<p>While we tend to chuck microbes into a general “yuck” pile of germs in need of disinfecting, truth is, only a slim minority of species are harmful. The rest are not just beneficial, but essential to the ebb and flow of life on this planet. For instance, how did life evolve into multi-cellular, diverse creatures&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/10/24/i-contain-multitudes-by-ed-yong/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">I Contain M

<p>Warning: this book may induce wild dancing and self-acceptance! Andreae, Giles. Giraffes Can’t Dance. Illus. Guy Parker-Rees. New York: Orchard Books, 1999. Print. Genre: picture book Summary: Gerald the giraffe wants to be like all the other animals and join the jungle dance, but his long legs make him too clumsy. Critique: The illustrations are&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/10/17/giraffes-cant-dance/">Continue reading <span class="screen-

<p>A comic strip artist employs a clever visual tactic to establish the perfect bedtime reading pace. Timmers, Leo. Happy with Me. Los Angeles, CA: Smallfellow Press, 2002. Print. Genre: picture book Summary: A wistful boy spends his bedtime fantasizing about being other animals. Elephants, penguins, octopi—each creature leads readers off on whimsical and silly adventures&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/10/10/happy-with-me-by-leo-timmers/">Conti

<p>This book invites the imagination to scoop more out of the world building. Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Spoon. Illus. Scott Magoon. New York: Hyperion, 2009. Print. Genre: picture book Summary: A young spoon wishes he could do some of the cool tasks other utensils tackle. Cut bread like knives. Lasso spaghetti like forks. Tweeze sushi like&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/10/03/spoon-by-amy-krouse-rosenthal/">Continue reading <span class="screen-rea

<p>Is our identity—defining it and embracing it—an avenue to an enriching existence or is it merely an evolutionary survival strategy? Petty, Dev. I Don’t Want to Be a Frog. Illus Mike Boldt. New York: Doubleday for Young Readers, 2015. Print. Genre: picture book Summary: A young frog wants to be anything other than wet, slimy,&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/09/14/i-dont-want-to-be-a-frog-by-dev-petty/">Continue reading <span class="screen-read

<p>Over three decades ago, she predicted America&#8217;s current tailspin. Now, she&#8217;s reconfigured Shakespeare&#8217;s The Tempest, setting it inside a prison where magic and revenge frolic. Margaret Atwood is a mischievous goddess. Atwood, Margaret. Hag-Seed. New York: Random House Audio, 2016. CD. Genre: fiction Summary: Felix Phillips dazzles audiences every year at the Makeshawig Theater Festival,&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/08/31/

<p>Traveling at speeds upwards of 80 mph, across one and a quarter states over 400 miles in a day, I was on a mission and the Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York was coming with me! Tyson, Neil deGrasse. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio, 2017. MP3. Genre: nonfiction&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/08/17/fast-astrophysics/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Astrophysics for People in a H

<p>Can too much curiosity spur accidental bullying? Moore, Julianne. Freckleface Strawberry. Illustrations by LeUyen Pham. New York: Bloomsbury, 2007. Print. Genre: picture book Summary: An exuberant little girl tries everything to hide her red hair and freckles. She quickly uncovers a difficult choice: either go through life alone and uncomfortable or accept her own oddities. Critique:&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/08/10/freckleface-strawberr

<p>Gearing up to see Al Gore&#8217;s return in An Inconvenient Sequel? Be sure to add some good mental trail mix to your rucksack. Childs, Craig. Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Future of Earth. New York: Vintage, 2012. Print. Genre: narrative nonfiction Summary: Craig Childs travels around the world to showcase the impacts of climate&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/07/25/apocalyptic-planet-by-craig-childs/">Continue reading <span class="

<p>You&#8217;ve eaten&#8230;maybe prayed&#8230;definitely loved. Now it&#8217;s time to get magical in some very practical ways. Gilbert, Elizabeth. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. New York: Riverhead Books, 2015. Print. Genre: nonfiction, creative inspiration Summary: The sage and witty writer who brought you the worldwide bestseller, The Misadventures of a Messed-up Woman Traveling Through Three Countries&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/201

<p>Look out, creative writers! Using a list format to tell a compelling story just fell into the capable hands of a children&#8217;s author. Cue sinister guffaw: MUHUHUHU-WHA-HAHAHA! Cummins, Lucy Ruth. A Hungry Lion, Or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016. Print. Genre: children&#8217;s picture book Summary: An unassuming&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/06/01/a-hungry-lion-or-a-dwindling-assortmen

<p>If your book club is boring, if you weary of your writing students saying only they did or did not like an assigned text, if you need better feedback from your critique group, then this book may help. Clark, Roy Peter. The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/05/18/the-art-of-x-ray-reading-by-roy-peter-clark/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">The Art of X-Ray Re

<p>If you often yearn for 26-hour days &#8212; a bit more time to get done all that life requires and maybe, JUST MAYBE, a wink of sleep &#8212; this book is definitely for you! Duhigg, Charles. Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business. New York: Random House, 2016. Print. Genre:&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/04/26/smarter-faster-better-by-charles-duhigg/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">S

<p>Yea or nay: Humans, with all their mighty know-how, should alter the world and fix all that ails it. Yea or nay: Humans should sit back, only observe, and do their best to not interfere with natural processes, like National Geographic wildlife photographers. Oliver, Mary. Upstream: Selected Essays. New York: Penguin, 2016. Print. Summary: In a&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/04/13/upstream-by-mary-oliver/">Continue reading <span class="screen

<p>How successful are your apologies? Whether sincere or obligatory, do they genuinely repair the damaged relationship or do they only add arsenic to the community well? This book explores the elements of both appealing and appalling apologies. Lazare, Aaron. On Apology. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2004. Print. Summary: Dr. Lazare, a former Harvard professor and leading&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/03/29/on-apology-by-aaron-lazare/">Continue reading <

<p>Did you set a resolution in January that has yet to pan out? Good news: you&#8217;re not alone. Great news: this book might help you get back on track. Arnold, Caroline. Small Move, Big Change: Using Microresolutions to Transform Your Life Permanently. New York: Viking, 2014. Print. Summary: Arnold unpacks a methodology for setting teeny-tiny&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/03/16/small-move-big-change-by-caroline-arnold/">Continue reading <sp

<p>The perfect book for anyone feeling, of late, as though the barbarian hordes are besieging all that is sacred and precious. Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire. New York: Ballantine, 1968. Print. Genre: nonfiction (nature/politics&#8230;enviropolitico?) Summary: Edward Abbey, a rebel-rousing UNM graduate, goes to work for the National Parks Service. He endures a year in Arches, Utah, where&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/02/22/desert-solitaire-by

<p>Much like a quark, this book is small yet packed with the powers to either grip or unravel the universe. Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook. New York: Harvest, 1994. Print. Genre: nonfiction (craft book) Summary: Winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, and all-around linguistic seductress Mary Oliver shares her insights on the&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/02/08/a-poetry-handbook-by-mary-oliver/">Continue reading <span class="scr

<p>If you think of all the water on earth fitting inside a tanker truck, then all the freshwater would fill a bathtub. A lot of that freshwater is trapped in glaciers and ice we can&#8217;t access. The accessible freshwater would fill 9 soda cans! Strauss, Rochelle. One Well: The Story of Water on Earth. Rosemary&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/01/18/one-well-by-rochelle-strauss/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">One Well by Roc

<p>Can you guess America&#8217;s largest irrigated, non-food producing crop?? Hint: It covers 63,000 square miles, according to NASA satellite imagery. Hint hint: It swallows 19 trillion gallons per year. The answer is grass. Ordinary front-lawn grass. Now, it may not seem like an atrocity to soak our lawns with freshwater. After all, 326 quintillion gallons&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/01/11/the-water-wise-home-by-laura-allen/">Continue read