A Dog's Life

by Peter Mayle

Humorous observations on the life of a suburban french dog. Well, he didn't start out as a suburban dog. He was abandoned by his first owner and lived some time as a stray, suffering kicks at worst, neglect at best. After fending for himself on the streets, he gets adopted by a writer and life is suddenly better, albeit confusing at first. The dog must learn to get along with his new human's many quirks, finding himself delighted (balls to chew on) puzzled (scoldings at rolling in smelly things) and appalled at turns (baths, particularly). He becomes adept at the art of appeasing angy or frustrated owners (whom he refers to as "The Management"), has constant run-ins with cats and handymen (or was it a plumber?) and repeatedly attempts to woo a female dog that lives next door. It's a funny little book stuffed with sarcastic humor and all sorts of witty little pokes at our own habits, as you would expect of a story told from the dog's viewpoint. I believe the author was portraying himself as the dog's owner. The scrawly illustrations add an extra bit of charm and amusement.

Rating: 3/5 ........ pages, 1995

more opinions:
prettymayleen
Reading Thots
finnfolk

The Scalpel and the Butterfly

by Deborah Rudacille

I go through periods of interest in certain non-fiction subjects, and then read all the books I can get my hands on around that- usually finding other titles of note in the resource lists and continuing on a spin until my interest flags, with more books noted than I originally started with! Over the past years, the subjects most often include field studies of wildlife behavior, but also things like ape language experiments, king arthur legends, the art of falconry, adventures in sailboats, the slow food movement, Charles Lindbergh (spurred by a school project) and animal-rights issues.

Of all the books I read on the animal-rights front, this one seemed the least biased, carefully stating facts from both sides. The author presents a 150-year history of the conflicts between scientists using animals in biomedical research, and the activists seeking to protect animal rights, concerned for their welfare. There are detailed chapters showing personal stories from both sides. On the one hand, it is pointed out that many advancements in medical science would not have been possible without research and testing using animals. On the other hand, the cruel practices and suffering of animals is exposed- not only from activists trying to shut down labs and threatening violence to specific scientists, but also more subtly, people working from within the system to try and improve things yet keep the labs functional.

I don't think reading this book changed my mind any, but it certainly taught me a lot. It's a pretty compelling read, even if it does stray from time to time into philosophical asides- which I mostly glossed over. In the end, it appears that the author's stance (even though she tries to be neutral you can feel which side she leans towards through the writing) is that research is a necessary evil- we would not be where we are today without it, but things can and must be greatly improved.

Rating: 4/5   .......  389 pages, 2000

books that caught my eye

The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts- Across the Page
Tiger Lily by Jodi Ann Anderson- It's All About Books
Pandora's Lunchbox by Melanie Warner- It's All About Books

A Gift Upon the Shore by M.K. Wren- The Lost Entwife
The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle - It's All About Books
Openly Straight by Bill Kongigsburg- Stuff as Dreams are Made On
The Bohemian Love Diaries by Slash Coleman- Bookfoolery
Everybody Has Everything by Katrina Onstad- Bookfoolery

Star of the Sea

by Linda Haldeman

Linda Haldeman wrote one of my very favorite books, The Lastborn of Elvinwood (Which I will write about here someday, putting it off because what I really want to do is read it again!) Over the years I've looked hopefully for more of her books but discovered finally that she only wrote three.This is the last one I found and read. It's just as intriguing and original as her others, but did not quite captivate me like the other two. And it's been long enough that unfortunately I do not remember much about it, at this point. I do know it's about a girl in a religious school (Catholic?) and there is something about a statue of the Virgin Mary. I have a vague impression of an unhappy, lonely girl (perhaps picked on, or neglected?) who fixates on the statue as being able to solve her problems with a miracle, and in the end there was a scene on a cliff, and a fall from a great height... but it's really all a muddle. Have any of you read this little-known book? can you remind me more about it? I'm wondering if I should trouble to look for it again...

Rating: 3/5  ........  182 pages, 1978

When Dogs Run Wild

by Christine Gentry

This is one of those little-known books so specific in subject that I suspect it will only appeal to a limited audience. It's a report on a study done in the eighties on the behavior of stray dogs in a certain town. The author spent quite a lot of time following dogs around and observing exactly what they do when on their own. She noted which dogs were strictly strays- having no home to speak of- and which had homes but were often running loose. It seemed to be a common habit in her town that at night dogs were simply put outside and left to their own devices. If I remember correctly (it's been a few years since I read this one, and can't locate a copy to borrow for reminders) most of the book looked at the possibility of dogs spreading disease, how they interacted with each other (pack behavior), and specifically how they found food sources. The actual stray dogs varied between accepting handouts and scavenging food; the pet dogs let loose at night chased livestock for amusement and then went home to eat. One of the main aims of the study was to see how roaming dogs were affecting wildlife. The conclusion was not quite what I expected; contrary to popular belief, the author surmised that damage to livestock attributed to coyotes is more likely caused by the roaming pets, who of course aren't going to eat what they kill (or just injure the animals and don't follow through with a kill), since supper is provided at home. It was an interesting book. I wonder if any subsequent studies have been done along a similar vein...

Rating: 3/5 ........ 195 pages, 1983

winner!

Random.org has chosen Jenny as the winner of my kitty paws-and-noses bookmark giveaway. Have fun reading with a kitty companion, Jenny!
~
In other news, I can't believe an entire week has gone by without me writing anything about books here. I've been preoccupied with a good thing- I have a new little nephew! and this week have been busy making baby gifts. It's a good reason to be distracted from reading time! And he's really cute!)

bookmarks giveaway!

Time for a giveaway. Who would like a pair of kitty paws and noses to grace their pages? Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered for this free bookmark set!

Giveaway ends a week from now, Mon Aug 5. Open to anyone with a mailing address in the US or Canada. Happy reading!

Curious George

by Margaret and H.A. Rey

I've missed reviewing children's books lately, and so am trying to get back into that. Especially as my youngest is starting to move beyond the board books and into regular picture books, which are a bit more interesting to write about. She's really into Curious George lately, and this is the one where it all started (we have five Curious George books on our shelf at home, and keep finding others to borrow from the library).

The basic storyline here is that a man who seems to always dress in yellow with a wide-brimmed hat captures a young monkey from the jungle, takes him home to put in the zoo but ends up rather adopting George (in a subsequent book) to live in his house. George causes all kinds of mischief but it always turns out alright in the end.

All the stories about George follow a similar pattern, although I find the originals more endearing; the later books that have been written by a different author are a bit too formulaic for me. But the originals have a few issues of their own. One is that they definitely show evidence of being written in a different era. There seems to be no problem with the idea that a man on vacation (or whatever he was doing there- exploring? collecting more likely) can just bring a wild animal home with him. I find the method of capture charming, as it reflects the insatiable curiosity of the little monkey- the man simply puts his hat on the ground, George approaches and tries to put it on himself, hides his own eyes, and is caught.  On the way home via ship George falls overboard and is rescued; once back in America he spends the night at the man's house and eats dinner at the table, then smokes a pipe (hello- what?!) before going to bed. The next day the monkey is left alone for a while and plays with the telephone (a very archaic-looking instrument to my kids!) which gets him in trouble with the fire department and thrown in jail. He escapes, walks across telephone wires, flies away with a bunch of balloons and eventually is found by the iconic man-with-the-yellow-hat (this fellow never has a real name) who takes him to the zoo where he appears happy despite the austere environment- a bare cage with just a swing.

I'm guessing most of the issues here won't bother kids at all. The one that actually bugs me most is that George is consistently called a monkey when he looks like a chimpanzee- although his fur is reddish brown, not black.

It's funny though; even though when I think closely about it I find some things odd or inappropriate about the original stories, I still like them better than the newer books. (There are two sets of these, which we've found at the library. One which mimicks the original style closely, the others seem to be based on a tv series and has a smooth, animated look, not hand-illustrated. I have another set of minor issues with these, which will come up later if I continue to write about them). The originals just have more charm, and of course are loaded with nostalgia for me. My mom read them to me over and over, when I was a kid.

Rating: 4/5 ......... 64 pages, 1941

Tales of Wonder

by Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen's collection of short stories draws on traditional folk tales, legends, myths and fairy tales to make something new. The stories all feel familiar, but with different characters, unexpected turns and fabulously original interpretations. If I remember rightly, they're not really kid's stories but have dark undertones and are probably more geared towards adult readers. Once again, this is a book I'm making a note of mostly to remind myself that I'd like to read it again someday if I can ever find it. I believe the book is out of print. Have any of you read it?

Rating: 3/5 ........ 275 pages, 1983

My Animal Kingdom, One by One

by David Taylor

This is the first book I read by David Taylor, and it got me hooked on the author. He's a wildlife veterinarian, who worked mostly for zoos and owners of private animal collections, during the late 1950's through the sixties. I remember thinking when I first started reading Taylor, finally an author who lives up to the comparison to James Herriot. So many books about animals (vets in particular) claim to be as good as Herriot, and none every quite matched up until now. Taylor's books are engaging, humorous, and include all kinds of interesting facts about wild animals and their medical treatment, seamlessly woven into the story. I enjoy them a lot.

Unfortunately, this is one volume I haven't been able to get my hands on again (I intend to have all his books in my personal library, some day) so I can't relate any individual stories of the animals, because I no longer remember them clearly. I will be eager to read it again someday. Have any of you read his books?

Rating: 3/5......... 196 pages, 1984

A Clash of Kings

by George R.R. Martin

The strife goes on. Warring factions take sides, shift and betray and battle it out. Everyone wants their own outcome, hardly anyone gets it. The weight of choices. Four different men have proclaimed themselves king over part of the land (or all of it) so everything is turmoil. I admit I had a bit of difficulty keeping track of what was happening when it came to the tangle of warfare, especially the chapter that comprised a battle at sea, that was just a blur to me. But the viewpoints of individual characters and how larger events affected them kept me grounded. To my surprise I found myself more invested in Sansa's plight than the other characters. I still admire her fierce sister Arya, the young noblewoman wandering the realm in the guise of a lowborn boy, at first just trying to survive but now finding ways to take vengeance on those who have killed her family members. But Sansa's difficulties lie in keeping her head while held in the castle of her enemies and betrothed to a cruel boy-king who turns out to be a vicious sadist- I really felt for her. Also I'm more admiring of Tyrion the dwarf, his ways of holding good his word and standing up for others even whilst going after his own interests and view of justice within his role as Hand of the King. And even though I don't like him, the parts about Theon Greyjoy were interesting. The guy was raised as ward in someone else's household; to all appearances treated well, but felt himself held captive and came back to overthrow Winterfell and claim it for his own when the place was not well-manned. His success and rule was bitter and short-lived; everyone seems to hate the miserable fellow. Seems to just be desperate for some recognition and power of his own.

Perhaps because the book gives far more details, I got better at understanding the motives behind different characters' actions. Even the plotting and war strategies started to make sense to me. It was intriguing to see the differences made when the tv series was created- I noticed quite a few shifts in plot, mostly regarding when various characters were introduced. Also in what happened during some of the battles, although the outcome was always the same. I continue to carry in my head the faces the film introduced me to, when reading the pages.

I wasn't quite sure if I was going to actually make it all the way through this book (any volume that requires an extensive appendix to keep track of characters makes me weary- too much work to remember them all!) but I found myself getting more and more interested the further I read. Definitely continuing onward.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 1009 pages, 1999

More opinions:
Blood Rose Books
The Fake Steph
The Mad Reviewer
Tongue Sophistries
Ivan's Brain

more new-to-me titles

found via the fellow bloggers listed below

Primates by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks- Things Mean a Lot
The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout- Shelf Love
Confessions of a Sociopath by ME Thomas- Estella's Revenge
Paleofantasy by Marlene Zuk- Things Mean a Lot
Mortality by Christopher Hitchens- Farm Lane Books Blog
Bird by Rita Murphy- Stuff as Dreams are Made On
The Blueberry Years by Jim Minick- Sophisticated Dorkiness
My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding- Read Warbler
A Place Called Wiregrass by Michael Morris- You've Gotta Read This!
Slammerkin by Emma Donohue- Reading the End
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr- It's All About Books and Reading the End
Buddy by Brian McGrory from Maggie Reads
The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch- Caroline Bookbinder
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks- Farm Lane Books Blog
The War at Ellsmere by Erin Faith Hicks- You've Gotta Read This!
Dandelion Hunter by Rebecca Lerner- Bookwyrme's Lair
In Great Waters by Kit Whitfield- Reading the End
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger- Stuff as Dreams are Made On
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani
Soonchild by Russell Hoban- Things Mean a Lot
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker- Indextrious Reader
A Zeal of Zebras by Whoop Studios- Carol's Notebook
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco- Bookpuddle
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate- Kyusi Reader

books not available in my library system:
The Pill by Bernard Asbell- Reading the End
Unmastered by Katherine Angel- Things Mean a Lot
The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe- Bermudaonion's Weblog
Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon- Farm Lane Books Blog
In the Garden of Stone by Susan Tekulve
The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker- Iris on Books
Saved by Ben Hewitt- Cold Antler Farm
Jewleweed by David Rhodes- The Lost Entwife
Mark of the Grizzly by Scott McMillion- Ardent Reader

these found while browsing said library system:
The Lucky Ones by Jenny Brown
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

Dove

by Robin Lee Graham

Fine adventure story from the sixties about a young man who determined to circumnavigate the world in his 24-foot sailboat. He was only sixteen when he set out on his solo journey. Well, not exactly solo. He had the company of a variety of ship's cats throughout the trip, met and fell in love with a girl, later married her and she accompanied him on the sailboat for different legs of the journey. She also spent a lot of time jumping from place to place around the world to meet him at different ports. In fact, a large part of the book is their love story. There are lots of mishaps, storms, explorations in foreign places and other adventures. And loneliness. He talks a lot about feeling alone on the high seas in that boat with perhaps just a cat or two for company. The journey ended up taking Robin five years, and he didn't exactly make it all the way- if I remember correctly, he set out from Hawaii and finished up in California... But still it's an incredible (true) story one that I enjoyed much. Especially the survivalist bits and about how he did things "the hard way" because there was no other way back then! He didn't have GPS or even a two-way radio but navigated using the stars and various time-honored instruments. It's a book I'd like to revisit someday and I'm rather surprised my library system doesn't have a single copy!

The book came out after the National Geographic serialized his adventures. I'd like to see those articles, I can't recall now if I've read them or not (my parents had a large collection of National Geographics I used to go through as a kid... but more looking for pictures of animals than reading stuff!) Robin's story has also been made into a film- has anyone seen that? what did you think?

Rating: 3/5 ........ 199 pages, 1972

a few more opinions:
Musings
Craftsman Character
Hans is Great

The Wolf Hybrid

by Dorothy Prendergast


Although quite short, this book has a lot of practical information on acquiring, caring for and raising wolf-dog hybrids. The book describes how difficult it can be to handle for these animals, which have a lot of wolf traits (of course) and different behavior patterns from domestic dogs. This can be a plus or a terribly negative impact depending on what sort of wolfish companion you want, how able you are to care for it, meet its unique needs and keep it from being too destructive (high energy and intelligence attribute to that mostly, I gather). Curiously, if I remember rightly, the book points out that some hybrids seem to inherit the desirable personality traits of the wolf- sociability, high intelligence, intensity etc while others seem to have more of the undesirable aggressiveness, desire for dominance, general wildness. You might never know what you're getting into.... For me who read the book as a mere curiosity, it was a great caution about these animals. They must be properly trained and conditioned to living alongside humans or can be very dangerous, as the large numbers of rescued hybrids attest to- having been abandoned or got rid of when their behavior becomes a problem. 

To make it brief- the book was interesting and I learned quite a bit about wolf-dog hybrids, especially how much the author cautions against owning one unless you know how to treat the animal and handle its behavior.

Rating: 3/5 ......... 151 pages, 1989

The River

by Gary Paulsen

A book I really liked as a kid was The Hatchet (I think I still have a copy). I noticed Paulsen had written a few companion volumes to the book, so gave them a try also (several years ago). In The River, our protagonist Brian -a teenager- is now famous for how he survived solo in the wilderness and has been hired by government men to re-enact his escapade in the woods so they can learn his techniques. Brian gets dropped off once again into the northern wilderness, but this time with a back-up team and some supplies. He convinces his adult companion to ditch the supplies, on the grounds that they won't be forced to really survive on what they can find in the woods if easier goods are within reach. But then disaster strikes, Brian finds himself nearly alone again (the other guy incapacitated) and in a moment of desperation builds a raft to try and move downriver to reach help.

So it did end up being a similar type of survival story, with river rapids and an injured companion to haul around thrown in. But the story didn't speak to me nearly as well. I still recall vividly many parts of The Hatchet, especially the psychological stress the kid went through, the encounters with wild animals and unflinching weather. In this later book, things weren't quite so raw. It didn't feel as real, either. Too pat. Plus I never bought into the idea that government would need a teenager to teach them survival skills....

Rating: 2/5 ........ 144 pages, 1991

cleaning house

I have felt the need to clean out my reader recently. I simply don't have as much time as I used to and it would be nice to focus on the blogs that I actually interact with, or find interesting books on, rather than have a bunch of posts to go through that I just end up skipping. I tried to be very systematic about this. In case anyone's curious, these are the criteria I used to decide which blogs to keep in my reader, or let go:

How much I look forward to reading a blog
If I distinctly recall visiting a blog recently, or noticed that the blogger visited me
If we have conversations via comments or email
If I added a book to my TBR within the past two years, from reading their blog

Blogs that I haven't felt compelled to read frequently or gotten book recommendations from, for the most part got moved off my reader. Not to mention blogs that haven't posted anything new in the past six months or more, going defunct themselves (it happens).

I was rather surprised to find that 25 of the blogs I've followed for a long time and am quite familiar with, haven't actually interacted with me in months, or mentioned any books I'd like to read. I had not really noticed that our reading interests no longer converge...

These changes will be reflected in the list of book blog links posted on my sidebar. Please, if you feel you've been unjustly shuffled off my list, do let me know!

I did realize that I'm discovering new blogs in a different way now. I used to go through other bloggers' link lists, but it's been a long time now since I've done that. What I have been doing lately, is searching for other reviews of books I've read to link to when I make my posts. Often I find new blogs that way, with more similar reading tastes.

The Ape In Our House

by Cathy Hayes

I read this book back in 2003, when going through a spate of reads about ape language experiments- efforts made by the scientific community to teach gorillas and chimpanzees sign language or vocal speech (mostly a failure, but quite interesting nonetheless!) This particular book was written well before most of those experiments, but is along a very similar vein. The author was curious about how intelligent chimpanzees actually are, and if one could learn to speak if it were raised like a human child. So assayed to raise a chimp within her family, named Viki. The Hayes soon discovered that although the chimp was quite intelligent, Viki could also be very stubborn and willful, so it was not always easy to discern whether she understood a request or was just refusing to follow it. Viki proved incapable of learning to speak, although with some physical manipulation ("speech therapy") she was able, with a lot of coaxing, to pronounce four simple words. Not always able to use them in proper context, though. She also learned quite a few routines and human behaviors, although again, not consistently, and was never learned to use the toilet, despite all efforts to train her. I am sure there were a lot of anecdotes from Viki's story that intrigued me when I first read this book, but cannot quite recall them now. If I come across it again will certainly make an effort to read it one more time.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 247 pages, 1951

Longing For Darkness

Kamante's Tales from Out of Africa
compiled by Peter Beard and Isak Dinesen

This is one of those books I read once long ago and dearly wish I could get my hands on again someday. I don't even recall now how or where I found it, must of been in a library or I think I would still have a copy. One of my very favorite books is Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen's tale of its lands and people during a bygone era. The richness of that text comes alive in a new way in Longing For Darkness, where we experience a different view of it all. Kamante was Dinesen's major-domo, a native African who helped run her household and mainly worked as her cook. He had his own collection of stories; many of them are included in this volume, in his own words. Some are familiar Dinesen tales told in a new voice, others are Kamante's own animal fables, and a few tales from his family history. There are also photographs and many delightful drawings and watercolors by Kamante himself. It's a book to treasure and one I will certainly snatch up if I ever spot it on a shelf again.

Rating: 4/5 ....... 264 pages, 1991

A Game of Thrones

by George R.R. Martin

Last year I watched the tv series that was based on this fantasy epic. I didn't realize they were books first until my sister gave me her paperback copies to read. It's one of those detailed fantasy tales full of multifaceted characters. It's a world full of strife, different factions battling for power, who will sit on the Iron Throne. Not easy to describe, but as when watching the films, I was drawn in by the characters. My favorites are Jon Snow- illegitimate son of a lord, sent to the outskirts of the world to stand guard against dire things that roam in the frozen forest "beyond the Wall". His young half-sister Arya, a fierce little girl who would rather learn to use a sword than do stitchery and ladylike things. The dwarf Tyrion has grown on me. I didn't care for his bawdy preoccupations at first, but his jokes cut to the quick of things and he has a way of stating the obvious that others would rather avoid. He looks out for himself but in his own way has more integrity than a lot of the other people crawling around on those pages. My other favorite character is Daenerys, an exiled princess making her way back a homeland she can't even remember. Early on in the book she was sold by her brother to be the wife of the lord of a band of barbaric nomads. Through the course of the story she had to learn their customs and came to hold her own, win their respect and wield her own power. If you're looking for strong female protagonists, Daenerys is your woman.

There are plenty more characters I like and tend to follow their threads of the storyline when all the intrigue, politicking and battles get tedious (although the recommendation I read on another blog about Martin writing battles well was accurate. I don't get too bored!) Truthfully, this is one case where I liked the film version better than the novel. If I'd read this book first, I don't know if I would have made it through. It's a bit light on description, which fails to draw me in and make me turn the pages eagerly as I'd like. Having seen the film, my mind fills in the visuals and instead I enjoy seeing where the story has been changed. Not much; so far the tv series has been very faithful to the book.

I like the grim realism of it all. There's mysterious doings and religious fanatics, scheming courtiers and common people simply trying to live their lives who get caught up in things. I thought at first it was going to just be a story about kings and knights and ladies and warfare, but there are hints of darker stuff going on, and there's magic although realistically the people doubt it themselves. There are things that make the dead walk, seers who can enter dreams and the vision of animals, and dragons. Those appeared only at the very end of the story, so I am full of anticipation for the next installment.

Rating: 3/5 ....... 835 pages, 1996

more opinions:
Book Geeks
Ardent Reader

Chi's Sweet Home

vol. 5
by Konami Kanata

Cuteness continues as Chi gets better acquainted with her neighbors, struggles to find a good night's sleep, snoops around daddy's office (resulting in a hilarious encounter with a roll of sticky tape), is introduced to a cat brush (which brings back dim memories of her mother's attentions) and a cat door- which she stubbornly resists using until falling through it by accident! She has some more hilarious interactions with the little boy of the family, and goes exploring further abroad in her neighborhood, with plenty of little adventures. She meets several different cats, including one who seems to recognize her from a family resemblance, and the reader discovers on the last page, where a map is shown, just how close Chi is to her original home (which she doesn't even remember). It makes me curious to see if in a future volume she meets up with her mother once again.

Edited note: Oops! Somehow I forgot to publish this one before writing about book six, so it's out of order.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 146 pages, 2007

more opinions:
anyone?

City Farmer

by Lorraine Johnson

I saw this book on a library display and just found something really intriguing about the stocky carrot and grungy letters that form the title. As you can probably guess, it's about gardening in city spaces, but not a personal approach like Garden Anywhere. Instead, City Farmer is full of facts and figures about how various cities throughout North America have embraced (or not, in some cases) urban gardening efforts. The book discusses how people have become disconnected to the roots of their food sources, how historically cities have produced their own food, and methods that can been implemented to make urban gardening more widespread. The pages are stuffed full of examples and suggestions, everything from city-government-sanctioned official organizations to guerrilla gardening done in secret. The author even describes how she kept backyard chickens knowing it was against city code (it was my favorite chapter). There are cautions and recommendations, suggestions on methods to get around the lack of space, polluted soil, buildings casting too much shade, skeptical neighbors, and so on. It all boils down to one big dose of encouragement: you can grow something to eat, anywhere, if you really want to. Or find it. Another small section of the book is about harvesting food from public spaces, like nut trees or dandelions from public parks, something I smiled at because just yesterday I took my kids on a walk in a path between backyards and we picked enough mulberries from branches overhanging the public path to make a pie. It's all about people coming together to make something new, and the benefits that arise alongside the vegetables from the soil. I think this sentence from one of the later pages sums it all up well: Gardeners without land find land without gardeners. And make do. And grow something wonderful.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 250 pages, 2010

more opinions:
Anita Reads
Veggin' in the City
Farmbrarian
Down the Garden Path

Chi's Sweet Home

vol 9
by Konami Kanata

I think this is my favorite Chi book so far. In the first few chapters, Chi faces one frustration after another as her human family tries to keep her safe; first by not allowing her outside, and then by attempting to walk her on a leash (you can guess how well that goes!) Meanwhile Cocchi gets steamed at waiting so long for Chi to meet up with him for their usual playtimes, and when Chi finally escapes the leash she gets annoyed waiting for him, after he's gone off in search of her. They are overjoyed to encounter each other again and more interesting developments occur as Cocchi lets Chi see more of what his daily routine is like as a stray, and she slowly begins to comprehend how different his life actually is from hers. After an exhausting night spent roaming in search of food, Chi and her street-wise friend finally end up back at home again, where Cocchi gets one shock after another as he sees how pampered his little friend is in her apartment. The best part of this book though, was when Cocchi runs into Chi's original kitty family, the mother still calling for her lost one. He's intrigued by how much one of the kittens looks like Chi herself, doesn't quite get it yet though the reader does! Bonus material in the back shows a "Lost" poster from Chi's original family with her picture on it; I'm anticipating a reunion with her mom and siblings soon. The next volume comes out later this summer and my eight-year-old daughter and I are both really looking forward to reading it.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 146 pages, 2012

more opinions:
I Just Read About That

Chi's Sweet Home

vol 8
by Konami Kanata

In this eighth volume about a kitten's little adventures, Chi continues to grow and make discoveries with complete charm. She finds by accident that she can land on her feet from a fall, is encouraged by Cocchi to climb trees and leap from heights, practices stalking (a frog), lazes in the sunshine with Yohei (so endearing) and unfortunately gets an eye infection and has to wear a cone. Chi finds this extremely frustrating but quickly learns to navigate and is proud of (momentarily) solving the problem of this new obstacle she drags around with her. My favorite parts of the book were her explorations with kitten-friend Cocchi again, where they find new places to hide, have a run-in with a dog, and get trapped in a neighbor's shed. Interestingly, Chi is often reminded in this book that she is, in fact, a cat. She's puzzled by this and adamant that she's human like her adopted family, even though Cocchi points out and shows by example the many feline traits and abilities Chi has. These little books always have some bonus material in the back and volume 8 has the best yet: an origami of Chi's head with instructions on how to fold it. I'm going to make a photocopy and see if my eight-year-old can fold the kitty face.

Rating: 3/5 ......... 146 pages, 2011

Worms Eat My Garbage

by Mary Appelhof

This awesome little book (with terrible cover art) is the definitive manual about keeping worms for vermicomposting. All of the gardening books I've read that mention worm farming point to this book, so I finally waited my turn to borrow it from the library. It's got all the basic information you need to set up a worm-composting system, and more than that, too. What kind of container to make or buy, what kind of bedding to use, how to set it up, where to keep it, how to maintain temperature and moisture, what kind of environment the worms need, how to manage the system depending on if you want worms for fishing bait or good black compost or both (or even if you want to raise worms for sale) and so on. What you can put in your vermiculture box, and what you can expect to get out of it. Charts and weights and volumes of input and output. Even some details on the biology of worms and different species. Lots of reference material in the back for further reading in whatever direction you want to take this interest. This is one of those books I found so useful on the first reading I'm already looking for a copy to add to my personal library. I'm ready now, armed with what it's taught me, to order my own worms (got the box built weeks ago). Hopefully if all goes well there will soon be posts on my gardening blog about my own worm bin and its workings! Thanks in part to this book which made me realize it's not that hard, just get started.

Rating: 4/5 ....... 162 pages, 1997

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Chi's Sweet Home

vol 7
by Konami Kanata

Little kitten Chi continues her escapades. She romps around in the dark at night, following her new kitty companion Cocchi. The wiser street kitty is often cross at Chi's antics and clueless questions, but he tolerates her presence and eventually finds comfort in her company as well. When the kittens stray too far, the Bear Cat (ever a friendly mentor) guides them to safety. At home, Chi constantly causes kitty mischief. She's intrigued by birds on the tv screen, wants desperately to catch the new goldfish out of its bowl, eats fondu for the first time, and unfortunately, gets sick. I found it touching that during her illness, the Bear Cat and Cocchi appear at the window, peering in anxiously to see what has become of their young friend. I'm eager to continue onto the next volume and read more about this endearing little cat.

Rating: 4/5 ......... 142 pages, 2010

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Chi's Sweet Home

vol. 6
by Konami Kanata

Kitty cuteness continues. I haven't had much time for reading of late, but these kitten-powered graphic novels are perfect for some light entertainment and warm fuzzy feelings and good laughs. In volume six, Chi gets in trouble for tracking mud through the house, is upset at being restricted from accessing certain objects in the household (hot iron, plants she destroys, etc), is entertained by packaging when new items arrive in the home, plays and squabbles with Yohei (her little boy sibling), discovers the annoyance and -paradoxically- delight of the vacuum cleaner, suffers the indignity of wearing her first collar, and discovers the great outdoors after dark. Most intriguingly, she meets another kitten who is apparently a stray cat and whose ways puzzle and delight the sheltered Chi.  The other kitten, named Cocchi, is annoyed by Chi's insistence in following or playing with him. Makes for some great kitty entertainment!

Rating: 3/5 ........ 146 pages, 2009

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An Irish Country Doctor

by Patrick Taylor

This novel is about a young doctor who works in an Irish country practice under the direction of a gruff older physician, well-respected (even feared) in the community but whose practices make Barry Laverty raise his eyebrows. At first I enjoyed reading about the interesting characters and run-ins the young doctor has with his patients, the older man's questionable ways of getting around their ignorance and stubbornness. There's also the intriguing details about medical practice in the sixties, and a little bit of romance. But in the end I found myself bored and loosing interest quickly. I skimmed a lot, barely finishing enough to avoid tagging this one as abandoned. It's an easy read but there's just not enough meat there for me. I found the little glossary in the back curious reading though, and not because it explained all the quaint local expressions used in the novel (soft hand under a duck = very gentle or good at something; not as green as you're cabbage looking = you're more clever than you seem). But also because there were a lot of expressions defined in there that were so familiar to me I'd think they would not need to be included. Such as bigger fish to fry, bit my head off, hold your horses, no spring chicken, you're on, among others. Did the author really think these were phrases particular to Ulster dialect?

Rating: 1/5 ......... 351 pages, 2004

Chi's Sweet Home

vol. 4
by Konami Kanata

Chi's family has thankfully found a new home in an apartment that allows pets, so for them it is a big relief to move. For the little kitten, moving is an upsetting and confusing event and we get to see the cat's viewpoint as she timidly explores the new apartment, finds new smells, marks stuff as hers, and meets neighbors. One of these happens to be a dog, which is frightening for Chi until she discovers that she can be smart and safe from "the Barker" too. In the course of this volume Chi learns how scary and fun a flight of stairs can be, meets a snooty next-door-neighbor cat, is indignant at having her nails clipped (failed attempt) and plays ridiculously cute games of hide-and-seek with her little boy. She also realizes how much she misses the big Blackie from her old neighborhood, in a moment of nostalgia. Sweet and fun.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 146 pages, 2006

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Chi's Sweet Home

vol. 3
by Konami Kanata

In volume three, the too-cute Chi is starting to mimic grown cat behavior, due to her following the older, larger "Bear Cat" around the apartment complex more and more. They start to get into some serious trouble, and eventually the Bear Cat's family is forced to move out, pitching Chi's family into a panic about their own situation. They decide they must give Chi up, which grieves the little boy. Chi herself seems pretty unmoved by all the turmoil, delighted to romp with the older cat, play with her human "sibling" and generally cause mischief. It's hilarious when she gets her claws stuck in a curtain and unintentionally climbs almost all the way to the ceiling! There's also a very cute episode where a toddler visits from the country, who finds Chi irresistibly cute, but is more used to playing with dogs and upsets the kitten. I love the way this series is illustrated, it's simple and adorable, but the expressions of cats and their attitudes are so accurate it makes me laugh.

Rating: 4/5 ........ 144 pages, 2005

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Chi's Sweet Home

Vol. 2   
by Konami Kanata 

In this second volume of Chi's Sweet Home, the adorable little kitty continues to romp around her adopted family's apartment. Their efforts to keep her presence a secret from the management becomes more complicated when a large black cat starts causing trouble in the neighborhood. Now everyone's on the lookout for cats, and then Chi meets "The Bear Cat" herself. First she tries to chase him away from her territory, then she gives in to curiosity and starts following him around. Gruff in appearance, he becomes something of a kitty mentor to her. The kitten's memories of her mother and siblings are fading, but brought back dimly sometimes by snuggles and the taste of milk. I like the scenes centered in the home, as the kitten plays alongside the little boy and continues to learn how to fit in with her human family. Finding a comfy spot to sleep, wanting to share in the delicious-smelling food the family eats, playing with things on daddy's desk. Surely anyone who shares a home with a cat can relate! My favorite was the scene where Chi found the little boy taking a bath. She was terrified of the water, but so intrigued by the floating bath toys. You can guess the result!

Rating: 4/5 ........ 154 pages, 2004

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Work Women Want

by Jennifer Forest

This book is a basic overview of some options available for women who want to earn a decent amount of income but still have time with their kids. It was offered to me by the publicist, and for once I accepted a review copy (usually not my policy) because the subject is so applicable to my current situation.

Through the book Forest looks at a range of ways women can work from home or negotiate part-time hours in a manner that will still generate a reasonable amount of income. She examines the possibilities of multi-level marketing, making crafts or selling products (online or at local fairs), providing professional services (bookkeeping and the like), pro blogging, trading shares, running a home daycare, and a few other things. In every instance the author either attempted the job herself, or interviewed women who had made a success of it. To no surprise, she quickly found that things like online surveys are mostly a scam and freelancing job sites can be difficult to get started at. My own experience validates what she says for the most part, as I have either looked into some of these things myself during the past five years, or know other women who have. 

Namely, it is not easy or simple to make a good sustainable income working from home. It takes a lot of effort, focus, and time to get established. I appreciated that with each case, Forest explains not only what it takes to get the business going, the amount of upfront capital you might need and the expected time before you can expect a good return, but also what kind of skills and personality are needed for each type of work. Working from home is not the right solution for everyone. She includes lists of questions to ask yourself, as well as templates to help you form a basic plan. If you're trying to go back to an established office job but negotiate for part-time hours, she has advice and strategies for how to make that successful, as well. She also briefly discusses the merits of returning to school and pursuing a degree.

I am glad that I've finally found work that I can be productive at, while remaining home with my children (I'm currently working part-time from home as content editor and graphic design assistant for a website development company. I've found it very satisfactory but the hours can be long- the best times for me to work are usually late, after the kids are in bed). This book did not teach me much, to be honest. If you are newly in the position of looking for work-at-home opportunities I do think this book would be a good beginning resource to figure out which options might be valid. It's a great starting point and has lists of further resources. I did find some of the content repetitive, and the author is not in the American job market (she's from Australia), so some of her observations or terminology were a bit foreign to me but for the most part it was solid information. There's lots of inspirational quotes scattered throughout the book as well.

Rating: 3/5 ......... 223 pages, 2013

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connywithay

anyone else?

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

The Young King and the Remarkable Rocket
by Oscar Wilde
illustrated by P. Craig Russell

This one was a bit better, for me. Wilde's fairy tales continue to sit a bit ill, but are nevertheless some compelling reading. Of course, the awesome illustrations draw me in as well. This volume (no. 2) contains two stories. "The Young King"  is about a boy king enthralled with beauty- jewels, rich cloth, all sorts of lovely and costly objects. I thought it was going to be a story about greed but instead it turned a different corner. The boy king begins to learn how poor people have suffered and things been destroyed in order to make such riches available to him, and he then cannot bear to wear the robes or jewels. So he goes to his coronation dressed in sheepskin, holding a wooden stick for a scepter, with a crown made of thorns on his head. The court and common people alike are all shocked to see their king dressed so lowly- some in fact don't recognize him- and they mock him but he is surrounded by glory. This story again had a very obvious reference to Jesus but I didn't mind this time. Probably because it was introduced early in the story and built up gradually, instead of being thrown in suddenly at the end, like I felt with the earlier one.

"The Remarkable Rocket" is about a bunch of fireworks being prepared for the celebration of a royal wedding. The rockets are talking amongst themselves and the biggest one of all is haughty and full of himself. He thinks the fanfare is all about him, and he sounds very ridiculous in his bragging and melodrama but in the end no one pays him any attention at all, he doesn't even become part of the intended display. I rather liked this one, too. It was amusing and had a very good point. So maybe I will find more of this series, after all...

Rating: 3/5 ........ 48 pages, 1994

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

The Devoted Friend and The Nightingale and the Rose
by Oscar Wilde
illustrated by P.Craig Russell

This is volume four of the Wilde fairy tales illustrated by P. Craig Russell (I'm not reading them in order). I was familiar with one of the stories, the Nightingale, but not the other. "The Nightingale and the Rose" is about a young man pining after a beautiful girl he's in love with, who will dance with him only if he gives her a red rose. He can't find a red rose but a nightingale overhears his grieving and sacrifices herself to true love: she pierces herself on the thorn of the rosebush, and her life's blood paints the rose red. The young man is ecstatic to find the red rose and immediately takes it to the young woman but she scorns his gift and he goes home to bury his nose in books.

In the other story, a poor but good-hearted gardener is taken advantage of by a rich miller who takes liberties with his ideas of friendship until he has literally driven the gardener to his death. With hard work for favors never really returned in kind. I found both these stories rather bitter, and unsettling.

What was Wilde trying to say? The young woman was so petty, the heartsick young man seemed to make assumptions about her that weren't true at all, the nightingale died for an idea that wasn't a reality. And I rather liked the poor gardener but he wouldn't stand up for himself and the disgusting miller didn't even seem to care that he'd caused the man he erroneously called "friend" to die.

It seems a terrible observation on human nature. I do love the artwork but I'm not sure if I want to read more of Oscar Wilde's stories!

Rating: 3/5 ........ 32 pages, 2004

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

The Selfish Giant and The Star Child
by Oscar Wilde
illustrated by P. Craig Russell

**  Warning- there are spoilers here! **

Another graphic novel I picked up attracted by the pictures. I knew I would already like it as I've seen this artist before and he's amazing. And I was right. I loved looking at the pictures. The stories, well, I'm not so sure about that. I knew Oscar Wilde wrote short stories, and I've read a collection of them before, but I don't recall these two. I didn't realize he could be so- religious and blatant with the moralizing. "The Selfish Giant" is about a giant with a beautiful garden who doesn't like neighborhood kids playing there. He puts up a wall to keep them out and then his garden is always winter until a small child solicits his sympathy. The giant lets them back in, the garden grows in spring and summer, everyone is happy again. But did the child have to be an incarnation of Jesus? I was rather enjoying the story and that made it just annoying.

The second story, "The Star Child" is about a beautiful child found in the woods and taken in by a woodcutter's family. He grows up into an insolent, mean and spiteful child. When his poor, beggarwoman mother finds him, he rejects  her and gets turned into an ugly creature. Then he wanders around miserably suffering the same insults and bad treatment he had meted out to others, until a cruel magician and a little rabbit teach him lessons of kindness. Then of course he gets his original beauty back and finds out that his beggarwoman mother is actually a queen. This pat ending didn't bother me so much as the last page, where we see the beautiful boy ruling as king, the land all peaceful and happy, and then he dies suddenly and the last line says And he who came after him rulled evilly. What? Now I'm expecting more! It just seemed an odd way to end the story. I wonder if there actually is more I'm missing, as the original was adapted by Russell for this book...

I've several more volumes of P. Craig Russell-illustrated Wilde fairy tales borrowed from the library, will be reading those soon too.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 111 pages, 1992

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Chi's Sweet Home

Vol. 1
by Konami Kanata

This is one of the cutest books I've ever seen! It's about a little kitten who gets lost and adopted by a family that isn't allowed to keep pets in their apartment. There's the adjustment of the family to caring for a cat, the toddler's antics, the kitten constantly remembering her family and wanting to search for them, then starting to feel at home where she is. It's hilarious how the kitten gets her name- correct me if I'm wrong someone, but does "chi" really translate into something like "pee pee"? I guess it would be like calling your kitten Tinkle, ha ha. There's all kinds of amusement relating to how cats actually behave- not interested in the toys you purchase but delighted with an empty box or winkled paper, alternately startled by and curious about every new thing in the house, indignant at the liberties taken by the vet and then holding a grudge against the person who took her there! I enjoyed it all so much.

I even spotted a little tribute to What's Michael?, another graphic novel series about cats. If you look closely at the pictures showing the vet's office, What's Michael? books are in the background! Love those little details. I'm eager to read more (so is my eight-year-old, who gobbled this book up) so I've already requested the next few volumes from the library. Looks like they have at least ten, so we're looking forward to reading more about this adorable kitty!

Rating: 4/5 ........ 162 pages, 2004

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I Can Do It Myself!

by Stephen Krensky
illustrated by Sara Gillingham

Another charming book we found by chance at the library. I Can Do It Myself seems to be a companion volume to Now I Am Big! In this case, a little girl is featuring showing off all the things she can now do on her own: get a snack, reach a book on a shelf, turn off a light, blow her nose, ride a tricycle and so on. The cutest picture is where she chooses her own clothes- they are all terribly mismatched but she is so proud of her outfit! It's a charming reminder on how much little accomplishments mean to small children.

Rating: 3/5 ........ 12 pages, 2012

Age of Reptiles

Omnibus Vol. 1
by Ricardo Delgado

It was simply the beautiful pictures that caught my eye on a library shelf, and good thing because that's mostly all this book consists of. The thick volume is a compilation of three comics- Age of Reptiles: Tribal Warfare, Age of Reptiles: The Hunt and ditto The Journey. They are all stories told entirely in pictures, and all about dinosaurs. Unfortunately I don't know the names of all the species featured- but the first two books seem to center around a few groups of predatory dinosaurs- some smaller carnivores and the bigger tyrannosaur as well. They fight over food and territory, have regular skirmishes, prey on each others' eggs and young. The second book seems to foreshadow dire times- a lot of the landscape is dry and barren, and the third book shows massive groups of dinosaurs migrating in search of new food sources.

This last part didn't have as interesting a storyline to me- it was all about the difficulties of the herbivores traveling (getting quite gaunt and worn with hunger) and the predatory species following along to pick them off. But I was intrigued by the colors- you could tell the artist really had fun giving the dinosaurs vivid patterns and colors. In The Journey I kept thinking "hey, those ones look like ostriches, and those all striped like zebras," and suspected that the artist had intended to make it seem like the migration of African animals. Sure enough, at the end there were some marvelous pages from Delgado's sketchbook including some color studies where he'd noted which antelopes, giraffe and other African beasts the colors were supposed to mimic.

I was intrigued by how much the pictures reminded, or taught me about life so long ago. How old sharks and crocodiles are- they were there, right alongside the dinosaurs. I'd see a panel with a fierce-looking dinosaur stalking a large insect and not know if the insect was huge or the predator small until another familiar dinosaur chomped on them both (a frequently repeated scene, actually- hunter becoming the hunted). There were fantastic fishes and aquatic beasts, and I loved the depictions of flying ones (pterosaurs?) as parasite-pickers or scavengers or just squabbling cliff-dwellers with their own little dramas going on. The perspective angles showing their flights and viewpoints were awesome.

The drawings are just wonderful. I missed some of the storyline because I was just staring at the artwork instead of paying attention to exactly what was happening. The so-very-lifelike anatomy. The amazing linework and texture, mostly created with ink. It's very impressive. And I loved the inclusion of essays where Delgado described other artists who had inspired him. I even looked some of them up. I had never heard of Ricardo Delgado before, nor seen his work, so I was disappointed to find that my library doesn't have any other books featuring his art, not even another volume of these dinosaur comics. But if you can find them, do take a look. Especially if you have kids crazy about dinosaurs. It's just amazing.

Oh, but there's lots of blood. Dinosaurs fighting, ripping each other up and feasting on the fallen. If it's too disturbing for you, or too violent for your children, then give this a pass. Otherwise I recommend it!

Rating: 4/5 ........ 397 pages, 2011

I am glad to know

that the world will never run out of books I want to read! haha. I will run out of time to read them first, I'm sure. I haven't even begun to dent the backlog of titles, yet I keep adding more. You are all so guilty (fellow readers, I mean you, in a good way!)

As usual, the links below will point you to the friendly book blogger who got said title on my radar.

Far From the Tree by Andrew Soloman- Farm Lane Books Blog
The Yellowstone Wolves by Gary Ferguson- Ardent Reader
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan- Things Mean a Lot
Animal Wise by Virginia Morell from Gone Bookserk
Where the Blind Horse Sings by Kathy Stevens from Opinions of a Wolf
The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles DeLint from Stuff as Dreams Are Made On
Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamot- Shelf Love
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Craft Rubin- Books on the Brain
Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks- Bermudaonion's Weblog
To Dance by Siena Cherson Siegel- Puss Reboots
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson- Books on the Brain
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline- Bookfoolery
Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns by Margaret Dilloway- Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

This second list includes the books not available at my public library, which I will have to keep my eyes out for elsewhere.

A Good Horse Has No Color by Nancy Marie Brown- A Striped Armchair
Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany- Farm Lane Books Blog
Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt - A Striped Armchair
Natural Fashion by Hans Silvester- Stuff As Dreams Are Made On