Ms. Adventure by Jess Phoenix

On a non-fiction binge of sorts (for me), I listened to this book on audio. First, I must mention that my enjoyment of the experience was because of the author’s narration. Her enthusiasm and love for the subject in question and her gradual improvement in scientific standing was evident. To be frank, I may not have enjoyed the entire thing as much if I had read it. This is because each chapter focuses on a different place, time and situation for Jess. She graduates through different stages in her life, and her thoughts jump around a little even within a chapter. It was good to hear as if someone sitting across from me and is following a train of thought to give me maximum entertainment (as my friends have sometimes accused me of- the random train of thought jumping, not the entertaining part). To read it would have been another matter.
We have someone who began her journey with volcanoes as a fortuitous one by happening to stumble on it. Then she goes on to trace the various ways she worked on the little that luck gave her to progress in the field. The science is fascinating, as is the wonder Jess feels for what any of that implies. Given her background in English, the turns of phrases for some of the descriptions do throw up a very vivid picture. I was listening to it while nursing a cold and still enjoyed it (and that is definitely an endorsement, as many would attest), my husband caught snippets of it during the narrative, and he found even those random bits quite entertaining.
I took a geology boat tour two years ago in Hong Kong. In the middle, the guide happened to mention that it was estimated that the place where we were was part of the mouth of where a volcano would have been. Given the breadth of what we could see, I felt awed by the concept. The same awe was once again simulated during the time I was listening to this. I would have liked a little more continuity in the narrative, even if it meant another chapter or two tying the different times together. This is probably my only tiny suggestion with this work.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.