Kate’s 2¢: “The hidden language of cats: how they have us at meow” by Sarah Brown

“The hidden language of cats: how they have us at meow” by Sarah Brown

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…

Helen Keeley’s British accent made this story fun to listen to, as she copies the various sounds described in the text. I enjoyed this story, although, if made me miss my own cat.

   Our orange marmalade cat, El Gato E. a.k.a. General peacefully passed away in his favorite red basket on Friday evening, May23, 2025. He was at least 16’1/2 years old.

  He’ll be mourned by TulipGrace, IzziGrace, Dave, and Kate. Although we’ll mourn you, go forth beloved, faithful feline.

Photo by Edie Pasquini,

Featured snippet from the web

About the author

Sarah Brown is the creator and host of the Brooklyn-based Cringe reading series, which has garnered accolades from NPR, ABC Nightline, Newsweek, Time Out New York, Spin, The Times (of London), The Guardian, and the Los Angeles Times, and she has edited two humor compilations on the…

Sarah Brown is the author of Pam the Shy Kitty and Night Night Trucker. She has been an avid reader and writer for as long as she can remember.

Sarah Brown gained her PhD on the social behavior of neutered domestic cats while working at the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Southampton…

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The hidden language of cats: how they have us at meow DB125132

Brown, Sarah L Reading time: 6 hours, 48 minutes.

Helen Keeley

Human Relations

Animals and Wildlife

“Descended from shy, solitary North African wild cats, domestic cats set up homes with devoted owners all over the world by learning how to talk to us. This book translates in case you missed anything. A renowned cat behavior scientist of over thirty years, Dr. Sarah Brown has been at the forefront of research in the field, discovering how cats use tail signals to interact with each other and their owners. Now, she reveals the previously unexplored secrets of cat communication in a book that is both scientifically grounded and utterly delightful. Each chapter dives into a different form of communication, including vocalizations, tail signals, scents, rubbing, and ear movements. The iconic meow, for example, is rarely used between adult cats-cleverly mimicking the cries of a human infant, the meow is a feline invention for conversing with people. Through observing the behavior of two cat colonies in rural England, readers will also have the opportunity to glimpse into the lives of some of the cats behind Dr. Brown’s science. Can we understand what cats’ meows and other signals mean? How do cats actually perceive us? And how can we use this information to inform how we talk back to our feline friends? Referencing historical records, exploring modern scientific studies of cat-human communication, and including simple, elegant line drawings, The Hidden Language of Cats is perfect for any cat lover who wants to learn more about their companion”–Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download The hidden language of cats: how they have us at meow DB125132

Kate’s 2¢: “I’m starting to worry about this black box of doom” by Jason Pargin

“I’m starting to worry about this black box of doom” by Jason Pargin

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…

   Ari Fliakos did a good job of narrating this story. I guess I now know what “darkly humorous thriller: means.

AI Overview

Jason Pargin is a New York Times bestselling author known for the “John Dies at the End” series and the “Zoey Ashe” novels. He previously wrote under the pseudonym David Wong. He was also the executive editor of Cracked.com. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jason Keith Pargin (/ˈpɑːrdʒɪn/;[1] born January 10, 1975) is an American humor writer, novelist and Internet personality, who formerly wrote under the name David Wong. He is the former executive editor of humor website Cracked.com.

Pargin is best known for his 2007 novel John Dies at the End, which was adapted into a 2012 film of the same name. Alongside John Dies at the End and its three sequels, Pargin has also authored three books in the Zoey Ashe series and one standalone novel, I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom.

Early life and education[edit]

Jason Keith Pargin was born in Lawrenceville, Illinois, on January 10, 1975.[2] He and fellow Internet writer John Cheese (real name Mack Leighty) attended high school together and met during an art class they shared.[3] Pargin then attended the Southern Illinois University (SIU) radio-television program, graduating in 1997.[4] While at SIU, he was part of a student-run TV show on Alt.news 26:46 called Consumer Advocate. A number of episodes were produced.[5]

Pointless Waste of Time and Cracked.com[edit]

In 1999, Pargin started the humor site Pointless Waste of Time (PWOT), which would eventually be absorbed into Cracked.com.[6] While working as a copy editor at a law firm, Pargin would spend his days copy editing insurance claims and nights posting humor articles on PWOT. Every Halloween on the site he wrote a new chapter of an online story that he published as a webserial.[7] An estimated 70,000 people read the free online versions before they were removed in September 2008. Pargin used the feedback from people reading each episode of the webserial to tweak what would eventually become the book, John Dies at the End.[6]

Demand Media hired Pargin to be the head editor for their revamped online magazine, Cracked.com, although Demand was not aware of Pargin’s book deal.[7] As part of the deal, he merged PWOT into the Cracked forums. Pargin has described a disconnection between the old Cracked print magazine and the humor site Cracked.com due to multiple relaunches and almost entirely new staff.[8] As a child, he read Cracked magazine’s biggest competitor, Mad magazine.[8]

In a popular article published at Cracked.com, Pargin coined the neologism “monkeysphere” which introduces the concept of Dunbar’s number in a humorous manner.[9] Pargin referred to Dunbar’s number again in his second novel, This Book Is Full of Spiders.[10]

David Wong pseudonym[edit]

When Pargin started PWOT, he took on the pseudonym of David Wong to keep his real and online lives separate. Since much of his writing involved situations similar to his real life, he did not want co-workers and his employers to think that his rants about fictional characters were inspired by real people. The origin of the name was a character from one of his first short stories:[11]

It’s not a very interesting story, ‘David Wong’ was the villain in a story I had written way back in the day, so when I was signing up for my first online accounts in 1998 I started using it. Then when hate mail started coming in with a bunch of racist anti-Chinese insults, I realized I had either gone badly wrong or badly right.

After his book and movie deal, his real name became common knowledge, but Pargin accepted it, saying, “It’s not like I’m under the Witness Protection program or anything. I was just trying to keep things simple in my personal life.”[8]

In late 2020, Pargin announced that he was retiring the pseudonym, with future editions of his works being published under his real name instead.[12]

Published works[edit]

Pargin’s first novel John Dies at the End was at first rejected by publishers, and he considered withdrawing it from consideration until indie horror publisher Permuted Press agreed to publish it in 2007.[13] A second edition by Thomas Dunne Books was published with additional material as a hardcover on September 29, 2009.[14][15] Three further novels in the series have been published: This Book Is Full of Spiders (2012), What the Hell Did I Just Read (2017) and If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe (2022).[16]

Pargin published the first book of the Zoey Ashe series in 2015, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. He has since published two further novels in the series: Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick (2020) and Zoey is Too Drunk for This Dystopia (2023).[17]

Pargin published his first standalone novel in 2024, I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom.[18]

In 2025, Pargin signed a publishing deal with St. Martin’s Press for three forthcoming titles: the fourth installment in the Zoey Ashe series, a standalone supernatural horror novel, and the sixth entry in the John Dies at the End series. The books are scheduled for release in spring 2028, fall 2029, and fall 2031, respectively. According to his literary agency, the standalone novel follows a true crime enthusiast searching for her sister’s killer, ultimately uncovering a suburban hotel that serves as a front for an interdimensional being collecting human skins.[19]

From NLS/BARD/LOc:

I’m starting to worry about this black box of doom DB125357

Pargin, Jason Reading time: 12 hours, 46 minutes.

Ari Fliakos

Suspense Fiction

Humor

Science Fiction

Bestsellers

“A standalone darkly humorous thriller set in modern America’s age of anxiety, by New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin. Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC. But there are rules: He cannot look inside the box. He cannot ask questions. He cannot tell anyone. They must leave immediately. He must leave all trackable devices behind. As these eccentric misfits hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war. The truth promises to be even stranger, and may change how you see the world”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.

Kate’s 2¢: “Superfoods, silkworms, and spandex: science and pseudoscience in everyday life” by Joe Schwarcz  

“Superfoods, silkworms, and spandex: science and pseudoscience in everyday life” by Joe Schwarcz  

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…

   Rich Miller Did a great job of narrating this  informative, and interesting collection of science facts. This is not a title I would have downloaded, but it was one of seven on one cartridge sent to me by NLS. Once I started listening, I kept on listening to learn many intriguing, behind the scene facts. I’m glad the reader knew how to pronounce the polisyllablac chemical names.

   It is the kind of book you could leave in the bathroom and read one or two of the short stories each time you visit the throne room. I’m going to keep it on myVictor, to refer to from time to time.

AI over view:

Joe Schwarcz, a professor of chemistry at McGill University, is best known for his work as director of the Office for Science and Society, which aims to demystify science for the public. He is also a prolific author, radio host, and television personality, frequently appearing on shows like Daily Planet and hosting The Dr. Joe Show. Schwarcz is celebrated for his ability to explain complex scientific concepts in an engaging and accessible way. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph A. Schwarcz CM (born 1947) is an author and a sessional instructor at McGill University. He is the director of McGill’s Office for Science and Society.

Early life[edit]

Schwarcz is an only child, born in Sopron, Hungary,[1] to Jewish parents. During the Hungarian uprising in 1956, when he was age nine, the family escaped over the border to Austria and migrated to Canada and settled in Montreal, Quebec.[2] Schwarcz attended Logan school on Darlington and went on to study chemistry at McGill University in Montreal where he received a BSc (1969)[3] and PhD (1973).[1]

Schwarcz became interested in magic and chemistry at the age of nine, when he saw a magician perform a rope trick at a school friend’s birthday party. “Instead of using the usual magic words like Abracadabra, he said that he was going to sprinkle a ‘Magic Chemical’ on the ropes.” Schwarcz was so intrigued that he went to the library and looked up chemistry; he has had a keen interest in both since that day.[2][4]

Biography[edit]

Schwarcz started his teaching career at Dawson College before moving to Vanier College[1][2] serving as chair of the Department of Chemistry at both colleges. He then returned to McGill University in 1980 where he teaches in courses in the Department of Chemistry and Faculty of Medicine with an emphasis on alternative medicine.[1][5]

File:Joseph_Schwarcz

At the 2018 Trottier Public Science Symposium

In 1999 Schwarcz became the founding director of the McGill University Office for Science and Society (OSS) with Ariel Fenster and David N. Harpp.[5] The OSS “…is a unique venture dedicated to the promotion of critical thinking and the presentation of scientific information to the public, educators and students in an accurate and responsible fashion.” As director, he takes on health fads and the celebrities who promote them. He has used his knowledge of magic to show how supernatural feats can be done by ordinary means.[6]

Even as a university student, Schwarcz found chemistry to be a dry subject,[2] so he established a series of courses designed to bring chemistry to the general student, and later to the public through a series of lectures.[1] The lectures include magic and spontaneity to keep the audience interested.[5]

“A good lecturer is also an actor. A lecture should seem spontaneous, even if it’s been given many times before… You capture the audience’s attention. Then, without their realizing it, you pump a little scientific information into their brains. Before they know it, they’ve learned something.”[4]

In 2010, 2012, and 2016–2017, Schwarcz was nominated by McGill as one of the USA Science and Engineering Festival’s Nifty Fifty Speakers.[7]

Schwarcz began his media career in 1980 after meeting Montreal Gazette reporter Ted Blackman at the Man and His World exhibition when he was demonstrating how to make polyurethane from two liquids. Blackman reported on the demonstration and made a significant error. Schwarcz wrote to the Gazette, pointing out the error, and Blackman printed a retraction. Radio station CJAD picked up the story and called Schwarcz to talk about it on air. The following week another scientific issue arose and he was called on again; this led to regular collaborations and to his own weekly radio show (The Dr. Joe Show), which also ran on Toronto’s CFRB for about two years.[2][8]

Schwarcz has appeared hundreds of times on Canadian television and radio, including his single-season show about common foods called Science to Go on the Canadian Discovery Channel. He writes a weekly column for the Montreal Gazette called The Right Chemistry and a monthly column in the Canadian Chemical News.

He is one of the spokespersons for ScienceUpFirst, a science communication initiative aiming at reducing the impact of COVID misinformation online.[9]

In 1999 Schwarcz was awarded the Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.[10] At the time, he was the first non-American to win the award.[11] He was the joint winner of the 2014 Center for Skeptical Inquiry Robert P Balles Prize for skeptical thinking for his book Is This a Fact?[12]

Schwarcz has honorary doctorates from Athabasca University (2002),[13] Cape Breton University (2011)[1][14], and Simon Fraser University (2019).

Personal life[edit]

Schwarcz and his wife Alice were married in 1973 and have three children.[1][2] Alice died in March 2016.[15]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Superfoods, silkworms, and spandex: science and pseudoscience in everyday life DB121941

Schwarcz, Joe Reading time: 8 hours, 13 minutes.

Rich Miller

Science and Technology

“In this new collection of bite-size pop science essays, bestselling author, chemistry professor, and radio broadcaster Dr. Joe Schwarcz shows that you can find science virtually anywhere you look. And the closer you look, the more fascinating it becomes. In this volume, we look through our magnifying glass at maraschino cherries, frizzy hair, duct tape, pickle juice, yellow school buses, aphrodisiacs, dental implants, and bull testes. If those don’t tickle your fancy, how about aconite murders, shot towers, book smells, Swarovski crystals, French wines, bees, or head transplants? You can also learn about the scientific escapades of James Bond, California’s confusing proposition 65, the problems with oxygen on Mars, Valentine’s Meat Juice, the benefits of pasteurization, the pros and cons of red light therapy, the controversy swirling around perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), why English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic, and how probiotics may have seeded Hitler’s downfall. Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex answers all your burning questions about the science of everyday life, like: why “superfood”is a marketing term, not a scientific one; how probiotics might have contributed to Hitler’s downfall; why plastic wrap is sometimes the environmental choice; why supplements to reduce inflammation may just reduce your bank account; how maraschino cherries went from luxury good to cheap sundae topper; what’s behind “Bold book smell”, how margarine became a hot item for bootleggers; why duct tape is useful, but not on ducts; how onstage accidents led to fireproof fabrics.”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Plague Dogs” by Richard Adams

“The Plague Dogs” by Richard Adams

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…

   I always like to listen to Yvonne Fair Tessler narrate a book.

A few take-aways:

–If eachof us insisted on stoppingto weigh, in every case, the pros and cons if distress to others whether human or animal, broguth about by obeying our instructions, the world could never be run at all. Life is, as they say, too short.

–Here amid the dripping grasses and spongey, soddened mounds of moss, Ralph and Snitter laid gazing in astonishment and dismay as first light made plain the emptinessabout them.

–Those who kill sheep, should mind where they sleep, when there’s nothing to hear the shotgun is nearThe curse of the farmeris likely t harm’er, A scent in themorning issent for a warning  and a cloud on the sun, the wise dog will run He must be sharp and alert to avoid being hurt and a dog that’s gone ferrer is living in peril Those with bloodon their paws and wool in their jaws,  Should heed thes old saws.

–The use of animals is always going to be a  moral problem, but within the realms of our present knowledge, it is impossible to insure that chemicals and drugs are safe, unless they are tested on animals.

–It’s a bad world for animals now.

–Official people who should have know better, were to blame for the community being in danger.

–A certain amount of anthromorphism was useful in helping the people to understand and have sympathy for the animals.

From the WEB:

The Plague Dogs is the third novel by Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, about two dogs’ friendship who escape an animal testing facility and are subsequently pursued by both the government and the media. It was first published in 1977, and features a few location maps drawn by Alfred Wainwright, a fellwalker and author.

The Plague Dogs – Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plague_Dogs

RichardAdams ThePlagueDogs.jpg

First edition cover from 1977

Author Richard Adams

Illustrator A. Wainwright

Cover artist A. Wainwright the Cover Artist was Martin White

Country United Kingdom

Language English

Genre Adventure fiction, science fiction

Publisher Allan Lane

Publication date 22 September 1977

Media type Print (hardback & paperback)

Pages 461 (hardback edition)

ISBN 0-7139-1055-0 (hardback edition)

OCLC 3496427

Dewey Decimal 823/.9/14

LC Class PZ4.A2163 Pl PR6051.D345

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The plague dogs DB11620

Adams, Richard Reading time: 16 hours, 16 minutes.

Yvonne Fair Tessler National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Animals and Wildlife

A dramatic novel of the struggle against evil demonstrates genuine concern for animals. Two talking dogs, a terrier and a mongrel tortured in an English government-owned medical laboratory, manage to escape. With the aid of a canny fox and their animal instincts, they survive. After an irresponsible journalist declares that the animals may be carriers of the bubonic plague, an intensive and cruel manhunt for the dogs begins. Strong language.

Download The plague dogs DB11620

Kate’s 2¢: “Over The Edge” by Irene Hannon

“Over The Edge” by Irene Hannon

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…

   Thérèse Plummer did a good job of narrating this cozy murder mystery. As a romance novel, the reader knows the boy and girl meet and fall in love, however, the challenge is to over-come the blockades put in their lives to complicate the union. This is a Christian narrative and is devoid of the potty-mouth found in so many novels today.

Featured snippet from the web

Irene Hannon is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than sixty-five contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. She is also a three-time winner of the RITA award—the “Oscar” of romance fiction—from Romance Writers of America and is a member of that organization’s elite Hall of Fame.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Irene Hannon (also known as Irene Hannon Gottlieb) is an American author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. She was a communications executive with Anheuser-Busch.

Early life and education[edit]

Hannon was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Dorothy Morgan and James Patrick Hannon Sr., an Irish immigrant.[1] She and her brother James, Jr. grew up in Brentwood, Missouri a suburb of St. Louis where she frequently spent time at the local library, eventually working there in high school and college.[2] Hannon graduated from Rosati-Kain High School, a Catholic school.[3] She then graduated with a B.A. in psychology from Saint Louis University and an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Career[edit]

While working at Anheuser-Busch, Hannon began publishing her writing in the 1980s, and eventually left her job to pursue writing fiction full-time. She has won three RITA Awards for her romantic fiction and was inducted in the Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame.[4] Her other awards include four Carol Awards, six Holt Medallions, a Daphne du Maurier, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Book Reviews. [5]

She is married to Thomas Gottlieb,[6] and she enjoys gardening, cooking, travelling, and singing in musicals.[7] She typically writes 2.5 novels a year.[8]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Over the edge DB125644

Hannon, Irene Reading time: 9 hours, 53 minutes.

Thérèse Plummer

Religious Fiction

Suspense Fiction

Romance

“As the sole witness to a murder, Lindsey Barnes is already on edge. Now she’s being targeted by someone who wants to discredit her testimony. Or is she? Police detective Jack Tucker must determine if it’s true, and if so, who’s behind the campaign to destroy her credibility–and perhaps her life”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Kate’s 2¢: “A history of the world in twelve shipwrecks: by David Gibbins

“A history of the world in twelve shipwrecks: by David Gibbins

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…

   Kent Klineman did a great job of narrating this interesting and lengthy book.  This book was one of seven books on one cartridge that the NLS sent to me. I wouldn’t have downloaded it, but the topic was fascinating and actually held my interest.  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Gibbins (born 1962) is an underwater archaeologist and a bestselling novelist.

Early life[edit]

Gibbins was born in 1962 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, to British parents who were academic scientists. He is related to the Victorian historian Henry de Beltgens Gibbins and to Brigadier Henry John Gordon Gale, DSO and Bar. After growing up in Canada, New Zealand and England he attended the University of Bristol, where he was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in Ancient Mediterranean Studies. He spent part of 1984 in Turkey funded by a Travel Scholarship from the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara. In 1984 he was awarded a Research Scholarship by Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, where he completed a PhD in archaeology in 1991.

He qualified as a scuba diver in Canada at the age of 15, and since then has dived extensively around the world.[1]

Career[edit]

Academic career[edit]

From 1991 to 1993 he held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Cambridge from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. From 1993 to 2000 he was a lecturer in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies at the University of Liverpool, and from 1999 to 2001 he was an adjunct professor of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology.[2] During the 1980s and 1990s he led many expeditions to investigate ancient shipwrecks and submerged ruins in the Mediterranean, including Roman shipwrecks off Sicily and the harbour of ancient Carthage. In 1999–2000 he was part of an international team excavating a 5th-century BC shipwreck off Turkey. His publications on ancient shipwreck sites have appeared in scientific journals, books and popular magazines.

Since 2002 he had been a full-time writer and independent scholar. In 2015 he co-founded the research group Cornwall Maritime Archaeology, which has made numerous shipwreck discoveries off south-west England. In 2016 he rediscovered the wreck of the Schiedam, a ship involved in the evacuation of English Tangier in 1684 and associated with Samuel Pepys,[3] and in 2018 the site of the President, an English East Indiaman.[4] In 2019 on another wreck he discovered a unique 16th century copper-alloy statuette of the crucified Christ attributable to Guglielmo della Porta.[5]

Writing[edit]

On leaving academia he became a novelist, writing archaeological thrillers derived from his own background. His novels have sold over three million copies and have been London Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. His first novel, Atlantis, published in the UK in 2005 and the US in 2006, was published in 30 languages. Since then he has written ten further novels which have been published in more than 200 editions internationally. His main series is based on the fictional maritime archaeologist Jack Howard and his team, and forms contemporary novels involving an archaeological backdrop. He has also written two historical novels set in ancient Rome.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

A history of the world in twelve shipwrecks DB121343

Gibbins, David Reading time: 14 hours, 40 minutes.

Kent Klineman

Travel

Adventure

World History and Affairs

“From renowned underwater archaeologist David Gibbins comes an exciting and rich narrative of human history told through the archaeological discoveries of twelve shipwrecks across time. The Viking warship of King Cnut the Great. Henry VIII’s the Mary Rose. Captain John Franklin’s doomed HMS Terror. The SS Gairsoppa, destroyed by a Nazi U-boat in the Atlantic during World War II. Since we first set sail on the open sea, ships and their wrecks have been an inevitable part of human history. Archaeologists have made spectacular discoveries excavating these sunken ships, their protective underwater cocoon keeping evidence of past civilizations preserved. Now, for the first time, world renowned maritime archaeologist David Gibbins ties together the stories of some of the most significant shipwrecks in time to form a single overarching narrative of world history. A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks is not just the story of those ships, the people who sailed on them, and the cargo and treasure they carried, but also the story of the spread of people, religion, and ideas around the world; it is a story of colonialism, migration, and the indomitable human spirit that continues today. From the glittering Bronze Age, to the world of Caesar’s Rome, through the era of the Vikings, to the exploration of the Arctic, Gibbins uses shipwrecks to tell all. Drawing on decades of experience excavating shipwrecks around the world, Gibbins reveals the riches beneath the waves and shows us how the treasures found there can be a porthole to the past that tell a new story about the world and its underwater secrets”– Provided by publisher Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Lost Words” by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

 “The Lost Words” by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

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…

   Throughout this book, the listener can hear flocks of birds with several isolated bird calls. The various narrators of the short poems talked over the cacophony of bird sounds.  I must admit, it was a unique presentation. Some of the poems had some fun sounds and words, somewhat like Dr. Suess.

Speaking the Anthropocene – with Robert Macfarlane

Robert Macfarlane is a British author known for his award-winning and bestselling books exploring themes of landscape, nature, and human relationships with place. His works often delve into the imaginative and cultural connections we have with the natural world, including the history of mountains, old paths, and even the earth beneath our feet. He is also a literary critic and essayist, contributing to publications like The Guardian and London Review of Books. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert Macfarlane (born 15 August 1976) is a British writer and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

He is best known for his books on landscape, nature, place, people and language, which include The Old Ways (2012), Landmarks (2015), The Lost Words (2017) and Underland (2019). In 2017 he received The E. M. Forster Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is married to professor of modern Chinese history and literature Julia Lovell.

In 2022 and 2024, Macfarlane was named as an outside contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature.[1][2] The Prize in those years was won by Annie Ernaux and Han Kang respectively.

Early life and education[edit]

Macfarlane was born in Halam in Nottinghamshire, and attended Nottingham High School.[3] He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and Magdalen College, Oxford. He began a PhD at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 2000, and in 2001 was elected a Fellow of the college.

Family[edit]

His father John Macfarlane is a respiratory physician who co-authored the CURB-65 score of pneumonia in 2003. His brother James is also a consultant physician in respiratory medicine. He is married to Julia Lovell, and has three children.[citation needed] His grandfather was the British Diplomat and mountaineer Edward Peck.[4]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jackie Morris (born 1961) is a British writer and illustrator. She was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2016 and won it in 2019[1] for her illustration of The Lost Words, voted the most beautiful book of 2016 by UK booksellers.[2] She is a recipient of the Tir na n-Og Award for children’s book Seal Children.

Life[edit]

Morris was born in Birmingham in 1961. Her family moved to Evesham when she was four. As a child she was told that she couldn’t be an artist, but despite this she learned to paint. Morris went to High school at Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham and afterward the Bath Academy of Art.[3][4]

On leaving college she found work in editorial, illustrating magazines like Radio Times, New Statesman, New Society and Country Living. She worked for years illustrating books and in 2016, she was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal for Something About a Bear. The book includes her water colours of different types of bear.

She lives in a small house by the sea in Wales, painting and writing.

Career[edit]

The Lost Words is a book of “spells” by Robert Macfarlane with illustrations by Morris. The book has clues to words like acorn, blackberry and conker. The book was inspired by 21st-century editions of the Oxford Junior Dictionary in which some words like kingfisher associated with nature were omitted in order to include technical terms like attachment, broadband and chatroom.[5][6] In 2017, Laurence Rose organised a protest letter to the dictionary and it was signed by Margaret Atwood, Sara Maitland, Michael Morpurgo, Andrew Motion, Macfarlane, and Morris. Much debate ensued but the creative outcome was an idea for joint work by McFarlane and Morris.[5] This book was voted the most beautiful book by UK booksellers in 2016.[2]

An exhibition of The Lost Words was held at Compton Verney in 2017, featuring immersive floor to ceiling graphics of the poems and illustrations in the book.[7] The exhibition subsequently toured Britain, hosted by the Foundling Museum in London, Inverleith House in Edinburgh, Royal Albert Museum in Exeter,[8] and the North York Moors National Park’s art gallery in Danby.[9]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The lost words DB125140

Macfarlane, Robert; Morris, Jackie Reading time: 50 minutes.

Edith Bowman; Benjamin Zephaniah; Robert Macfarlane; Cerys Matthews; Guy Garvey

Poetry

“From bestselling Landmarks author Robert Macfarlane and acclaimed artist and author Jackie Morris, a beautiful illustrated book for readers young and old. All over the country, there are words disappearing from children’s lives. These are the words of the natural world–Dandelion, Otter, Bramble and Acorn, all gone. The rich landscape of wild imagination and wild play is rapidly fading from our children’s minds. The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration of nature words and the natural world they invoke. With acrostic spell-poems by award-winning writer Robert Macfarlane and hand-painted illustration by Jackie Morris, this enchanting book captures the irreplaceable magic of language and nature for all ages.”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Kate’s 2¢: “Sanibel sisters: a Shellseeker Beach novel : book four” by Hope Holloway

“Sanibel sisters: a Shellseeker Beach novel : book four” by Hope Holloway

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…

   Victoria Westlake did a nice job of narrating this beach book.

https://www.hopeholloway.com › about

Hope Holloway is an author of charming, heartwarming women’s fiction featuring unforgettable families and friends, and the emotional challenges they conquer.

From NLS/BARD/LOC

Sanibel sisters: a Shellseeker Beach novel : book four DB120451

Holloway, Hope Reading time: 9 hours, 52 minutes.

Victoria Westlake

Family

Women

Romance

“As the found family in Shellseeker Beach prepares for the high tourist season, excitement is in the air as the new Sanibel Sisters boutique opens. Eliza navigates the possibility of a second chance romance, but an unexpected fear is slowing things down. Her daughter has decided she is all in with a man she once thought was all wrong, but efforts to help him out of a bind threaten to backfire. And when Katie finally opens her heart to the first true love of her life, her stepsister’s arrival suddenly changes everything”–Provided by publisher.

Download Sanibel sisters: a Shellseeker Beach novel : book four DB120451

Kate’s 2¢: “The Scent Keeper” by Erica Bauermeister

“The Scent Keeper” by Erica Bauermeister

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…

   Gabra Zackman did a very good job of narrating this story. I can appreciate the way the author used the sense of smell in all her character’s points-of-view.I liked the ending.  

A few take-aways:

–We are the unwitting carriers of our parents’ secrets.

–The boxes gave me the feeling that someone magical knew we were there and was taking care of us.

–Grief makes a tunnel of our lives.

–How easily we can cast ourselves in the role of hero.

–Assess the situation. eliminate the variables. Determine the best course of action.

–Change the scent, you change the memory.

–The scents of two people mingle as effortlessly as rainwater.

–Sadness like a dark ppurple juice of a black berry. Fear like the metallic taste of an on-coming storm. Love smells like freshly baked bread.

–It is better to let go of words and listen to smells.

–I set a match to a pile of tinder I hadn’t known existed.

–Smells are a powerful marketing tool.

–Not caring how humans hurt each other.

–We all go along, just catching glimpses of each other.  Thinking we know everything

–Perfumes change with each person’s skin chemistry.

–Scents are reminders of what we’ll do to live and what we can give each other.

From the web:

Erica Bauermeister lives in Port Townsend, Washington, with her husband and 238 wild deer. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including The Scent Keeper, The School of Essential Ingredients, House Lessons: Renovating a Life, Let’s Hear It for the Girls, and her latest, No Two Persons.

50 Years of Island Books

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The scent keeper DB98710

Bauermeister, Erica Reading time: 9 hours, 36 minutes.

Gabra Zackman

Science Fiction

General

Emmeline was raised on a remote island by her reclusive scientist father. With a mysterious machine, he collects scents which he preserves in glass bottles, but keeps his daughter completely isolated. When tragedy strikes, Emmeline must join the real world. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

Download The scent keeper DB98710

Kate’s 2¢: “The lost art of mixing” by Erica Bauermeister

“The lost art of mixing” by Erica Bauermeister

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…

   Debra Godfrey did a good job of narrating this book. It was fun to listen to the story as apparently disparet people eventually mesh together. The catalyst in this story is the small town restaurant.

   I think the epilogue describing Louises destination could have been deleted.

A few take-aways:

–The under-lying secret of successful restaurants, was their ability to magically repurpose ingredients.

–Memories turn into recipes. Recipes turn into stories.

–The point is, if you believe I would do it on purpose and if I believe the same of you.

–The magic of matching ingredients with personalities to change a person’s mood or life.

–They were like ingredients that had become chemically incapable of mixing.

From the web:

Erica Bauermeister lives in Port Townsend, Washington, with her husband and 238 wild deer. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including The Scent Keeper, The School of Essential Ingredients, House Lessons: Renovating a Life, Let’s Hear It for the Girls, and her latest, No Two Persons.

50 Years of Island Books

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The lost art of mixing DBC00366

Bauermeister, Erica Reading time: 6 hours, 50 minutes.

Debra Godfrey A production of Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.

Human Relations

Restaurant owner Lillian manages an unexpected challenge while sharing her days with a circle of friends and regulars, including ritual-performing accountant Al, heartbroken chef Chloe, and unobtrusive giant Finnegan.

Download The lost art of mixing DBC00366