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| Macquarie Island photo by NASA Earth Observatory |
Dear Bookclub,
An enthusiastic discussion of Charlotte McConaghy's "Wild Dark Shore" emerged as our group gathered at Sammy's in Scripps Ranch, germinated by a satisfying lunch in air conditioned splendor. Well-liked, our discussion bounced around from appreciating the scientific and environmental aspects to feeling the burden of the dramatic aspects. Our attempt at editing, slowed to a standstill as the tightly woven plot just had too high a thread-count and no wiggle room easily presented. We might have extracted a few dead scientists.
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Svalbard Global Seed Vault |
https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/food-fisheries-and-agriculture/svalbard-global-seed-vault/id462220/
The deep dive into the concept of a seed vault will keep this novel in focus in our memory banks. The existence of them, while known to us, has an interesting history. According to the website "How Stuff Works", there are about 1400 seed banks around the world:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/seed-bank.htm
Truly informative, this seemed like an elementary website - literally! - with a younger set in mind. But it is not, being the brain child of Marshall Brain (https://marshallbrain.com/ ), who specialized in making complicated concepts easily understandable.
Marshall Brain, according to wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Brain) was an author, public speaker, futurist, businessman and academic. Sadly, he died in November 2024; please read further about how he is remembered in this North Carolina State publication:
"From stories shared over the past several weeks, Brain is remembered by the NC State community and broader entrepreneurship community for his curiosity and ability to explain complex topics clearly to all audiences. Many shared that he made them feel seen and encouraged their ideas."
https://entrepreneurship.ncsu.edu/news/2025/03/12/remembering-and-honoring-marshall-brain/
Climbing out of the rabbit hole and circling back to Charlotte McConaghy, this young Australian author's talent in weaving together the poetry of nature with fear is undeniable. This novel is just one of many the 38 year-old has published. I counted eleven on one list and then found another that appeared to list seventeen.
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| ausromtoday.com |
Beginning at age 14, she wrote fantasy comics for young readers and continued with series of books in that same genre. McConaghy has a degree in scriptwriting and film studies from Australian Film Television and Radio School. Please enjoy this American Booksellers Association short interview with her:
Terry's suggestions for an upcoming read:
“Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love” Dani Shapiro
“The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook” Hampton Sides *chosen
“Listen for the Lie”Amy Tintera
Up next:
LK
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