Kareila's Bookshelf

Anaïs Nin wrote that we don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.

The conceit of this book is that it reviews the spectrum of human experience, from cave paintings to the internet, but it's really a way for an anxious, thoughtful, middle-aged man to reflect on what he loves (and occasionally loathes) about life. It was largely written after the COVID outbreak and before the vaccine was available, which lends an extra poignancy to many of the entries.

Because the concept of The Anthropocene Reviewed started out as a podcast, I can particularly recommend the audiobook format: it includes a couple of chapters not available in the printed version, including one about the Kaua'i O-O, a now-extinct bird whose haunting and lonely cry was licensed for the recording. However, the paperback and ebook releases also include bonus chapters written after the audiobook and hardcover editions were published.