this is one of those books you don’t want to put down. it was significantly creepier and more disturbing than I thought it would be. I hated natalie, but it was also really fascinating to get into her brain and backstory. i’m curious how the author was able to put herself into that particular perspective, which feels especially relevant and interesting to explore right now. this was well written, eerie, and unpredictable. I could not figure out what was going on for basically the whole book lol. anyway I didn’t love it but it was good, and I will keep my eye out for future works from this author.

I actually haven’t written a review for this yet but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would and the ending was lowkey a masterpiece….

"Equating wilderness with otherworldly magnificence treats it as something remote, accessible only to those with the privilege to travel and explore. It imagines that nature is something separate from humanity rather than something we exist within. 'Idealizing a distant wilderness too often means not idealizing the environment in which we actually live, the landscape that for better or worse we call home,' Cronon wrote. I couldn't agree more. The majesty of nature is not restricted to canyons and mountains. It can be found in the wilds of perception -- the sensory spaces that lie outside our Umwelt and within those of other animals. To perceive the world through other senses is to find splendor in familiarity, and the sacred in the mundane. Wonders exist in a backyard garden, where bees take the measure of a flower's electric fields, leafhoppers send vibrational melodies through the stems of plants, and birds behold the hidden palettes of rurples and grurples... Wilderness is not distant. We are continually immersed in it. It is there for us to image, to savor, and to protect."

STRAIGHT TO THE ELITES! This book took me over six months to read because I initially found it really hard to sit down and focus on. Most of the writing is academic as this is a research focused book, so I just had to approach it a little differently. Rae got me this for Christmas which was a truly excellent gift. This book is absolutely fascinating. Each chapter focused on different sensory experiences/organs, starting with ones we're familiar with and eventually evolving into ones we do not possess. There were SO many interesting facts and studies in here. I was geeking out in practically every chapter. This was a really good introduction into the world of sensory biology because Ed Yong frames all the science involved in a really accessible format. Journeying through the different ways that animals experience world through their senses gave me a new perspective on wildlife. I believe that the human sensory world is incredible in and of itself, but it's amazing how the natural world around us is so much richer and more complex than we even realize. There is so much going on around us at all times and so many ways of perceiving the world that the sensory experience of living things is basically infinite. I would highly encourage this read to literally everyone lol -- you will look at the world differently! Besides all the interesting information about animals, I was also delighted at the peek into the world of sensory biologists and animal researchers. There were so many different scientists introduced throughout this book and I loved how nerdy and awesome they all are. As you may or may not know I have begun my own journey to become a scientist in the last couple of years (still feels weird to say that!), and I really appreciate a glimpse at what careers in that world look like. I am obsessed with the fact that people dedicate their academic and professional lives to understanding and protecting the natural world. It is seriously the coolest thing ever. I also nearly cried when I noticed that Ed Yong defaulted to female pronouns when talking about scientists in general. I have never seen that before!!! This author is such a king in general, his writing style is not only understandable to those with even the most entry level scientific knowledge, but also really funny and sweet. He had me giggling. He also dedicated the book and the first section of his acknowledgments to his wife and described her in such a wholesome way omg KINGGGG. Seriously stanning this author and would love to read more of his work. I did not expect for the last chapter of this book to tie in climate change and discuss the effects of human civilization and technology on animals. It always makes me emotional to read about climate change and this was no exception. However, I was introduced to a new frame of looking at the effects of climate change and human influence -- sensory pollution. Basically the last chapter talked about how the influx of light and noise created by industrialization affects the senses and thus behavior of animals, often leading to disastrous consequences. Of course there were also solutions offered to these problems, but it was jarring to uncover an aspect of the environmental consequences of the Anthropocene that I didn't think about before. Overall, an extremely interesting book with an absolute king of an author that I would recommend to all my loved ones.

recommended by charles because I am starting my investment journey 😳😳 as far as economic books goes this was painless. I am absolutely clueless when it comes to economics and business and even I could understand this. super short and easy to read. shoutout to this guy