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Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Elizabeth Kolbert
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZEONE OF THE "NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW"'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARA "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLERA NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALISTA major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half-billion years, there have been Five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In prose that is at once frank, entertaining, and deeply informed, "New Yorker" writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes. She shows that the sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.
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Rachel.Rencher
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Today's book 📖🤓

RamsFan1963 One of my all time favorite non-fiction books. 5mo
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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#WomensHistoryMonth #Recommendations
13 of 31 Nonfiction
Natural history told by a woman. This book is so good. A look back at the five extinctions the planet has had and a look at now and the signs of a sixth. Kolbert heavily researched this book but the writing is easily accessible for laymen. As we push for greater changes in response to climate change, this book is important to understanding the past and the cycles the each has been through

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RamsFan1963
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I can think of several, but the two that stick with me most, and I've recommended to others several times, are The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert and The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. Both books opened my eyes to the dire dilemma the planet faces due to climate change.

#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

BookmarkTavern Totally agree on your tagged book! Thanks for sharing! 2y
AllDebooks Great choices! 2y
54 likes2 comments
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violabrain
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Pickpick

A fascinating, thought-provoking, and entertaining read!

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AllDebooks
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this thorough, well researched natural history of previous and present extinction periods. There wasn't much discussion of what can be done, so I will research another book to cover that. I need hope.
I like the look of this one Dodging Extinction: power, food, money and the future of life on earth by Anthony D. Barnosky.
Any other recommendations would be most welcome.

AllDebooks @RamsFan1963 thanks, I'll look out for it 3y
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AllDebooks
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Planning goals for my #AwesomeApril #readathon

I will combine this with my #bookspin bingo challenge reads.

I hope to complete the tagged book, plus 2 non-fiction, 1 fiction and 1 graphic novel. If ok for time, I will add an extra short story collection. No plans but chilling with my children, relaxing and reading.
@Andrew65
@Clwojick
@TheAromaofBooks

Clwojick Woohoo! You‘ve got this! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Good luck!!! 3y
Andrew65 Good luck, and hope you enjoy it 😊👍 3y
15 likes4 comments
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AllDebooks
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Book 3 for #thingsincommon chosen for same name as previous author Elizabeth K. Plus the history element.
@Clwojick

Clwojick Woohoo! 😆 3y
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AllDebooks
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Moving onto my 3rd book for #thingsincommon and #bookspinbingo. Might as well go for a third challenge and set myself some reading goals for Andrew's #awesomeapril #readathon

Now what to chose? 🤔
@TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65 @Clwojick

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Good luck!! 3y
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RamsFan1963
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1. Tagged. It changed my world view on the fragility of our environment and the dangers of climate change.
2. Not usually. I'm working on that day, so I might have a drink later after work to celebrate.
Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday
Wanna play? @audraelizabeth @Buechersuechtling @ReadingIsMyHobby @Onceuponatime @TheBookDream @Daisey @Bookishlie @Sharpeipup @Cuilin @ReadingFeedsTheSoul @Lucy_Anywhere @Onepageatatime88

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 💚🍀🍺 3y
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ImperfectCJ
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Happy Day 2 of camp!

The weather here in my corner of #LitsySummerCamp is in the 90s and very dry. I dropped my teen off at camp and passed "Very High Fire Danger" alert signs on the way to a trailhead that's closed for the month for unspecified "public safety" reasons, perhaps related to heat. So, I'm going to have watermelon instead of hiking today!

Tagged is a great but alarming book that addresses climate, among other things.

ImperfectCJ But I was out of the car long enough that a bug flew up my shorts and stung my leg, so I got a bit of authentic camp experience even without the hike. 3y
ChasingOm I really loved this book. 3y
sharread Gorgeous 3y
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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#curiouscovers #blueandyellow
Have you read? An interesting look at the phases the earth has gone through and while I was nervous that it would be very depressing, Kolbert is able to not only be very informative in a readable way but also to not make it completely depressing.
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Eggs Pretty 💙📒💛 3y
RamsFan1963 I've read this, its excellent. I also recommend her new book Under The White Sky, if you're interested in human efforts to counteract climate change. 3y
ChaoticMissAdventures @RamsFan1963 yes! Her new one is on my list. She is such a great writer. 3y
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WellReadCatLady
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You‘d think I would go for something a little more upbeat, but here I am.

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Cosmos_Moon_River
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1. The Sixth Extinction, Sapiens, and After On
2. Every Breath
3. read books 😁

#WeekendReads
@rachelsbrittain

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iread2much
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Pickpick

This is a fascinating books, I learned a lot! Fun to learn about specific species & ancient times. The rate humans are changing the world and killing off species is unprecedented and will have drastic consequences. I know our species has issues caring about others, but we really should be concerned that we might killing off what we need to survive. 4/5 stars, read this if you are interested in science, history, and/or the future of humanity.

Leftcoastzen I‘m kinda afraid to read this .Fluffy 🐶very hug worthy.😄 4y
iread2much @Leftcoastzen the author does try to end on a positive note, if that helps. Poor Kiyo, all the idiots lighting off illegal fireworks and shooting guns kept her up all night (and us taking care of the doggies) 4y
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ImperfectCJ
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1. I don't know how they settled on my name, but I know my mom was considering Angharad, so I'm guessing she was aiming for names somehow related to "love." My grandma picked my middle name (which I prefer to my first name) and my dad picked the spelling.
2. Cooler weather (for a few days, anyway).

Lots of friendly Littens...I can't choose whom to tag!

#ThankfulThursday @Cosmos_Moon

Cosmos_Moon_River Love how your mom chose your name! 4y
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BookmarkTavern
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Thanks so much for the tag @Eggs !

1. Dreams. I‘ve had dreams of family members who‘ve recently passed for as long as I can remember. Even when they‘ve passed away in another state.
2. My local indie bookstore. ❤️ The King‘s English ❤️

#thankfulThursday @Cosmos_Moon

RamsFan1963 Yes, The Sixth Extinction was frightening. 4y
Cosmos_Moon_River My brother took a nice walk and talk with me after he died, in my dream. It felt very real. I remember it like a memory. He‘s been gone 14 years next week. 4y
Eggs You‘re most welcome 🙏🏻 4y
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S.Web
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Pickpick

A fascinating read. The book provides a good overview of the impact that humans have had on the earth all the way back to the very beginning of our species. This certainly isn‘t an uplifting work, but we should all be concerned about what we are doing to the planet and the effect that we are having on life around us.

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Amandajoy
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I have some time before work this morning to sit outside and read! And it‘s a lovely morning!

Amiable This is such a good book. 4y
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BookNik
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This book really gave insights into the extinctions happened and next to follow.

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Querencia
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Half way through this book and even though I knew what I was getting into, it's still haunting: We humans deserve nature's fury coz we are indebt to it forever. The balance is inevitable. This is not for the faint hearted 💔
#TheSixthExtinction #nature

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Jovy
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Pickpick

Ultimately a pick! I don‘t have a good knowledge of how fast species are disappearing into oblivion so this was an eye-opener. Some sections were dull and it is a bit depressing - the author doesn‘t offer up any hope in the end. But I think it‘s a necessary read if only to make us pause to consider our impact on the world.

#Booked2020 #LiveandLearn
#PopSugar2020 A book on a subject you know nothing about

Cinfhen I‘ve always been curious about this book but im not sure I want to read it right now 😁 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage This seems like it would be hard to read right now. But I do own the audio, based on its strong reviews. 5y
Jovy @cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage Yah best to wait!! I was halfway done when covid hit the fan. 5y
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Jgotham
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Making some delicious coffee to take to work and hopefully squeeze in a few minutes of reading at my desk before starting the day.

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L. G. Cullens
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It provides perspective to the many articles like the two samples below.

Staggering Magnitude of Bird Population Decline
https://cornellsun.com/2019/09/26/ornithologists-birdwatchers-uncover-staggering...

Crabs‘ Shells Dissolving From Severity of Pacific Ocean Acidification
https://www.ecowatch.com/pacific-ocean-acidification-2644943545.html?fbclid=IwAR...

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StephanieRL
Pickpick

This was my favorite read of 2019. I learned so much about our human story that I was legitimately sad when the book was over. This book made me think so many thoughts, wish I had majored in a scientific field, and understand how frequently different fields of science overlap. It was so freaking awesome.

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rechreads
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Mehso-so

FINISHED: 01.08.2020, switched between eAudiobook and eBook. For non-science folks, this wasn‘t as readable as I had hoped. I chose this for the #MinneapolisCentralBookClub. We‘re meeting tonight and I‘m hoping enough of us finished it or read some of it to have a discussion. I like the historical look back at species already extinct to put in context why what humans are doing is so important to pay attention to and change.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Mehso-so

I really wanted to love this. I like and read a lot of nature nonfiction, and think this topic is important. I had trouble concentrating on this. The story moves from time period to time period and location to location and I had trouble figuring out where and why we were. 100% could have been me and end of year brain.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
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"Though it might be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it‘s not clear that he ever really did"
Not all that uplifting, but interesting and chalk full of information.

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LogiKitty
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“In the Englightenment, the prevailing view was that every species was a link in a great, unbreakable 'chain of being.'As Alexander Pope put in his Essay on Man:

'All are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body nature is, and God the soul.' “

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LogiKitty
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look at these cuties! the bottom is a San Jose Cochran frog also nicknamed a 'glass frog' for its translucent skin and the ability to see their internal organs. I adore the tiny but perfectly circular yellow spots on this buddy. the top is a horned marsupial frog. the females are supposed to have a pouch on their frontside like mammal marsupials. these two, among others, were found on the author's expedition to find endangered female frogs!

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LogiKitty
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This is one non-fiction I don't want to forget. I set up my Notion page, and 20 ish pages in and I'm already fascinated (and sad). I'm curious if this is going to be a detailed history of mass extinctions with no solution or future-forward commentary or what but I look forward to it!

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Battledoll
Pickpick

This is a really engaging science book. It‘s very accessible to the average reader and no science background is needed to be able to follow it. Despite this, the information is still accurate and not dumbed now. It examines the current era of mass extinction by looking at the animals affected by it (some species of frogs, bats, rhinos, etc) with a chapter on each.

Battledoll I think this might throw people off who were expecting a more direct story. But I feel this actually is more accurate representation of this event. It‘s not something immediately obvious, we identify the event by the warning signs. 5y
LauraJ I just finished this too. Well worth reading. 5y
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LauraJ
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Pickpick

A clear explanation of what we‘re doing to life on Earth and the consequences. I can see why it‘s on so many best nonfiction books of the decade lists. #nfnov

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Insanitys_Chemist
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"The current extinction has its own novel cause: not an asteroid or a massive volcanic eruption but 'one weedy species'."

I've finally managed to come back to Litsy after a gap of almost an year. Plan to pick up from where i'd last left off. The current goal is to finish reading a book a day during the winter (semester-end) break. Will post the TBR list soon.

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Clwojick +1pt 5y
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HotMessJess
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Today I learned a valuable mom lesson:

Beckett had been playing on the floor with his toys. I always put books out for him. I wanted to finish this book up especially because it had been stuffed under the couch for who knows how long (lol, oops)

I look up and B has abandoned his toys and is playing with a book.

Today I realized that kids truly do learn from Mom & Dad and what we model is what they‘ll replicate.

#RaiseReaders #BeckettsBooks

Reagan 100% 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Yes ❤️ 5y
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Rieltalk
Mehso-so

For the subject matter this book was easy to read. Extinction events, especially those potentially occurring in the near future (and affecting us!) can be spoken about in a bunch of ways - I confess that as someone who reads mostly fantasy and historical fiction, I was hoping for more excitement and drama. What I got instead were well-organized, matter-of-fact summaries of how certain species went extinct and why we should care! Not bad at all.

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CorinnaBechko
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Pickpick

Wow, this book! Despite the subject matter, an easy read. And such an important one! Truly puts context to the massive multi-layered crisis we're facing. #naturalhistory #extinction

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batsy
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I need to read this! But I am also terrified. I feel like all I've been doing the last few months is avoiding nonfiction that reveals the truth about our current condition 😞

#TheEnd #MayMovieMagic @rohit-sawant @Cinfhen

AthenaWins It's definitely hard to get through without being angry about the things we've done and continue to do to our planet. But I think it's something everyone should read. I'm glad I did. 5y
Cinfhen I have this stacked too!!! 5y
readordierachel This sounds so interesting! And yes, terrifying. 5y
See All 18 Comments
Tanisha_A I agree. It's comforting being ignorant at times. 5y
Kimberlone I had a student recommend this book to me! 5y
batsy @AthenaWins @Cinfhen @readordierachel @Kimberlone Something I need to get to sooner rather than later! 5y
batsy @Tanisha_A I hear ya 😭 5y
RohitSawant Man, this sounds as depressing as it's informative and vital. So true @Tanisha_A 5y
GingerAntics I know how you feel. There is only so much you can take before the sense to take action turns into a sense that it‘s all too big and nothing you do will be enough. It‘s a delicate balance. 5y
RamsFan1963 @batsy Its well worth the read. Along with The Uninhabitable Earth, it's one of the best books I've read about our current ecology and climate dilemma. 5y
zezeki I feel the same way! 5y
Centique I feel ya on that too! @batsy @Tanisha_A I think some self preservation is def necessary. I know people doing a lot of good with their lives that get burnt out. 💕💕 5y
batsy @GingerAntics @Centique Yes, that balance is certainly key. I'm glad that I'm not alone ❤️ @zezeki 5y
batsy @RamsFan1963 I'm happy to hear that! And thanks; I'll add The Uninhabitable Earth to the TBR, as well 🙂 5y
Reggie After Rising, this is next but, I need some time because of everything you said. 5y
batsy @Reggie Yes, Rising is on my list thanks to your review. I've noted the rec above for The Uninhabitable Earth as well, not sure if you've read it yet. 5y
Theaelizabet @batsy @Reggie It‘s sobering, but also an utterly fascinating read. Really first-rate nonfiction. Rising is still sitting next to my bed. (edited) 5y
GingerAntics I don‘t know how these people do it that only read about climate change and human extinction. One, where is the joy in their lives? Don‘t these folks read for fun? Two, how are they not homicidal or something worse? 5y
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Amiable
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Pickpick

Completed for the “something about survival” category for #nonfiction2019. The book is actually more of a question of whether life on earth will survive what humans are doing to it. Reading this made me sad, depressed, angry, determined, anxious, scared, and then sad again. What the hell are we doing? Are we on a crash course with our own extinction?
Also cross-counted as book 2 for #LPMBC #GroupM.

@Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Suet624 Humans are so shortsighted. 6y
AmyG 😪 6y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa It‘s a great book, one I‘ve been thinking about re-reading again too! 6y
mreads Glad you 'liked' it 6y
Amiable @mreads Especially the chapter about Neanderthals! That was my favorite. 6y
55 likes5 comments
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Amiable
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There‘s nothing quite like early Sunday morning, when everyone else is still sleeping and the house is quiet and the tea has just finished steeping and I can settle into the couch with my book. Ahhh.

kspenmoll Perfect quiet here too! Heavenly! Enjoy your tea & book. 6y
emmalouise1 Nice and quiet here in my garden as well :) happy reading :) 6y
Amiable @kspenmoll @emmalouise1 Enjoy the quiet reading time in your spaces, too! 🙂📚 6y
Liz_M And what an excellent book to be contemplating. 6y
Amiable @Liz_M Truth be told, it‘s making me very anxious. I feel like I should turn off the heat to avoid burning oil. And maybe hold my breath periodically to reduce the amount of CO2 I‘m releasing into the air. 😬 6y
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mreads
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Well this is not a very exciting picture 😁.

@Amiable the book is on the way to you, should arrive on Monday. #LMPBC #GROUPM

Amiable Yay! It‘s exciting to me! 😀 (edited) 6y
jmofo I really enjoyed the writing style and I have been struggling to read this year. Thank you for picking it. It was recommended to me but I don‘t know I would have ever picked it up on my own. 5y
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CorinnaBechko
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Rough week so we went to the bookstore and... sorry, TBR pile!

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mreads
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Pickpick

Has the sixth extinction started? Is this the end of the human race? Maybe and we'll pretty much only have ourselves to blame.
#LMPBC #GROUPM @Amiable @donnalyy @jmofo
I'll be getting my final thoughts together this weekend and the book out early next week to @Amiable

Also #nonfiction2019 something with history @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I read this book in 2016, I really liked it...I found it to be a very important read. (edited) 6y
mreads @Riveted_Reader_Melissa makes me want to read more books about natural history. So many books so little time 😀 6y
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Abbeybee
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Humans are the worst species on our entire planet.

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Awk_Word_Smith
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Just a little lite reading at work today.

RamsFan1963 Wonderful book, very sad but enlightening 6y
Awk_Word_Smith @RamsFan1963 The Introduction alone will keep me up at night worrying for my 16-month old son. 6y
17 likes2 comments
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Abbeybee
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What I‘m reading on this rainy Sunday 🌧📚

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Bookzombie
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Pickpick

This is a fascinating and horrifying look at the history of extinctions and what humans have wrought upon the earth. I listened to this on audio and I‘m not sure I loved the narrator. Even so, Kolbert‘s ability to write about the horrible things that are happening to our planet was engaging. #readingwomenchallenge #abookaboutnature #nonfiction2019 #somethingwithscience #LLB19 #fromyourownLitsyTBR

Reggie This is gonna be a dumb question but is it super depressing? Or more fascinating? I always see this one but am always in the fence with it. 6y
Bookzombie @Reggie That is not a dumb question at all. When I started it, my husband was like “why do that to yourself?” It was a mix of both for me. The author includes some levity throughout via her personal experiences, but some of the info is just sad. Also, I don‘t recommend the audio. I think the narrator wasn‘t the right choice and I wish I had switched to print. 6y
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