Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-Two: The Book of Eels

I heard about The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World by Patrik Svensson from a patron at the library, and the title alone was enough to pique my interest.  Finally, at a loose end for an audiobook recently, I found that I'd made a note of this title and it was available to borrow, so I went for it.  I enjoyed some parts immensely, while others were distinctly off-putting.  Mostly the off-putting parts involved detailed descriptions of ways to kill an eel (luckily a minor part of the book) and occasionally ways they would ensnare themselves in fishing lines (also mercifully a small portion of the tale, though there is much eel fishing).  Possibly I was also a little discomfited because I could picture the movement of eels fairly well thanks to this weird article from the New York Times about moray eels (worth looking at for the captions to the photos, if nothing else).

The most wonderful parts reminded me of H Is for Hawk by  Helen Macdonald, which I enjoyed thoroughly about five years ago; that is to say, sometimes The Book of Eels offered a marvelous combination of fascinating facts about eels with moving nature descriptions and deeply-felt personal history, mostly of the author as a child with his father.  Eels are enigmatic creatures, unwilling to yield their secrets to researchers, despite their ongoing efforts, which adds to their allure.  The Book of Eels offers a brief glimpse into their world.

Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-One: How To Prepare for Climate Change

I listened to the audiobook of David Pogue's surprisingly funny manual, How To Prepare for Climate Change after hearing that he'll be the keynote speaker for the Massachusetts Library System's climate prep week events later this month.  I had cataloged the print book a little while back and was both intrigued (because it seems like it will be relevant) and put off.  (Shouldn't we be busy trying to slow climate change rather than preparing for its effects?  In fact, Pogue says, we should all do both, but this book is more about preparing.)  

While a few parts were downright frightening to consider, it actually didn't leave me feeling worse than I generally do about the future of the world (an admittedly low bar, but still), and some parts even made me feel mildly hopeful.  In fact, one of the later chapters in the book is about the importance of maintaining some level of hope in the future, otherwise depression is likely, and depression is the enemy of accomplishing most things, like mitigating one's own environmental impact as well as preparing for the effects of climate change that are, at this point, inevitable.  (Really, it's a funny book at times, or at least the audiobook has its moments of humor, albeit often slightly dark humor.)

Whether or not you want to read this book, I can guarantee some parts of it will be relevant to you, if not now, then soon.  That being said, most of the content won't be directly relevant to most readers (Who lives in an area prone to both wildfires and hurricanes, for example?  Is there such a place?), so this is a title that, unless you've got a deep interest in the subject, I'd suggest getting in print form (not e-book or audio) so you can skim through to the parts that are relevant.  Maybe you're interested in investing your money in climate-responsible ways--check out just that chapter!  Or maybe you don't have any investments but want to know how to prepare your home for flooding.  (Did you know home insurance almost never includes flood damage?  Pogue has a chapter on insurance, too.)  All of this is to say, I think everyone will benefit in some way from reading at least parts of How To Prepare for Climate Change, and this guide makes a huge and scary topic more accessible and manageable.