Status Updates From Monarchs of the Sea: The Ex...

I love how naturally the subject changes and how much is described and explained, even in only two pages

I love how in depth (no pun intended) the description of the history of understanding the taxonomy and form and function behind different ammonite species, shells, and aptychus is described. I love how everything is put together with where fossils were discovered, how that area formed and what the context behind those formations are. I also love how it described how the three linages of cephalopods coexisted.

I absolutely adore how wide of a scope this book is described in, and how manageable it is to read. There are a few wording choices that feel may be a little harder to understand sometimes, and I find myself rereading sentences or paragraphs more often then I did at the beginning, but over all it is fascinatingly engaging and entertaining, and I am genuinely learning a lot.

I absolutely adore how much each subject is described, who is relevant and responsible for discoveries, and how they feed into the next subject, while retaining a good idea of the time frame and ecological pressures, without ever seeming over worded, cluttered, or hard to follow. The illustrations are also perfectly used. There is never an instance where it feels overdone or unneeded.

I absolutely love how well each subject is set up to play into the next, and how different subjects are allowed to rely on one another to paint a fuller picture. I adore how casual yet potent the information in this book is.

I absolutely adore the amount of genuine knowledge that is expressed with such enthusiasm and passion in such a reachable and digestible way. Staaf writes as someone who understands what it’s like to be a wide eyed kid, a curious student, and an educated professional and expresses it so flawlessly in a way that seems incredibly casual.