Review: The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke

The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife by Lucy Cooke is an impressive selection of information on 13 different animals. Eels, beavers, sloths, hyenas, vultures, bats, frogs, storks, hippos, moose, pandas, penguins, and chimpanzees are covered.

Each chapter includes notes about what people thought about the animal in the past, what kinds of behaviors are in question, and what we know about the animal currently as compared to the past. There are plenty of facts both historical and scientific. Humor is sprinkled throughout.

Even though there is humor, I didn't find it quite as funny as I expected it to be when the blurb compared the book to Mary Roach and Bill Bryson. I enjoyed the facts and most of the chapters, but I was almost lost in the first chapter about eels and their sex lives and origins. Things picked up from there for me, thankfully. The chapters I enjoyed the most were the ones on sloths, hippos, pandas, and penguins.

Just a note, a lot of the book has to do with reproduction. And some of the historical facts involve less than humane treatment of the animals in the past.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.  Overall. it's well-written and has interesting facts.

The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke was released April 17th, 2018 from Basic Books part of the Hachette Book Group.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is freely given and all my own opinions.

Teaser Tuesday: The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Now for something a little different than the past few weeks fare. From a nonfiction book about animal behavior:

Despite their high-pitched courtship yodeling, sloths manage to keep their actual sex life on the down-low, making it prone to much mythologizing. There is a persistent rumor on the internet that sloths are so slow that it takes twenty-four hours for them to have sex. This isn't true. As the first person to film wild sloths mating, I can report that sloth sex is a surprisingly fast and athletic affair. The male approaches the female and, after a short display of flamboyant posturing, the deed is done and dusted in a matter of seconds. It appears sex is the only thing sloths do quickly. (20% through on my Kindle)

The Truth About Animals: Stoned SLoths. Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife by Lucy Cooke is due to be released today, April 17th, 2018  from Basic Books. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #218: The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Mary Roach meets Sam Kean and Bill Bryson in this uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world
Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go. Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins "holding hands," it's hard for us not to project our own values--innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work--onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do--and that's just for starters. In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Danish rat tickler to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret--and often hilarious--habits of the animal kingdom. Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

The Truth about Animals is due out April 17, 2018 from Basic Books. 

Why am I waiting on this one? I used to teach Biology. And I enjoyed reading about animals. Couple that with a book that would seem like it was written by someone writing like Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson, and it sounds like a good read. I know the animal world is weirder than many of us think. And this sounds like it has a good tone for that.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!