Corvus > Recent Status Updates

Much like many important books, this has been sitting on my shelf a long time. The only reason to live forever would be that I could probably finish my to-read list after the earth and all writers are swallowed by the sun. I saw that there was an audiobook version now and snagged it while I'm stuck in an apt fiasco. Phenomenal so far- good mix of human complexity, history, and engaging writing. Good narrator, too.

Audiobook to get an opinion on this book. It's cited in the one section of "Scapegoat" that I found iffy/conspiracist (despite the rest being grounded and well researched.) Reviews are bipolar with some friends/follows giving it high marks and others calling it poorly researched journalism and misrepresentation. I think I might fall into the latter but wanna be open minded bc people I respect really enjoyed it.

After the small out of place chair, this book is so beyond important. I'm glad ak press put it out, too, as maybe it will bridge some divides between communities. The section on barred/spotted owl "conflict" made me tear up and should be required reading for everyon. Killing thousands of barred owls while still allowing logging in spotted habitat and the killing of spotted by logging companies is brutal insanity.

Very strong intro veres into a book about the semiotics of health and science writing that rarely mentions the topic of the book. Then eres into some conspiracist territory so I'm fact checking sources and asking a researcher friend. Disappointing for the topic, but most crit I agree with as a book about language.

Qualified immunity is some bullshit. I knew there was stuff I didn't know but the systemic structure of the courts protecting cops like fwagile wittle babies is beyond unhinged even more than I realized.

Wow this went downhill when she moved on to herself and family's eating animals and hunting. All her philosophical thoughts and concerns, her musings on ecology and the individual, all disappear into shallow misdirection and tokenism. The first 60% is still very strong but never ceases to amaze me how people's beliefs completely stop when they're pointed at themselves and their partner/family's responsiblity.

It is so sad how much wild and wonderful GAYYYY shit is out there that fragile men deprived us of knowledge of for so long. I knew there was a lot of queer stuff out there, but some of the details in this are amazing and the photos are lovely.

Mind blowing book making me rethink so many beliefs. It may be the first book I have read that directly and honestly dissects human intervention in the lives of nondomesticated animals for things like study and conservation. These subjects are almost completely dominated by people who control animals more for profit, personal gain, or anthropocentrism even if they don't quite realize it.

This book is blowing my mind. One of the first books I have read that tackles the ethics of human intervention specifically regarding non domesticated animals- a realm highly dominated by people in favor of control for personal gain, profit, or due to domination based ignorance. It's making me think a lot about my own choices and beliefs in what should and should not be.

Audiobooking as this has been on my shelf for ages. It is very interesting reading what past scifi has predicted. So many things in this books world have or are already happening in some way. Especially how stupidly absurd and silly it is like the American dystopia. But, everything is still on "videotape" and still returning tapes to blockbuster. Can't get it all right.

The characterization of chickens in this is so biased at times I am reminded of just avg smart people are. Imagine calling a factory farm "egalitarian" completely removing the hierarchy of who owns it. Sanctuaries often find differences in results. I wonder why that is ... Skipped ahead when we got to contact lenses. On a factory farm. For birds.

Mostly good but I am glad this is almost 12 years old rather than 2. Still mad at some of it- birds not being known to have complex moods and emotions which we have known longer than 10 years. Strangely he discusses dancing parrots after, just visit a parrot who plucks out all of their feathers or a captive zoo bird with stereotypic behavior. Also, more than one bird species has wing-man cooperative courtship.

Grinding through this when I can get my eyes on books, it's quite repetitive especially in describing the process of writing the book. But, I do like that they define many things for the reader that other academic authors neglect.

I love her already

Once again on the unlikely chance that a publisher checks this, I am SO BEHIND on ARCs and other book reviews. I apologize and am trying to get things done, have been struggling with the time required for denser stuff and listening to audiobooks when I can.

Hey all, what's a birder with no social media to do when they're participating in a birdathon to benefit birders of Palestine? Post where I can. If anyone is interested in contributing or joining, please check it out! https://charity.pledgeit.org/2025fbcb...

Slow reading due to density

SK, you have been writing forever and yet you still write about women like a 14 year old boy sneaking a look at Internet pron. I gave this audiobook shot as I had heard it was a different style. It's good but, we just surpassed a section where your protagonist in a couple paragraphs describes 3 women's bodies in objectifying detail including Mom and daughter. I'd say grow up but plenty of young boys are more mature.

On the off chance any publishers that I owe reviews to happen to check my humble profile, I have had multiple fckd up life destroying events in recent weeks which have greatly interrupted my reading. I hope to get back to it soon and am not intending to ghost anyone who sent A/RCs!

Finished, but gonna review fully after vine book club

This went downhill in some ethical and scientific ways, but there is still a lot of cool info in here.

Already super interesting and well written. AND she already called out Audubon for doing some of the dumbest olfaction research ever AND forcing people he enslaved to do the work. LET'S FCKN GO!

I'm audiobooking this and listening to this lovely older scottish woman mc
(great reader/performer) narrate some of the most laughably evil-dead-esque body horror (in a fun way) is such a silly experience. I like it.

Well that was one of the most shallow, ignorant, and disappointing philosophical conversations about the ethics of killing and eating animals, especially in a technologically advanced future, that I've read. Whoever wrote that part should have written for the future, not the 1800s. It reads like the author put it in there solely to assuage their own guilt and avoid any decent arguments to the contrary.