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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