Steve's Herpetological Blog

An insight into the life of Steve, his research and the many books he reads

Books

#StevesLibrary: A Buzz in the Meadow

Yes everyone, #StevesLibrary is back! Had a hectic few weeks to get my fieldwork sorted out and get back into the routine but now I’m back on track, I can dedicate more time to reading. I’ve just finished A Buzz…

#StevesLibrary: The Secret Network of Nature

Once again I find myself reading the natural history writings of German author Peter Wohlleben, thankfully though they’ve been translated into English. After reading the other two books in his bestselling ‘Mysteries of Nature’ trilogy The Hidden Life of Trees…

#StevesLibrary: Death on Earth

I know you’ve all been waiting for another one of these for a long time. fear not as a number of book reviews are coming over the next few weeks. Thankfully the lockdown has given me ample opportunity to catch…

#StevesLibrary: Where Do Camels Belong?

Some of you will be aware that I have recently returned from the World Congress of Herpetology, held at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. I shall be blogging about my adventures on the other side of the…

#StevesLibrary: The Missing Lynx

2019 is almost over! I hope that everyone had an amazing Christmas and let me wish you all the best for 2020! Despite the festivities I managed to find the time to finish off one final book before the year…

#StevesLibrary: The Sea Inside

Some of you may aware of the author Philip Hoare from his previous book Leviathan (which I’m still yet to read) which documented decline of whales as well as their beauty. The Sea Inside moves away from this format instead being…

#StevesLibrary: The Serpent’s Promise

How to sell me a book, stick a frog or a snake on the front cover. Done! There have been a number of people in the past that have tried to scientifically analyse The Bible and explain each of the…

#StevesLibrary: Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Following the news that the Amazon has been on fire for a few weeks and accelerating climate change, I thought I’d provide my feedback on a book that seems very relevant given the circumstances. Like you, I’ve been quite disheartened…

#StevesLibrary: The Selfish Gene

The Selfish Gene is one of those books I read back during my undergrad years whilst studying animal behaviour. For those of you that are unaware, it is Richard Dawkins’ first book and at the time it was highly influential….

#StevesLibrary: The Feather Thief

First of all I must congratulate Kirk Wallace Johnson for writing such a thrilling true-crime narrative, that in truth is stranger than fiction. I’ve been aware of the Tring heist executed by Edwin Rist in 2009 for some while, thanks…