A (Very) Short History of Life On Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters

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This book gives a fascinating and easily understandable overview of the rise and progress of life on Earth.

I use a musical term intentionally - this feels like a well-crafted piece of music, pushing us on to the big finish. The only unfortunate omission is the inclusion of some sketches or illustrations to show the reader what some of the fascinating creatures might have looked like. Some of the names of long extinct creatures were tongue twisters but how amazing to have a freeze frame time chart of how life has evolved looking at time from an evolutionary perspective rather than our own time reference - life learning how to adapt and grow in the challenges of existing in a volatile (though sometimes balmy) but always changing planet. Some of these creatures are as large as twelve centimeters across, so hardly microscopic, but they are so strange in form to our modern eyes that their relationship with algae, fungi, or other organisms is obscure.

At times I have felt unable to fathom how insignificant our troubles and tribulations are in the grand scheme of things. BACKBONE AND MOVING FROM SEA TO LAND: After this, creatures began to form a singular tube which ran from their mouth to their anus – the gut. The pull of gravity squeezed the gas at the cloud’s center so much that atoms began to fuse together. As for those who prefer books with illustrations, here's my advice: Take your time reading the book slowly.

The first time I read it, it took me a while as I made the point of looking up on my phone every creature mentioned, and I recommend doing that too. However, I was listening to the book, and not reading it, and this is where the experience really fell short for me. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is explaining how we should currently be living in an idyllic period of warmth due to the way that the Earth sits on its axis and revolves around the Sun. Creatures are engagingly personified, from ‘gregarious’ bacteria populating the seas to duelling dinosaurs in the Triassic period to magnificent mammals with the future in their (newly evolved) grasp.A log cabin with a roof and walls is still a haven from the arctic blast outside, even if its door bangs and its windows rattle.