Category Archives: Weird Weather

"The Bird Saviors" as an Example of "Cli-Fi": The Hot, New Literary Subgenre—Climate Fiction

Posted on April 20, 2013 by williamjcobb

So I’m amused to see this piece on NPR books, which defines a new literary subgenre called Cli-Fi, for Climate Fiction, via a good friend (Thanks, Elizabeth!), here. I’ve noticed a number of novels that have elements of Climate Change … Continue reading →

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Brace Yourself for Weird Weather: On Reading "The Year Without Summer" in the Year Without a Spring

Posted on April 6, 2013 by williamjcobb

So one of the reasons books like William and Nicholas Klingaman’s The Year Without Summer: 1816 have much resonance at the moment is that scientists are warning we’re at the cusp of a period of chaotic and unpredictable weather, due … Continue reading →

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Snow Drought in Colorado & the I-Told-You-So Problem With Climate Change

Posted on March 3, 2013 by williamjcobb

So this year’s snowpack is pathetic in Colorado and other points West, which is a harbinger of a further summer drought, as detailed in the New York Times, here. Count me as one of those West lovers who are in … Continue reading →

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"The Bird Saviors" on a List of Best Books of 2012, Plus Is It Getting Hot, or What?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by williamjcobb

So I was glad to learn today (belatedly, but better late than never) that my novel The Bird Saviors was listed as one of the Best Books of 2012 by the San Antonio Express-News, to which I say, “Wow, man. … Continue reading →

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While Reading Melanie Challenger's "On Extinction," Life in "The Other Season"

Posted on December 3, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I’ve begun reading Melanie Challenger’s On Extinction, to review for the Dallas Morning News, a timely book when Climate Change is panting its hot breath down our neck like an oily wolf: the weather has been so warm this … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West, Water Crisis, Weird Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Interview on Montana Public Radio About "The Bird Saviors"

Posted on November 27, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I’m busy with writing a new novel and haven’t made much time for posting here lately, though I’ve been busy rereading Pete Dexter’s Paris Trout (1988) while also reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), as both are … Continue reading →

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Peak Oil & Climate Change Loom, While We Keep Our Fingers in Our Ears

Posted on November 4, 2012 by williamjcobb

So Hurricane (or Superstorm) Sandy has put Climate Change back in the headlines, where it will probably disappear after a couple weeks, replaced by something that Kim Kardashian or Lindsay Lohan does or wears. But for now it’s heartening to … Continue reading →

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On David Quammen's "Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic": Viruses of the Future

Posted on November 1, 2012 by williamjcobb

So on this post-Halloween day I’m reading David Quammen’s just-published book of nonfiction, Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, which is gripping from the get-go. He starts by describing the Hendra virus in Australia, one I had never heard … Continue reading →

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Reading from "The Bird Saviors" in Santa Fe, at Collected Works Bookstore, Oct 4th, 6-7 pm, & 4,000 miles of the Wild West

Posted on October 1, 2012 by williamjcobb

So for the month of September I’ve driven over 4,000 miles, traveling to Montana and Wyoming for the first three weeks, then finishing off the month with readings from The Bird Saviors in Durango & Boulder, Colorado. I have to … Continue reading →

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Lewis & Clark's Lolo Pass Campsite, 207 years later

Posted on September 17, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I’m traveling in Montana just now, and visited Lolo Pass and the Glade Creek campsite of the Lewis & Clark “Corps of Discovery” almost exactly 207 years after they were there (they passed through on September 13th, 1805, and … Continue reading →

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