This month, I've left the real world for the garbage heap - also known as Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash. I am only half finished which is a testament not to the writing style but to the busy-ness of my month.
Garbage Land is an easy, quick read that is both surprisingly entertaining and interesting. It is stocked with fascinating facts like: "packaging makes up 35 percent of household waste in the United States (by weight) . . . [and] yard waste and food scraps make up another twenty five percent."(124) and delves into every aspect of waste from compost to plastic to poop. While I don't think this book will shake my belief system or alter the green movement's path, it is a very worthwhile and informative read. You will never look at your garbage can the same way.
How was your June? Did you jump all over some great green reads? Share your thoughts on your June read here or leave a comment with a link to a review, if you posted one. If you've picked your next book and it's not on our sidebar, give us a shout. If you are new to The Blogging Bookworm, by all means, grab a book, leave a comment and join in the fun.
13 comments:
I just read a book that is GREAT for beginners: The Green Book. So if there are beginning "greeners", this is a good place to begin. I did a review on my blog.
Thanks!
I am nearly finished with Simple Prosperity by David Wann. I'm enjoying it, although with me he's rather preaching to the choir.
I STILL haven't finished Collapse but I'm finally up to "the Modern Age," otherwise known as the last 1/3 of this very dense and thought-provoking book. My brain gets so simultaneously over-stimulated and yet bored (as in overwhelmed with information) reading it that I can only read it in small bits at a time.
I have FINALLY started Omnivore's Dilemma...which I had originally planned to read for Be a Bookworm in May but was just too busy.
Now I'm on an island in the middle of the Aleutians doing archaeological survey with lots of downtime...and thus lots of time to read.
So far, the book is amazing. I'm not sure that I've learned anything that I didn't already know, at least at a very basic level...but it's crazy to read about all of this contextualized in one place. I'll be posting a review on my blog just as soon as I finish it.
It's great reading about everyone else's thoughts on other books. My "to read" list is growing somewhat exponentially!
I finished reading "On My Swedish Island" by Julie Catterson Lindahl. It's a memoir about the author and her family living in their vacation home in the country for their first year. She also mentions about Scandinavian lifestyle, comparing to American lifestyle. Scandinavians are outdoorsy people who's in tune with nature and personal environment. The layout is similar to "Animal, Vegetable and Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver with side articles and recipes. The book review is on my husband's and my blog.
Bobbi: Got it. Thanks for sharing. I think it is nice to lay out what books are helpful for beginners, folks mid way and hard core greenies. Robin suggested it in a comment to our first post on this blog. Very helpful!
Connie: Yes. I felt that way too. Although I didn't feel that Simple Prosperity shared anything I didn't know, it was very affirming and, for me, kept me in a positive afterglow for months. :)
Susan: I've heard Collapse is a tough read. I think it was Crunchy Chicken who said she tossed it in a corner of the room and gave up. :) Good for you for preservering.
Kim: Great! I'm so glad you found time to start Omnivore's Dilemma. It is SO dense, isn't it? Just packed with information but very well written I think.
Jessy: Thank you for your review! I've never heard of that book before but sounds like an interesting viewpoint.
I just finished posting the first part of my review for May's book on my blog! I'm sorry I'm behind...but I read Last Child in the Woods. I recommend it, if for nothing else that the chapters are set up as shorter essays that can be read as stand alone pieces. People like me can put it down and pick it up a few days later =) Come on over to check out my take on this book!
I finished my June book, Lost Mountain, but due to work stress and out of town guests, haven't posted a review yet. It was one of the most depressing books I have ever read, but well written and fast paced, and everyone should read it. Seriously, everyone. I'll let you know when I get the review up.
Do you think we are geeks that a book on garbage could fall into the category of entertaining? Not that I've read it but I get it.
I posted and linked a review of my latest long winded titled book, Bottomfeeder: How To Eat Ethically In A World Of Vanishing Seafood. Another entertaining read. Honest. Top of the stack.
DramaMama: Great review. I read Last Child almost a year ago but every time I read someone else's review on it, I am reminded at how important it a book it is. Your review and Joyce's comment have inspired me to rip out more of our back lawn - not to be replaced with anything. Just a place for the kids to dig and build. Thank you for the reminder.
BerryBird: I completely understand! No rush. It took me a month to write my review for Break Through. :) Lost Mountain sounds like a really powerful book. I can't believe I've never heard of it but I am so glad you've shared it with us. Please post a comment whenever you get your review up. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out reading about it.
Katrina: Of course, we're geeks! That's why we get along so well. ;-) Great review, Katrina. You've really been hitting the jack pot on important books over the last two months.
I finished and reviewed Silent Spring- it's a pretty dense read and you have to be committed to get all the way through it. (Much like reading my lengthy review, consider yourself forewarned.) I think it's worthwhile, though, just for the historical context. I went on and read two other selections of Rachel Carson's, that I really enjoyed on a more "entertainment" level- Lost Woods, which is a collection, and The Sense of Wonder, an essay about retaining the simple vision of childhood. I'm still working on John Muir, going through it quite slowly because I want to do this man's sense of exuberance justice.
Of all the books I've read as part of the bookworm challenge, I found Rubbish to be the most insightful and entertaining. I am already a geek, so this makes me a super geek. Or maybe a trashy geek? :)
I posted my review of Hope, Human & Wild.
Robin: Great, thought out review. Thank you for sharing it.
Beany: Ahh man! I'm just about finished with Garbage Land and now I need to read another trash book! Since you both love it, I'll have to add it to my list. Got your McKibben review up. Thanks.
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