Kate’s 2¢: “The best American science & nature writing 2023” edited by Carl Zimmer

“The best American science & nature writing 2023” edited by Carl Zimmer

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   These essays were read by a variety of narrators, which gave each essay a special vibe. I didn’t necessarily agree with all of the issues, and I started to bookmark points of interest to list as ‘take-aways’. I found I made so many notes that I think you’ll have to read this book to make up your own mind without my suggestions.

www.carlzimmer.com:

Carl Zimmer reports from the frontiers of biology, where scientists are expanding our understanding of life. New York has called him “the country’s most respected science journalist.” 

Zimmer has contributed reporting to the New York Times since 2004, and has been a columnist since 2013. In his “Origins” column, he explores how life’s diversity came to be. His journalism has won many awards, including the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, awarded by the Society for the Study of Evolution to recognize individuals whose sustained efforts have advanced public understanding of evolutionary science.

In addition to his reporting, Zimmer is the author of fourteen books about science. His latest book is Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive.  The New York Times named it a Notable Book of 2021, and it was a finalist for the 2021 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna praised the book, saying, “Carl Zimmer shows what a great suspense novel science can be. Life’s Edge is a timely exploration in an age when modern Dr. Frankensteins are hard at work, but Carl’s artful, vivid, irresistible writing transcends the moment in these twisting chapters of intellectual revelation. Prepare to be enthralled.” 

Zimmer started his journalism career at Discover, where he went on to serve for five years as a senior editor. He has also written for other magazines including National Geographic, Wired, and The Atlantic. In 2003, Zimmer launched “The Loom,” an award-winning blog which has been hosted by Discover and National Geographic. 

Zimmer is a two-time winner of an Online Journalism Award. He won in 2017 for his reporting on genomes for STAT. In 2021, his Covid-19 vaccine coverage was part of the package that earned the New York Times  an award for general excellence. Zimmer is a three-time winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Journalism Award, twice for his work for The New York Times and once for the Loom. Zimmer won the National Academies Science Communication Award in 2007 for “his diverse and consistently interesting coverage of evolution and unexpected biology.” In 2015, the National Association of Biology Teachers awarded Zimmer with their Distinguished Service Award. His work has been anthologized in both The Best American Science Writing series and The Best American Science and Nature Writing series.  In 2023, Zimmer served as the editor of The Best of American Science and Nature Writing. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he contributed to the coverage that won the New York Times the public service Pulitzer Prize in 2021. 

In 1998, Zimmer published his first book, At the Water’s Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore and Then Went Back to Sea.

He is, to his knowledge, the only writer after whom both a species of tapeworm and an asteroid have been named.  

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The best American science & nature writing 2023 / DB119248

Read by Nikki Massoud; Em Grosland; Shahjehan Khan; Johnny Rey Diaz; Jeena Yi; Katharine Chin. Reading time: 11 hours, 16 minutes.

Science and Technology

Health and Medicine

Literature

Nature and the Environment

“The essays in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing probe at the ordinary and urge us to think more deeply about our place in the world around us. From a hopeful portrait of a future for people with Alzheimer’s disease, to a fascinating exploration of the rise of nearsightedness in children, to the heroic story of a herd of cows that evaded a hurricane, these selections reveal how science and nature shape our everyday lives. With tremendous intelligence, clarity, and insight, this anthology offers an expansive look at where we are and where we are headed.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Great Longing” by Marcele Möring

Translated by Stacey Knecht

“The Great Longing” by Marcele Möring

Translated by Stacey Knecht

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, s              etting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   Phil Regensdorf did a good job of reading this translation by Stacey Knecht of  Marcele Möring’s book. I like reading stories by authors from all countries. They usually have a different take of issues they write about.

   I suggest that, if the readers pay attention to Sam’s dreams, they will come to what really happened when the children’s parents died.

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Marcel Möring. Marcel Möring (born 5 September 1957, in Enschede) is a Dutch writer. He received the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs in 2007 for his novel Dis, translated into English under the title In A Dark Wood. He received the Anna Blaman Prijs in 1996.

Marcel Möring – Wikipedia

Stacey Knecht – Wikipedia

WEBStacey Knecht (born 1957 in Brooklyn, NY) is an American translator and editor. She translates literary works from Hungarian, Czech, Dutch and Flemish into English and is Editorial Director at Sticking Place Books.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The great longing: a novel DB43531

Möring, Marcel. Reading time: 7 hours, 47 minutes.

Read by Phil Regensdorf. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Psychological Fiction

Sam van Dijk lost all memory of his childhood up to age twelve, when his parents died in a car wreck. Now, as a young adult, Sam is reunited with his brother and sister, who help him recover his past. With that, Sam is able to pursue his “great longing” for identity and love. Strong language and descriptions of sex.

Download The great longing: a novel

Kate’s 2¢: “The Bathysphere book: effects of the luminous ocean depths” by Bradley Fox  

“The Bathysphere book: effects of the luminous ocean depths” by Bradley Fox  

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   This was one of seven books on a cartridge NLS sent me, so I read it. I didn’t think it would hold my interest, however, Fox included fairly detailed biographies of each person as they appeared during the journey to the bottom of the ocean in the Bathysphere. Doug Tisdale Jr. did a good job of reading this book.

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www.nationalbook.org/people/brad-fox/

Brad Fox is a writer, journalist, translator, and former relief contractor living in New York. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review Daily, Guernica, and other venues. His novel To Remain Nameless was a finalist for the Big Other Book Award for Fiction and a staff pick at The Paris Review.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Bathysphere book: effects of the luminous ocean depths DB115305

Fox, Brad, (Bradley) Reading time: 7 hours, 49 minutes.

Doug Tisdale Jr.

Science and Technology

Biography

Nature and the Environment

“A gorgeous account of William Beebe’s 1934 Bathysphere expedition, the first-ever deep-sea voyage to the otherworldly environment 3,024 feet below sea level.” — Provided by publisher.