His entry begins:I suppose I am one of these annoying people who have six or seven books going at any one time, usually scattered around the house so that something sits within easy reach in every room. Years ago, I also kept a book or two in my car and read when stuck in traffic or when halted by those pesky traffic lights, but I take driving more seriously now.About Heat, from the publisher:
Almost always, it seems, I have at least one book that I am reviewing for a newspaper. As a writer, I enjoy the focused and purposeful reading that is required in preparation for book reviews, and I relish the sense of being part of the publishing industry and the writing scene that comes with reviewing the work of other authors. One recent standout was Dangerous Work, which I reviewed for the New York Times. It was written by Arthur Conan Doyle as a journal of his time on an Arctic whaling vessel, well before he found success through Sherlock Holmes. By good luck, I happened to be at sea when I read the book, and having spent time in the Arctic myself and having worked on whales and seals in my life as a biologist, I found an immediate connection with Doyle’s words. I kept...[read on]
An adventurous ride through the most blisteringly hot regions of science, history, and culture.Learn more about the book and author at Bill Streever's website.
Melting glaciers, warming oceans, droughts-it's clear that today's world is getting hotter. But while we know the agony of a sunburn or the comfort of our winter heaters, do we really understand heat?
A bestselling scientist and nature writer who goes to any extreme to uncover the answers, Bill Streever sets off to find out what heat really means. Let himbe your guide and you'll firewalk across hot coals and sweat it out in Death Valley, experience intense fever and fire, learn about the invention of matches and the chemistry of cooking, drink crude oil, and explore thermonuclear weapons and the hottest moment of all time-the big bang.
Written in Streever's signature spare and refreshing prose, HEAT is an adventurous personal narrative that leaves readers with a new vision of an everyday experience-how heat works, its history, and its relationship to daily life.
Streever wrote the national bestseller, Cold, and the recently released follow up, Heat. He lives with his son, Ish Streever, his partner and wife, marine biologist Lisanne Aerts, and the resident dog, Lucky (who was adopted from Sakhalin, Russia) in Anchorage, Alaska. The four of them ski, hike, dive, bike, and camp as often as time and their varying abilities allow.
The Page 99 Test: Cold.
Writers Read: Bill Streever.
--Marshal Zeringue
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