#greatauk

I have been having trouble reading as of late.

For over a year now I've been trying to reignite my passion for reading by trying different books. Every single book has ended the same way, giving up after a chapter or two and stopping in place of my own art, video games or some other distraction. I have not successfully read a full novel since January of 2025(?) where I read an alternate history novel from the 50s. Since then I've unsuccessfully tried reading a whole myriad of different books from biographies to comedies to adventures and been unable to get into any. The last book I tried was 'I Remember Lemuria by Richard Shaver (1945)' and while that was interesting at the start I don't like reading on my phone and couldn't find a physical copy. The next books I am intending to try are either 'I, Claudius by Robert Graves (1934)' or 'Mastodonia by Clifford D. Simak (1978)'. Failing those I may just retry 'Carry On Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (1925)'.

Because of my growing frustration with this I decided to make a image of all the books I've tried (or plan to try) this past year lying around my frustrated penguin. Maybe posting this will subconsciously help me get back into reading by forcing me to see the absurdity of all these failed attempts. If anyone has any suggestions for something 'comfy' to read I'll give it a shot. Taking any suggestions including fanfictions. Not interested in any non-fiction, comics, manga or VNs however. I'd prefer something I don't need a screen to read (fanfics are an exception).

The Great Auk: the 'original' penguin

This is the Great Auk! An animal that is extinct since the 19th century.

With its distinctive white patch situated between the eyes and beak, the great auk was also the first bird to bear the name "Penguin": with "Pen" in Welsh for "Head" and "Gwyn" for "White".Sailors then continued to use the term, not only for this particular bird, but also for any other diving and flightless bird seen in the southern hemisphere: the penguins we know today!

This bird was about 75 centimeters in length and weighed some 5 kg. That's quite large in comparison to its extant relatives. The great auk could have been able to dive as deep as 70 meters, while remaining underwater for up to 15 minutes.

But their aquatic prowess may have come at the expense of their land-based abilities. Due to the placement of their legs, very far back, great auks moved very slowly once on land, which made them easy prey.To keep away from predators, great auks spent their breeding seasons on islands, gathered in large groups.

Unfortunately, this made them easy targets for hunters: these birds were sought after for their meat, as well as their skin and feathers as a resource to create objects, or their grease for lamp oil. Others were captured and used as fishing bait.

Laws were created in an attempt to save the species, but this over-hunting, added to the loss of their habitat, had caused too much damage for the population of great auks.In 1835, the last surviving colony of about 40 individuals was discovered on the Eldey Island.

At the same time, the fewer individuals left, the more valuable these animals were for rich European collectors. In 1844, the last couple of great auks was killed by a group of hunters along with their unhatched eggs, marking the end of this species.