Kate’s 2¢: Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself” by David Toomey

“Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself” by David Toomey

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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   The author seems to debunk the long-time thought that juvenile play is practice for adulthood. Another interesting idea was that humans have a longer time to ‘grow up’ because they have stages of receptive periods to learn specific behaviors and it all takes time.

   Jacques David Roy did a good job of narrating this book for NLS.

David Toomey | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

David Toomey is a Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he teaches courses in writing and in the history of science. He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Weird Life and The New Time Travelers .

Toomey’s Biography – UMass Amherst

David Toomey is a Professor of English and Director of the Program for Professional Writing and Technical Communication at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He has taught undergraduate courses including Introduction to Professional Writing, Advanced Software for Professional Writers, and Advanced Expository Writing.

He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Weird Life and The New Time Travelers .

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself DB120281

Toomey, David Reading time: 7 hours, 3 minutes.

(Jacques David) Jacques Roy

Animals and Wildlife

Nature and the Environment

“For readers of Inside of a Dog and The Soul of an Octopus, a fascinating, charming, and revelatory look at the science behind why animals play that shows how life–at its most fundamental level–is playful. In Kingdom of Play, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution? Monkeys belly-flop, dolphins tail-walk, elephants mud-slide, crows dive-bomb, and octopuses bounce balls. These activities are various, but all are play, and as Toomey explains, animal play can be seen as a distinct behavior–one that is ongoing and open-ended, purposeless and provisional–rather like natural selection. Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful. A globe-spanning journey and a scientific detective story filled with lively animal anecdotes, Kingdom of Play is an illuminating–and yes, playful–look at a little-known aspect of the animal kingdom”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself DB120281

Kate’s 2¢: “The Christmas Tree Farm” by Laurie Gilmore

“The Christmas Tree Farm” by Laurie Gilmore

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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Being a romance story, you know the formula of girl meets boy, but they don’t want to let the other know  their true feelings. The author wields her craft well in keeping the sexual tension high as boy and girl struggle against their true feelings.

   I liked the ending, except I think there should have been a ring in the treasure box, so that Ben could propose marriage and seal it with the ring for luck.

   Regina Reagan did a good job of narrating this story for NLS.

From the web:

Laurie Gilmore

Laurie Gilmore is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a USA Today bestseller who writes steamy small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance.

   Author Laurie Gilmore, the pen name for writer Melissa McTernan, can’t quite explain it. Five years ago, Melissa was a stay-at-home mum in upstate New York, who turned her hand to writing.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Christmas tree farm DB125088

Gilmore, Laurie. Reading time: 8 hours, 10 minutes.

Read by Regina Reagan.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Human Relations

Romance

Holidays

“Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good. Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates. After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing. Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it. But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an ax at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questioning why she refused help in the first place”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: December 21, 2024

Download The Christmas tree farm

Kate’s 2¢: “Murder On The Christmas Express” by Alexandra Benedict

“Murder On The Christmas Express” by Alexandra Benedict

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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Well, you know there is going to be a murder on a train, and you know someone will be there to try to solve who did it. At first, I thought the sub-theme was about Mothers and daughters, but the much bigger picture was exposing rape and the heinous repercussion of the violence.

   Mhairi Morrison did a good job of narrating this story.

From the web:

Alexandra Benedict (Author of Surrender to Seduction) – Goodreads

Dec 22, 2022 · ALEXANDRA BENEDICT is the author of several historical romance novels published by Avon Books. She also writes fiction as an Indie Author. Her work has received critical acclaim from Booklist and a rare and coveted starred review from Publishers Weekly.

   Alexandra Benedict is an American author of paranormal romance, historical romance, mystery, and science fiction books. She is the author of the Westmore Brothers series, Hawkins Brothers, Castles in the Sky series, and several standalone novels.

Author Alexandra Benedict is a storyteller at heart. A graduate of the University of Toronto, she works part-time in a museum, while penning passionate tales of historical romance. An archaeology buff, she loves to travel and explore ancient ruins. Her hobbies include collecting art and reading classic British literature

      Benedict has been a composer, singer-songwriter, actor, and lecturer in crime fiction, and is now an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and scripts. As AK Benedict, she writes high-concept novels, speculative short stories and scripts.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Murder on the Christmas express DB125084

Benedict, Alexandra. Reading time: 9 hours, 10 minutes.

Read by Mhairi Morrison.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Holidays

“All aboard, but beware! Passengers who sleep on this train may never wake up. In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train from London to the Highlands derails, along with the festive plans of its travelers. With the train buried in snow in the middle of nowhere, the passengers have only each other, and not all of them will reach their holiday celebrations. As a killer tries to pick passengers off one by one, former Met Detective Roz Parker can’t resist one last investigation, but murder in a locked room is a formidable puzzle for even the most seasoned investigator. As accusations begin to fly, the group of travelers fractures and unexpected alliances form. Can Roz find the culprit before anyone else is lost?”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: December 21, 2024

Download Murder on the Christmas express