Dominion

"An eloquent polemic against human abuse of animals, culminating with a devastating description of factory farming." —Peter Singer, The New York Review of Books In Dominion, we witness the annual convention of Safari Club International, an organization whose wealthier members will pay up to $20,000 to hunt an elephant, a lion or another animal, either abroad or in American "safari ranches," where the animals are fenced in pens. We attend the annual International Whaling Commission conference, where the skewed politics of the whaling industry come to light, and the focus is on developing more lethal, but not more merciful, methods of harvesting "living marine resources." And we visit a gargantuan American "factory farm," where animals are treated as mere product and raised in conditions of mass confinement, bred for passivity and bulk, inseminated and fed with machines, kept in tightly confined stalls for the entirety of their lives, and slaughtered in a way that maximizes profits and minimizes decency. Throughout Dominion, Scully counters the hypocritical arguments that attempt to excuse animal abuse: from those who argue that the Bible's message permits mankind to use animals as it pleases, to the hunter's argument that through hunting animal populations are controlled, to the popular and "scientifically proven" notions that animals cannot feel pain, experience no emotions, and are not conscious of their own lives. Matthew Scully's eye-opening, painful and infuriating, insightful and rewarding work is a book of lasting power and importance for all of us. "Scully has written what is surely destined to become a classic defense of mercy. A master of language, he leaves a memorable phrase on virtually every page." —Nicols Fox, The Washington Post

Wry Writer wrote on her blog about the Great British Bake Off Book Challenge.

Here is mine.

ON YOUR MARKS – A Book You Can’t Wait To Read

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel. I’m a huge fan of her books and am really looking forward to this one. Comes out September 15, 2026.

SIGNATURE BAKE – A Book From Your Favourite Genre

I love survival stories. There are many great books out there, but the most recent one for me was 117 Days Adrift by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey. Another great one is Left for Dead by Eric Jay Dolin.

SHOWSTOPPER – A Book With A Beautiful Cover

I love the outdoors and hiking; I found this cover beautiful and creative. A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko.

SOGGY BOTTOM – A Book That Made You Cry

Oof. Lots of books make me cry, but this one was so powerful, raw, and full of hope that I cried many times while reading it. When Breath Becomes air by Paul Kalanithi.

HOLLYWOOD HANDSHAKE – Your Perfect Book

My perfect book is hard to nail down. All books are beautiful and perfect for different reasons, but mine would include animals, the outdoors, kind humans, and some history. That about describes Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton for me. I just loved the book. So, it’s a double entry on this list for me.

LEAVING THIS WEEK – A Book You Didn’t Finish

Always remember the words of Doris Lessing:

” There is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those, dropping them when they bore you, skipping the parts that drag – and never, never reading anything because you feel you ought, or because it is part of a trend or a movement. Remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty- and vice versa. Don’t read a book out of its right time for you. " ~ Doris Lessing

Don’t be afraid to stop reading a book. It may not be your time.

I’ve stopped many books, and you should too. Dive deep into new genres and try reading a book that doesn’t even look good to you. Explore. You may just be surprised by what you find.

Three recent books I DNF.

Dominion by Matthew Scully

Dominion by Tom Holland.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

STAR BAKER – A Five Star Read

Last years 5 star read was hands down Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. Another one that everyone should read is Foster by Claire Keegan.

AND THE WINNER IS – A Book By A Favourite Author

A hands-down favorite author is Maria Popova. I love how she writes. Her latest book, Traversal, was outstanding.

And you, Avid Reader, what would make it into your Great British Bake Off list?