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Brenda Greene

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Born

in Auckland, New Zealand

Genre

Memoir, History, Nonfiction

Member Since

August 2021

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Brenda was born on Auckland's North Shore, moved to Christchurch in 2002 and worked for local, regional and central government in educational, technical and policy roles. Her debut book is available through Scorpio Books in Christchurch and Writers Plot, Readers Read in Upper Hutt. More stores to come.... ...more

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Brenda Greene’s books

Average rating: 3.99 · 97 ratings · 25 reviews · 23 distinct works

	You can't rush an earthquake: repair, rebuild, repeat 4.80 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2021	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poetic Stepping-Stones of Faith 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unleash The Power Within:: Be A Better Woman 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poetic Stepping-Stones of Faith 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Get the Interview Every Time Publisher: Kaplan Publishing 2nd (second) edition Text Only 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Revealed Truth: Uncovering Your Worth: Transformation Through Thoughts That Transcend 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emergency Science - Surviving Medical Emergencies: The science behind the skeletal, respiratory and circulatory systems 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Science Investigations for the Classroom - Book 2: Developing students' skills as self-managing online researchers of any science topic 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Focus on Physics - Book 3: Using questions in physics to develop and extend the curious mind 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Expert Scientist Book 1: Physics, chemistry and biology activities to make sense of our place in the world 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Brenda Greene's Blog: You can't rush an earthquake

Happy New Year

2022 is here, and as our government steps back from leading the Covid19 response, over 90% of New Zealanders have exercised their right to chose to step up and take advantage of all of the tools we have to resist the worst effects of this rapidly evolving disease. While Europen countries learn to live with the virus" with much lower vaccination rates, more frequent lockdown and costly impacts on h Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 01, 2022 18:23

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Brenda is Currently Reading

Brenda Greene is currently reading

Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown

by Andreas Malm

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Brenda Greene said: " The book is divided into 3 sections. I gave up before finishing the first section.

The first section "the limit is not a limit" gives an overview of the politics around the Paris 2015 agreement, the debates about 1.5 or 2 degrees Celcius, the hope of The book is divided into 3 sections. I gave up before finishing the first section.

The first section "the limit is not a limit" gives an overview of the politics around the Paris 2015 agreement, the debates about 1.5 or 2 degrees Celcius, the hope of enforceable targets quickly lost by USA's Obama administration and a block of countries dedicated to coal, which was excluded from CoP's remit.

The resulting "compromise" lead to polarised camps, defeatists believing 1.5 was long dead and voluntariasm believing any slowing of emissions was worth pursuing. The tensions between these political view points and between the Global north and south (maybe this means the Pacific nations?) is mulled over ad nauseum.

The CoP word fest did nothing except perhaps ignite placed based (read small scale) protest that delayed some new fossil fuel infrastructure. A couple of protests were briefly mentioned however these were largely ineffective and ignored by decision makers. A case is made for greater protest, such as during Greta Thunberg's leadership, but why this has subsided is not explored. Parallels were drawn with Marxism and societal protest but as climate action had few things in common with this unsuccesful movement it is unclear why this was discussed.

Overshoot is described as stemming from oversimplified economic models adopted by the EU and IPCC possibly around the 1990's. An imagined carbon capture system meant that in theory overshoot beyond 2 degrees was ok. A lot of the Paris 2015 politics from the prior chapters was reinterpreted, which was confusing. The carbon capture system was treated as if it were real and the IPCC concluded that carbon capture only worked if emissions were reduced by 2030. Subsequently, net zero goals by 2050 were adopted by many countries, but not China or India.

Some economist came up with earth's optimal temperature at 6 degrees above pre industrial. How or when that happened, who this was or why that mattered (did the UN agree?) is not explained. Nevertheless this unknown paper/report forms the basis of a whole chapter argument for it, then against it. Then Marxism is explored again. Then some theoretical philosophical argument is imagined based on hidden assumptions. What was the point of this?

The authors show time and again that current capitalist economics do not reflect reality and society's dedication to business as usual. What is real is the GDP/fossil fuel link. The lack of public discourse and media about climate change needs a chapter. This is a big gap.

The writing jumps about with no clear time frames. The fourth wall is repeatedly broken by references to aspects that are to be explored later. The authors opinions and musings on aspects of political decision making are profuse. Jarring incomplete and nonsensical sentences abound - here is an example from the start of a sub chapter on pg 79 " If these were several ethical objections and one historiographical, most damming for programmatic overshoot, however, might be a psychological observation."

A better structure for the book would be the history of the ozone hole agreement, what made it work, the genesis of the Kyoto agreement and the beginnings of the Paris Agreement, most of which is covered in Chapt 1. Further chapters should set the scene of geopolitical positions that underpin the Paris Agreement. There should be a chapter on the USA (north and south), Obama's position, Bidens and Trump's. A chapter on China and India is needed. Then one on island nations. This whole section should set the scene. The next section should be on political economic systems in relation to climate including a history from Marxism to neoliberalism. The 3rd section should be on the politics of the Paris agreement, including protests, without the authors opinions as readers can be trusted to form their own opinions. The last section should be on next steps.

So how did the world surrender to climate breakdown? Well, that was obvious from the start. No country legally committed to 1.5 to 2 degrees above pre industrial average land surface temperatures. It went all downhill from there. This book, like the intermidible CoPs, is, as Greta Thurnberg succinctly put it, "blah blah blah". ...more "

Jan 11, 2026 08:08PM · see review

Brenda Greene is currently reading

Mr and Mrs Gould

by Grantlee Kieza

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Brenda Greene said: " Kieza outlines the life of Englishman John Gould, a poor but ambitious gardener come taxidermist. At the time, the empire was exploring foreign lands and collecting exotic animals. Scientific societies were forming and museums were built. Stuffed ani ...more "

Aug 17, 2025 03:36PM · see review

Brenda Greene is currently reading

CHARGE: Why Does Gravity Rule?

by Frank Close

bookshelves: currently-reading, physics

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Brenda Greene said: " Charge starts off well. Frank clearly explains experiments that define the structure of the atom in historical sequence. He separates out mass and energy of static and moving particles. I had a few aha is that how it works moments. Then I lost it, or ...more "

Dec 27, 2024 10:06PM · see review

Brenda’s Recent Updates

Brenda Greene rated a book liked it Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets: A Real-Life Scottish Fairy Tale by Jessica A. Fox	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A 25 year old, talented script writer works for NASA in LA. She has just broken up with her boyfriend and has a dream which sees her take a month's holiday in Scotland. There, she falls for a book store owner. Returning home, restructuring means her ...more
Nov 07, 2026 08:32PM · like · see review
Brenda Greene rated a book liked it The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2021: An Anthology Bringing Lucidity to Science and Medical History by Ed Yong	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Surely other things happened in science and medicine during 2021 in addition to Covid19? And why is social science (not science at all) included? Is it included because of the editor's assertion that all writing is science writing? Some of the articl ...more
Oct 24, 2026 02:16AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2021 by Ed Yong. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2021 by Ed Yong <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brenda Greene rated a book it was ok Much Ado about Mothing: A Year Intoxicated by Britain's Rare and Remarkable Moths by James Lowen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
James becomes a moth-er, pun intended, discovering the joys of light trapping with his daughter Maya. Moving out of London and into the country he becomes part of a moth-er network. As his obsession grows he decides to write about his moth twitching ...more
Oct 20, 2026 01:15AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Much Ado about Mothing by James Lowen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Much Ado about Mothing by James Lowen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brenda Greene rated a book How To Make The Best Coffee At Home by James Hoffmann	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
James is way down the rabbit hole in his passion for the perfect cup. He wants you to share that passion and to understand the breadth of his coffee knowledge. He wants you to have fun experimenting. Experimenting in the way he likes to experiment. T ...more
Oct 15, 2026 02:39PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How To Make The Best Coffee At Home by James Hoffmann. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How To Make The Best Coffee At Home by James Hoffmann <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brenda Greene made a comment on Luke O'Neill’s review of How To Make The Best Coffee At Home " Hoffman has gone way down the coffee rabbit hole. He does s good job outlining all the different ways humans have invented machines to extract it usin ...more "
Oct 15, 2026 02:35PM · see review
Brenda Greene rated a book A Feast of Science: Intriguing Morsels from the Science of Everyday Life by Joe Schwarcz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a feast of chemistry, not a feast of science. Schwarcz tends to ignore other science disciplines which would contribute a lot of context and evidential base for his conclusions. Consequently he tends to make sweeping statements underpinned by ...more
Oct 10, 2026 11:18AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Feast of Science by Joe Schwarcz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Feast of Science by Joe Schwarcz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brenda Greene rated a book liked it The Asteroid Hunter: A Scientist’s Journey to the Dawn of our Solar System by Dante Lauretta	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The topic is great, the rationale and sell is more hype than reality, the story is like reading about a bumpy but generally enjoyable ride up and down with a few fun skids and unexpected obstacles. It would read better if the book started with a prol ...more
Sep 25, 2026 07:35PM · like · see review
Brenda Greene made a comment on Russ Swan’s review of The Meteorites: Encounters with Outer Space and Deep Time " May i humbly suggest you check what the numbers in the book actually mean and how they are calculated. "
Aug 28, 2026 11:54PM · see review
Brenda Greene rated a book it was ok The Oldest Rocks on Earth: A Search for the Origins of Our World by Simon Lamb	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This book is not about finding the oldest rocks on earth as part of a wider quest to search for the origins of life on our world, the impacts of climate change and other things, despite Simon making this claim. The book starts with why geology is so ...more
Aug 22, 2026 08:49PM · like · see review
Brenda Greene rated a book it was amazing Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration ― A Bird Book by Rebecca Heisman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Perfect in every way.
Aug 15, 2026 10:35PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Brenda’s Quotes

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

tags: dance, heaven, hurt, inspirational, life, love, sing

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