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The Smart Neanderthal: bird catching, cave art & the cognitive revolution

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I am extremely interested in the Neanderthals, so I’ll read any book that gives me more information about them. I’ve already written a review of Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art (post of February 24, 2022) and The Neanderthals Rediscovered (post of February 3, 2023). I recently read The Smart Neanderthal: Bird catching, cave art & the cognitive revolution by Clive Finlayson, 2019, and learned a fascinating aspect of the Neanderthals that I hadn’t read in other books. The book is appropriate for the category Science for the 2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge . Finlayson is a zoologist and a paleontologist, as well as the Director of the Gibraltar Museum. This book is based on his excavations of Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar, which is believed to be the last known site of the Neanderthals. He explains that his two scientific passions are the study of birds and of Neanderthals, and his research shows that these two passions are closely connected. Discoveries about th

Lady Sapiens: Breaking Stereotypes about Prehistoric Women

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In texts and films about people who lived in prehistoric times, they are often referred to as ‘prehistoric man,’ ‘cavemen,’ etc., which seems to ignore the role of women. And previous assumptions about the lives of those people were that men hunted and women stayed home tending the fire and taking care of children. Through reading I’ve done over the last few years, I’ve come to learn that women played a more active role in all aspects of the life of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. Lady Sapiens: Breaking Stereotypes about Prehistoric Women, by Thomas Cirotteau, Jennifer Kerner, and Éric Pincas (2021), presents the evidence that proves what these more active roles were. I’m very interested in this aspect of archaeology, and this book fits the category of History for the 2024 Nonfiction Readers’ Challenge (hosted by  https://bookdout.wordpress.com/2024-nonfiction-reader-challenge-host/ ). At the beginning of the book are four pages of timelines and drawings titled "Key Dates and E

2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

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For the fourth year in a row, I’m taking on the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. I already have a few books lined up for some of the categories, and I’m looking forward to reading reviews from other Nonfiction Readers for inspiration for the others. The Challenge is hosted by Book’d Out ( https://bookdout.wordpress.com/ ), a book review blog by Shellyrae in Australia (a woman who reads so many books in a year, it’s amazing!). Her blog explains How it Works: “You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.” The Goals are: Nonfiction Nipper:  Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories Nonfiction Nibbler : Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories Nonfiction Nosher : Read & review 12 books, one for each category Nonfiction Grazer : Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your

The 2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Completed

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This year I read fewer books than usual, for some reason. Maybe it’s because I did a lot more travelling and I don’t bring books – I prefer to focus on where I am and, of course, books are heavy. I need reading material only in the airport, so I bring a book or magazine that I plan to leave behind for others. In any case, I managed to complete this year’s Nonfiction Reader Challenge, but not as a “Nonfiction Nosher” (reading and reviewing 12 books, one for each category). I read only eight nonfiction books, with one in each of seven of the challenge categories. So that makes me a “Nonfiction Nibbler,” reading and reviewing 6 books, from any 6 listed categories. My choices: Science: The Neanderthals Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting Their Story Sport: How the Hell Did I Get Here? Biography: Maria Theresa of Austria: Full-blooded politician, Devoted wife and Mother-to-all Published in 2023: Ashes & Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches & W

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

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The final book I read for the 2023 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE is in the category Health . This book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, 2020, received fairly good reviews on various blogs and was also positively reviewed by a blogger earlier this year for the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. But I don’t understand what all the praise is about. This book is about Nestor’s personal experiences with different breathing techniques, but with very poorly supported “research.” The book’s blurb claims that “humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Science journalist James Nestor travels the world to discover what went wrong and how to fix it.”   However, for most of the information he ‘discovers,’ he gives weak or no support. The notes at the end of the book are rather random. So it was hard for me to believe some of his claims. The first aspect of breathing he focuses on is ‘mouthbreathing,’ noting that breathing through the mouth (rat

Minoan Crete: From myth to history

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Minoan Crete: From myth to history by Andonis Vasilakis, 1999, is the book I chose for the 2023 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE in the category History . I didn’t know much about the Minoans, but after visiting Crete in 2022 I was impressed by the archaeological remains and the beautiful landscape and became curious about the people who had lived there in prehistory. I am also intrigued by the idea of Minoan Crete as the “first civilization.” The book is divided into seven sections detailing: information about the land and people; Minoan mythology; and five historical periods, in chronological order, ranging from the Stone Age to the Third Palace Period (1450-1350 BC). Although there is information about the archaeology of Crete, this is not an academic book on archaeology; there are assumptions without support. For example, “Figurines probably had a religious function and the smallest ones were used as amulets.” There is no further explanation of why Vasilakis ‘knows’ this or where

Porcelain Moon and Pomegranates

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The book I read in the category Travel for the 2023 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE is Porcelain Moon and Pomegranates: A Woman’s Trek Through Turkey by Ãœstün Bilgin-Reinart, 2007. Bilgin-Reinart was born in Ankara, Turkey but lived most of her adult life in Canada, where she worked as a television journalist. After she moved back to Turkey, she spent time traveling around the country to investigate various issues involving social life, politics and history. This book is a compilation of her travels, interspersed with memories of her upbringing and family and her personal view of life in Turkey. But this is not any kind of travel guide; it is her focus on various issues relevant to Turkey and its history, with descriptions of the areas she travelled to. These issues include: Archeological remains; mother goddess; ancient religion Prostitutes & brothels Honor murders Kurds in the southeast Aspects of gold mining & its effect on the environment I particularly liked

Ashes & Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches & Witness

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The book I read in the category Published in 2023 for the 2023 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE is Ashes & Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches & Witness by Allyson Shaw, 2023. Allyson Shaw is an American of Scottish background who moved to the north of Scotland 15 years before writing this book, which seeks to find out more about the witch-hunts in Scotland. She spent a few years “visiting monuments to accused witches – the stones, fountains and even hedge mazes dedicated to people who were accused during the witch-hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Secreted away outside a village here, beside a suburban lawn there, each has its own story.” Each chapter of the book focuses on one of those stories. The witch-hunts in Scotland lasted for almost 200 years, with approximately 4,000 people officially accused and over 2,000 executed. As Shaw writes, “Considering the small population of Scotland in the seventeenth century (approximately 800,000 people), the

Maria Theresa of Austria

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The book I chose for the 2023 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE in the category Memoir/Biography is Maria Theresa of Austria: Full-blooded politician, Devoted wife and Mother-to-all , by Regine Neuhauser, 2015. This book is a biography of Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia in German), ruler of Austria and the Habsburg dominions from 1740 to 1780. The author writes in the introduction, “The focus of this book is primarily on the human side of the historical protagonists. This approach is to enable the modern reader to relate to these long-gone people. To allow for an immediate reading experience, I wrote the text in the present tense.” There were times when I found the use of the present tense confusing, but the historical information is certainly written in a conversational and accessible style. The author seems to have great regard for her subject, but there isn’t much support (in my view) for such admiration. Maria Theresa made very bad decisions regarding the military, choosing people s

The Sceptical Gardener: The thinking person's guide to good gardening

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Ken Thompson writes a gardening column for the UK newspaper The Telegraph and was also a lecturer in the Dept. of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield. This book (2015) is described as a collection of articles from The Telegraph . I have never read his column because I don’t have a subscription to this newspaper, but I came across this book in a British bookstore and the subtitle attracted me: The thinking person’s guide to good gardening. I’ve had a garden for only a few years and I can always use good advice. The reason he is “sceptical” is that he analyzes the science behind the claims made for plants and gardening to find out if the claims are credible. He explains what is supported by studies and what is nonsense. And it seems a lot of information I’ve read and heard is nonsense. For example, he takes a dim view of permaculture and planting by the moon. But, he gives practical information about wildlife in the garden, soil types, plants, wildflowers, veget

How the Hell Did I Get Here?

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The book I chose for the 2023 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE in the category Sport is How the Hell Did I Get Here? by Pamela Lynch, 2019. For her 60 th birthday in 2013, Pam Lynch decided to celebrate by trekking to Mt. Everest base camp. Why and how a woman who was not a hiker and had never travelled alone would start such an adventure is the basis of this book. And it’s quite a story. Lynch describes her younger self as very shy and somewhat timid – never taking risks and not interested in trying anything different when she did travel. She married at 19, had two children, and lived a fairly conventional life in Australia. But when she turned 40, she started feeling restless and decided to enroll at university. Fifteen years later she had a PhD in Classics and Ancient History. Her focus on her studies strained her marriage, and she was divorced by the time she earned her degree. The experience increased her confidence, although she felt “there was still that niggle, the voice of

The Neanderthals Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting Their Story

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My first book review for the 2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge is in the category Science . One of my amateur interests is archaeology, and I find the Neanderthals particularly interesting. Fortunately, most of what we know about our hominid cousins has been found or studied fairly recently – mostly in the last ten years. Last year I enjoyed Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art , 2020, by Rebecca Wragg Sykes (see my post of February 24, 2022). But then at the end of the year I found a book that was published earlier (2013, 2015 and updated in 2022): The Neanderthals Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting Their Story by Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse (revised and updated edition). It’s hard not to compare the two books, so I would have to say I enjoyed Kindred better. Somehow Wragg Sykes’s writing was both more scientific and more enthusiastic about the subject. But perhaps it’s because much of the information in The Neanderthals Rediscovered was