Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Nature & Travel Book Reviews Available Now


Showing

Cover art for ON WHEELS
NONFICTION
Released: May 14, 2013

"An entertaining personal essay, short and sweet, about the cars in the life of Holroyd."
Prodigious British biographer and memoirist Holroyd (A Book of Secrets, 2011, etc.) tells of memorable automobiles in his life and in the lives of those about whom he has written. Read full book review >
Cover art for WALDEN ON WHEELS
NONFICTION
Released: May 14, 2013

"A middling memoir of a young man's attempts to live as a modern-day ascetic."
A recent college grad discovers how to live life and pay off his student loans at the same time. Read full book review >
Cover art for NAMES FOR THE SEA
NONFICTION
Released: May 14, 2013

"An infectious memoir from someone engagingly candid about her temporary homeland's limitations--and her own."
The story of a British academic who, intending to fulfill her childhood dream of northern living, took a university job in Reykjavik. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LAST TRAIN TO ZONA VERDE
NONFICTION
Released: May 7, 2013

"Reading this enlightening book won't only open a window into Theroux's mind, it will also impart a deeper understanding of Africa and travel in general."
The acclaimed travel writer and novelist chronicles his journey through Africa as tourist, adventure-seeker, thinker and hopeful critic. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE EMERALD MILE
NONFICTION
Released: May 7, 2013

"An epic-sized true-life adventure tale that appeals to both the heart and the head."
Man's indomitable need for adventure is the only thing more impressive than the awesome power of nature and the brilliance of technology described in this lovingly rendered retelling of one of the most remarkable events ever to occur inside the Grand Canyon. Read full book review >
Cover art for BEG
NONFICTION
Released: May 1, 2013

"A big-hearted and well-meaning rehash of vital but hoary arguments urging decency toward animals."
The well-turned ground of humans behaving inhumanely toward animals is turned again, without any significant updates. Read full book review >
Cover art for BUTTERFLY PEOPLE
NONFICTION
Released: April 23, 2013

"For general readers, the esoteric minutia may overwhelm. For naturalists and butterfly buffs, however, this is an unusual, pinpointed slice of American life enlivened with fragments of correspondence and reproductions of plates from classic books of the period."
An expansive historical account of the 19th-century figures whose enthusiasm and perseverance shaped natural history studies on butterflies. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE INCIDENTAL STEWARD
NONFICTION
Released: April 22, 2013

"Sure to inform and delight nature lovers."
Essayist and former Metropolis contributing editor Busch (Patience: Taking Time in an Age of Acceleration, 2010, etc.) shows how ordinary people can play an important role in protecting the natural environment simply by "paying attention" to the creatures around us. Read full book review >
Cover art for MY BACKYARD JUNGLE
NONFICTION
Released: April 22, 2013

"Intelligent and quietly provocative."
A naturalist's account of how turning his backyard into a certified wildlife habitat inspired him to explore "the limits of coexistence" more globally. Read full book review >
Cover art for MY BELOVED BRONTOSAURUS
NONFICTION
Released: April 16, 2013

"Readers will forgive Switek's detours into cuteness and bad jokes in exchange for a genuinely informative introduction to his favorite subject."
A dinosaur lover since childhood, science journalist Switek (Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature, 2010) chronicles his travels through North America visiting scientists, museums and fossil beds while delivering an enthusiastic account of the history, description, discoveries, ongoing controversies and inaccurate media obsession with these popular but extinct creatures. Read full book review >
Cover art for DIRT WORK
NONFICTION
Released: April 16, 2013

"A beguiling journey of self-discovery."
A young woman's account of life on trail crews in two national parks. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE GENIUS OF EARTH DAY
NONFICTION
Released: April 16, 2013

"A fascinating treatment of both environmentalism and the structure of activism at the time."
The story of how April 22, 1970, began the tradition of Earth Day and helped to create the modern environmental movement. Read full book review >