Reviews and Comments

John Lewis-Stempel's book about owls is a short and pleasant read, 96 pages or 1.52 hours as an audiobook. The introduction to the book briefly explains how owls have become a symbolic animal. They feature in popular films such as Harry Potter and other novels. Yet an owl is a mysterious animal synonymous with witches and potions. The Secret Life of the Owl, also unpicks the history of these birds and how humans have utilised them to hunt other birds.

The book concludes by by discussing how owls were used to predict weather, and medicine and a weird truth serum. Some of the beliefs are on the more unusual side such as dreaming of an owl was a sign of death. I just hope listening to a book about owls does not bring such fate.

Cal Newport's book explains the philosophy of Digital Minimalism; showcasing how technology can negatively harm our social interactions. Personally I listened to this book from the local library in an audiobook format and felt the chapters were way to long. Some chapters were up to 70 minutes in length. I personally prefer shorter chapters as it allows someone to dip their toe into a book for 20 - 30 minutes. I often put the book to rest and picked it up the next day trying to pickup where I left of.

The book cites examples of how peoples experiences with technology before his 30 day programme. It talks about how parents may miss out on quality time with their friends and family and what can be done. Cal offers advice throughout the book though some of them are more basic. The range of advice allows the reader to pick and choose some tips and try and implement them. Advice ranges from spending time alone to gain solitude, deleting social media of our phones and walking outside.

As mentioned earlier I borrowed this book from the library as an audiobook which gave me more confidence to pick it up and follow along. Unfortunately, I returned the book before finishing it, which I rarely do, skipping a whole hour long chapter. I felt that the tips were too basic of which some felt 'common knowledge'. I also felt that my life didn't meet up with the examples cited in the book. While age plays a part I have never been inundated with notifications but I have stripped my phone apps to the basics. Cal talks about social interaction being better than digital which can be argued either way. While face to face interactions might be beneficial for some, others may find it harder. Personally I prefer avoiding large social interactions as it can be awkward and hard to gage where conversations are leading. Likewise text based communication does not have white noise from other people talking around you which I find very distracting. Finally the majority of my friends, all be it limited are online and very few are in person where I know their phone number.

TLDR:

To summarise this book explores how social media can be harmful, looking at studies showing both sides. Cal's advice is basic but allows the individual to pick and choose what works for them. Though a large proportion of the advice given could be found out through online queries. I enjoyed listening to how one person spends time drawing a picture for his children's lunch box everyday, and thinking that is a nice touch. But it is far fetched from financial independence which is also discussed in another case study. I wished the chapters were shorter as I often zoned out of the book when listening or got bored and paused it for the day mid chapter.

This book written by Geoff White follows the hacking from within North Korea. Geoff's book follows the episodes of the BBC World Service podcast which he hosts. Personally I listened to the podcast before the book was released so I knew many of the events before reading this book. Despite that I enjoyed looking at the events that have unfolded at my own pace with this book. Each of the fifteen chapters describes the events that have taken place and how they executed their attacks.

If you like technology, hacking and cyber crime this story is for you.

This book was written by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, architects and lead negotiators of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Christiana and Tom discussed how they used their power to bring change at the Paris Agreement. They discuss the politics that is played behind the scenes and how the summit nearly ended due to national security. Despite the concerns raised they continued battling due to the uncertainty of another summit occurring.

This book predicts what the future may look like with the inventions of technology and lack of resources like water. How autonomous vehicles may help the environment but act as trackers to repressive countries.

Each chapter showcases a problem and solution to the crisis from fake news on social media and conformation biases to climate doom and why we need to be optimistic when talking about the changing climate. Christiana and Tom draws on politicians, companies and us to bring changes to help preserve our planet and restore our eco systems.

This book will show you how to declutter and improve your life with proven techniques that have brought families together. Statistics are used throughout to back up the minimalism lifestyle or to highlight consumerism. I found the book to be informative and showcase the power of minimalism!

I listened to this book whilst decluttering which helped me along the way. While I did not use all the recommendations, a wide range were mentioned which supports people new to the concept, while pushing those who have already began! The chapters break down the 'normal' home which allows you to focus on one area, or skip a chapter if it does not apply to your current situations. Personally I found this book was slanted to the American audience, after all it was written by an American, so I found the financial savings less than ideal as they were all in dollars. Despite this I enjoyed listening to the book and I picked up information throughout which I hope to use going forward.

I anticipated the book as dystopian, after all the description is "Just upload your photo to get started. Using the latest facial recognition software, plus your votes, MeetYourDouble will find your doppelgänger."

The audio copy of the book is well voiced, and that side of things is enjoyable. There were a few moments that made me smile. Personally I quit the book part way through because I was struggling to follow the plot. As a result I was confused as the book developed which made it not enjoyable.

What is evident from the start is the author, Anita Vandyke, took their time in laying out the chapters in book. There are 30 mini chapters, which gradually get more complex. I feel breaking down the chapters avoids making irrational decision and the sense of feeling overwhelmed.

It is worth mentioning that a good 30 day holiday might be the best time to complete these stages. While some require minimal changes to routines, some include decluttering which might take a considerable amount of time.

I also appreciate the diverse range of topics covered such as food waste, composting, decluttering, zero waste shopping and reflecting on the progress half way through. The idea is by making changes and following them for 30 days, they should be engrained and we are more likely to accept and follow them. As someone who focuses on environmentalism some of the statistics and suggestions were not new however, I did learn some ideas I could implement moving forward.

Sadly I despite the organised structure some chapters could have linked better. One example was decluttering where she advised tops could go to thrift/charity shops amongst other suggestions. Yet later in the book she recommended clothes could be used as scrap material for cloths etc. I also would have liked to have seen varied levels of support for some days, such as the no buy period. Personally I was not keen on her "Noah's Ark" method to what items are required however others may.

As the tag line states, the book delivers on answering the most common eco-dilemmas. Each page is filled with numerical stats, charts and pictures to help show which the better options are. With chapters such the kitchen, technology, gardening, travel and more this book covers a wide selection of things we do/use each day. Throughout the book questions are analysed such as "should I use kitchen roll or use washable alternatives" or "what's the greenest way to do my laundry." This is a book where I seek out an answer for a question rather than read it from front to back.

A great book which delves into topics such as the kitchen, technology, gardening, travel and more. Throughout the book questions are analysed such as "should I use kitchen roll or use washable alternatives" or "what's the greenest way to do my laundry." This is a book I use as a guide when I have a query and would like to seek advice.