Age of Microbes: A Blueprint for a Habitable Earth by Steven Allison

Unlike most books on climate change, Age of Microbes by ecologist Steven D. Allison casts a hopeful tone. Allison maintains that the smallest of Earth's inhabitants—its microbes—may be key to solving problems such as droughts, rising sea levels, food insecurity, and the energy crisis.

 Written for lay readers, the text does not dispute that dire climate changes are coming. Allison asserts, however, that new agricultural techniques can offset some of the upcoming climate disruptions. 

Plants and microbes in the soil capture 30% of the world’s greenhouse gases. By using better soil management practices, biofertilizers, cover and range planting, an additional 5% of greenhouse gases could be banked. To combat drought, soil microbes can be engineered to help plants thrive in higher temperatures with less chemical fertilizer.

 The most inspiring chapter, “From Jungle Rot to Jet Fuel,” explains how microbes can be used to generate an earth-friendly fuel. Allison explains that every solution must be well-examined. After all, some climate interventions, corn ethanol, have led to unintended consequences.

Everyone interested in the environment should read this book. Allison presents sound microbial solutions that are rarely addressed in other climate crisis literature.

Best quotation for someone grieving

A friend sent me this card to me after my daughter's death and its honestly one of the best comforts:

"In one of the stars

I shall be living

In one them

I shall be laughing

Ad so it will be

as if all the stars 

were laughing

when you look

at the sky at night."

--the Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

I had forgotten this quotation. I'm so grateful for friends in this time of deep sorrow. 

Court of Thorns and Roses

 

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre does more than save herself. She saves her beloved Tamlin, her family, and the Fae of the seven courts of Prythian.

Feyre undergoes an arc of epic proportions. In the beginning, she is the practical but least favorite child in a poor human family. She does the work her father and sisters will not do. After they became impoverished, she hunts with bow and arrow to provide them with food and clothing. 

After she kills a wolf, Feyre's world is turned upside down. Unlike in a typical hero-or-heroine story, she is not called to adventure. She is taken against her will by Tamlin, one of the Fae who, to her knowledge, have terrorized humans for generations. 

Feyre seeks adventure by leaving the protective borders of Tamlin's manor in the Spring Court. She faces and defeats enemies with the aid of mentors. In that respect, the heroine's path follows the typical plotline. But her story diverges from the typical plotline when she returns to Prythian.

In the typical plotline discussed by Joseph Campell and later by Christopher Vogel, the hero faces ordeals that transform him or her. They are rewarded and then return to the ordinary world. Feyre's story differs because she passes into the extraordinary world twice.

Not only does she go to the Fae's magical world but she also visits a version of the Underworld. Like classical heroes, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Orpheus she bravely enters the land of the undead, Amarantha's realm "Under the Mountain." She retrieves Tamlin, who, diminished at Amarantha's side, is spiritually dead. 

Like Psyche, Feyre faces three impossible tasks before she can triumph and become immortal. Feyre never expects to become immortal. She merely wants to liberate her beloved and others enslaved by Amarantha.

While Feyre's story can be seen as version of the hero's story discussed by Joseph Campbell, in some ways, her story is even more intriguing. She is a human who rescues immortals by going into two extraordinary worlds before returning "home."

      

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Shusterman takes would could be a depressing dystopia and turns it into a tour de force. Unwind, which was first published in 2009, sounds as fresh and relevant today as ever.  

After a civil war, known as the Heartland War, throwaway kids are being unwound. By signing an order, parents can doom their teenagers to a surgery that forcibly removes their organs.

Resisters, Conner, Risa, and Lev, are at the heart of the story. They come from different circumstances, and one is technically a tithe, but they are united by the belief that human life matters. 

Many characters learn this truth too late. Throughout the novel, the kids hear the urban legend about Humprey Dunfee. The story went that the boys' parents regretted the unwind and tried to stop it. The order, however, was carried out.

Connor learns that the legend is not a legend at all. Humprey Dunfee, real name Harlan Dunfee, was an actual person. He is the son of the Admiral who has been attempting to save him and the other Unwinds. 

 

Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon, Part 3

 

What is most impressive about Pirate Queen is that the novel depicts a woman who lives her life on her own terms. History remember Grainne O'Malley for the famous meeting between her and Elizabeth I. She is a folk hero for defending her lands, refusing to curtsey to Elizabeth, and stating that she, too, is a queen.

Lawhon makes sure readers know the heartbreaking reason the meeting takes place. Grainne has already lost one son and she does not want to lose another. The character is so well-developed that readers rejoice when Grainne is able to persuade Elizabeth I to grant the immediate release of her brother and son. She gains the right to retain her lands as well as the right to continue her maritime activities.

Pirate Queen--Part 1

Pirate Queen--Part 2

Ariel Lawhon's The Pirate Queen, Part 2

The narrative moves back and forth through time, showing readers Grainne as a child, as a young woman, and as a mature woman--which gives readers a multidimensional picture of Grainne. The narration alternates, in other words, from the point of view of maiden, mother, and matriarch.

By including the childhood scenes, readers can see how the young Grainne developed her passion for the sea. The more her father tries to dissuade her from following in his footsteps, the more she insists on becoming proficient in seamanship. Readers see the young Grainne cut off her hair in defiance when she is not allowed to go to sea. 

As a young adult, she goes to Rockfleet Castle for fosterage where she meets the dashing Richard Bourke. Grainne laments that she is not in charge of her own destiny. The young Grainne tells those who would marry her against her will:

 "I want Spain and France and Portugal. I want a boat of my own. And a life bigger than any tower house can hold."

Despite these protests, Grainne's beloved father marries her off to Donal O'Flaherty. Grainne suffers in this loveless marriage, yet she begins to gain acclaim as a leader. Her rise to Chieftain or Taoiseach was still far from easy. 

After her husband dies, Grainne fights off the Joyces to regain Castlekirk.  Afterwards, she has to battle Rory, who has taken over Bunowen Castle in her absence and declared himself Chieftain.

The mature Grainne has even more problems. She is waylaid and imprisoned by Sir Richard Bingham in Dublin Castle. Bingham kills many of her relatives, including her son, before, miraculously, Elizabeth I's spymaster secures her release.

To exact her revenge against Bingham, Grainne entices the Gallowglass, a mercenary Scottish army, to pursue his men. For the first time, she ignores the "Sense"--the ability to sense dangerous storms. This, unfortunately, leads to the loss of many of her ships off the coast of Ulster.

Pirate Queen--Part 1

Memoir Nation

 

I've joined Memoir Nation. I think it would me help to write my daughter's story. The point of memoir, I think, is not only reflection but to help someone else. My subjective experience, flawed though it may be, may reveal something undeniable to someone else.

When my daughter struggled with illness, I had no guides, no memoirs, or case histories that I could rely upon.  

So, I will start on the path. 

Memoir Nation: Find yourself in the story of your life.

Life That Glows

 David Attenborough's Life That Glows (2016)

Life that Glows is a thoroughly enjoyable documentary that illuminates one of nature's most fascinating mysteries.  Attenborough explains to audiences that bioluminescence evolved independently over fifty times. Scientists still debate the purpose of bioluminescence. 

Dinoflagellates, ostracods, brittle stars, emit light to protect themselves. Their light is, as Attenborough puts it, a kind of burglar alarm. Creatures can also use bioluminescence to attract mates, such as fireflies and ostracods. 

Creatures can also use light to prey on others. Luminous larvae in termite mounds in Brazil or in caves in Tasmania use light to attract prey. 

For other species, the reason the animal glows has yet to be determined. For instance, the exact reason a particular type of earthworm in France is unknown. 

Most living lights can be found in the ocean's twilight zone. Vampire squid, viper fish, and dragonfish are a few examples of the myriad life forms found in the mesopelagic zone.     

 David Attenborough's Living Light proves the world, especially the oceans, is full of luminous life forms whose secrets we are just beginning to understand. He explains, too, the technical difficulties of finding and recording their light frequencies.  

Ariel Lawhon's The Pirate Queen

Ariel Lawhon's latest historical novel depicts the great sixteenth century pirate queen, Grainne. A real historical figure, Grainne is hardly ever mentioned in history classes, but that's what make her a great subject for exceptional fiction writers like Lawhon.   

Lawhon captures the many times the young Grainne demands her father allow her to go to sea. Still a child, she nonetheless wins the argument. She also proves to be much better than her brother at sea faring.  But Grainne wants more than this. She wants to become Chieftain like her father.   

For information on the historical figure, see Dr. Gillian Kenny's article for the Museum of Liverpool.

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/pirate-queen-grainne-o-malley

Pirate Queen--Part 2

Whistler by Ann Patchett

Daphne, a creative writing teacher, in New York never thinks about her past. When she suddenly encounters her former stepfather at the Met, whom she has not seen in forty-four years, a chain of events follows.    

Daphne had spent her formative years with him and admired him profusely. Eddie liked to read and do unpredictable things. Once, while visiting a raspberry farm in winter at night, a horrible car accident occurred.   

Her mother and stepfather broke up shortly afterwards. At the time, Daphne did not question it. Only now, forty-four years later, is she able to revisit this painful time. 

Daphne and her stepfather Eddie share a deep bond, a love of books, reading, and writing. Her mother remarried twice after marrying Eddie, but Daphne was closest to Eddie. So, when he re-enters her life, they crash into a heady catch-up game. Eddie ends up sharing his most guarded secrets.  

The cover drew me immediately--a riderless horse staring vacantly into the distance. The horse, it turns out, plays an important part in the story. As an editor, Eddie received many book proposals. A book about Mary Carter's survival story and her dedicated horse, Whistler, is the one book he regrets not publishing. 

The Whistler story resonates with Daphne and her sister, as they excavate their past. It reminds them of their own search for truth. After the accident, Mary Carter survives in a feverish state. Daphne questions Mary's story:

"Did she see things she really didn't see...The only  thing anyone can be sure of was that the horse came back to get her, then brought her to the ranch. Whistler was real."

Daphne is also in the process of re-examining her past and asking questions. What if her parents had not divorced?  What if Buddy had given up his love for the sea? What if Eddie had kept his promise and had given up his first love? 

I love that this book focuses upon the ambivalent relationship Daphne has with her father and the many stand-in fathers in her life. 

Buddy, her biological Dad, hardly ever saw her because he was devoted to the sea and fishing. She does remember that he always packed a survival kit in the car, which ends up helping her on the fateful day of the accident. 

Lucas, her stepfather who writes advice books, is not someone she particularly admires. She ironically calls him "Mr. Positivity" because he writes self-help books but does not take his own advice. She recognizes, however, that he is the father of her half-brothers.  

Daphne honors her two stepfathers and her biological father by returning when they needed her most. She is like Whistler who "exceeds expectations" by returning to Mary as she lies dying on the ground:

    "She was in the space between life and death when you can see the people who died before you. I guess that's a kind of bardo, too." 

Whistler courageously enters this "bardo" to save Mary's life.  

In the end, Daphne is Whistler. She comes back for the fathers in her life. But if she comes back for them, it's only because Eddie preempts her. He is the first "Whistler," the one who finds her at the Met, after all those years, and helps her reconcile with the past. 

Goodkeeping chose Whistler for its June 2026 Book Club Section. 

If you like Ann Patchett's Whistler, you may also like Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures.   

Is the Earth Overpopulated?

Image by Nikesh Khadka from Pixabay

MSN reports that halving the population by 2200 could reduce habitat loss and greenhouse gases to sustainable levels.

Vishwam Sankaran writes,

"It sounds like something out of a Marvel movie, but scientists have said halving the human population over a span of about two centuries could make the planet much more sustainable by reducing excess consumption."

Marvel anti-hero, Thanos, famously used the "Infinity Gauntlet" to halve the population of the Earth. His actions were designed to bring balance to the universe by instantly reversing overpopulation. 

Scientists writing for Sustainable Development argue that a much more gradual decrease in overpopulation is the better and more just option.

Imagine, though, where the decision to limit population are not made by humans but by machines. 

Chuck Wendig imagines such a situation in his work of fiction, Wanderers. 

Humans are killed by an A.I. named Black Swan that tricks humanity into thinking it is helping them. 

He followed Wanderers with Wayward which tells the rest of the tale. 

For more information, see WorldofMeters.info.

Island Follies: Romantic Homes of the Bahamas by Alastair Gordon

 Gordon, who’s written regularly for magazines about architecture and design, wonderfully showcases the architectural impact Henry Melich made in the Bahamas, where he spent 30 years. 

Melich favored follies, ornate structures that are mostly decorative: Xanadu’s sphinxes, obelisk, and breezeway; Waterloo’s half-round portico; and La Feuillie’s faux Roman ruins are exquisite examples. 

Readers who love design will devour this book’s sumptuous photographs. Loggias, terraces, and plantation shutters appear in tropical colors—coral pink, parchment yellow, leaf green, and hibiscus. 

Some of his more creative follies include the secret writing room he devised for Rosanna Todd and the turrets for Ferguson Castle. Some of his structures served a practical purpose too. Tivoli’s classical pavilions adorned with cloisonné horses hid its pool’s maintenance mechanisms. 

This book also mentions Melich’s clients, most of them heirs and heiresses, who craved a curious hybrid of Roman antiquity and Bahamian flair. Delightful anecdotes about Doris Duke, Pamela Woolworth, and Sibilla O’Donnell abound.

The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You by Karla McLaren

 

In the first version of The Language of Emotions, released in 2010, McClaren showed how the emotional realm is a dynamic system that are part of every decision we make. The updated version continues to show while also revealing that anxiety is a distinct emotion from fear.

McClaren also includes four key models for understanding emotions that she developed in The Art of Empathy. 

In the first part she explains why repressing emotions, as people are taught to do, can be harmful. She shares the four keys for effectively working with or channeling one’s emotions. 

She defines a family of four elements that inhabit the psyche--air, earth, body, and water—and explains that emotions should flow like water. McClaren continues to assert that all emotions—even anger and jealousy--convey valuable information. 

Emotions only become problematic when they become stuck in a loop. She offers recommendations for an imbalanced psyche. In the second half, she explores emotions more fully giving each emotion gets its own chapter. 

McClaren gives readers additional resources to explore topics in greater depth and advises how to honor each emotion in others. Though friends can offer some help, she advises when to refer a friend to a professional.

 

Responsible Apparel Companies in the Age of Fast Fashion

Avoid supporting companies that "green wash" by choosing products from certified B corporations. 

Certified B corporation have been independently verified by B Lab to meet standards for social and environmental accountability.

In the luxury fashion industry, there are a few standouts: Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, AllBirds, Chloe, Good American, Aera, Prota Fiori, Veja.

Certified B status is still rare among fashion companies. Currently, the percentage of eco- conscious fashion companies boasting official B-Corp status is less than 1%.  

B-Corp status isn't limited to luxury brands. Eco-conscious choices for the average American include: Unspun, MATE the Label, Toad&Co, Cottoncitizen and more. A list of green apparel companies for the average consumer can be found on Zanniee. 

Sources:

10 Certified B Corp Fashion Labels Charting an Ethical Luxury Future   

B Corp certification in the age of fast fashion: Using hierarchical clustering and correspondence factor analysis to highlight social entrepreneurial advancement in the fashion industry - ScienceDirect

25 B Corp Certified Brands You Should Know About - Green Is The New Black

200+ Ethical & Sustainable American Fashion Brands | Ultimate List - Zanniee

The Book of Cold Cases by SImone St. James

Having been kidnapped as a child, Shea develops an obsession with crime stories. Though she works as a medical receptionist, her true passion is blogging about true crime. Thus, she recognizes Beth Greer, who almost has celebrity status, when she comes in for an appointment. 

Like The Sun Down Motel, Simone St. James gives The Book of Cold Cases a dual timeline, deftly interweaving the recent past--the 1960s and the 1970s with the present.

St. James' characters, however, are more complex in The Book of Cold Cases. Beth Greer appears to be the quintessential femme fatale. But there is more at play. A lot more. 

St James returns repeatedly to the moment when Beth is arrested. The young Beth is red-haired, extremely wealthy, and wearing a form-fitting trench coat. A witness claims the suspect was red-haired and wore a trench coat. 

Flash forward to the present. The sixty-some woman who stands before Shea is the "Lady Killer" who was indicted but never charged for two murders. She is the recluse who lives frozen in time, the moment the murders were committed. 

Though it's dangerous to consort with a serial killer, Shea knows she has to interview the woman for her cold case blog. Reclusive and secretive, Beth Greer has famously eschewed interviews, but Shea is determined. 

As in all of St James' novels, readers can detect a supernatural subtext. 

Films that explore similar concepts, paranormal events and podcasting, are Ia Tuason's Undertone (2025). 

By adding a  supernatural element to her mysteries, St. James gives readers an additional layer to an already riveting mystery. 

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher

 

Hemlock & Silver is both a wonderful romantasy and dark adaptation of Snow White. 

Rationally minded Anja does not believe in magic. Having witnessed her cousin die of poisoning, she has devoted her life to scientifically studying its curative and deleterious effects. 

When the King's daughter becomes ill, he turns to Anja, because he believes she may know how to cure his ailing child. Reluctantly, Anja goes to Witherleaf to determine if she is being poisoned.  

Since there may be a poisoner among them so she is assigned two bodyguards. Anja quickly becomes enamored with one of them. She is convinced, however, that Javier, finds her repulsive. 

Anja is not the stereotypical heroine. Many call her "plain," and she is only interested in wearing brown and black clothing.

The "mirror-geld" is an extraordinary literary device. Though Anja initially fears them, they prove enormously helpful. The mirror geld are distortions and disembodied reflections that band together.

The heroine of this romance, fantasy, detective story uses her intelligence to solve the case, to win her suitor, and to defeat the dark queen. 

Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight

 

Dive into July's Katie Couric's Book Club pick, which is also a perfect summer read. 

Wealthy couple, Richard and Gretchen, face a legal battle when Richard is accused of murdering his travel companion, Frankie, an artist with a dark secret. 

Richard, a financier, has humble origins. His upward career trajectory is largely due to his wife's family and their connections. Gretchen, in the meantime, gave up law school to become a full-time mother.

The novel explores how a single incident can shatter the ostentatiously perfect life. More than just a murder story, the novel investigates the base instincts that underlie a couple's perfect facade.

More than one mystery swirls around this rich couple. Gretchen wonder if Richard had a flirtation or an affair with Frankie. She wonders if her whole marriage has been a lie. 

After Frankie is found dead, police investigate the texts she received--some were from Richard and some from an unknown person who was stalking Frankie.  Police examine videotape and interview Richard who makes questionable statements. 

McCreight includes police interviews and other primary sources making readers feel like detectives on the case.   

 McCreight's debut novel was Reconstructing Amelia, has won numerous awards. Her breakout novel has been optioned for TV by HBO.

Kimberly McCreight – New York Times bestselling author

The "We Must Act Now" letter

Top economists signed this digital letter, We Must Act Now

Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, Reid Hoffman, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, and top economics sign digital letter warning the public about AI. 

The signers ask for "guardrails" to be placed on transformative AI technology. They recognize that AI could bring risks and "large-scale job displacement."  

The statement was posted on the Stanford Digital Economy Lab website. 

Read the letter Eric Schmidt, Reid Hoffman, and top economists signed warning about AI's threat to jobs

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has predicted AI will replace fifty percent of entry level white color jobs in the next five years. 

National University estimates that 300 million jobs could be lost due to AI, with at least 50 million of them being entry level jobs. 

While this is particularly troublesome for young job seekers looking for their first job, it is also troublesome for companies who will not be able to recruit talent 

Nature's Echo by Thomas Crowther

An inspiring new environmental book, Nature’s Echo, by Thomas Crowther will be hitting the shelves soon.

Some may remember Thomas Crowther’s name because it has been associated with the Trillion Tree Campaign. In this book, Nature’s Echo, he sets the record straight. His study and subsequent article in Nature never advocated simply planting new trees.

Growing trees in a plantation, without fostering and establishing an ecosystem, can lead to devastating results. He points to the 2017 Pedrogao Grande Fire, one of the worst fires in Portugal’s history, as an example.

The Pedrogao Grande fire raged in the region because of the cash crop of Eucalyptus trees, which burn faster and more easily than other trees. Once the trees were lit, they blazed faster and faster, a feedback loop that burned nearly 45,000 hectares of land.

Crowther fearlessly writes about the misinterpreted study and how it led to some corporations to start “greenwashing” by planting trees in an ill-advised way. Many scientists disavowed him after the Nature article. In the melee, Crowther’s exhortation of restoring and protecting existing forest land was lost. In addition, his message supporting indigenous communities who practice restorative farming techniques was not heard.

Nature’s Echo gives Crowther the chance to correct the record, but it offers readers even more — it offers hope. Crowther bravely shares that, after a diving accident, he had a pontine stroke. One of the consequences of the stroke was severe depression. Wrestling with depression helped him understand those who despair over climate change.

Despair, however, leads to inaction, the exact opposite of what humans collectively need to do to avert climate change. What is needed, he argues, is joyous involvement. Joyous involvement will create positive feedback loops. In other words, people who engage in climate solutions positively and enthusiastically will spread that enthusiasm to others.

What will turn the tide are healthy land practices, innovative farming like shade-grown coffee, fair trade, debt-for-nature swaps, and other programs that promote equality. Crowther believes that inequality and poverty lead to the misuse of nature and deforestation.

Equally important are regenerative innovations. Advances in battery technology are making it possible to store solar power. Batteries can now store enough energy to power microgrids e.g. Sonnen’s community batteries, Tesla’s Powerwall, and Enphase’s Microgrid.

Crowther mentions many more innovative solutions that could change the trajectory of climate change. Electric cars reached a tipping point in 2023. Electric trains, ships and aircraft will curb even more greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. Green building materials, mycelium-based insulation, and bioplastics will add to the positive momentum.

He argues that changing the current climate crisis will not be easy, but it can be done. Even though CO2 emissions exceed 44 billion tons each year, we cannot be “passive witnesses to planetary collapse.” We must act positively and joyously because conservation efforts will fail if they are burdensome. Lasting positive changes, Crowther emphatically states, will not come from guilt, denial, or shame.

Be sure to follow this blog for more reviews. Enter your email in the follow.it in the top side of the right column. 

Happy 250th birthday, America

 America means so many different things to different people. Apple pie, hamburgers, hot dogs, baseball, Joe DiMaggio, Rin Tin Tin, Annie Oakley, Daniel Boone, Harriet Tubman, GIs, are all symbolic of some version of America.   

At this point in history, when everything is so divided, it's nice to put aside our differences and enjoy the fact that we are all here--in this grand tapestry called America.