Tag: animals

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#BookReview: Crossings by Ben Goldfarb

Well-Documented Examination Of How Roads Affect Animals. The subtitle of this book in particular is at least slightly misleading, as the book isn’t so much about all the ways roads impact ecology as much as how roads impact animals. It also isn’t so much about the “future of our planet” so much as it is about preventing extinction of migratory animals in particular.

But for what it *is*, this is actually a well documented (38% of the overall text) examination of how roads impact animals and how we can make them better for the wildlife around us… and thus ultimately safer for us. (As Goldfarb points out, at least at one point deer were the most deadly animal in America, far surpassing sharks or even snakes or even insect stings, due to the sheer volume of people killed in crashes wherein they either hit deer directly or swerved to avoid doing so.)

Indeed, much of the book is spent discussing largely three topics: roadkill, animal crossings, and to a slightly lesser extent, noise pollution and how it affects animal crossings and roadkill. Along the way we get sidetracked to a discussion of LA’s cougars, Tasmania’s world record roadkill, Interstates preventing deer migration in the Rocky Mountains, and even some discussion of salmon migration in the Pacific Northwest, among others.

If you’re looking for a book about the *totality* of how roads affect ecology… this isn’t that.

If you’re looking for a historical/ current look at how roads affect animal life… you’ve come to the right place.

And yes, Goldfarb has rather frequent leftist political rants sprinkled throughout the text, but none anywhere near as severe as the ultra leftist reviews eviscerating this book, so take that for what it’s worth – while annoying, I’ve read books with far worse rants with far fewer interesting facts, so I personally didn’t think it was *too* terrible – hence the reason I didn’t deduct a star for it. But your mileage will absolutely vary there, so just be aware of this before coming into this book.

Recommended.

This review of Crossings by Ben Goldfarb was originally written on May 1, 2025.

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#BookReview: Ruthie Deschutes O’Hara Has Ulterior Motives by Cathy Lamb

Freaking Hilarious. With Several Dusty Rooms. And Old People Sex. This is ultimately a romance novel, so it is no spoiler to note that the couple winds up together. But as the couple are both 70 yrs old… yep, old people sex. Though to be clear, “damn near erotica” isn’t exactly Lamb’s style, so we see them nude in bed together… and then we move on. For some, even this will be too much. For others, it won’t be “spicy” enough. And yet for others, specifically those clamoring for more “elder tales” in romance… hey, here ya go. 😀

But seriously, you’re reading this as much for the hilarity as the romance, and it really is great in that department. Particularly the screaming rabbit that causes the pig to snort that startles the dog. 😀 And all the other creatures doing their things. 😀 And yes, Ruthie herself is one of those old grandma “firecrackers”, as We Olden People used to (and still) say. She’s 70 yrs old, and by God she’s gonna say and do what she wants to say and do, and aint *nobody* gonna tell her any different.

But there are also several dusty rooms throughout this tale, enough to give the otherwise largely comedic tale a true heft of heart. I mean, Ruthie is 70 yrs old and human. Yes, she’s suffered some losses – and we get to hear all about them, sometimes seeing them as flashbacks, always told in Lamb’s whimsical humorous manner.

Add in perhaps a dash of “Sister don’t miss when she aims her gun” (to quote the 70-years-old-next-year-as-I-write-this-review Reba McEntire), and this book really does have a bit of everything, at least in the real-world drama department.

Oh, and that there’s quite a bit of “reality television” commentary thrown in (well within story) to boot? Chef’s kiss.

Very much recommended.

This review of Ruthie Deschutes O’Hara Has Ulterior Motives by Cathy Lamb was originally written on September 23, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Social Lives Of Animals by Ashley Ward

Wild Romp. This is a book that takes us on a wild adventure across the planet as we see the societies various animals have built, from the smallest Antarctic krill to the large Orcas and Humpback whales to the largest land animals out there – the African Elephant. Fascinating in breadth (though with a dearth of bibliography, as the Advance copy I read only contained about 9% bibliography compared to 3x that amount being more typical, even in early copies) and often hilarious in approach, this is a book that lovers of any animal great or small are going to want to check out. Though I *would* be careful with younger readers (and apparently there is a children’s edition already being planned), as the primate chapter in particular gets a bit salacious. Apparently you can’t talk about baboon social life without talking about just how promiscuous – and “pansexual”, to put a human label on it – they are. Other than that particular section though, most anything here is about the same as anyone will hear on TV / at work / at school as far as “bad” language goes. Truly a fun tale that never gets too academic and yet manages to present quite a few (presumed, see note about bibliography above) facts that are likely new to most readers. Very much recommended.

This review of The Social Lives Of Animals by Ashley Ward was originally written on February 26, 2022.