Book Bunnies

Caramel reviews Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton

Today Caramel reviews Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton, published in 2002. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So what is this book about Caramel?

Caramel: This is about the equipment and weapons that spies use.

S: I see. After reading so many Spy School books, you needed to get to some of the facts!

C: Yep. You know me and facts. I like them.

S: Okay, so what kind of equipment and weapons are we talking about here?

C: Some of them are really cool gadgets, like the match box pistol.

S: Sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. What is the match box pistol?

C: Yes, it sounds like it’s from a movie and it does look like it, too. It basically looks like a metal match box, but a barrel can be attached, and it can shoot one bullet. So you can carry it around without anyone being suspicious that you are carrying a weapon. Or you could simply let it sit on a coffee table and they would not suspect anything.

S: I see. That is cunning.

C: Yes, it is, it’s crazy. There are so many little and big things that they have made that spies can use as secret weapons.

S: And these are real, not for movie sets and such?

C: Yep, they are all things that were used at some point.

S: Oh wait, you used the past tense. So these are real but maybe no longer classified, like the government no longer needs to keep them secret.

C: Yeah, at least I think so. The author is a historian and the foreword of the book is written by some real people from the intelligence world. Some guy named Richard Helms who was apparently a former director of the CIA and Markus Wolf who was the former head of the East German Foreign Intelligence Service, the HVA. This is the real CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency! And I didn’t know about the HVA, but now I do.

S: Wow! That is pretty cool. This all probably means that they have a lot of other cool stuff they are using these days, and we don’t know about them.

C: Yeah, most likely a lot. And this book was published all the way back in 2002, so definitely they must have a lot of new tools and gadgets that they are not telling us about.

S: I did notice that our copy is from 2002. There is apparently a newer edition, from 2015.

C: Oh, that is cool. Maybe that edition has a few new things. But this book was more than good enough; it definitely has enough neat things to keep me busy!

S: I can see that!

Caramel is reading Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton. — Caramel is reading *Ultimate Spy* by H. Keith Melton.

S: Okay, so tell me a bit more about the book.

C: Sure. The content is organized around some themes like Famous Spying Operations, World War II, Cold War, Post-Cold War Spying, and Equipment and Techniques. Under that last one, there are pages on Cameras, Secret Operations, Counterintelligence, Clandestine Communications, and Weapons. Finally there is a section on How To Be a Spy.

S: Hmm, it is interesting that there is some historical context to this all. And there are lots of big words in there. Did you know what “clandestine” means for example?

C: Of course. It means secret.

S: Of course, I should have guessed that. You are a little bunny with a huge vocabulary. Anyways, what else can you tell us about the book?

C: There are 206 pages. And there are many, many, many pictures on each page.

S: That makes sense. You’d want to see these gadgets of course!

C: Yeah, I definitely liked looking at them.

S: So what was your favorite gadget?

C: Probably the match box pistol, it’s small, even a bunny spy could carry it around!

S: Wait, are you interested in becoming a spy?

C: Not really. I was teasing you. It is too dangerous. But it is neat to read about them. And you know I love my Spy School books, so this book helps me put what is going on in those books into some context.

S: Alright, so maybe this is a good place to wrap up this review. You seem to have really enjoyed this book.

C: Yes. And yes.

S: So what would you like to tell our readers as we end this post?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton and learning about cool gadgets and some history, too. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Ultimate Spy* by H. Keith Melton and learning about cool gadgets and some history, too.

Marshmallow reviews Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying (A Guide for Kids and Teens) by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski, and Alistair McConville

Marshmallow occasionally reads and reviews books about how to be a good student and today she is writing about one such book: Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying (A Guide for Kids and Teens), a neat book by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski, and Alistair McConville, published originally in 2018.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you are a student, a teacher, or anyone who has felt lost in school, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): The book starts off with a note to parents and teachers who are reading the book to help a young student. The book officially starts with one of the authors, Oakley, introducing herself to the reader. She writes that she used to be a student who focused only on her liberal arts subjects, feeling that science and math (the subjects she struggled in) were not relevant to her because she was following her passions. However, I was a bit surprised to read the next sentence in which she reveals that she is now a professor of engineering—which requires a deep understanding of science and math as she admits. The enabling factor of this switch was her ability to learn how to learn. She next introduces her co-authors Sejnowski and McConville and then describes how her life changed and how she changed to adapt.

Most chapters in the book have case examples of somebody who, like Oakley, demonstrates the importance of knowing how to learn. Some of the chapter names are as follows: “The Problem with Passion,” “Easy Does It: Why Trying Too Hard Can Sometimes Be Part of the Problem,” “I’ll Do It Later, Honest! Using a Tomato to Beat Procrastination,” “Brain-Links and Fun with Space Aliens,” “Learning While You Sleep: How to Wake Up Smarter,” and “Learning Surprises: Pssst…Your Worst Traits Can Be Your Best Traits!”

One can probably tell that the book is full of interesting yet slightly silly-sounding topics. The authors talk about and teach a lot about fascinating neuroscience, but they explain everything with metaphors and cartoon drawings. There are a lot of pictures and the text of the book is large, so it is overall very comprehensible.

I liked how the authors synthesize the most relevant parts into tips at the end of the chapter. In order to teach the reader how to get better at learning, each chapter also has a list of questions to answer that help you do some active recall. I felt like these end-of-chapter activities make the book feel very interactive and energetic!

Overall, the authors provide a lot of intriguing information and shrewd advice. Some of the strategies were ones I had heard of before or have discovered on my own as a student, but a lot of them were also new to me. Each chapter focuses on a general theme or topic, expanding on the subject at hand throughout. This book is a great source for all students, teachers, and bunnies looking to get better at learning or just understand how the brain works better!

Marshmallow is reading Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying (A Guide for Kids and Teens) by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski, and Alistair McConville. — Marshmallow is reading *Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying (A Guide for Kids and Teens)* by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski, and Alistair McConville.

Marshmallow’s Review: I would highly recommend Learning How to Learn to everyone, especially students. I think (and I have heard some of my friends at school talk about this) that a lot of students feel as though they have never actually been taught how to learn. This is partially true, as most students are never told how to study or do their homework. When students are working on their own time, away from school and the direction of teachers, they are not always very good at knowing where to go or what to do. This book provides a lot of good instructions and helps steer the reader on a clearer, better path.

I regret not having read this book earlier. I will try to establish some of the habits suggested by this book and I hope that I will be better at learning and learning how to learn. I have already, on my own volition, focused a lot on how to learn and be a good student. For people also interested in this topic, I would also recommend looking at Cal Newport’s How to Be a High School Superstar and How to Become a Straight-A Student. This book is a lot more kid-friendly though, and a lot easier to read and understand. I really liked how interactive Learning How to Learn is and how it has a lot of images to break down the more complex ideas. I think the authors have done a very good thing by writing this book.

I would highly recommend that parents read Learning How to Learn with their children—the younger and earlier, the better. Too many bunnies fall behind in school because they feel like they simply aren’t smart enough to learn the material. This book shows that you don’t need to be smart, at least not in the way you think; you just need to try your best in a smarter way.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying (A Guide for Kids and Teens) by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski, and Alistair McConville 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying (A Guide for Kids and Teens)* by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski, and Alistair McConville 100%.

Caramel reviews Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

A few months ago, Caramel reviewed All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Today he reviews Artificial Condition, the second book in the Murderbot Diaries saga, written originally in 2018. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So here we are ready to talk about a new Murderbot Diaries book.

Caramel: Yeah, I like these books! This is the continuation of the first one, and I like it.

S: Okay, so maybe you can remind us a bit about what this is all about. Murderbot sounds kind of violent, like a technologically sophisticated and out-of-control killer robot.

C: It is sort of true. The main character calls himself Murderbot, and he is definitely able to kill, he just sort of doesn’t.

S: Yes, I remember. He actually calls himself Murderbot kind of tongue in cheek, like a personal inside joke. He could kill everyone, but he just does not want to. Kind of.

C: Yes, but he also is smart. He knows he is capable of killing humans, but also humans are very powerful and eventually they would capture him and melt him down. So even though humans sometimes really annoy him, he is kind of not going wild on a murderous rampage also because he does not want to die.

S: We keep saying “he” and “die” and “wants” and so on, almost humanizing him. This is a cyborg, a part-organic, part-robot creature, who has hacked his own governing module, so he has about as much free will as the humans around him.

C: Exactly. He has full control over his body and mind, and he enjoys watching soap operas instead of dealing with humans and killing things and so on. But he is a SecUnit, that means he is a security unit, his job is to defend the people who hire him, and so occasionally he has to fight.

S: In the first book, he joined a group of scientists who were surveying a planet searching for anything useful or interesting. We even ended up watching the TV series they made out of that book. I think you enjoyed that a lot.

C: Yes! I think it is more correct to say that we both enjoyed it.

S: True.

C: And this book takes over when that first book ended, and more or less where the first season of the TV show ends. Murderbot is now traveling on his own and he faces new enemies and makes new friends.

S: That sounds cool!

C: It is cool. There is a new character, a very powerful artificial intelligence, for example, and he is pretty cool. But he is annoying too, so Murderbot calls him ART in his mind. R and T stand for Research Transport, and A stands for a word I cannot say because I am a good little bunny who does not say bad words. (But don’t worry. There are not that many other bad words in the book.)

Caramel is reading Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. — Caramel is reading *Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells.

S: So it sounds like this book is quite fun too. Is it as fun as the first book?

C: Yes, maybe more fun, he is now a security advisor. And he still loves to watch his soap operas, but he is also a lot more interested in doing things, helping people, solving problems, and so on. And he is still very funny. And he makes a lot of funny sideways comments.

S: That is wonderful, Caramel. You know I still have not read the first book. I did enjoy the TV series though. And talking to you about this book makes me want to go back to that first book and read it after all. So then I can also read this one.

C: Can we maybe add the trailer?

S: We have included the trailer for the first season in your review of the first book. They do not seem to yet have the trailer for the second season, even though they apparently will have one.

C: Oh, okay. At least maybe our readers can go and check out that first trailer. The show is funny, and a lot funnier than the trailer.

S: Yes, the title “Murderbot” kind of turns off some people, but it is actually pretty funny and interesting.

C: I can see why people might not like the name, but it is not really that violent most of the time. Though there are some violent scenes. After all it is a SecUnit and has to fight sometimes.

S: Yes. Okay, maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review.

C: Sure, I can always go back to reading!

S: Sounds like a good idea. But before that, what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and is looking to read many more books in this series in the coming weeks and months. — Caramel loved reading *Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells and is looking to read many more books in this series in the coming weeks and months.

Marshmallow reviews The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger

Today Marshmallow reviews The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, a 2024 book by Zoë Schlanger.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like reading, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary: Generally, I tend to read fiction. As a result, most of the books I review here are fiction. However, this book was uniquely written and exists somewhere between the two. While it is completely centered on science and factual reality, some of the things I learned from it were so wonderful that I wonder whether we need fiction at all when nature has already provided us with such beautiful truths. (Sprinkles told me that this made her think of something the famous physicist Richard Feynman said: “I think nature’s imagination is so much greater than man’s, she’s never going to let us relax.”)

The book starts off with a modest introduction of the central question—are plants conscious? As such, the title of the first chapter is “The Question of Plant Consciousness.” The other chapters are as follows: “How Science Changes Its Mind,” “The Communicating Plant,” “Alive to Feeling,” “An Ear to the Ground,” “The (Plant) Body Keeps the Score,” “Conversations with Animals,” “The Scientist and the Chameleon Vine,” “The Social Life of Plants,” “Inheritance,” and “Plant Futures.” In each one, Schlanger focuses on a different aspect of plant life and delves into how it relates to the central question.

I’ve already been one to tend towards animism, and I did not have a difficult time considering the idea of plant consciousness; on the contrary, I found it enthralling. I loved how each example was so fantastic yet grounded in solid fact. One particularly striking example case Schlanger described was the emerald green sea slug. Ever since I read about it in this book, I have brought up this sea slug at every single opportunity I get (you’d be surprised by how many ways you can relate daily conversation to sea slugs and I’ve done them all). The slug is born brown and red, but immediately seeks out bright green micro-alga (basically, big and visible algae). It drinks up the chloroplasts, which are smooth and round circles, filling its body and turning it green. This process—with the slug’s transparent, tubelike tongue—looks just like drinking boba; this comparison delights me to this day! Then the sea slug somehow, wondrously begins to photosynthesize. While the sea slug is not a plant, Schlanger uses this creature to illustrate how the borders between animal and plant are not quite as defined as we might have once thought. This story was one of many fascinating facts I learned from this book. (It feels insufficient to say “facts” because they are more like revelations to me.)

Towards the end, Schlanger debates the nuances of what societal acceptance of plant consciousness would look like. She examines the wordings that botanists have used and would like to use. Perhaps new words and definitions will have to be made to help the public better understand that plant intelligence and / or consciousness is completely unlike those of humans or bunnies. The book ends in a rather abstract yet equally profound manner, leaving the reader wishing Schlanger had continued her marvelous writing.

Marshmallow is reading The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger. — Marshmallow is reading *The Light Eaters* by Zoë Schlanger.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think this might just be my favorite book. I did not finish it for the longest time because I didn’t want it to end. Each chapter revealed another beautiful part of nature and I felt constant awe, like one does when watching well-made documentaries.

I found Schlanger’s prose very different from what I’ve read from other writers. She writes the way that I feel she probably speaks. I don’t think she always used semicolons or other punctuation the way the standards of the English language demand; she used them more as tools to convey what she wanted. I know that this usage might bother some readers, and I was a bit taken aback initially. However, it did not counteract or undermine her words and her meaning.

I loved learning about what the world of plant and plant studies is like. Some recent events have made me start thinking about entering STEM a lot more. This book made me realize that science and the natural world has so much to explore and learn about. Regardless, I think everyone should read this book—even bunnies who don’t particularly like science. I think it raises and explores some very interesting and important questions about plants, their place on this planet, and ours. As concern for the climate becomes more and more critical, books that enlighten the public about the complexities of ecology are increasingly vital for social discussion. So, like I said at the beginning of this review, if you like reading or if you can read, then I would recommend reading this book with all of my heart.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 121%.

Marshmallow rates The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger 121%. — Marshmallow rates *The Light Eaters* by Zoë Schlanger 121%.