This month has been a busy month! Finishing up another class, doing a lot of work stuff, and reading a lot of books has taken up a lot of my time. Here’s my quick review post for June 30th, 2019. Three non-fiction books and one children’s fiction, which was actually surprisingly pleasant!
The Fate of Food by Amanda Little
Published by Crown Publishing – Harmony
Released on June 4, 2019
My rating: 5/5
One of my big curiosities in life has been around, literally, the future of food in a landscape where climate change has affected our environment. I was pleasantly surprised when the author actually delivers on the premise, and with so much detail! I really enjoyed the back and forth on different technologies being utilized and developed, and the willingness to include negative aspects of our food system and technologies.
I was also intrigued by the chapter in lab grown meats, and the author’s willingness to go out of her way to all these different places for each subject. The farmed fish chapter was especially interesting to me given the interesting look at technology and the impact that fish have on the environment versus other types of meats.
The author does a great job at portraying the topics at hand, and I found myself reading large chunks at a time, because I wanted to know more! Food is an incredibly important part of all of our lives, and in the age of climate change, how will we adapt?
Neurodiverse Relationships by Joanna Pike
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Releases July 18, 2019
My rating: 4/5
I’m going to echo other comments about my disappointment that all the relationships in this book come from an autistic male/ NT female perspective.
With that being said, I found this as an intriguing look into both sides of the table. I actually feel that this was a pretty balanced look: you get both views on the same situation and the comments/insights and emotions to go along with it. To downplay the feelings of the NT partner is unfair given that a marriage is between two individuals. If one feels that they are taking the “adult” position over a “teen,” then that is an important distinction to make that there are things that the couple should work out together. The hard part is actually working out viable solutions.
I appreciate how the author handles these various situations. Not only do we get the couples insight individually, but we also have a third view (Tony, who is a specialist) that analyzes the text from both sides. He praises the NT partner when they realize the positive traits and works with their partner on relationship issues, and offers an insightful look into handling these situations. This is something sorely needed for couples where a partner is not NT.
Childfree by Choice by Dr. Amy Blackstone
Published by PENGUIN GROUP – Dutton
Released June 11, 2019
My rating: 4/5
As a millennial, I really relate to the premise of the book. I know a good number of other people who are child free or not expecting to have children until their 30s, but one of the most common questions I’m asked is how many kids I have.
I appreciate how the author goes into details about the societal expectations of having children, and how there are racial and class implications to these expectations as well. It was sad to learn about the history in the United States, and it was frustrating to see that these attitudes persist into current day given the implications of overpopulation and immigration. These negative societal views do affect the health of people with and without children; the amount of children you have is never enough or too many, according to our culture.
All of the facts in the book are cited and linked to the resources in the back, which was pleasantly surprising. I was pleasantly surprised by this since sometimes these books don’t include sources when making claims.
Realm Quest: Lair of the Skaven by Tom Huddleston
Published by Warhammer Publishing
Released May 14, 2019
My review: 4/5
OK, I’m going to admit that I wasn’t sure how exactly kid-friendly you could make the Warhammer (and 40K) universe, but somehow Tom Huddleston did just that. I have enough of a background with Warhammer and a resource to ask when questions pop up, so I think I get where this series is trying to go. It read like a kid-safe series that fans could introduce to their kids that doesn’t immediately throw them into the nitty-gritty of the universe off the bat.
When I finished reading this book, I double-checked the intended age group for this series because the vocabulary seemed a bit of a stretch for younger readers. It’s aimed at kids between 8 to 12 years, so it might be a bit difficult for the younger side but perfect for those a little bit older. I was also a bit confused at the beginning and was wondering what the background was, but also found out that this is the second book in the series! Whoops. It’s not a big enough issue that you couldn’t jump in without it, but would help make some more sense to read the first one.
Thanks for sticking with me! I have a lot of new books to read and review, so I’m super excited to get through the list. Lots of new non-fiction coming down the pipeline that covers a variety of different topics, especially politics!
Happy 21st birthday, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone!
One Boring Hapa 