I enjoyed the scientific bits and the bits on cricket keeping and occasional poetry. I'd have benifitted from a greater understanding of the musical terms involved, rhythm, tone,etc. didn't have the accompanying cd, which I think would have greatly enhanced the experience ( )

I couldn't have read this at a more perfect time. A book that exalts the wonder and beauty of insect song, and I started it right at the beginning of the 17-year cicada emergence of 2016 here in Ohio. I live in a heavily wooded area, so I read it with the sound of them penetrating the walls of my home, and hear them now as I type this review.

Unfortunately, I went into it with the wrong mindset. I was under the impression that it was written by a scientist studying the psychological impact of insects sounds on human music. I was imagining a study in which that scientist compared local insect noises with indigenous music to find similarities. Alas, that's not the case at all.

Bug Music is written by a musician, a man with an eccentric mind for artistic expression. Though there is the occasional foray into science, it would be better described as a work of philosophy and musical theory. David Rothenberg likes the sound of insects, and he ruminates like a person with a poetic mind does - with passion bordering on obsession.

All that is great and all, but as a more logical-minded and rational person, I don't think he and I are on the same wavelength. I found his theories irksome, and his way of writing too informal for my taste. For example, when quoting a few-hundred-years-old passage, he remarks that the author uses "creative spelling," as if it's his first time reading an old document, reminding me of a teenager writing a high school report and trying/failing to inject his paper with humor. There are also lengthy off topic passages, such as when he goes on for several pages about various musical artists he likes.

The book isn't terrible if you know what you are getting into, but it wasn't really my thing, and I felt like I was forcing myself to read the last few chapters. ( )