Review 642: The Armchair Birder

The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds by John Yow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Just a few thoughts for now...This book was okay, but maybe I'm not the target audience. I'm not a birder, nor have the desire to become one. But I am interested in learning about birds, their lives, especially those common ones around us. This book does reveal some of that, but there are so many birds discussed the book seemed more like an encyclopedia or a compendium of birds. Each bird was not given much description and some was about how the author saw the bird, or what it did around his place.

Review 592: Buffalo Justice

Buffalo Justice: A Contemporary Western Mystery by W. Michael Gear
My rating: 3.25 of 5 stars

The Gear’s (husband and wife writing team) have a long list of books under their names, most written together, some separately. This is a new genre for the Gears, from their long series of Native Peoples called: North America's Forgotten Past. Instead of focusing on the historical past we have “A Contemporary Western Mystery” based in Montana and Wyoming, buffalo country.

The book starts with the murder of a very rich man and conservation lawyer Ryman Banks. Ryman runs an organization based on saving the purity of the buffalo. Along the way he’s made several enemies, including his soon to be ex-wife, who gains his estate with his death which she was not getting in the divorce.

This becomes a high-profile case for the state of Montana and the DOJ assigns a new agent Jillian Masterson. What follows is trying to piece out who and why Ryman was killed.

It’s a fast-paced book, as many of the Gear’s books can be. I read this based on my enjoyment of their historic series, but this type of book is not really my usual fare. While it was well written, and I learned about genetics and buffalo, I'm not a fan of police procedurals. For those who do enjoy this genre they will find much to enjoy here.

Thanks to Wolfpack Publishing /BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 580: A California Bestiary

A California Bestiary by Rebecca Solnit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very small book showcasing 12 animals in California. A couple are now extinct, or nearly, while others have been close to extinction, yet rebounded successfully, such as the elephant seal. Then there are a few that are abundant.

Each animal is accompanied by a color image drawn by Mona Caron. The essays are short and informative. My only problem with the book is that it was entirely too short.

Review 514: Field Notes from a Hidden City

Field Notes from a Hidden City: An Urban Nature Diary by Esther Woolfson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quite enjoyed this book about urban nature. The book is more or less in a diary form, with dated entries and contains longer essays as well. Starting off with Snow, to Midwinter, and ending with Into Autumn. The weather is mentioned quite frequently, a main topic. The author lives in Aberdeen, Scotland and weather there can be quite severe and stark.

One striking passage was the description of taking a walk during some strong gale force winds. Not sure why she was out while winds were that strong, maybe it happened suddenly while already out walking.

However, the main discussions in the book are about the small animals around her garden and what is seen when out in the city. These are mostly birds, but a few other small creatures are discussed, such as the squirrels, red and grey. Long essays were devoted to these along slugs and spiders. The compassion for these living beings and their purpose provide a different way of looking at what is typically something grossed out by or frightened about.

Woolfson has had pets in her home, or maybe calling them pets is not quite the right term, but she houses animals that most would not, such as crows and rats, although pet rats are perhaps more common than a crow. Her children had some pets, and as they left the house the pets typically stayed behind.

Her garden is set up to help and encourage the local wildlife, mostly birds, but also encourages other small animals. She feeds the wild birds and helps with providing nesting materials, also houses some a few doves. I did appreciate how the animals she mentioned were always provided with their scientific names. It helped as then one can look it up easily and find what they look like if one wanted a picture. The book contained a few line drawings between sections, which were a nice addition.

Review 504: That Quail, Robert

That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short book written in the mid-60's about a quail that became a pet. An abandoned quail egg hatched and the family attempted to send the quail back into the wild, but it was having none of it. They named the quail Robert and this book is about how its habits and human loving nature impressed many people.

At the time the news of Robert was spread about, made its way into newspapers and even a stint on a network channel. Robert had many visitors, people who loved animals, those of disbelief until they saw the quail, and all other sorts.

The author was not the family parents, instead a friend and nearby neighbor. An occasion came up where the family was going to Europe for several months to attend their son’s wedding, taking a steamer across the pond. They couldn’t take Robert, not leave the bird alone, so the author became the next home of Robert’s. Even during these three months the visitors kept coming.

The book relates Robert’s daily habits and preferences and those times of illness or troubles, rare as they were.

It is an adoring book. I used to live where there were coveys of quail around my yard all the time. I miss seeing them and this book helped fill that small hole, albeit temporarily.

Review 424: Family of Origin

Family of Origin by C.J. Hauser
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

There are some good parts in this book, but it gets muddied (extremely) by some oddities and weirdness. There is a lot of angst, anger, and plain misunderstandings, which drove me nuts reading it.

Oh, and the lack of quotations marks does not help. Just adds confusion.

A very general over: brother and sister travel to this island upon their father's death to gather his things. Not brother and sister, but half (same father).

No, not half, as sister is by different father.

sorry, that may be spoilers, but no need to read the book actually. It's a pass.

Review 377: Vesper Flights

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A series of essays, not all with the subject of birds. Well written essays. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by the author. She does a fantastic job, and I think this is the best way to read her book.

There are 41 essays in this book, many short and none too long. Some of the pieces appeared in a magazine prior, but may have been reworked slightly for the book. Only once did there seem to be a repetition of material, found in back-to-back essays. Perhaps that should have been edited a bit more, but overall the essays do shine for the language and thoughts.

Animals, well birds more specifically, do come up frequently in most of the essays. She also wrote about her migraines, a refugee and a few essays were autobiographical.

 

Review 336: Fuzz

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is about the human-animal encounters, mostly when they are nuisance, but sometimes when they harm or kill humans, yeah that's a nuisance. I enjoyed the humor Mary Roach puts into her topic. It helps particularly when the topic is a bit gruesome.

I’ve already found myself quoting how many deaths by animals in other countries from this book! It’s amazing how things are handled throughout the world, different policies in different countries. Mary Roach took on some questionable adventures in seeking the full story, even going where her guides were feeling it was too dangerous. Glad to have gone along the ride while sitting in my armchair!

Although I have to say there were many stunned moments for me, how callous farmers are for birds or other species. Certainly, hope these practices of outright killing “pests” to extension will no longer be the mainstream viewpoint.

This was the first Mary Roach book I read, although I've wanted to read others, happy to have finally finished one.

Review 316: A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching

A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this little book! It is a half-sized book, yet full of all the information one needs to start to understand pigeons, which are also doves (same bird, two names). The author is extremely enthusiastic about this bird and trying to dispel many of the common misunderstandings about them.

The book is written in a light way, using puns and such that I felt happy while reading this book. It was such a joy!

We get a small amount of history, biology, info on different breeds, and much more. The book is exactly as it says, a guide to pigeon watching, and the best part -- it's full of these adorable drawings. So cute!

I wish there was a series of these type of books on various birds written in the same way. I’d want to read them all.

How about a fun little promo about the book. It's super short. 🙂

Review 298: The Glitter in the Green

The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds by Jon Dunn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is dense! Full of the hunt for hummingbirds along with history, science, and tales about these little birds. Jon Dunn travels around the Americas searching for specific types of hummingbirds, such as a Spatuletail or Coquette. Along the way we get stories: such as how this particular bird was discovered, or a societal association (often how the birds were being used by humans), or a little bit on his own travels. When reading the book you cannot help but to learn a little something about these tiny birds.

The book felt more geared towards birders than someone new to bird watching, but it isn’t just for them. The stories of how Dunn is successful, or not, in finding the right bird propels the narrative along. We meet some people along the way, not in any depth, but they are caretakers of the hummingbirds. I was surprised to find there are several places in South America that cater to the travelers searching for specific species of hummingbirds, so hummingbirds are feed and looked after.

The print book should contain some images, likely from the author himself and he is known for being a nature photographer. My copy did not have photos, as I listened to the audiobook. The narration was well done.

Review 246: Once There Were Wolves

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this novel, despite it being somewhat dark. I didn’t expect a mystery, but that happened when a dead body shows up, maybe killed by a wolf, maybe a human.

Init Flynn is leading a rewilding effort in Scotland, bringing back wolves, which should also restore the forest. Her team is facing a community that is strongly against the wolves with the most vocal being a man who appears to abuse his wife. The dynamic of spousal abuse, of what it does to the victim is, one of the main components of this book. The story of the wolves is just the backdrop.
The author McConaghy shows her deft writing. I felt immersed in this story, as if it was true, despite that the story takes place in the near future, or some other timeline. The mystery unwinds, what happened in Init’s past, with her twin sister? How about Duncan’s past, the town sheriff who Init hooks up with? And of course that dead body, the man who abused his wife.

One other aspect that I liked about this book was the hope given for wild animals, that we could come back from the collapse of species failure. I will be looking out for what McConaghy writes next.


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

Review 242: Below the Edge of Darkness

Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea by Edith Widder
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars



What a fantastic book about bioluminescent ocean animals and a woman scientist breaking barriers in a mostly male world. Part autobiography, part science the main focus is on the research and exploration of the ocean’s waters and bioluminescent animals in particular.

This is an exciting read with amazing discoveries (yes, the Kraken is real!), disparaging tv documentary teams (slanted science for ratings), and submersible mishaps (although most dives do go well). Widder’s research and how she goes about trying to capture the bioluminescent animals on film and study them in the wild are fascinating tales. The few mishaps that go awry lead to moments of intense reading. And don’t skip the footnotes! They are extra nuggets that usually contain a bit of a joke. I’m not sure when the last science book made me laugh this much.

The book did have message: we have barely explored the ocean waters, which do cover more surface of the earth than land, and we need to do more, much more. Widder juxtaposes ocean explorations and research to space exploration, which gets funding and attention on an extreme scale comparatively. We need to learn more about the animals and environment in the oceans before it’s too late. There’s some really neat stuff down there, we just need to find it!



Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 213: Deep Creek

Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country by Pam Houston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This may be one of the top reads of the year for me. A non-fiction account of the ranch and 120 acres that Houston bought with barely enough income. The winters are brutal, and she is away from the ranch quite a lot of the time due to her job, teaching writing in another state, and other places.

The book created a strong desire in me to buy land and live on it. Not that I want all the animals, just the trees and views, mountains, and nature, wilderness here outside my door.

Review 166: Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther

Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther by Craig Pittman
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

From near extinction the Florida panther was pulled back from the brink to a healthy population. This book is organized well and tells the story of when people weren’t sure the panthers were in Florida or not, to a celebrated animal for the state. There are some wild stories, perhaps something that could only be found in Florida. Although one would expect biologists to support the animal they study, not all went that way. Then there’s the poor scientific published study, with nearly 40% of gathered data thrown out since it didn’t support what the author wanted. As expected, there are the politics and battles for habit versus development nearly wanting to pave everything. There’s even a little bit about Domino’s Pizza in the book!

An interesting read!

Book rating: 4.5 stars

Thanks to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.


While I got the book from NetGalley I ended up listening to an audio copy from the library. The narrator was handled the material with expertise. Sometimes non-fiction narrators sound bored, but not there, the narrator was engaged with the writing and made the book that much better.

Review 128: The Wildlands

The Wildlands by Abby Geni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The book opens with six-year-old Cora awakened to their family hurriedly gathering belongings and rushing to the basement shelter. A tornado is about to hit. This tornado changes their lives entirely. Already Motherless, the storm took their father, the house, the farm and all their animals, everything. All that was left is the four siblings. Months later the only boy, Tucker leaves. Three years later the eldest, Darlene is trying to keep the family housed, fed, clothes and going to school, and for herself, just trying to get by. The book is about what happens when Tucker returns.

The story is told mainly from Cora’s point of view, but also switches to Darlene. There is a lot of simplicity as we are given mostly a nine-year-old’s view of the world. Cora missed her brother more than anyone imagined so when he teaches her his point of view, Cora accepts it easily.

I was pulled into the story very easily. The writing is decent. The story line is somewhat sad, and highly traumatic for the characters! I worried for Cora, for when she would be older, or when things were returned to normal for her. What would happen to Tucker? Could he return to the family to be a good role model?

What I’d like to know is why do environmentalists or animal lovers become portrayed as off their rocker in most books? Why can’t they be heroes instead of crazy extremists? Maybe I’m just not reading the right books.


I received a free copy of this book at a library conference. I was not required to write a review, but felt like it and, of course, the above opinions are my own.

Review 84: Silent Spring

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There has been so much already said about this classic book. Just happy I finally made the time to read it. I've had it lying around for many, many years. It took an audiobook for me to actually read it.

Although the book is decades old, creeping close to sixty years since publication, it is still relevant today. I know changes were made after the publication, but are we back into the same boat, just with other chemicals and pesticides? I'm not sure. More reading to be done!

Thanks Rachel Carson for changing the world!

Review 78: A Season on the Wind

A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration by Kenn Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perhaps it’s best to start out by saying I’m not a birder, nor have any intention of becoming one. I like the idea of knowing more about birds, and of the migration. This book helps to satisfy some of that desire, but not fully. What Kenn Kaufman writes in this book is about spring migration in one area, northwestern Ohio, and particularly in the Magee Marsh region.

There is specific information, such as how Kaufman and other birders track migration using weather and radar, which was interesting and perhaps I’ll never look at weather radar the same during times of migration. Although where I live there likely isn’t enough birds to show up strongly on the Nexrad radar. I enjoyed the discussion about flyways, having never heard the term before despite the popularity, then understanding that it is a false concept anyway. Birds fly wherever they can and do, they don’t have highway type systems such as we have for our cars or ships.

Birds are at the center of this book, and so is Kaufman. He tries at times to remove himself from the story and other times inserts himself. This going back and forth was slightly uncomfortable for reading, but understandable, saying we and us when it clearly isn’t himself solely doing certain work. The same for the activism side of fighting against a huge wind-turbine project that was planned at the Camp Perry Military Reservation, which is only around 10 miles away, as the crows fly. Unfortunately huge wind turbines are very deadly for birds.

The discussion of wind power and impending projects was important and necessary to include, yet the placement didn’t work well for me. Maybe for birders the flow of the book will work better. I was trying to get situated and understand things, then this part was thrown in, and back to birds, it made for more difficulty for myself getting into the book.



Previously read Bird books:

Read back to back -

• Going Wild: Adventures with Birds in the Suburban Wilderness
• by Robert Winkler 
• 4 stars
• Read: Aug.18-24, 2016

• The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature 
• by Jonathan Rosen
• 5 stars
• Red: Aug.25-Sept.06, 2016

Reissue Review 67: The Life of the Skies

The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature by Jonathan Rosen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reissue Review #3: On occasion revisiting and reissuing reviews from the days before my blog postings. This is one to not miss.

A recent read: finished on September 02, 2016.

“what to make of a diminished thing”

This book isn’t so much about birding and birdwatching as it is a meandering of ideas that uses birding as the main focus. It’s tempting to call this a literary critique of birdwatching as literature appears almost as much as the birds.

Rosen frequently calls back to writers and poets, such as Thoreau, Whitman and Frost, but also those who may be more obvious such as Audubon, Darwin and Wallace. (Alfred Russel Wallace came up with the idea of evolution through natural selection at the same time as Darwin.)

The frame of the book is an attempt to find a bird that was claimed extinct but recently spotted – the ivory-bill woodpecker. This one bird can represent both despair and hope at the same time. The reason the bird went extinct was due to human logging of old growth forests. Hope is that it still survives, remained hidden all these years. Despair in that we have realized that our species can cause many other species to go extinct. Then hope in the attempt, or struggle to reverse that trend. Hope and despair is often found in the book.

The second half of the book Rosen goes to Israel for birding. Jewish heritage, history, religion, and of course the holocaust comes up. Perhaps the latter is brought into the book as a somewhat relation to the extinction of the ivory-bill and the attempted extinction of the Jewish people, both brought about by humans, albeit one consciously and the other unwittingly. This is just one example of the various connections Rosen brings up throughout.

There are some lines, some quirks to the book I haven’t seen before or extremely rare. At one point Rosen talks about lying and then reveals his story early in the book about how he started his habit of birdwatching is a lie. That’s curious. If you’re going to state it correctly why do that? You can edit. And occasionally there are moments that Rosen seems to think what the critics may say about his book and in this anticipation he brings up the idea and then answers it as well. Such as in the epilogue he writes: “Can a book about birdwatching sustain a reference to the horrors human beings inflict on each other?” The horrors he means specifically the holocaust. This oddness does remind me of a few authors who have written similarly. They think they know what people will say then dispute it within the same book. I don’t particularly like the tactic but can understand the motivation. They wish for a stronger argument within the book. But what is Rosen’s argument? That the environment is diminished for the birds?

“what to make of a diminished thing” This phrase comes up quite frequently. Rosen doesn’t quite answer it, as it is more a meditation, something to ponder rather than something to be fully answered. But if he does provide a hint of an answer for the reader it is found in the last pages: “We need to know that we are asking it about ourselves as well as the world around us.”

I really enjoyed the book, but not in the way I expected. I thought it would be more about birdwatching than a meandering of literary references and more. But I liked it. I’m sure some, who really are more interested in just the birdwatching aspect might find it tedious. There is a lot in this book, many digressions and sometimes the bird portion just seems like a thin veil to get to what he really wants to talk about. But it is interesting, there’s surprises on nearly every page, not knowing where this is going or where you’ll really end up.

Final note – didn’t like there isn’t an index, and this book really needs an index! Why this trend in non-fiction books to get rid of useful things such as references and indexes (indices)? At least he included notes on sources.

Book rating: 5 stars

Review 55: In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch by John Zada
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Here's a book with a great cover. The title fits the image and perks my interest, then we get to the sub-title...Sasquatch? Well, why not. My personal belief is much like aliens visiting Earth, so not likely. We would know if any of this was real, the cover-up is too much. I don't like conspiracy theories too much either. Anyway, I thought the book might be a fun read.

As I read the book it felt like we, reader and author, are sitting around a camp fire and he was telling stories. Zada has a lot of stories. This book is a collection of those tidbits her learned and he also writes of how he got those stories. The book has these short exciting stories, between longer periods of what's going on with the author and the people he meets.

The book takes place nearly entirely in the Great Bear Rainforest, which is located in British Columbia, on the west coast near the central and northern coastal region. It is one of the few areas where old growth still exists. There are small towns populated by people of different First Nations who have lived in the area for thousands of years. This area has the most Sasquatch stories, but also it is part of the oral history for the people.

Zada goes into the project with an open mind, trying to truly determine if Sasquatch is real or not, despite his boyhood fascination with the subject. There is only a little review of the history of "Sasqualogy" and some of the most important "Sasquoligists." Perhaps Zada believes people reading this book already knows all that came before. I didn't, but it doesn't really matter too much.

The book was entertaining enough, the writing well done. The story line got a little distracted and sometimes not very focused. For myself, the most interesting parts of the book to me where of the landscape and the First Nations people.

Book rating: 3.5 stars


Thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press/Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 27: The Sun Is a Compass

The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds by Caroline Van Hemert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a well written book. The imagery is vital in an adventure book like this. Caroline and her husband Pat decide to traverse across mountains, rivers, oceans and glaciers using their own muscles. They hike, row or paddle into the arctic and back.

For me this is what arm chair travel is about. While I would love to be out in the wild, not that far north. It's way too cold and or rainy, very wet. Their time on the river with mosquitoes so thick you can't even eat, ummm, no thank you.

Caroline Van Hemert grew up in Alaska so it's not odd for her to take this long wilderness adventure in her own backyard. She is a biologist, or more accurately an ornithologist. One aspect I loved in this book is her descriptions of the birds they see and hear. It even made me more aware of the birds that are around me in my daily life.

It's crazy what humans will put themselves through. For these two it was worth the physical sacrifice and danger, and certainly won't be their last trip into the wild. This was an amazing adventure, and I enjoyed reading about it.


Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.