Tag Archives: The West

On David Quammen's "Spillover," Today's Election, and the Great Horned Owls Beside Me

Posted on November 7, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been reading David Quammen’s new book, Spillover (2012), on emerging diseases (and particularly zoonotic viruses, a la Ebola, Marburg, HIV, SARS, etc.), and I keep feeling sicker and sicker. It’s like I’m catching Ebola from reading this book. But … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Climate Change, Owls, Photography, The West, Water Crisis | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in books, Climate Change, Politics, The West, Weird Weather | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in books, The West, Weird Weather | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Review of "The Bird Saviors" in the San Antonio Express-News, and Miles & Miles of Texas

Posted on October 22, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I’m on a book tour of Texas right now, and have actually driven 1,400 miles so far, from Texline in the northeast part of the Panhandle to South Padre Island at the very southern tip of the state. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, books, The West, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

"The Bird Saviors" Texas Tour 2012: Just like ZZ Top, Only Different

Posted on October 17, 2012 by williamjcobb

So starting on Thursday I’ll be promoting my novel The Bird Saviors at various events in Texas. Just like ZZ Top, only minus the beards, the guitars, the groupies, and . . . well, okay, nothing like ZZ Top. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, books, The West | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Unicorn Sighting in Southern Colorado!

Posted on October 11, 2012 by williamjcobb

So on my drive back from Santa Fe this weekend, while passing through the rugged (and remote) Huerfano County, Colorado, I snapped this photo of that rarest of rare (horses? ponies?) one-horned wonders, a unicorn. And I swear this photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Cryptozoology, The West, Unicorns, Weird Science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

At the Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe, in Cormac McCarthy Country

Posted on October 9, 2012 by williamjcobb

So last weekend I was in Santa Fe, one of the coolest cities in the U.S., and did a reading at the Collected Works Bookstore, which is a beautiful, old-fashioned, high-quality, brick-and-mortar bookstore right off the plaza, on Galisteo Street. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Cormac McCarthy, The West | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Climate Change, The West, Weird Weather | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

On Bogus Book Reviews, Facebook Hoopla, & Why Book Reviews Even Matter

Posted on September 1, 2012 by williamjcobb

So I read with some amusement and (tempered, jaded) dismay a good piece in the NY Times about bogus, “bought” online book reviews, here. I didn’t know about any of this, exactly, but I’m not too surprised. The ‘net is … Continue reading →

Posted in books, The West, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Review of David McGlynn's "A Door in the Ocean"

Posted on August 27, 2012 by williamjcobb

So my review of David McGlynn’s just-published memoir, A Door in the Ocean, appears today in the Dallas Morning News, here. It’s a good book, and gives an interesting insider’s viewpoint of competitive swimming, how grueling and isolating it can … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, books, Photography, The West, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment