My favourite science writing

I am in Cape Cod hanging out with scientists at the Provincetown Coastal Studies institute. It’s work, honestly, though when the skies and seas are blue and the sun is shining, it doesn’t feel like it. It was a glorious day during which I saw right whales, humpbacks, minkes, finns, grey seals and harbour porpoises, the sight of every single one feeling like the grandest privilege, and I come back to my hotel room to find this lovely piece by Chrissie Giles of the Wellcome Institute, in which she judges The Big Necessity her favourite piece of science writing. It is funny that today I was telling one of the scientists how weird it feels that my book is considered a science book when I was so bad at the subject at school, and that I in no way feel like one. It is a lovely review not least because she quotes something that no other reviewer has, but which is one of my favourite bits of the book, ie the encounter with the Japanese hair salon receptionist.  Thank you, Chrissie.