Review 278: The Nature of Oaks

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Douglas W. Tallamy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A highly informative book about Oak trees. The book format followed the months, although skipped a couple, and started with October (as that was when Tallamy’s book writing began). Tallamy wrote with a bit of humor, which was nice, not often found in academic writings, and this one did cite references where appropriate.

Thoroughly enjoyed the focus on Oaks, yet Tallamy spread out to also the critters that live off the tree for food. When it got to the moths, wasps and other bug-types I found myself getting squeamish. Tallamy was comprehensive.

Tallamy seems to assume that everyone reading his book has a yard, could plant trees if they so choose. This view is coming from privilege. What about people who rent? Or those who own a condo, or some property but not allowed to plant? Even we who do not own land can enjoy trees. I wished for a little bit there, for those who don’t have the backyard daily connection, or at least an acknowledgement. Also, I would have liked a little on the fungus and problems of Oaks. California has been having problems with this for years, but no mention.

Now that I read the book, perhaps I can say that Oaks are my third favorite tree (behind Redwood and Pine).

Also want to add that I felt like I went through this book too quickly, not retaining enough information on oaks. Perhaps I'll revisit the book again. 

Review 277: Meantime

Meantime by Katharine Noel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nothing super special about this story. A marriage that falls apart mostly while he's in the hospital, almost died from an infection that went sepsis. His ex-girlfriend from high school had recently come into the picture...somewhat obvious what was going to happen.

I didn't take notes while reading, and read it within a week. A few months later and I barely remember the story. I was slightly bored while reading it and was just happy it was done and off my bookshelves and thrown into the giveaway to go box.  Reading some other reviews many say how weird or odd the book was, and I didn't get that sense. Just it was obvious the plot. It seemed the couple in question shouldn't have married anyway, more like a fluke they did since they were fairly different and he was not the type of person she usually went out with, yet they managed a married for a while. The dog and an ex-boyfriend of hers came into the picture as well.

Review 276: A Wild Idea

A Wild Idea: The True Story of Douglas Tompkins—The Greatest Conservationist by Jonathan Franklin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s hard not to like what Doug Tompkins has accomplished and his vision for an improved planet. Yet I don’t think I like the man, or at least the way he was portrayed here in this book. Tompkins comes off as arrogant, dismissive and perhaps a narcissist. He had two kids and was barely a father to them, yet it’s said in the book several times how much he loved them, and yes acknowledged he likely did not do enough to express that love to his kids. Really, who leaves his newborn baby and wife when they just started up a company, to go adventuring for six months? And this is way before cell phones!

Tompkins was smart, no doubt about that. He would dive deep into a topic until he knew it very well. He did this with design and ecology, among other topics. He started several very successful businesses: The North Face and Esprit. The Patagonia company is detailed in the book as well, as it was founded by a fellow climbing and adventure buddy.

Tompkins was an all or nothing guy. Once he decided to turn his attention to environmental causes, he sold out of his clothing company. He used that money to fund others, occasionally, but mostly he created his own non-profit and bought a lot of land in the interest of creating a huge park in the Patagonia region. Tompkins wanted to preserve the land. He clashed with the locals and government officials, even though his intentions were noble. It was his way or no way. He led a full life, that’s for certain, but perhaps it was at the cost of those close to him.

Thanks to HarperOne and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. Although I had access to the eBook I ended up listening to the audio book version.

Review 275: Zachary’s Horses

Zachary’s Horses by Stan Krumm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A western! I got into the story. Somewhat fun.

It's (nearly) the wild west, but more subdued as this is Victoria, Vancouver Island soon to be part of Canada. The book has a western feel, the main character Zachary is hiding out from the law with a new name, but he didn't do what he's been accused of. Now he's married to a Chinese woman and run The Celestial hotel. The main focus of the book is a big horse race that Zachary is peripherally involved in, and his son's governess with her mysterious background.

This is book 2 in a series, and did not read the first. It may have improved enjoyment having read the first, but I don't feel like I missed anything terribly important without it.

Review 274: Holdout

Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not quite the science fiction book I was expecting, had more politics thrown in, but it mostly kept my interest. 

This isn’t solely a science fiction book that takes place in space. Instead, it ties space, specifically the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth. Walli Beckworth, an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts are on the ISS when a supply mission goes wrong. They narrowly avoid catastrophe, but the small impact created some problems especially for the three humans. The protocol is to abandon the space station and at the last minute Walli doesn’t board the shuttle stating she “Prefers not to.” Thus, begins her time as the “holdout” and the reason the world soon learns is to protest over the burning of the Amazon forests, destroying the ecosystem and native peoples of Brazil. Walli not only has the environmental concern in mind but also her niece who is more like a daughter, caught up in the middle of the fires as she is there as an aide worker. She asks the United States to intervene, which coincidentally a vote is scheduled just a few days away.

We have many viewpoints in this story, ranging from the presidents of Brazil and the United States, political figures, Russians, and of course, Walli and her niece. The politics and protests take up most of the book, but there are a few “space” moments when the space station is in peril and Walli has to do a space walk which she wasn’t trained for and is unheard of doing this all alone. Also, what happens when the Russian shut down part of their modules.

I didn’t feel very tied to Walli or her story, or really to any character in the novel. There were so many views presented that the story didn’t feel solid in any one way. I had hopes for more of a space story than a political one. This book has the feel like The Martian but it didn't reach quite that far, not enough character development of Walli and too much on the ground to balance out.

Thanks to Dutton/Penguin Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 273: Dare to Know

Dare to Know by James Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We have the unusual world of salesmen who can calculate using subject math the exact date of your death. This is told in first person, we follow this one guy, a salesperson, who’s better days are way behind him. The book is told mostly of looking back, and details get layered on, so specific moments and events take on more meaning as the book progresses.

It's a spiraling of despair and then into a hallucinogenic tale to where it is unclear what is reality or not. Death is the center of this book as is fairy tales, which leads one to suppose there will be the happily-ever-after, except this is a satire. It’s an odd one to be sure. A bit too magical realism for me, but for the right reader this will be a good book.

Review 272: Vanishing Edge

Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A mystery where one isn’t quite sure the person dead was killed or just an accident while out in the Sequoia National Park near Precipice Lake. The dead woman is an actress, and it looks like the husband did it, as he’s older, needs money; and his wife was with another man on this glamping camping trip. Special Agent Felicity Harland with the Investigative Services Bureau, a park FBI type agency, is called out to find out what happened. Harland teams up with park ranger, and ex-Navy Seal, Huxley while they investigate despite being not entirely sure this was a murder or accident.

I was drawn to the book due to the background being in nature, the camping, trees and woods, but really this is an investigative story. It’s well done, and you get the backstory of the main characters interspersed with the main story and feel connection to these characters. The ending sets up nicely for this being the first book in a series, although nothing indicates that is the case. A decent book for anyone who likes police procedural type books.

I listened to the audio book and found the narration well done. It is an excellent option for reading this book.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book and to Dreamscape Media for an advance audio book and NetGalley.

Review 271: Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America

Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So happy to have finally finished this long, complicated book. I nearly quit reading several times, and did take a long pause here and there through the months, but glad to have persevered and finished reading it.

My rating reflects the convoluted writing style and poor organization of the book. While the topics and major points are made and deserve a full five stars.

This includes: the railroad building that occurred with a fever in the late 1800's were too soon, ahead of demand, extremely poorly done with extensive corruption, and decimated the environment along with the Native Peoples. The extent of the corruption mixed with politics and the economy is amazing. It brought several economic depressions, wiped out the huge buffalo herds and in the end, actually did some social good as well. Railroads were going to be a necessity, but it could have been done in a wholly different manner and the repercussions of this railroad building is still evident today.

I may write more fully my thoughts on this long book, but for now, my initial thoughts on completion just moments ago, will have to leave it here.

June 1, 2021 – Started Reading

June 2, 2021 – 

page 58

 

 8.24% "this will likely take a while....yet not as long as it looks, appendix begins at page 562."

June 4, 2021 – 

page 75

 

 10.65%

June 9, 2021 – 

page 126

 

 17.9%

June 14, 2021 – 

page 151

 

 21.45%

June 17, 2021 – 

page 188

 

 26.7% "on pause for a bit..."

August 2, 2021 – 

page 194

 

 27.56% "picked this back up. started to read it again, albeit slowly"

August 5, 2021 – 

page 220

 

 31.25%

August 6, 2021 – 

page 230

 

 32.67%

August 23, 2021 – 

page 256

 

 36.36%

August 27, 2021 – 

page 302

 

 42.9%

September 1, 2021 – 

page 343

 

 48.72%

September 20, 2021 – 

page 349

 

 49.57%

September 23, 2021 – 

page 441

 

 62.64%

October 19, 2021 – 

page 471

 

 66.9%

October 25, 2021 – 

page 481

 

 68.32%

October 27, 2021 – 

page 517

 

 73.44%

November 1, 2021 – 

page 555

 

 78.84%

November 2, 2021 – 

page 570

 

 80.97%

November 4, 2021 – 

page 591

 

 83.95%

November 8, 2021 – 

page 623

 

 88.49%

November 10, 2021 – 

page 658

 

 93.47% "hoping to finish tomorrow"

November 11, 2021 – Finished Reading

Review 270: The Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail: A Biography by Philip D'Anieri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author was not attempting to be comprehensive about the Appalachian Trail, instead the focus is on some of the people that made the trail what it is; from the early conception to development, then the first hikers, particularly thru-hikers. One of the last chapters focused on Bill Bryson since his book (A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail) made a huge impact for the trail. It was a bestseller and many more people came out to hike the trail for themselves. The very last chapter dealt with the author's own experience hiking along the trail, although not a completion thru-hike.

My only experience with this trail is through Bill Bryson, as I live closer to the Pacific Crest Trail, actually have hiked a very small part of that one. And part of this book is missing some of the physical details of the trail. There are a few, but not many and it didn’t make me actually see the trail. Perhaps there are other books that provide more detail.

At times I felt like there was too much backstory to the person’s biography for the chapter, but this is what the author was attempting, biographies for a few of the important people associated with this trail.

Just as I finished this book I noticed in the news an announcement for the oldest person to hike the trail, M.J. Eberhart, an 83-year-old man. A nice coincidence with the timing.

P.S. another aspect I thought was missing was some info or biographies on the trail angels, those people who help out the thru-hikers. No, this was not a complete book.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 269: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book was something I heard about a long while ago, while still in school. From what I remember it made a splash, was popular and became just intriguing to me. It was in the back of my mind to read it someday. Well, decades later now I finally did, and  I'm slightly disappointed.

 This was not my first book by Oliver Sacks and his later books are better written for a lay audience. This one felt like he wasn't sure who would read his book, so half jargon and half not and it doesn't quite work. Let alone the way the clinical tales are told. Also, I don't think the book aged well with some of the language used in the book are with words we don't generally use anymore.

Entirely too short clinical tales mostly just describe the odd symptoms. There are some with the attempt to find out what has gone wrong, and how to fix, but most are short and seem to just say – look at this odd thing that happened to someone. 

Review 268: Her Quiet Revolution

Her Quiet Revolution: A Novel of Martha Hughes Cannon: Frontier Doctor and First Female State Senator by Marianne Monson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was looking forward to reading this book, but had such difficulty with the way it was written,  I just can’t seem to get into it and continue the read.  

There is an innocence, for lack of a better word, that seeps throughout this book. (Perhaps simplicity is the better word.) I also found many grammar issues, which hopefully were fixed before publication, but were so glaring to me, that it was distracting. (Certainly my grammar isn’t perfect, but I seem to notice it more with other people’s writing.)

 

The story also had this assumption of deep knowledge of the Mormon religion. There were words and things that I didn’t quite understand what was going on. I suspect the book is written for a particular audience and I am not it. 

Unfortunately, with all these issues I had to stop reading around a quarter of the way in. The struggle was too much for me to get into the story of this woman who sounds like she was amazing. Hopefully this will work better for others.

Please note my rating is based only on the first 25% of the book and consider that with your evaluation.

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. 

Review 267: Songbirds

Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A book inspired by real events, about the women who migrated from poorer countries to ones of wealth, where they work menial jobs and send the money home. Typically the women are leaving behind children and other family, but don’t see a future without a way to make money for education, to get ahead. So they make the unthinkable choice to leave the country, be a mom via internet, and send money home. 

This story is based in Cypress, told between to different voices, of Petra and Yannis. Occasionally between their chapters there is this foreboding interlude that describes among other things a decomposing rabbit. I could have done without that! 

Nisha is missing. She is Petra's maid and caregiver of her child, while Yannis is the tenant in the apartment above who loves Nisha, asked her marry to him the day she went missing.

Petra learns about Nisha while searching for her, realizing she never knew this woman despite her being so enmeshed in Petra's life for ten years. Petra also learns how hidden from life she was with her own child. Nisha came to help Petra shortly before she gave birth, just after her husband died. Petra lives in this perpetual mourning, a shadow of a life for ten years while Nisha raises her daughter.

 

The mystery is the propulsion for the story but it is Nisha and the other women on the island who are the gems of the book. Not entirely an easy read, but a good one.

Thanks to Ballentine and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Although I got an advance eBook copy, I ended up reading via audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job and would recommend this version as well.