Tag: bookhook

  • What to do when the oceans rise

    Last week I published my first book review at PLoS Biology with UNC undergraduate Lauren-Kristine Pryzant.  We read and wrote about Tim McClanahan and Josh Cinner’s excellent new book, “Adapting to a Changing Environment: Confronting the Consequences of Climate Change“.   We tried to bring the lessons in the book from Africa home by discussing climate…

  • Five things I didn’t know about the ocean

    My review of Professor Callum Roberts’ new book The Ocean of Life has just come out in Toronto’s Globe and Mail. This is the follow up to his first book An unnatural history of the sea (it was one of the Five Books I picked for the Browser) – it dives into the history of how we’ve stripped…

  • Brian Skerry on thinking like a fish and the future

    In the final part of my interview with National Geographic underwater photographer, Brian Skerry, I give him the chance to talk to the fishes, to meet any animal in the ocean, and on a more serious note I ask for his thoughts on the future of the oceans. And don’t forget, Brian’s new book, Ocean…

  • Brian Skerry on image making

    In the second installment of my chat with oceans photographer, Brian Skerry, I ask him about how he goes about capturing ocean soul on camera. And Brian gives the inside scoop on shooting pictures for National Geographic. Helen: What goes through your mind when you’re underwater with your camera? Brian: Depending on the dive, many…

  • Brian Skerry tapping into Ocean Soul

    This week, Book Hook features a series of exclusive Seamonster interviews with award-winning underwater photographer, Brian Skerry. Brian has been taking photographs underwater for thirty years and these days you’ll see his pictures regularly gracing the pages of National Geographic Magazine. His new book, Ocean Soul, features a breathtaking selection of his work, displayed in…

  • The story of seahorses – what happened next? (Final part)

    In the third and final installment of my series of posts continuing the story of seahorses following the publication of my book Poseidon’s Steed, there is one more advance in the world of seahorse science I want to mention – followed by the answer to a question I get asked quite a bit: what happened to the…

  • The story of seahorses – what happened next? (Part 2)

    Continuing my series of posts this week that picks up the story of seahorses where my book, Poseidon’s Steed left off, here is an update on the international trade in seahorses:   Illegal seahorse trade rages on A study by Vincent Nijman showed that between 1998-2007, around 16 million seahorses were exported from Southeast Asia (along with millions…

  • The story of seahorses – what happened next? (Part 1) Spoiler alert!

    Writing a book about seahorses gave me a wonderful opportunity to shine some light into the obscure lives of these fascinating little fish. But of course, the thing about books (at least the old fashioned, paper kind) is that they fix events at a certain point in time when in reality the story carries on. In…

  • Seahorses for christmas

    If you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas gift then how about some seahorses, in the shape of our very own Helen Scales’ book, Poseidon’s Steed (out now in paperback, kindle, & you might still find a copy in hardback out there too). Here’s a recent review of Poseidon’s Steed from Clare at Learn to Dive…

  • Helen Scales’ five ocean books

    To continue our new series BOOK HOOK here’s my top five sea reads, which come courtesy of The Browser who recently gave me the delicious task of  picking my top 5 books about the ocean – a perfect challenge to set an ocean fanatic/writer like myself. The only trouble I had was narrowing down to JUST FIVE…