A review by octavia_cade
Beaks, Bones and Bird Songs: How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior by Roger J. Lederer

informative medium-paced

3.5

This was a very interesting book, with lots of illustrations - which I enjoy - and it's clear that Lederer is an expert in his subject. It didn't take long to realise, though, that he has a very specific explanatory style: a general description of some feature or other, and then a series of often very brief examples. I can't know, of course, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if this book began with a list and was then converted from bullet-point to paragraph form.

Don't get me wrong. I like texts with lots of examples. Everyone has different learning preferences, but I've always been able to grasp examples a lot more easily than theory (probably why I can never get on with philosophy). There were some fascinating examples here, and I found myself looking up birds as I read, trying to learn more. I can't get away from the feeling that I was reading a list, however.