A Walk: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About)
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)
“Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight and may just change how you look at the world around you.” - TODAY Show
A simple walk around the block set journalist Spike Carlsen, bestselling author of A Splintered History of Wood, off to investigate everything he could about everything we take for granted in our normal life—from manhole covers and recycling bins to bike lanes and stoplights.
In this celebration of the seemingly mundane, Carlsen opens our eyes to the engineering marvels, human stories, and natural wonders right outside our front door. He guides us through the surprising allure of sewers, the intricacies of power plants, the extraordinary path of an everyday letter, and the genius of recycling centers—all the while revealing that this awesome world isn’t just a spectator sport.
Engaging as it is endearing, A Walk Around the Block will change the way you see things in your everyday life. Join Carlsen as he strolls through the trash museum of New York City, explores the quirky world of squirrels, pigeons, and roadkill, and shows us how understanding stoplights, bike lanes, and fine art of walking can add years to our lives. In the end, he brings a sense of wonder into your average walk around the block, wherever you are. Guaranteed.
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Spike Carlsen. (2020). A Walk: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About). HarperCollins.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Spike Carlsen. 2020. A Walk: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About). HarperCollins.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Spike Carlsen, A Walk: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About). HarperCollins, 2020.
MLA Citation (style guide)Spike Carlsen. A Walk: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About). HarperCollins, 2020.
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Spike Carlsen is the author of seven books, including "A Splintered History of Wood: Belt Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers and Baseball Bats," which was selected as a NPR "Best Book of the Year for Gift Giving." He is former Executive Editor of Family Handyman magazine and has written articles for The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Men's Health, MAKE, Fine Homebuilding, Mother Earth News and other publications. He has made appearances on Modern Marvels, the CBS Early Show, Cabin Living, The Weekend Today Show, HGTV's "25 Biggest Renovating Mistakes" and many other national radio and television shows. Spike is an avid cyclist and woodworker. He and his wife Kat live in Stillwater, Minnesota in close proximity to their 5 kids and 9 granddaughters. Visit him at spikecarlsen.com.
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“Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight and may just change how you look at the world around you.” - TODAY Show
A simple walk around the block set journalist Spike Carlsen, bestselling author of A Splintered History of Wood, off to investigate everything he could about everything we take for granted in our normal life—from manhole covers and recycling bins to bike lanes and stoplights.
In this celebration of the seemingly mundane, Carlsen opens our eyes to the engineering marvels, human stories, and natural wonders right outside our front door. He guides us through the surprising allure of sewers, the intricacies of power plants, the extraordinary path of an everyday letter, and the genius of recycling centers—all the while revealing that this awesome world isn’t just a spectator sport.
Engaging as it is endearing, A Walk Around the Block will change the way you see things in your everyday life. Join Carlsen as he strolls through the trash museum of New York City, explores the quirky world of squirrels, pigeons, and roadkill, and shows us how understanding stoplights, bike lanes, and fine art of walking can add years to our lives. In the end, he brings a sense of wonder into your average walk around the block, wherever you are. Guaranteed.
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"Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight...he may just change how you look at the world around you." — TODAY Show
"No neighborhood walk will ever be the same after Spike Carlsen reveals to you the extraordinary origins of your ordinary surroundings. His grand storytelling style will make you wonder why you've always taken for granted alleyways, asphalt, and manhole covers, and how your ancestors could ever have lived without them." — Rebecca Martin, technical editor, Mother Earth News and Grit
"Writing in the mode of Edward Humes, David Owen, and Mary Roach, Carlsen offers an eye-opening and exuberantly informative walk-around-the-block tour that is made-to-order for this time of necessary at-homeness." — Booklist (starred review)
"Carlsen takes 'mundane' objects and illuminates their importance to society, creating a unique book that will have readers looking at everyday objects in different ways."
— Library Journal"An entertaining and informative read" — Physics Today
"A Walk Around the Block succeeds in making the mundane fascinating, opening our minds (and front doors) to an everyday world easily taken for granted." — Bookpage (starred review)
"This book is going to make you observe your world differently, which will lessen your stuck-at-home boredom." — Philadelphia Tribune
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Starred review from September 1, 2020
The day no water flowed from his faucets, Minnesota-based carpenter and writer Carlsen realized that he knew nothing about all the things that sustain us. This inspired a home-centered yet wide-roaming investigation and this lively, funny, surprising, anecdotal, and enlightening chronicle. Carlsen crisply illuminates the history and mechanics of our water and power supply systems, streets and sidewalks, and garbage and recycling processing. Nature is honored in his tributes to all the wonders trees bestow upon us and the remarkable yet maligned lives of pigeons and squirrels. Each curious detail about fire hydrants, sewage, front porches, and parking alters the way we see our habitats. Carlsen's immersion in the postal system, an urgent subject as the pandemic and looming presidential election converge, leads to a fresh look at the evolution of communication technologies and the cellphone-oriented equipment we can spy on our neighborhood strolls. Environmental concerns shape his observations and are pinpointed in practical Walk the Walk sections, while he has fun with statistics in Hacks & Facts lists. He also advocates for walking, noting both physical and mental benefits. Writing in the mode of Edward Humes, David Owen, and Mary Roach, Carlsen offers an eye-opening and exuberantly informative walk-around-the-block tour that is made-to-order for this time of necessary at-homeness.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
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October 1, 2020
When Carlson (A splintered History of Wood) encounters a plumbing problem, he begins to reflect on how his water is consistently delivered to him. He realizes that he knows very little about where his water comes from, which leads him into an existential awakening about not knowing enough about the world right outside his front door. Reflecting on the fact that many of us don't realize the engineering and natural marvels that are an integral part of our daily life, this book is an investigative journey to helping us better understand common elements of daily living that most of us take for granted. Carlson's story becomes less about things and more about people. He spends time with postal workers and trash recycling operators in an effort to better understand the world that exists in many of our day-to-day lives. It becomes a practical experience that imparts advice and wisdom we all can use to better understand the world we live in. VERDICT Carlson takes "mundane" objects and illuminates their importance to society, creating a unique book that will have readers looking at everyday objects in different ways.--Gary Medina, El Camino Coll., Torrance, CA
Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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“Carlsen sees a world of wonder hiding in plain sight and may just change how you look at the world around you.” - TODAY Show
A simple walk around the block set journalist Spike Carlsen, bestselling author of A Splintered History of Wood, off to investigate everything he could about everything we take for granted in our normal life—from manhole covers and recycling bins to bike lanes and stoplights.
In this celebration of the seemingly mundane, Carlsen opens our eyes to the engineering marvels, human stories, and natural wonders right outside our front door. He guides us through the surprising allure of sewers, the intricacies of power plants, the extraordinary path of an everyday letter, and the genius of recycling centers—all the while revealing that this awesome world isn’t just a spectator sport.
Engaging as it is endearing, A Walk Around the Block will change the way you see things in...
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