Entangled Life. How fungi make our world, change our minds, and shape our futures (2020)
358pp, Non fiction
Notes
2020-12-16
Melon Sheldrake’s epic book about mycology. Entangled Life is a book that I’ve wanted to read for a few years, longer than I’ve known about the book for, longer that it’s existed. Probably around the time of Michael Polans book about psychedelic drugs came out, or maybe before that when I found out you could buy bags of mycorrhizal fungus from the garden centre I decided I really wanted to read a good general overview of the current state of the study of fungus. Then low and behold! Last year that very book came out.
there’s plenty of memorable fungus facts in the book and sheldrake distances himself from the more over the top speculations of people like Paul Stamett (whilst dutifully recounting them). One small bit that stuck out for me was where he talks about how for a short period in the early 2000s you could easily buy psilocybin mushrooms at Camden market. Apparently they sold in huge quantities (can’t remember the numbers and the book is shelved elsewhere) presumably leading to a spike in magic mushroom related crime and thus the requirement to crack down on the whole thing.
ANYWAY. I wanted to read a book and the universe duly provided it. Dear universe next I’d like to read a book about zooids please.