Review 602: Strata: Stories from Deep Time

Strata: Stories from Deep Time by Laura Poppick
My rating: not-rated

The book is a bit more information dense than I was hoping for. It is readable, but you probably need a strong desire in reading about geology, deep time and stratigraphy.

The book is organized into four parts, Air, Ice, Mud and Heat.

I got through much of the section on Air, that contains a discussion on the GOE short for Great Oxygenation Event, or Great Oxidation Event. Scientists are having difficulty in determining when exactly this took place, and how. The rocks have to tell the story since this was such a very long time ago. The evidence is still there, but fragmentary, difficult to decipher. Opinions differ on what the rock is revealing. The details of this are interesting to some extent.

I image the rest of the book will be at the same detailed level and my interest just isn’t sustaining that deep dive at the moment. Perhaps I will attempt the book at another time, but for now I am leaving it here, partially read.

Review 511: Turning to Stone

Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks by Marcia Bjornerud
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A book that is part autobiography and partly science in the geology field. The book is organized rock types, each rock type being the focus of a chapter and the author fits this into this portion of her life too. Such as, beginning with being a child running to the bus with sand in her shoe leads to sandstone rocks. I liked the format. I found myself connecting more with her life than the science as I'm not that adept with geology. Some of it was too scientific, while other parts were not. A bit of a mix.

There are discussions of some of the controversies over the years, such as the asteroid hit that killed the dinosaurs. The field of geology, such as understanding of earthquakes and volcanoes, is relatively new. It comes with disagreements when knew knowledge doesn’t support the current theory.

There were a few points where I glossed over the areas that got too deep in geologic terms, but a more determined reader would likely glean more if pausing and turning towards other resources to understand the terminology better. Possibly the book would work best for those with some understanding of geology, or a strong interest.


Thanks to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book.

Review 222: Irons in the Fire

Irons in the Fire by John McPhee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



There are seven essays in the short book, listed below with a few words on each.

Irons in the Fire – title essay about the brands in Nevada, marking the cattle that protects them from rustlers. Thieves still abound, at least by the mid-1990s when the book was released. McPhee follows the Nevada Brand Inspector, learning about epic cases of cattle stealing and a little on brand marks.

Release – short essay about a blind writer who found technology helped him with his writing, an IBM PC. Somewhat antiquated now, but a decent essay, nonetheless.

In Virgin Forest – Trees! A very short essay on a virgin forest found in New Jersey, of all places. The essay talks about how this came to pass and how it will remain.

The Gravel Page – The longest essay (66 pages) & my favorite. Forensic geology. How it is done and how the FBI solved a few high-profile cases using rocks. McPhee has a way of finding and talking to amazing people! A lot about geology in this essay.

Duty of Care – An interesting essay about tires, used tires. What has happened with them in the United States (at least in the past) is just bury them. But they have use after being a tire, and a lot of stored energy. Hopefully used tires today are being reused and recycled in a better manner than 25 or so years ago.

Rinard at Manheim – Exotic cars, what more needs to be said. At least it was short, only 6 pages, shortest essay of the book.

Travels of the Rock – This was an eye-opener. "The Rock" is Plymouth rock, you know the one where the Pilgrims “landed” and thus began the mythology on the founding of the United States. The rock itself has diminished greatly since the mid-1600’s. Around the time of the revolution it split in half, with one part going North. Once reunited the rock wasn’t put together properly and this essay covered much of that restoration. This essay was excellent, another favorite.

Previously Read John McPhee books:

Assembling California (4 stars) - April.2018

Crofter and the Laird  (5 stars) - May.2019

Review 199: Ms. Adventure

Ms. Adventure: My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava, and Life by Jess Phoenix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jess Phoenix seems to thrive on danger, full on excitement when a volcano is erupting.

This book contains snippets in her life with not much detail on how it all came to be. The beginning held more on the decision-making process, of how she got into geology, and I enjoyed the first few chapters, for the most part. Although if you’ve camped before you may wonder about all that detail if it’s necessary.

Once Phoenix started in the field and working on field assignments, there was detail of what happened, but it felt like a large part of the narration was missing. It felt a little too much like she was skipping around to these moments and didn’t provide much in the bigger picture. How did the work she was doing contribute to the overall science? What is the meaning, what did she make of it? Why is this particular moment being told in this book other than saying well, I did this, and this happened? I wanted a little more in cohesion of her life and science.

My hope was the book would be aimed towards young women to encourage them to enter the science field that is typically dominated by men. I’m not sure this book does this. Perhaps I will be in the minority and others will find this memoir more satisfying and inspiring.

I listened to the audio book narrated by the author herself. She does a decent job of narrating and enunciating. You can hear her enthusiasm on her adventures. I’ve heard several author narrations leave me wishing they hired a professional, but not in this case. If you want to read this book, the audio version is a good way to go. 4.5 stars on the narration. Book overall 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Workman Audio and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 35: A Hero on Mount St. Helens

A Hero on Mount St. Helens: The Life and Legacy of David A. Johnston by Melanie Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Today, May 18, 2019 is the 39th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington. It is also the anniversary of the day David Johnston, a United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist died doing his job. Johnston was the only USGS worker that died that day and since that time there have been many memorials dedicated in his name.

Today is also the publication day of this book, written to honor David Johnston's life. While the book is primarily a biography it also explains what was known about how volcanos act, or what was known at the time in early 1980. There is more scientific knowledge and understanding today than back then, and much of the information came from that eruption.

For some people volcanos have some type of lure, people are curious, interested, and when Mount St. Helens started waking up people flocked to the area, tourists. It was difficult for the geologists and authorities to accurately maintain a safety zone, to keep people away because so much was unknown. Today we do know more, but volcanos are still very dangerous, and can at times be unpredictable. Johnston knew there was danger, but it was also exciting to be there and learning more. No one knew exactly when the volcano would explode. It was just coincidence that Johnston was there that morning when it happened, manning the post (an observation and monitoring station named Coldwater II). No one knew how extensive the explosion would end up being. It's believed 57 people died in that blast, and it could have been worse without people like Johnston warning of the extreme danger.

I visited the Mount St. Helens area briefly in 1993 and was amazed how visible the destruction still was from that volcano blast. It appeared to have exploded more recently than my decade plus years visit. I remember being there too late to go into the visitor's area, and as we were just passing through the area, there wasn't time to go in the next day. I've meant to return someday, and when I do I can certainly appreciate the full story of what happened in 1980 having now read this book.

I appreciate having an advance review copy to read, and the copy I read certainly read like it wasn't completely done. Portions of the book were in different colors, which I have no idea what that meant, and there were large sections that read like a draft copy. The later part of the book the writing improved and seemed to be finished. There were some beautiful sentences and sentiments. It's hard to judge a book fully when reading one that still needed some work, but giving the benefit of doubt, I expect the completed book will be in better shape.

In the end this is a great tribute to David Johnston and his family, as an official record of his full life with scientific achievements and legacy.



Thanks to University of Illinois Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.