Voices of the Wild

“Voices of the Wild” is a short book by Bernie Krause, an interesting person who is clearly an expert in this specialized field of recording natural soundscapes. However, this particular book didn’t do much for me. I found the writing to be a little dense, in the sense that too many “big words” made it sound more like a rhetorical speech, when really there is something interesting underneath. He does use some helpful analogies, though, and directs the reader to other resources, including an accompanying website with audio clips, moved to: http://yalebooks.com/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300206319

A Bone to Pick

I wish I had realized at first that this is a collection of pieces Mark Bittman had already written and published over the past few years. One of my first impressions, then, was that some of his points are repeated quite a bit. However, they are still arguments that need to be heard. He reminds us – and most of us need reminding – what “real food” is: where we can identify the ingredients. He offers a fair consideration of other alternatives, including meatless “chickin’” and healthier fast food endeavors. He covers everything from the ecology of farming to human metabolism and the discussion of what really might be causing food-related diseases.