Hi, friend.
It feels foolish to recommend some silly science books to you today, when the world is so cruel. But this is what we do. We read and share books to open our minds and hearts to others, learning fun facts along the way.
It just so happens that these books are about the animal kingdom and what happens when they’re on drugs or mating or have faces that look like butts. Strange science books are my fave way to inhale science. The people who have dedicated their lives to studying a very specific topic or animal or phenomenon are such a delight. They love their studies so much, they just want to tell everyone everything they know on the topic. And when everyone they know has had enough, it’s time for a book.
I’ll almost always be on the other end, eagerly anticipating stuffing my brain with knowledge that is just a fun nugget to have in my pocket to share at dinner parties.
The books
Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins: A Trip Through the World of Animal Intoxication by Oné R. Pagán
My favorite kind of science book blends humor in with the weirdness of the topic at hand, and Oné Pagán nailed it with Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins. Pick this up if you want to hear about the romantic lives of cicadas—sometimes they get so stoned that they boink like maniacs until their abdomens fall off. And then they die. Or perhaps you prefer insects getting revenge on the scientists who study them, like the bees who were provided booze and became so filled with rage that they swarmed inside the lab and stung any human they could find. Fun!
Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis by Emily Willingham
Yeah, it’s a book about wieners and mating behaviors of animals in the wild. Or, well, in labs. You would not believe how many people study insect intercourse. There’s a lot in here about cultural perceptions about how “penis equals power,” and gender bias and rape culture, which is fine—I always love a good feminist rant—but I’m mostly here for the weird facts. Are ya ready?
The blue whale has an 8-foot-long schlong, but the barnacle has the biggest wiener in proportion to their size—up to nine times as large! You’re welcome.
Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle
We don’t normally do kids books around here, but I couldn’t resist. My pal worked on this (we both work for the publisher) and it’s her pride and joy.
The concept is simple: Is this close-up picture of an animal butt or an animal face? Turn the page to see the full photo and learn some fun facts about the beast! Okapis are related to giraffes! Male peacock spiders dance for their mates and pounce on their prey—no web action here! Fun and colorful and silly!
The links
Bookshop’s Holiday Gift Guides are here! Peep this list of books for the reader who reads everything. Use the code HOLIDAY23 to get 15% off your order and support independent bookstores and this newsletter!
U.S. residents, order your COVID tests!
Over at Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice, Patricia provides resources for Gaza, Caring for Yourself, & Information Literacy. Also: Haymarket Books is offering three free ebooks about Palestine.
My friend Elizabeth of What To Read If shared six lessons from 6,000 subscribers on Substack and some excellent bookish newsletters. Katy of The Mindful Librarian also rounded up our gang of Bookstackers, in case you need even more bookish newsletters in your inbox.
The nightstand
I’ll be slowly savoring this true crime tale about man vs. nature for a while, I can already tell. In Rebecca Renner’s Gator Country, a man goes on an undercover operation to find alligator poachers, only to find that maybe they aren’t the bad guys, after all… Out Nov. 14! 🐊
The backlist
In case you missed ’em, or want to peep the archives:
✨ Psst, there’s also a directory with a list of every title shared on Crooked Reads, as well pages for genres—check out all my science posts.
xoxo
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If someone ever asks me for an example of a high concept book I'm going to say "Butt or Face?" Brilliant.
Thanks for the shout out!