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 459: The Living Mountain

The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Quite enjoyed the language and description of the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland by Nan Shepherd.

This is listed as book four in a series, yet I'm not sure the connection between these four. I did read the first, and it was a fictional account, mostly biographical of Nan Shepherd growing up in a small village and misunderstood for wanting to be educated and literary. My understanding is this book is the only non-fiction book in the group, which puzzles me why it is included.

Nevertheless, this is a wonderful lyrical book about Shepherd's local mountains and what nature is there; how it changes during seasons, the light and water, the fauna, well everything you'd find there, and even of other people (briefly). While reading the book I could picture the place so well, nearly finding myself there in the mountains. The senses are fully described in her writing.

The publishers didn't want to touch the book when it was first written, they weren't sure what to do with it, apparently nature writing wasn't done. But years later in the late 1970s they did publish the book, thankfully. The edition I had was an audiobook with a long afterward written by Jeanette Winterson. The audiobook was narrated by Tilda Swinton which was just perfectly done.

The book is on the short side, but perhaps that will mean I will return and reread this book. It is another one of those books that you can enjoy multiple times and get more out of the rereading. I must try to do just that.

Review 146: The End of the River

The End of the River by Simon Winchester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a long essay, or a mini-book. A novella length if this was fiction. The writing style of Winchester’s in this piece is splendid, particularly in the beginning pages. The essays tell us the history of man engineering the Mississippi River and what the future may hold for it. The engineering and taming of this massive river is ultimately going to end in failure, according to Winchester. Perhaps the plans for the nearby Red River and Atchafalaya can be engineered enough, built quickly enough, to take enough of the pressure off the Mississippi to avoid complete disaster.

There are a few images that show the various versions of the Mississippi alongside the Red River with the various stages. The old 16th century natural flows, then how it naturally changed by the 19th century. This is when mankind started to muck about and change the flow.

It is an enjoyable read of history of engineering of the river. I would have liked a longer work as well, adding in more history of the region; although as it stands now it is enough. It is short enough that it could be read in one sitting (but I didn’t). This wasn’t my first read of Winchester, but it reminded me of his writing and the other books I have awaiting my attention.

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

Review 110: Men Explain Things to Me

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been meaning to read some of Solnit's works. I have some of her books, and here I finally get to one, a short book of essays. As with most compilations, some are better than others. Overall the work is good. Solnit makes a lot of sense.

The title piece is one of the better essays. In it she describes what she means, and about the word mansplaining. Solnit explains that she did not create the word. She also thinks it's a little more derogatory towards men than she'd like. Solnit also goes on to clarify that she likes being explained something she has no idea about, it's just all those other times that men explain something to a woman when that man has absolutely no idea what he is talking about and disregards the woman who actually does know something about that topic.

Anyway, there's more than this in the book. Glad I read it.

Review 71: Walking

Walking by Henry David Thoreau
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Dover Publications for the reprint of this lecture, by Thoreau that was published posthumously. The image they added to the text perfectly represents the mood of the book. Thoreau writes in a time when land was still being dominated and tamed, and here is the one voice speaking out that the wild nature has value as well. Not only has value, but we need it, as Thoreau writes: “in Wildness is the preservation of the World.”

There are many good quotes to pull out of this small book. I will refrain from quoting too many, but I must include another, “Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest.”

Thoreau also states how his walking is like the wildness, to go without a purpose, to go without your head thinking of things you need to do. It is a walk to just be out in nature and walk.

The book is short enough to read in one sitting and perhaps it best when read in that manner. I did not have the fortune to do so, but did have some extended periods of time while reading, and broke away a little refreshed, with a new view, after each reading. Thoreau’s writing may not be fully accessible and easy, but once you dive in, you can see why his words are still relevant today, and will be for a long time to come.

Review 61: The Last Redwoods and the Parkland of Redwood Creek

The Last Redwoods and the Parkland of Redwood Creek by Philip Hyde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this short book even though it's a bit heartbreaking. This was a Sierra Club book written and published 50 years ago now. It was a call to save the last of the virgin Redwood forests. Some areas had been saved already but not nearly enough to really save the trees.

There are many full page color photographs taken of the forests. There's a few of the areas after a clear cut as well. There are more of the ferns and other plants than of the actual trees themselves, which surprised me, but all (excepting the clear-cuts) the photographs are beautiful.

I did learn some interesting aspects about the trees, such as their range used to be much wider than just the Western Coast of California and Oregon. Way wider, nearly across the globe. There is also still (well at least 50 years ago) a stand of Redwoods in China.

A previous version of this book published in 1963 did wonders to help establish some parks and saved some groves. I haven't looked further into the park boundaries and areas of redwoods, but I hope this book also made a lasting impression and help the conservation efforts. I do know we still have redwood trees, but how viable the forests are that we have so far saved, that I don't know. These trees take so much time to grow and too quick to chop down. I hope they remain and can survive in our warmer climate that's coming our way. That was one part not addressed in this book, as it wasn't known at the time.

Review 36: The Crofter and the Laird

The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable small book. McPhee is descended from Scotland, specifically a small island in the Hebrides, 25 miles off the west coast off the Scottish mainland called Colonsay. McPhee took his family to live there for a while, renting a house from a guy called Donald Gibbie.

This is an autobiographical book by most means, it consists mostly of essays that aren't necessarily connected. They are all about Colonsay, what it was like and is now like, well now being at the time of when McPhee lived there, around the late 1960s. Early on we find out that a croft is a small farm, with less than 49 tillable acres. A Crofter then being a farmer, although he does not own the land, nor his house, the whole island belongs to a Laird. It is part of the Crofter Holdings Act of 1886. Thus the people are now dependent on the Laird of the island for their livelihood, for the most part. Some like Donald Gibbie work very hard and hold multiple jobs to make the ends meet.

McPhee has an excellent way of telling stories. He is funny in a dry witty way that makes the reading even more enjoyable. I was thoroughly enamored with this book. I did wonder how the island fares today. At that time there was a "new" Laird who inherited from his father, the "old" Laird. The new Laird was attempting to change the ways, saying that basically he owns the island and is a landlord, while his father took a different view. The old Laird spent way more money into the island than it made for him, thus supporting all of the inhabitants by his own wealth. I'm feel near certain that today things are run differently, but honestly, I do not know. Is it still owned by one family? Are there many people "islanders" living there?

Okay, a quick internet search finds this: yes, about the same number of people still live on the island. They still have the primary schools but for advanced, high school age, you must go to the mainland. The Isle of Colonsay website answers most of my questions, except the ownership.

I don't know all those answers just yet, but what I do know is that I will read another McPhee book. This is my second, and I can't wait to read another.



Previously Read John McPhee books:

Assembling California (4 stars) - April.2018