Read: Heat 2

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Full disclosure, I am a huge Michael Mann fan. I have no desire to be a unit photographer, but if Michael Mann asked if I wanted to spend time on set, I’d be packing my bags. Anyone who is a …

Read: Blowback

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Hear me out. I know this might sound odd, but if you are a Trump supporter you should read this book. Of course the book isn’t flattering to Trump, but one thing I’ve found very peculiar about my MAGA friends …

Read: The Last Five

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There are probably some new folks joining us here on Shifter. After my announcement about leaving YouTube, I mentioned I was transitioning back to life on my own little island. For those new to this channel, just know I typically …

Read: When We Cease To Understand The World

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I love this book. Benjamin Labatut’s “When We Cease to Understand the World,” is a masterful blend of fact and fiction detailing the lives of some of the most important players in the scientific and mathematical worlds. Yes, you read …

Read: The Birds of Heaven

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I’ve long been an admirer of Peter Matthiessen although I find his books to be semi-dense reads.(The lone exception is The Snow Leopard, one of my top ten books.) This isn’t a bad thing because what you learn from his …

Read: The Last Ride of the Pony Express

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Everyone seems to think I read a lot, but in my estimation I’m not that uncommon. I just choose to read while others choose to watch TV, surf the web or sit around doing terrible things to their dog with …

Read: The River at the Center of the World

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It’s somewhat unfair to the authors of the books that follow Simon Winchester. There are travel/adventure writers and there are serious travel/adventure writers. He’s the latter. Great story, great detail but reads so effortlessly. Winchester’s “The River at the Center …

Read: My Own Devices

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What a peculiar book. I have Paul Reitano to thank for this. Paul did a portrait session with me then tossed this book in my direction. This is a Milnor tactic, for sure. I used to carry stacks of books …

Read: River House

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If there was any doubt about one of the coolest things in the world being a powerful woman then River House will put to rest any remaining debate. Sarahlee Lawrence is a badass. She guides Class V rivers around the …

Read: The Correspondents

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Anytime I see a book with the word “correspondents” in the title, well, I stop and pick it up, and in the case of Tim Murphy’s “The Correspondents,” I’m glad I did. I was actually searching for another of Murphy’s …

Read: Flight Paths

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Turns out bird migration is a complicated thing. This fact is covered in Rebecca Heisman’s “Flight Paths,” a book I enjoyed immensely. Why does the blackpoll warbler’s summer grounds now extend three hundred and seventy miles further north than it …

Read: Bicycling with Butterflies

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Sara Dykman rode her bicycle over ten thousand miles following the monarch butterfly migration, a journey captured in her “Bicycling with Butterflies.” Okay, makes my little cycling jaunts seem inconsequential. For those of you thinking you should read this book …