Murder by Death

When I received this in the post, I was initially excited, but when I flipped it over to get the ISBN number, I saw the classification:  "Nature/Parenting".  I don't parent, unless you count herding cats, so I was afraid I'd stuck myself with a book that wasn't going to work for me.

I need't have worried - this is a great book!  The author uses his desire to interest his toddler daughter in science as the framework for this book, and at least once waxes a bit to philosophically, but overall, he sticks to (sorry parents) the good stuff.

Johnson breaks the book up into chapters involving animals that almost everyone in the world can find in their back yard (sadly, Aussies don't have squirrels, a state of affairs which I maintain makes their lives just a little less joyous):  pigeons, weeds, snails, crows, the ginkgo tree, etc.  Each topic is touched on enough to introduce and often fascinate the reader with just how diverse and unique the life under your urban feet can be.  I found myself reading much of this out loud to my husband, and Johnson has me mulling over the idea of starting a long term journal of my garden's wildlife.

The writing is easy and entertaining and I found myself reluctant to put it down, making it one of the faster-paced non-fiction/science books on my shelf.  The bibliography at the back has at least 2 titles I'll be hunting down soon (on edible weeds and which ones taste good).  It's a thoroughly enjoyable read and honestly, worth it alone for the stories about the crows.

My last BookLikes-opoly book:   209

$$: $12.00  (3x location multiplier)