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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
informative
In 'What A Mushroom Lives For', Hathaway invites the listener to reconsider their way of thinking about the natural world, especially in regards to fungi, and whether our beliefs and feelings towards the natural world are unfairly limited.
Hathaway sets about showing how everything from the British aversion to mushrooms, to the dominance of english text in science, and the belief that 'will' is a characteristic of humans alone have shaped our view and understanding of how fungi exist within nature. Often labelled as passive, Hathaway shows the listener that there is much more to fungi than we know and paints a picture of a world that is extremely dependent on its need for fungi.
I loved the way that I was constantly challenged to reconsider my preconceptions and understanding of the natural world. I found myself having several "Oh, of course!" moments when Hathaway offered a new perspective, which was so obvious that I couldn't believe that I had never considered it before.
I found the links between mushrooms and local economies, social change, and cultural identity fascinating and something I never would have considered on my own.
This book is heavy on academic philosophising and, therefore, best suited to those with an interest in natural philosophy and/or a strong fascination with fungi.
I enjoyed the narration by Christopher Grove and found his performance suited the subject matter perfectly. Grove's speech is clear and well-paced.
On a personal note, I appreciated that Grove pronounced 'fungi' as 'fun-guy' and not as 'fun-j-eye' as some other narrators do. Whilst not relevant to the quality of the audio production, it did allow me to remain engaged in the book without being distracted.
Hathaway sets about showing how everything from the British aversion to mushrooms, to the dominance of english text in science, and the belief that 'will' is a characteristic of humans alone have shaped our view and understanding of how fungi exist within nature. Often labelled as passive, Hathaway shows the listener that there is much more to fungi than we know and paints a picture of a world that is extremely dependent on its need for fungi.
I loved the way that I was constantly challenged to reconsider my preconceptions and understanding of the natural world. I found myself having several "Oh, of course!" moments when Hathaway offered a new perspective, which was so obvious that I couldn't believe that I had never considered it before.
I found the links between mushrooms and local economies, social change, and cultural identity fascinating and something I never would have considered on my own.
This book is heavy on academic philosophising and, therefore, best suited to those with an interest in natural philosophy and/or a strong fascination with fungi.
I enjoyed the narration by Christopher Grove and found his performance suited the subject matter perfectly. Grove's speech is clear and well-paced.
On a personal note, I appreciated that Grove pronounced 'fungi' as 'fun-guy' and not as 'fun-j-eye' as some other narrators do. Whilst not relevant to the quality of the audio production, it did allow me to remain engaged in the book without being distracted.
There was a lot of interesting information on mushrooms, the Yi community and Japanese demand for fresh mushrooms. A strong focus on the matsutake specifically was missing for me.
Wouldn’t recommend the audiobook as the clipped pronunciation was really distracting (and although it was long, I never got used to it).
Wouldn’t recommend the audiobook as the clipped pronunciation was really distracting (and although it was long, I never got used to it).
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The mushrooms aren’t going to fuck you, bro.
That being said, it is a remarkably well thought out and researched book, clearly a labor of love and time. While some scientific background is useful while reading, I don’t think it’s required. There was far more sociology and philosophy than I expected but it was very eye opening and interesting to consider different perspectives on how life forms interact with the world, particularly those we don’t generally think of as having agency.
That being said, it is a remarkably well thought out and researched book, clearly a labor of love and time. While some scientific background is useful while reading, I don’t think it’s required. There was far more sociology and philosophy than I expected but it was very eye opening and interesting to consider different perspectives on how life forms interact with the world, particularly those we don’t generally think of as having agency.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
a blend of anthropology and natural history that argues how we should reconfigure our place in nature. really interesting, however the academic language can be tough to break through
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced