far.

The writing tone is not particularly to my tastes, although at least most of the directions and photography are fairly clear. I also wish there was more information on kinds of haircuts that look good on different kinds of hair.

There’s a companion CD, which I haven’t yet looked at.

edit: purchased the earlier edition of this book (used) summer 2012.

author: Lorraine Massey
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: non-fiction, self-help, health, own
review:
I’ve been letting my hair grow out, and I’m trying to treat it right; snapped this book up when I saw it at the library. Mostly skimmed, might take another read-through before I take it back, to try some of the “recipes” for hair stuff or hairdos. Basically, I should be treating my (wavy) hair like one of my wool sweaters. 🙂 After a couple of days experimenting, I’m liking the way my hair looks/feels so far.

The writing tone is not particularly to my tastes, although at least most of the directions and photography are fairly clear. I also wish there was more information on kinds of haircuts that look good on different kinds of hair.

There’s a companion CD, which I haven’t yet looked at.

edit: purchased the earlier edition of this book (used) summer 2012.

author: Lorraine Massey
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: non-fiction, self-help, health, own
review:
I’ve been letting my hair grow out, and I’m trying to treat it right; snapped this book up when I saw it at the library. Mostly skimmed, might take another read-through before I take it back, to try some of the “recipes” for hair stuff or hairdos. Basically, I should be treating my (wavy) hair like one of my wool sweaters. 🙂 After a couple of days experimenting, I’m liking the way my hair looks/feels so far.

The writing tone is not particularly to my tastes, although at least most of the directions and photography are fairly clear. I also wish there was more information on kinds of haircuts that look good on different kinds of hair.

There’s a companion CD, which I haven’t yet looked at.

edit: purchased the earlier edition of this book (used) summer 2012.

author: Lorraine Massey
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: non-fiction, self-help, health, own
review:
I’ve been letting my hair grow out, and I’m trying to treat it right; snapped this book up when I saw it at the library. Mostly skimmed, might take another read-through before I take it back, to try some of the “recipes” for hair stuff or hairdos. Basically, I should be treating my (wavy) hair like one of my wool sweaters. 🙂 After a couple of days experimenting, I’m liking the way my hair looks/feels so far.

The writing tone is not particularly to my tastes, although at least most of the directions and photography are fairly clear. I also wish there was more information on kinds of haircuts that look good on different kinds of hair.

There’s a companion CD, which I haven’t yet looked at.

edit: purchased the earlier edition of this book (used) summer 2012.

author: Lorraine Massey
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: non-fiction, self-help, health, own
review:
I’ve been letting my hair grow out, and I’m trying to treat it right; snapped this book up when I saw it at the library. Mostly skimmed, might take another read-through before I take it back, to try some of the “recipes” for hair stuff or hairdos. Basically, I should be treating my (wavy) hair like one of my wool sweaters. 🙂 After a couple of days experimenting, I’m liking the way my hair looks/feels so far.

The writing tone is not particularly to my tastes, although at least most of the directions and photography are fairly clear. I also wish there was more information on kinds of haircuts that look good on different kinds of hair.

There’s a companion CD, which I haven’t yet looked at.

edit: purchased the earlier edition of this book (used) summer 2012.

author: Lorraine Massey
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/19
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: non-fiction, self-help, health, own
review:
I’ve been letting my hair grow out, and I’m trying to treat it right; snapped this book up when I saw it at the library. Mostly skimmed, might take another read-through before I take it back, to try some of the “recipes” for hair stuff or hairdos. Basically, I should be treating my (wavy) hair like one of my wool sweaters. 🙂 After a couple of days experimenting, I’m liking the way my hair looks/feels so far.

The writing tone is not particularly to my tastes, although at least most of the directions and photography are fairly clear. I also wish there was more information on kinds of haircuts that look good on different kinds of hair.

There’s a companion CD, which I haven’t yet looked at.

edit: purchased the earlier edition of this book (used) summer 2012.

author: Cliff Mass
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/09/15
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: environmentalism, history, non-fiction, read-again, science, reference, local, own
review:
Cliff Mass is the go-to guy for weather in this region; I’ve been reading and enjoying his blog for a while. This book is an amazing compilation of just about everything weather in the Pacific NW. Learned lots and lots about how our geology affects the weather, as well as some good basic meteorology, the physics of clouds, etc. Has a great chapter on understanding what you see in the sky, and doing some amateur prediction of your own.

Fascinating history, too, with lots of the disaster storm stuff that’s just crazy to read; the book is new enough that it even has the windstorms of ’06 and the flooding of ’07, but also includes amazing weather events all the way back into the 19th century.

Oh, and plenty of beautiful/weird pictures and helpful graphics.

A bit dense in places, but overall fantastic. I want a copy of my own!

edit: received as Christmas gift from Mom. (2011?)

author: Cliff Mass
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/09/15
date added: 2013/02/14
shelves: environmentalism, history, non-fiction, read-again, science, reference, local, own
review:
Cliff Mass is the go-to guy for weather in this region; I’ve been reading and enjoying his blog for a while. This book is an amazing compilation of just about everything weather in the Pacific NW. Learned lots and lots about how our geology affects the weather, as well as some good basic meteorology, the physics of clouds, etc. Has a great chapter on understanding what you see in the sky, and doing some amateur prediction of your own.

Fascinating history, too, with lots of the disaster storm stuff that’s just crazy to read; the book is new enough that it even has the windstorms of ’06 and the flooding of ’07, but also includes amazing weather events all the way back into the 19th century.

Oh, and plenty of beautiful/weird pictures and helpful graphics.

A bit dense in places, but overall fantastic. I want a copy of my own!

edit: received as Christmas gift from Mom. (2011?)