Butterflies in November

I’ll admit, part of me was just curious to read something by an Icelandic author (I want to diversify my reading). I have no idea of the grammatical structure of Icelandic, my only guesses stemmed from a few clauses and gender assignments or usages. Anyway: I loved this book! It is a touching, sweet, and funny work that reminded me a little of the “About a Boy” story. The narrator – what is her name? – seems both motherly and not motherly, and these pages are full of real empathy.

Fun images

From my instagram page, a picture of the physical books I have received:

Scientific Autobiography

Sorry, Max, this just wasn’t that interesting to me. The title is fitting, though, as this is not really a personal history, more the history of some scientific advances and different peoples’ disputing theories. These pieces might sound better at a seminar – indeed, they originally were lectures. The reading might be better in print, too, which made me wonder what Max Planck would have thought of ebooks.

November post

This being the last day of the month, and I haven't posted any reviews, I will just give an update on what I've been reading. I read the other "Yosemite Meditations" book; my first Stephen King book (borrowed from a friend), "Under the Dome"; and a book on a topic I've always found interesting, biomimicry, called "The Shark's Paintbrush".

Dataclysm

This is a really interesting book. We’re hearing a lot about big data, but here is a different look at some of it. Everything here is fresh. This is not another attempt to explain statistical methods either. Rather, the data speaks for itself (selves? “data” is plural, if you want to be technical). There is so much of it out there that we can now see very revealing trends. These are often in line with cultural assumptions, but there are some new insights, too. And, it’s all backed up by numbers. The volume alone is outstanding, and the author repeats a fact that I still find shocking: there are more tweeted words in two years than printed words for as long as there have been printed words.

Nest

As with my last review, I want to leave out specific events from this book’s plot. Instead I will attempt to explain how the book is unique, and why it is worth reading. (That’s the point of a review, isn’t it?) This book is sad, and, in parallel, really quite charming – that descriptor just seems to fit.

The Magician's Land

Note: I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

As this is the third book in a trilogy, I had to read the first two first, so I will treat the three as a whole for purposes of this review. Each book could stand on its own, but they’re even better together, as a series. Once again, it’s hard for me to review fiction without giving away too much. The plot, each book by itself, and the larger story in one, is compelling; your interest and attention are held with an iron grip.

Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers | Blue Horses

I was very lucky to win both of these through goodreads, and as they arrived around the same time, I thought I would feature them together here. Both are pocket-sized and full of admiration of nature. These will be nice to carry around and think about outside somewhere.

The Rosie Effect

The predecessor to “The Rosie Effect” hit a little too close to home for me: a geneticist uncomfortable in many social situations, among other reasons. Having read a few other books that deal in one way or another with the autism spectrum, I understand this condition to be different in all people anyway. Thus I feel that writing of that perspective from the outside requires caution in attaining a semblance of accuracy. So, I wasn’t sure what to think, but accepted that the story of Don and Rosie is a romantic comedy, and is best when taken lightly. These books are very entertaining, and unlike Don Tillman’s approach, it shouldn’t be picked apart in a logical way.

A Forest A River and me

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Patrick Michael Murphy offers a very close and personal look into living off the grid. In this book he is in Idaho, near the Priest River. While he had lived in other similar places, this time he was much more on his own. His friend Stan helped him construct the two cabins on the land, which they had decided to purchase together and utilize with the lowest possible impact. This is a lifestyle many environmental types might fantasize of pursuing, but is full of challenges and unexpected complications. Patrick went into this situation with substantial credit card debt among other obstacles, but made a great effort to live this way, and shares some of his lessons in this book.

2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas

A feel-good book is always welcome. Many readers will find “2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas” to have an overall uplifting effect. If you liked “The Good Luck of Right Now” (see also “Silver Linings Playbook”) you will probably also delight in this Philadelphia story. The Cat’s Pajamas is a jazz club in Philadelphia’s Fishtown – another name I like. The house band there is the Cubanistas, led by Max Cubanista, who tells people he is from Cuba. Lorca, however, inherited the place along with the prized Snakehead guitar. His son Alex, the next generation, practices guitar when he can, while in another part of the city young Madeleine hopes to sing, anywhere, since they won’t let her at Saint Anthony’s. Her teacher and her principle – childhood classmate of Madeleine’s recently deceased mother – don’t know what to do with this sassy girl. The things a child like Madeleine worries about, and isn’t afraid of, and the grown-ups, they have their significant memories and imaginings. Everyone has their flaws, and their positive character traits. One complaint I’d have is that some of the secondary characters are a little hard to sort out; they are in and out, usually together, so telling one from another may require a closer second reading. However, I give this book points for the descriptions of music, and for its real originality, making the unnoticed details of everyday life shine, and in the crossing paths of the various characters. Though the chapters are only an hour or less apart, each passage feels like a new day, showing how much can happen in a day – and a night.

Flight Ways

“Flight Ways” focuses on five groups of birds (albatrosses, vultures, penguins, cranes, and crows) and their risks of extinction. I think this might be good for a class, though I would not purchase this book for myself. He is a bit repetitive, even with the people he cites, though it is all to help make a point. The author explains why he sees extinction not as an event but a long process, and case studies in the form of stories are one way to help illustrate this concept. It is well researched and at times informative, but not always the most pleasurable reading. It’s more like a lecture or seminar. After the first chapter I ignored the footnotes.

The Great Glass Sea

This expired before I could get very far, but it seems really interesting, a story I want to take the time to read, whether I can get it at the library or another physical copy. The idea of a giant greenhouse, “under the dome” kind of experiment, where it’s always day time, is very intriguing. And while I don’t know as much about Russian history as I’d like, this seems a timely read as well. I found it a little hard to keep track of some of the names, and other Russian words. I am thankful for the opportunity to read through Net Galley. I hope I can read the entire book someday. Also,not to judge a book by its cover, I do like the artwork on this one.

Three Bargains

Set in northern India, “Three Bargains” is decorated with many colorful, not always familiar, words. So many that I underlined them in pencil, when I normally don’t like to write in books, and made my own kind of glossary, thanks to Wikipedia and Wiktionary. Food, clothing, occupations, religious and cultural practices are among these words new to me, yet the clarity of the writing and story-telling is remarkable. Reading about Madan, Avtaar Singh, Jaggu, all of the characters – their personalities are immediate and well-focused. The novel tells Madan’s story through so many events, good, bad, and deadly, and never strays far from the intensity behind this young man. Avtaar Singh – always those two names together, sometimes with the suffix “-ji”, and only once as “Avtaar Uncle,” is a powerful mobster – really, I think that is an accurate comparison. For certain I do not agree with his way of conducting business; much of western culture, too is perhaps at odds with his approach, but to see the way he balanced good and evil, and how this passed on to Madan, is exceptionally well done by Tania Malik. Often Madan thinks that violence upon others will settle his soul, but how can it? That is something I cannot understand, though it is not to say that any of these people are all evil or all good. At times Madan does a good deed to follow the bad one, even involving the same person. Time, too, shapes his outlook, and that of his family as well. There is plenty to think about while, and after, reading this.

A Field Guide to Little-Known & Seldom Seen Birds of North America

This is my kind of book: birding and satire, for ornithological observers who can take a joke. Like most birders, I have not seen too many of these species, but this authoritative, reliable guide offers practical tips for where and how to find them, or not. Maybe you have even heard or seen one of these birds, but didn’t know what it was. Some of the species might evolve millions of years from now, given the effects of climate change, etc. Or they may have evolved already, faster than we might have guessed. Some are well-adapted, others are not. Many have onomatopoetic, often eponymous calls that, if heard, would be useful and easy to learn. This guide is organized by color-ish.

The Late Starters Orchestra

If you have never played an instrument, or used to and have been away from it, wanting to go back, “The Late Starters Orchestra” is worth considering. The orchestra from this book’s title is the New York City version of a Late Starters Orchestra, just for that kind of person. The author of course is a member, in the cello section (it’s strings only). However, the book is not just about this music group but more a memoir of the author’s personal life, music and otherwise. The big goal in sight is to play the cello at his sixtieth birthday party. He was lucky to have had a great teacher, whose voice he remembers throughout the book, encouraging him when few others will. His wife, eleven years younger than him, must be very patient as it seems they clash in many ways; yet, they manage to work things out. And, in case the cello never worked out for him, he has his youngest son begin with the “Suzuki method,” the workings of which are big in this book. From there his son opens up to other kinds of music, and the two of them grow musically in their own ways.

All Fishermen Are Liars

Anything fish-related catches my eye, even though I am not really a fisherman. That is why I am interested in books like this, to better learn why people like to fish. If you were to read only one book to do the same, this is a good choice. I am fascinated with the beauty of ichthyofauna, trout in particular, but wouldn’t know where to begin if handed a fly rod. I had to kind of pass over some of the technical terms, like the numbers assigned to pieces of equipment. However, after reading enough of this I feel I have a better sense of the tools. This is not textbook-like information but rather the author’s personal experience and how he uses the gear in the field.

Untamed

Carol Ruckdeschel is awesome. So is Will Harlan, for doing his research and telling Carol’s story so well. Her last name only appears a few times in the book, so I want to state it up front to help remember this remarkable person. Before I started the book, my first thought was “what a badass!” – in the good way. She chose a lifestyle that isn’t exactly in line with the American Dream, but is, I think, commendable and worthy of consideration, given our place in the greater ecosystem of this planet. Worth considering that while it’s not for everyone, those that choose it shouldn’t be neglected or denied support simply because they’re different. What made Carol different? Everything. Where to begin?

The 53rd Parallel - full review

I only got to read about half of this book before I ran out of time, but I was enjoying it. The style provided a clear setting and feel for the characters’ inner emotions. What I think drew my interest to this book was the fishing, and, though I didn’t see the whole picture, a story of the fight for natural resource conservation. I study fish, despite not being a fisherman myself. Given that the author has been a fishing guide, I figured there would be some good inside views on that, and there are.

The story goes back and forth between Ireland and Canada, and the two meet up. Brian is the Irish fishing guide who has a dream of leading his own guide services in northern Canada. He has a painful struggle with alcoholism, but meets Maureen, who offers to help him realize his dream. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, we read about an Ojibway tribe, their way of life, and the positive and negative interactions they have had with foreigners in their home land.

At first I was reluctant to read about a character involved with IRA, but thought it would be good to become better informed about that group. And though I haven’t been there yet, I feel some form of nostalgia for Ireland, maybe through ancestry? The Canadian setting is more familiar to me, as I imagine it to be much like northern New England. I didn’t finish this one, but I can say that it is a vivid style with very realistic people trying to overcome their conflicts, both internal and communal.
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The Bees

I was very lucky to win this in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. As in other cases, I may not have read this book otherwise, and I feel really fortunate to have come across such a cool book! I received an advance reading copy, so it had its share of typos and errors, and I didn't realize at first that the author is English, so some words are different, but not by much. That out of the way, this is a really cool book, and, I think, a great accomplishment.

Seedtime

I couldn’t finish this, so I hope that what I have to say isn’t too biased. Think of this post as a sort of open letter. I hate to write a bad review, but if I’m going to keep up with this, there’s always the chance that not everything I read will be good. Right from the prologue, it seemed to me like the author was a bit impressed with himself as a writer, but I tried to give the book a chance, and made it through the first four chapters. I hoped his experience as a ‘sower’ would support it all, and I was expecting more natural history, but it’s more like random poetry, which was disappointing. I had a hard time thinking of just seeds, and not the plants they grow into, and it was never really clear to me what they mean by “seedtime”. The author’s own experience as a farmer would have been more interesting – I’m sorry if I missed that in the other chapters, but what I did read felt like it wasn’t saying much, and couldn’t hold my interest or patience. I do read a lot of this kind of writing; maybe I was getting tired of seeing some patterns (or even clichés) emerge again and again. I might have enjoyed it more at another time; or, someone who doesn’t read as much nature writing as I do might prefer it. 

The Science of Shakespeare

A hypothetical conversation between a young (“almost nine”) William and his father opens this book. The two comment on what may or may not be a new star in the sky, with the father asking his son to speak in Latin. This helps set the tone with regards to the science and the language of the day. Shakespeare lived in interesting times; surely the breakthroughs in scientific thought interested him? Dan Falk addresses this question to great effect, drawing from the work of other researchers but synthesizing it all under a new light.

The Word Exchange

The last fiction I reviewed was a short story collection; this time it’s a novel. This allows the reader to get a better sense of the characters’ personalities, though a strength of the book is that you are never quite sure what their role is in all of this. I will try to avoid spoilers! This book, especially towards the end when the pieces may be coming into place, even shows the power of love in desperate times and what (some) people may do under extreme circumstances. Some of the chapters are from one character’s diaries, and really are like a journal – trying to jot down ideas for the sake of memory, and the sidetracked conversation one often has with pen and paper – or whatever technology was used in that world. The vocabulary and wide reading (references to obscure authors or philosophers) are sometimes a bit much, but keep in mind that they work for a Dictionary. Presenting things as a definition has almost become a cliché, but the chapter titles here are clever. The use of newspaper clippings, letters, pamphlets and other printed(?) forms are well-done. Footnotes play an especially interesting role, and are handy on an e-reader. Beyond the diary entries, the author did seem to put in perhaps too many details of her own life. It is important for a writer to do so – what else do we write about? – but it threatened to distract from the main plot, which is exciting enough on its own. Please remember, too, that the copy I read was an advance reading proof.

The Homing Instinct

Finally! It took me a while to get through this, but I was distracted, between big life events and many of the other books I want to read, have started to read, or finished reading since my last post. This is the first Bernd Heinrich book for me to read; I had been wanting to read something by him for a while. At first I wasn’t sure, but I think this was a good one to start with. It is a collection of loosely related pieces. About half of the book is about the science of migration, and the other approximate half is personal memoir, pertaining to the author’s own homing instinct. The timing proved to be appropriate for me, in a symbolic way: the day I began reading, and the day I finished, I was away from home, but in between, and for over a year now I have been at home and wanting to move on. However, I love my home, and understand Heinrich’s feelings about the Maine woods he grew up in.

The Frangipani Hotel

Wow! This is something different. Not just because this is my first review of a work of fiction – that’s not really important. I do not usually read this kind of book, so I hope my reviewing is fair. These are brilliant stories, with a strong sense of setting, yet at the same time they are universal. I had a clear picture in my mind not only of the location but also the characters and their behavior. The closest style I can compare it to is magical realism, but I am far from an expert on any of this. I don’t want to say too much about the contents of the book. The stories are succinct, and capture so much in a little space; there is no excess. The twists and turns the plots take are perhaps the most impressive aspect. These are not exactly ghosts stories in the “traditional” sense – not the wailing bed sheet, but something much less defined, and therefore much more sinister. A few of the stories feel like the protagonist is caught in a deal with a devil, the danger of having one’s soul and/or life stolen.

Re-posting from Goodreads - First Reads

This is my first review on Goodreads. I was very lucky to win a copy of “iWoz” as part of the First Reads giveaways. I may not have read this otherwise, but I really enjoyed it and am glad I won! Perhaps my biggest impression, what I remember most, is that I learned a lot about electrical engineering and how computers are put together and function. Wozniak presents a very logical layout of the development of electronics, and how he met technological needs – often in an overnight marathon (though after writing out or printing on paper beforehand, until it was all memorized). He had the vision to anticipate what people would want to use in the future. His sense of humor is always present, though some of his pranks did not seem to be such good ideas. The dial-a-joke and other phone-related hacks were amusing, though these are probably not going to be around much longer. He is an example of what one might do when they have more money than they know what to do with, like creating a music festival from scratch, but also giving to other philanthropic causes.
The Apple I and especially the Apple II computers seemed to be his biggest accomplishment, and he explains why these were a success, while other products (like the Apple III) were not. He also tells what it was like to work for different companies (such as HP), and to start one (for making a universal remote control). His experience with anterograde amnesia was interesting, as a biological rather than technological problem. I thought he made it clear that he is very honest, yet still with human flaws, like not being able to keep a marriage together. He seems like a very good person in any case, and has used his knowledge and production for good. Now, too, the record may be set straight on a few legends surrounding Apple and the Home Brew Computer Group. This was an easy-to-follow book (at one point the reader is reminded this is a “family” book), and it is well-paced, probably thanks in large part to Gina Smith. It is always interesting to hear people tell their stories, and this gives a solid background on the foundations of much of the technology we use today.

Latin for Bird Lovers

Now that I want to learn all of my local birds not only by their common names but also their Genus species, I have been a little frustrated that the bird books and field guides from my youth don’t match up - and I'm not that old! Thus I have to turn to up-to-date sources, this being one.

The Death and Life of Monterey Bay

This is an excellent book, a remarkable story about a remarkable place. The Monterey Bay, before the Europeans moved in, was incredibly rich in natural resources. One by one these were exploited, but through innovative and dedicated citizens, it has made an exemplary turnaround.

Thinking like a Mountain

This is my first review here, let’s see how I do! Now that I am reviewing, I wonder how many other people are writing the same (or similar) things as I am. Before starting this brief text, one probably wonders: what does a mountain think like? This could be an example of why books have subtitles; this one’s is “an ecological perspective on earth” as you can read in the picture I copied above. The idea is that mountains are around much longer than humans (on an individual basis), and thus witness environmental change on a far greater scale. It’s up to humans to appreciate this, and conservation biology is one way of addressing related issues.

First Post

This is my first post! When I made this blog I thought I was going to summarize journal articles as a sort of annotated bibliography, especially the statistics used, hence the title of the blog. However, I didn’t keep up with that here and haven’t published anything (but see http://smalltheoriesproject.blogspot.com/). I have been reading lots of books, and while I have a journal to keep track, I’d like to share some of my thoughts, so if anyone is interested, read on. For this blog I will focus on nature writing, but may include other types of books or even other musings.

I’ll try to write about most of what I’m reading, but to give a sense, some nature and science books I have read are: