Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have never read anything by John Green before but have heard of him and his very popular YA books. But this book is not YA. Instead, it’s a collection of essays on topics that vary across the board. There are 49 of them, and each are fairly short.

Each topic seems to be personal to John Green, almost like a launching pad to discuss his own life, such as his anxiety or his kids. Yet they do return to the main topic. A few examples of the topics: Diet Dr. Pepper, Teddy Bears, The Internet, Sunsets, CNN, Goggling Strangers, and Plague. At the end of each essay Green then rates the topic ranging from 1 star for "Plague" and 5 stars for "The smallpox vaccine".

At the end of the book, I know a little about the author than I expected. Actually, the book is very different than what I expected, but it’s okay. It is not a book about climate change, nor about how humans have changed our biosphere and all that live upon it. Or it is about that, but also John Green. I give The Anthropocene Reviewed book 3.5 stars.

View all my reviews

Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have never read anything by John Green before but have heard of him and his very popular YA books. But this book is not YA. Instead, it’s a collection of essays on topics that vary across the board. There are 49 of them, and each are fairly short.

Each topic seems to be personal to John Green, almost like a launching pad to discuss his own life, such as his anxiety or his kids. Yet they do return to the main topic. A few examples of the topics: Diet Dr. Pepper, Teddy Bears, The Internet, Sunsets, CNN, Goggling Strangers, and Plague. At the end of each essay Green then rates the topic ranging from 1 star for Plague and 5 stars for The smallpox vaccine.

At the end of the book, I know a little about the author than I expected. Actually, the book is very different than what I expected, but it’s okay. It is not a book about climate change, nor about how humans have changed our biosphere and all that live upon it. Or it is about that, but also John Green. I give The Anthropocene Reviewed book 3.5 stars.


View all my reviews

Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

Thursday, September 3, 2026

Review: The Best American Travel Writing 2016: Illuminating Essays on Why We Travel

The Best American Travel Writing 2016: Illuminating Essays on Why We Travel The Best American Travel Writing 2016: Illuminating Essays on Why We Travel by Bill Bryson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I tend to enjoy the various series of "Best American" although I have read very few of them in full. A few of the early essays felt that categorizing as travel was slightly generous. One example is the essay "How Can We Find More People Like You?" by Sara Corbett, where she discusses how Airbnb is finding it hard to expand in Japan. Or the essay The Actual Hollister by Dave Eggers discussing the town of Hollister and the Hollister clothing business. They felt more orientated towards a business than the experience of travelling.

Further in the essays move more towards what I expected. And some essays were by people living in other countries, which I think are expatriates, not necessarily a traveler. Each essay in the collection had hook which made the essay worthwhile for me to read. None were very long, as they are taken from essays previously published in magazines or journals from the prior year.

One of the last essays, “Invisible and Insidious” by William Vollman, was about radiation in Japan after the disaster in Fukushima caused by the massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The author kept visiting the area and measuring the different types of radiation, as well as talking to residents in the affected area. This essay is one that will stick with me the most.

Book rating: 3.5 stars


View all my reviews

Review: The Best American Travel Writing 2016: Illuminating Essays on Why We Travel

The Best American Travel Writing 2016: Illuminating Essays on Why We Travel The Best American Travel Writing 2016: Illuminating Essays on Why We Travel by Bill Bryson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

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