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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Really enjoyable!
If you are looking for a book to help map out your scientific journey or a book about the science of volcanoes, this isn’t for you. If you are looking for a story and easy read about one woman’s adventures with science and volcanoes then this is an excellent choice!
It was an easy read, she painted some really nice pictures about the volcanoes she was working on. Broken into chapters about individual volcanoes and the expeditions. I just wanted to hear more! I was very disappointed there were no pictures - she talks lots about her camera and taking pictures so I was disappointed to not see any that she described taking.
If you are looking for a book to help map out your scientific journey or a book about the science of volcanoes, this isn’t for you. If you are looking for a story and easy read about one woman’s adventures with science and volcanoes then this is an excellent choice!
It was an easy read, she painted some really nice pictures about the volcanoes she was working on. Broken into chapters about individual volcanoes and the expeditions. I just wanted to hear more! I was very disappointed there were no pictures - she talks lots about her camera and taking pictures so I was disappointed to not see any that she described taking.
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
I really enjoyed reading about all of these incredible experiences, and learning a thing or two about volcanology! Makes me wish my own career in science involved more field work and less programming.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings: Mentions of drug cartels and a previous assault, not detailed.
My Rating: 4 volcanoes out of 5
Highlights:
Well now I just want to be a Volcanologist
This is the sort of book that makes you go ‘damn I wish I was a scientist!’
Phoenix’s sheer enthusiasm for the universe is just amazing
Anyone willing to face down a car full of potentially armed Narcos for a hammer immediately becomes my hero for life. I don’t make the rules.
Curiosity is our birthright, our shared human heritage that connects us to every being on Earth, and to the stars beyond.
Jess Phoenix is a geologist, volcanologist and all-round badass and after listening to her talk about her career in an episode of Ologies I leapt at the chance to request this book on netgalley! A memoir at heart, this book is also a love letter to geology, to the wonders that make up the natural world and to our ability as human beings to explore and discover more about those wonders.
An English Literature graduate myself, I suppose I always (evidently wrongly) assumed that scientists have always been aware that they are scientifically minded, but Phoenix began as a humanities student, finding her love of Geology through a college course (and it has always confused me how you can study so many things at once at American universities, but evidently it has its uses!). From that first geology class to standing atop active volcanoes in Hawaii, in need of medical attention but out of range of the helicopter, on to chasing down cartel members for a hammer, Phoenix’s career has taken her all over the world in pursuit of scientific knowledge.
Then of course there’s the additional bonus challenge of being a woman in a scientific field which leads to such wonderful scenarios as being asked to wear sexy leggings while filming a tv show on an active volcano site.
You know, leggings, made of synthetic fibres that melt when exposed to heat.
On a volcano.
Pure logic right there from the production team. Gold star.
But from battling imposter syndrome at her first Explorers Club dinner to facing down Wall Street’s charging bull and deciding to run for office, Jess Phoenix is unapologetically a total badass and one of my icons for life. Her sheer enthusiasm for the world around us is infectious even through text, and the way she champions scientific knowledge for all, especially in positions of power where decisions are being made, is immensely admirable.
I think what was missing for me was, honestly, photographs. All through the book, Phoenix details the pictures she has taken at each location discussed, and there’s a gorgeous image at the beginning of the book of solidified waves of lava - but the photographs mentioned are not included in the actual text. I found myself frequently pausing in my reading to look up a volcano crater, or a lake, to properly visualise what was being described to me. I felt that some images, even just of the mountains and volcanoes if not Phoenix herself at these locations, would really have brought that one last thing to this book for me. The things being described were incredible, from eruptions lasting decades to camping out atop precarious mountains, travelling around glacial lakes and out to underwater volcanoes for important research. I wanted to see them.
I loved this book overall. Phoenix has such a great way of writing, of putting across just how much she adores what she does. I challenge anyone to read this book and now come away even slightly passionate about the study of the world we live in. Below our feet, sometimes bubbling up to the surface, is a completely alien world that we are only just beginning to understand and this book made me want to learn all I can about it!
Content Warnings: Mentions of drug cartels and a previous assault, not detailed.
My Rating: 4 volcanoes out of 5
Highlights:
Well now I just want to be a Volcanologist
This is the sort of book that makes you go ‘damn I wish I was a scientist!’
Phoenix’s sheer enthusiasm for the universe is just amazing
Anyone willing to face down a car full of potentially armed Narcos for a hammer immediately becomes my hero for life. I don’t make the rules.
Curiosity is our birthright, our shared human heritage that connects us to every being on Earth, and to the stars beyond.
Jess Phoenix is a geologist, volcanologist and all-round badass and after listening to her talk about her career in an episode of Ologies I leapt at the chance to request this book on netgalley! A memoir at heart, this book is also a love letter to geology, to the wonders that make up the natural world and to our ability as human beings to explore and discover more about those wonders.
An English Literature graduate myself, I suppose I always (evidently wrongly) assumed that scientists have always been aware that they are scientifically minded, but Phoenix began as a humanities student, finding her love of Geology through a college course (and it has always confused me how you can study so many things at once at American universities, but evidently it has its uses!). From that first geology class to standing atop active volcanoes in Hawaii, in need of medical attention but out of range of the helicopter, on to chasing down cartel members for a hammer, Phoenix’s career has taken her all over the world in pursuit of scientific knowledge.
Then of course there’s the additional bonus challenge of being a woman in a scientific field which leads to such wonderful scenarios as being asked to wear sexy leggings while filming a tv show on an active volcano site.
You know, leggings, made of synthetic fibres that melt when exposed to heat.
On a volcano.
Pure logic right there from the production team. Gold star.
But from battling imposter syndrome at her first Explorers Club dinner to facing down Wall Street’s charging bull and deciding to run for office, Jess Phoenix is unapologetically a total badass and one of my icons for life. Her sheer enthusiasm for the world around us is infectious even through text, and the way she champions scientific knowledge for all, especially in positions of power where decisions are being made, is immensely admirable.
I think what was missing for me was, honestly, photographs. All through the book, Phoenix details the pictures she has taken at each location discussed, and there’s a gorgeous image at the beginning of the book of solidified waves of lava - but the photographs mentioned are not included in the actual text. I found myself frequently pausing in my reading to look up a volcano crater, or a lake, to properly visualise what was being described to me. I felt that some images, even just of the mountains and volcanoes if not Phoenix herself at these locations, would really have brought that one last thing to this book for me. The things being described were incredible, from eruptions lasting decades to camping out atop precarious mountains, travelling around glacial lakes and out to underwater volcanoes for important research. I wanted to see them.
I loved this book overall. Phoenix has such a great way of writing, of putting across just how much she adores what she does. I challenge anyone to read this book and now come away even slightly passionate about the study of the world we live in. Below our feet, sometimes bubbling up to the surface, is a completely alien world that we are only just beginning to understand and this book made me want to learn all I can about it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. The intro to this book was not super engrossing, but I am glad I stuck with it. I thoroughly enjoyed this scientific memoir. It was a wonderful blend of real science and travel memoir for the various expeditions the author has been on in her career. I wished it was even a bit longer!
We’ve only started 2021, but I think Ms. Adventure is going to be the nonfiction read to beat for me this year. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Timber Press, and Jess Phoenix for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Full review available here!
Full review available here!
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This book was simply delightful! The introduction called it a “love letter to science” and it was right. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, even when it made me yearn to be back in Hawai’i. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves science, adventure, geology or volcanoes. I’m looking forward to getting the physical copy of this book to match my electronic copy: that’s how much I loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
This is the sort of book that makes people want to grow up to be field researching, adventure having, scientists!
Don't know anything about geology? You don't need any prior knowledge to understand the book. Know plenty about geology, volcanoes, and rocks? Well, then you'll still find it a fascinating adventure.
Jess Phoenix's writing is accessible without being condescending, but it does offer some really interesting scientific information, too. Mostly, it's about the adventures (and misadventures) that can come with fieldwork around active lava flows, erupting volcanoes, and Mexican cartels—with a good dose of empowerment mixed in along the way: "To hell with the physical discomfort of being cold or hot, or thirsty or tired. I can go places few have ever gone or will go. I can take helicopter flights above active volcanoes. I can descend into volcanic vents. I can hike into the middle of the desert to garner valuable research material. I can take a machete to a jungle or use the stars to navigate at night. I can use my body and mind together to unfold the mysteries of our planet, or even of the universe."
I'm really hoping Jess Phoenix writes a follow-up to this, with maybe a little more science (but just as much adventure).
I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover and intriguing title, and I was not disappointed.
Ms. Adventure is a well-written and highly fascinating memoir following volcanologist Jess Phoenix throughout a handful of research expeditions around the world. I was hooked from the start, even though I had never been particularly interested in geology before reading. This book was also very well written with beautiful imagery that transported me to wherever Phoenix’s work took her. Even the parts where she goes more in-depth about the technical aspects of her work were fascinating to read about, though there were a few instances where I found myself losing interest when she was explaining the technology used in her research. I only had two small issues with this book. The first was that there was a factual error when she was explaining isotopes of elements (she states that chlorine-36 has 36 protons when it has 17). The second was that there were a few places where the wording felt off and I had to reread the sentence to understand.
Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and found Phoneix's passion for science inspiring and experiences fascinating (I particularly enjoyed reading and learning about her experience being part of the Discovery show Trailblazers).
(Copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review)
Ms. Adventure is a well-written and highly fascinating memoir following volcanologist Jess Phoenix throughout a handful of research expeditions around the world. I was hooked from the start, even though I had never been particularly interested in geology before reading. This book was also very well written with beautiful imagery that transported me to wherever Phoenix’s work took her. Even the parts where she goes more in-depth about the technical aspects of her work were fascinating to read about, though there were a few instances where I found myself losing interest when she was explaining the technology used in her research. I only had two small issues with this book. The first was that there was a factual error when she was explaining isotopes of elements (she states that chlorine-36 has 36 protons when it has 17). The second was that there were a few places where the wording felt off and I had to reread the sentence to understand.
Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and found Phoneix's passion for science inspiring and experiences fascinating (I particularly enjoyed reading and learning about her experience being part of the Discovery show Trailblazers).
(Copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review)