Jason Webber > Recent Status Updates

I absolutely adore the ecological conservation section at the end of this book. I love the way it ties in every single note and subject that has been discussed so far, and paints the massive picture of the current affairs of cephalopod life using current data of population, location, and influential organizations and committees activation efforts.
I also want to make a side note for myself here. A Douglas Adam’s!?

I do like the contrast in writing, where there are a few moments of overly academic language used to describe normal occurrences, and others where casual, almost conversational language is used from describe very abnormal members of a lineage to compare wild traits of one animal to another. It’s very endearing.

I know I say something similar almost every update, but I do absolutely adore the cohesion this book expresses between one subject and another. There are a few topics here and there that continue to be brought up here and there, but the way that it is done and the point that it makes by doing so is actually so cool to see. I also love the almost thesis statement of the next chapter and how it is organized.

A CLUE joke? That is a perfect analogy for explaining what we know and what we don’t about the asteroid that ended the Cretaceous period. A CLUE joke? That’s actually funny?

All bits aside, that made me laugh as hard as it caught me off guard. I absolutely love not just the pace, but the seamless and casual flow of this book.

I love the pacing of the plot, and how again, it hints at just enough for the reader to understand what is about to happen before it is described. I love how it circles back to very small and easily forgettable things chapters before, only for them to become critical in progressing the plot.

I absolutely adore how she describes structure to lineage, and how the structures that fossils had leading to different uses and interpretations by the first people to discover them. I love how respectful she is of the original owners of such fossils, and the millennia that have been fought struggling to keep them from more powerful groups.

The usage of species and sub species names got a little confusing, but I think the main point it was trying to explain with divergence of shape, purpose, and lifestyle, overtime across the three types of cephalopods was really well done

I feel like the dreary setting never changing for this long sets a very specific mood for the book. It keeps the anticipation rising, and adds to the sense of trapped and longing that adds so much to the theme of the book, but is also a little hard to read at times. I love how despite this, enough pieces are put into place and events occur that the plot keeps a moderate pace, if at times a little slow.

I do really enjoy how even in the few chapters that initially feel empty or like they didn’t do anything for plot, a small amount of reflection makes you realize just how much farther you are in the story than before.

I love the pacing of this book. I love how small things come up and work together to elevate the stakes. Nothing is too hard to keep track of, but there are so many things at play, that it keeps you desperate to read more for a resolution.

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

I love the pacing of this one. The past few chapters have done a really good job of describing the scene, introducing the characters, and flawlessly demonstrating each of their own personalities. I love how things keep happening that somehow keeps the bleak plot fresh.

I love how well this book describes the readers obvious anxieties through Starflight’s point of view. I love how well things are described and put together, but I do hate a lot of the suspense, which is the point lol

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 love the prologue and how much of a reality check it is without taking away from the current plot. I love how seamless the transition between this and the previous book is, and I also really enjoy pacing.

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 really love the pacing of this one. I love how much time is given to describe the beauty and grandeur of the setting enough to make me envious, while the plot holds enough weight and motion that I can’t turn the pages fast enough. I haven’t logged my progress as I have been reading, but 148 of those pages were just read today alone.

I reformatted the book a little, so it changed the page count when I first started reading it, but I changed some things around and it is a LOT more accurate.

I struggle sometimes with some of the word choices and tone of this book, but I genuinely adore the information in it. I feel like it does a good job building anticipation for an exploration while giving forward context.

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.

I love how detailed and accurate the artwork is. You can tell how things work before it even describes the story of what’s going on. I don’t really like the main characters that much, but I get that they are just kids. The uncle is my favorite character BY FAR. It’s pretty easy to stay invested in it.

I absolutely adore the way this book feels more like a conversation then a read. I love the gentle wording while explaining a process, giving suggestions to steps as “good ideas” but not requirements. The humor in this book is also fantastic.

I love the way it goes back and forth between recommending an idea and concept, and then describing a project or two around those ideas.

I should have used a bigger book for taking notes in lol

I love the way the textures and colors of the scenery is described