Mycophilia

Revelations From the Weird World of Mushrooms

By: Eugenia Bone

Narrated by: Aimee Jolson

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Mycophilia, accomplished food writer and cookbook author Eugenia Bone examines the role of fungi as exotic delicacy, curative, poison, and hallucinogen, and ultimately discovers that a greater understanding of fungi is key to facing many challenges of the 21st century. Engrossing, surprising, and packed with up-to-date science and cultural exploration, Mycophilia is part narrative and part primer for foodies, science buffs, environmental advocates, and anyone interested in learning a lot about one of the least understood and most curious organisms in nature.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2011 Eugenia Bone (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Absolutely awful, insufferable, racist author

This is the worst book I have ever purchased. The majority of this book is the author describing people in an insufferable wanna-be rollingstone-esque tone, focusing on people’s dress, demeanor, and her judgements of them, as well as CONSTANTLY reminding you she is a New Yorker, wears all black, and doesn’t fit in with the people she’s ‘investigating’. Then it gets to the part about migrant mushroom pickers and she just goes full blown racist. I would say less than half of this book is about mushrooms and the majority of scientific discussion is glossed over or disregarded with blatant disinterest by the author herself. Unbelievably bad. STAY AWAY

What is the point if this book?

A rambling lengthy tale of Ms Bone going to look for mushrooms with other amateurs and having nice or not so nice dinners. Maybe it gets better after three hours - I had wasted enough time by then. Lengthy pointless descriptions and a lot of uninteresting detail, but not about mushrooms: about the quirks of US mushroom enthusiasts.

Lots of interesting stories

Plenty of interesting stories and information but it doesn't go into many details on particular subjects like growing or identification.

Very interesting at every turn

I don't have much to add to all the other reviews I've seen of this book. The only downside is the quality of the recording. It sounds like it was recorded on a laptop.

Not just about food

If you could sum up Mycophilia in three words, what would they be?

Solid Mushroom information

Who was your favorite character and why?

There is only the narrator, however she talks at length about the characters she has met while mushroom hunting

Have you listened to any of Aimee Jolson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

first time listener

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed out loud several times. I was also shocked and stunned by several factoids as well.

Any additional comments?

It took me a bit of time to warm up to the tone of the author. I thought that it would basically be all about food and strange mushroom people. The content is far deeper and incredibly well researched with lots of solid thinking and deduction about her own experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Good book, shockingly bad narration

The book and content was good. Interesting and accessible.

But I had no idea one could become an audiobook narrator while mispronouncing so many basic English words. I don't mean the Latin names or location names (though it was clear no effort was even made to sound these out). No, I mean basic English words were said completely wrong. Reminded me of my college roommate who pronounced Viagra "vee-ah-gra".

Keep browsing, there are better choices available

I really wanted to like this book. It does contain "some" useful information. I downloaded the audio version for a long drive. If it had been a paper version, I would have put it down.
The author uses a chatty gossipy and often condescending writing style that can most charitably be described as annoying.
Can't recommend it.

Informative and Entertaining

Already knowledgeable mycologists might not learn much but for neophytes, the social, economic, political, and psychological aspects of human/fungal interaction are described in entertaining fashion. The narration sacrifices strictly technical objectivity for the voice of a white, New York female, memoirist. Doing so provides a dimension of human interest that a more arm's length narrative would not. Her descriptions of non-white, non-female, non-New Yorkers can be off putting to non-white, non-female, non-New Yorkers, but that's who she is and as a memoirist, she is herself, part of the story. My enjoyment of it may have been predisposed by the incredible Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake which emphasizes the mind blowing aspects of mycology. So in addition to being predisposed to enjoy the extensive descriptions she provides of the various people and aspects of all things mushroom, comparing her descriptions of some of the same subjects to his, was great fun.

fantastic fungal voyage

fantastic fungal voyage. would recommend this to any one wanting an introduction into the fungal world

Enjoyable but narrator just ok

Narrator mispronounces several words and in some cases doesn't even correct where she's had a tongue twister. I can forgive her for her shaky Latin but ultimately she reads this like a news report rather than a journalistic adventure in passion and curiosity. He voice is pretty enough and did not impede too much enjoyment of this book.