Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
During the pandemic Chloe Dalton had retreated from London to her home in the English countryside to wait things out. One day she finds a leveret, or baby hare, on a road. She leaves it for several hours hoping the mother will come back, but when it's still there she ends up taking it home. Only afterward does she find out it's extremely hard to raise hares because they often die of shock or starve. Dalton's hare survives and their relationship grows as the hare grows up. Fully grown by four months old, Dalton expects the hare to leave and never come back. But that's not what happens. The hare does live in the wild, but often comes back "home" daily seeing Dalton's home and garden as a safe place. Dalton also has the privilege of watching her hare raise 3 litters of leverets - one litter inside the house!
I was really impressed with how Dalton followed her instincts with the hare since there is very little information about raising or caring for a wild hare. And because of her time with the hare, she also starts to be more aware of her surroundings - other wild animals, other hares, all the inherent dangers of the wild, and how she can make her land more wildlife friendly. She also talks about the damage of industrial agriculture and how much of the English countryside has changed, eliminating so much of the areas wildlife need to survive.
This book is beautifully written and I was so jealous of this amazing experience Dalton had with her hare. It was unique in that the hare was never a pet - never even named. But still they so obviously bonded. What an amazing experience. I'm grateful she wrote this book to share her experience with the rest of us. Highly recommend this one!
Some quotes I liked:
"On average, only a quarter of all leverets reach adulthood, and sometimes, many fewer. One study of hares found, in a single breeding season, a 50 per cent mortality rate among leverets in their first twenty-eight days. It identified leveret mortality related to farming activity as the single greatest reason for the precipitous fall in the brown hare population. For all these reasons, it is considered rare for a hare to live more than three or four years in the wild, and a hare's lifespan is often no longer than a year, a fate it was painful to imagine for the leveret beside me." (p. 59)
"I was moved by the leveret's dignity, the sense of well-being and calm it spread, and the simplicity of its life. The life of a hare at ease is one of basking, rolling, resting, drowsing and dreaming, and living in the moment. A hare leaves behind it nothing more than a patch of flattened grass, little larger than a human footprint, soon lifted by the wind and erased altogether. The leveret's calm and orderly existence challenged my priorities and woke up my senses." (p. 130)
"Since that first day when I found her it has felt as if a spell was cast over this corner of the earth, and me within it. I have stepped out of my usual life and had the privilege of an experience out of the ordinary. Had it not been for the unique circumstances of the pandemic, I would never have come across the hare, and my life would have continued along its familiar grooves. How glad I am now that I did not leave for the city the moment it became possible. I am grateful for every additional day that I gazed out of the window. If I had gone, I would not have seen the leverets born. I would not have built the relationship I formed around the hare, with other people and with this patch of land, and felt this unexpected, uncomplicated joy, and learnt not to tamp down the emotions it generates in me." (p. 272)
I was really impressed with how Dalton followed her instincts with the hare since there is very little information about raising or caring for a wild hare. And because of her time with the hare, she also starts to be more aware of her surroundings - other wild animals, other hares, all the inherent dangers of the wild, and how she can make her land more wildlife friendly. She also talks about the damage of industrial agriculture and how much of the English countryside has changed, eliminating so much of the areas wildlife need to survive.
This book is beautifully written and I was so jealous of this amazing experience Dalton had with her hare. It was unique in that the hare was never a pet - never even named. But still they so obviously bonded. What an amazing experience. I'm grateful she wrote this book to share her experience with the rest of us. Highly recommend this one!
Some quotes I liked:
"On average, only a quarter of all leverets reach adulthood, and sometimes, many fewer. One study of hares found, in a single breeding season, a 50 per cent mortality rate among leverets in their first twenty-eight days. It identified leveret mortality related to farming activity as the single greatest reason for the precipitous fall in the brown hare population. For all these reasons, it is considered rare for a hare to live more than three or four years in the wild, and a hare's lifespan is often no longer than a year, a fate it was painful to imagine for the leveret beside me." (p. 59)
"I was moved by the leveret's dignity, the sense of well-being and calm it spread, and the simplicity of its life. The life of a hare at ease is one of basking, rolling, resting, drowsing and dreaming, and living in the moment. A hare leaves behind it nothing more than a patch of flattened grass, little larger than a human footprint, soon lifted by the wind and erased altogether. The leveret's calm and orderly existence challenged my priorities and woke up my senses." (p. 130)
"Since that first day when I found her it has felt as if a spell was cast over this corner of the earth, and me within it. I have stepped out of my usual life and had the privilege of an experience out of the ordinary. Had it not been for the unique circumstances of the pandemic, I would never have come across the hare, and my life would have continued along its familiar grooves. How glad I am now that I did not leave for the city the moment it became possible. I am grateful for every additional day that I gazed out of the window. If I had gone, I would not have seen the leverets born. I would not have built the relationship I formed around the hare, with other people and with this patch of land, and felt this unexpected, uncomplicated joy, and learnt not to tamp down the emotions it generates in me." (p. 272)
Chicken Fried Women by Melissa Radke
Chicken-Fried Women is Melissa Radke's ode to the women in her life - mostly family but also many girlfriends, who shaped her life. Her definition of a Chicken-Fried Woman is "She is battered and bruised on the outside, but tender on the inside, she is salty and sweet and more than a little bit spicy...she really is the best of both worlds...and she gathers the ones she loves around the table because she is both their comfort and their community." The book is a collection of stories of adventures, misadventures, grief, laughter, and everything in between. Radke is hilarious, but I think she also has good material to pull from in her family. A quick, mostly funny, sometimes tear-jerker of a read that will make you think of all the women in your own life - even if they are not quite as quippy as Radke's family.
Grizzled: love letters to 50 of North America's least understood animals by Jason Bittel
This is a really unique book that explores 50 of North America's "least understood animals." Jason Bittel covers a mix of animals, fish, birds, and insects and some will be more familiar to readers than others, but all are important to the natural world. The book is divided by category of animal - mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. As the subtitle says, these are not just dry, scientific facts about 50 animals - but "love letters." Highlighting things that are unique or special and why these animals are important. Bittel writes with humor and it's a great mix of facts/learning and humor. I definitely learned a lot and I consider myself pretty well read when it comes to animals. This is also a pretty quick read because each chapter/love letter is only about 2 1/2 pages. I would highly recommend this one!
Some quotes I liked:
"...unlike nearly every other mammal on Earth, killer whale females outlive menopause, which means old granny orcas are still out there swimming around well past their ability to reproduce. And scientists hypothesize that this strategy has evolved to allow orca societies, which are female-led, to benefit from all the knowledge accumulated by the older generation. Literally, orca grandchildren have a better chance of surviving to adulthood when their pod still has its grandma." (p. 95)
"...the axolotl is unlike most other creatures on this planet, in that these giant salamanders possess the nearly magical power of regeneration. Gills, feet, legs, tails, hearts, even pieces of the axolotl's own spinal cord and brain - you name it, and the axo can rebuild it." (p. 179)
I was surprised by the lifespans of several animals in the book:
Manatees - 60 years
California Condor - 60 years
American Alligator - 80 years
Hellbender - 25 years
Alligator Gar - 100 years
Freshwater Mussels - 150 years
Some quotes I liked:
"...unlike nearly every other mammal on Earth, killer whale females outlive menopause, which means old granny orcas are still out there swimming around well past their ability to reproduce. And scientists hypothesize that this strategy has evolved to allow orca societies, which are female-led, to benefit from all the knowledge accumulated by the older generation. Literally, orca grandchildren have a better chance of surviving to adulthood when their pod still has its grandma." (p. 95)
"...the axolotl is unlike most other creatures on this planet, in that these giant salamanders possess the nearly magical power of regeneration. Gills, feet, legs, tails, hearts, even pieces of the axolotl's own spinal cord and brain - you name it, and the axo can rebuild it." (p. 179)
I was surprised by the lifespans of several animals in the book:
Manatees - 60 years
California Condor - 60 years
American Alligator - 80 years
Hellbender - 25 years
Alligator Gar - 100 years
Freshwater Mussels - 150 years
Mysteries of the National Parks by Mike Bezemek
I grew up watching the TV show Unsolved Mysteries and I love National Parks and would like to visit all or most of them someday, so this book seemed right up my alley. While I liked it OK, there were a few issues. First the title is a little deceiving - many of these stories do not take place in National Parks but other National Monuments or a National Historic Site. There are a lot of crazy things that happen in actual National Parks, so I wished it had been more limited to the 63 National Parks. The subtitle is "35 stories of baffling disappearances, unexplained phenomena, and more" and while there were some really interesting stories of disappearances and unexplained phenomena, many of the stories held neither and were more about a famous or notorious person or historic event. I could have done with more actual mysteries or disappearances. Overall, it was OK but not amazing.
Note: there is an Unsolved Mysteries episode about the Bradford Bishop murders - story covered on p. 280
I also did not know that south Florida (including the Everglades) is the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles can be found together. (p. 261)
Note: there is an Unsolved Mysteries episode about the Bradford Bishop murders - story covered on p. 280
I also did not know that south Florida (including the Everglades) is the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles can be found together. (p. 261)
Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald
This book is an ode to Nintendo - both the company and all the iterations of games and consoles the company is known for. MacDonald explores both with chapters on specific games or consoles. I grew up in the 1980's and we had the original Nintendo and then the Super Nintendo, my brother also had the Game Boy. I didn't stay interested in video games beyond those early consoles my family owned, but as an adult my husband bought me the Nintendo Classic Mini that has 30 classic games all in one small console. The early Nintendo is definitely nostalgic for me, and that's why I picked up this book. But it was a little disappointing. MacDonald is clearly a HUGE Nintendo and video game fan. I don't know what I was expecting, but she goes into SO MUCH detail about every little change between versions of the game that chapter features that it was overwhelming for me. I wasn't anxiously waiting for the newest Legend of Zelda game to come out so I really couldn't relate to that. And because I'm not a gamer, there were several games/consoles I had never heard of. If you're a hardcore Nintendo fan, you will love this book. If you're looking for a little nostalgia like I was, it's a little of that but not as much as I was hoping for.
Some quotes I liked:
"It may seem weird that fully grown adults would continue to love games that are overtly and unashamedly family-friendly, but for some Nintendo fans that's the point: Nintendo represents an uncomplicatedly fun approach to video games, a bridge back to the simple joy and excitement of childhood play in a world that's increasingly pressured and fraught." (p. 5)
"There's another reason why Metroid is a historically significant part of Nintendo's canon. Players who completed the first Metroid game in 1986 were greeted with a surprise after the end credits, when the orange-suited space warrior they've been controlling throughout removes her helmet to reveal a head of long, blonde hair. Samus Aran was one of the first-ever female video game protagonists, at a time when female characters in video games - if they appeared at all - were usually either damsels in need to rescue or, later, sex objects designed primarily for the assumed male gaze of the player." (p. 103)
"I have always thought of Nintendo as an entertainment company rather than a tech company, but in reality, like all video game developers, it is both. But as a tech company, Nintendo is even more of a maverick. If the mantra of Silicon Valley has been to move fast and break things, Nintendo behaves in almost the opposite way. It moves slowly and takes care to preserve things: its own history and, most important, its sense of fun." (p. 252-53)
Some quotes I liked:
"It may seem weird that fully grown adults would continue to love games that are overtly and unashamedly family-friendly, but for some Nintendo fans that's the point: Nintendo represents an uncomplicatedly fun approach to video games, a bridge back to the simple joy and excitement of childhood play in a world that's increasingly pressured and fraught." (p. 5)
"There's another reason why Metroid is a historically significant part of Nintendo's canon. Players who completed the first Metroid game in 1986 were greeted with a surprise after the end credits, when the orange-suited space warrior they've been controlling throughout removes her helmet to reveal a head of long, blonde hair. Samus Aran was one of the first-ever female video game protagonists, at a time when female characters in video games - if they appeared at all - were usually either damsels in need to rescue or, later, sex objects designed primarily for the assumed male gaze of the player." (p. 103)
"I have always thought of Nintendo as an entertainment company rather than a tech company, but in reality, like all video game developers, it is both. But as a tech company, Nintendo is even more of a maverick. If the mantra of Silicon Valley has been to move fast and break things, Nintendo behaves in almost the opposite way. It moves slowly and takes care to preserve things: its own history and, most important, its sense of fun." (p. 252-53)
The Marriage You Want by Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire
I've been following Shelia Wray Gregoire online for several years now and enjoyed her previous book The Great Sex Rescue. As a woman who grew up in "purity culture" circles during my teenage years, her work on how those messages negatively impacted both young men and women and how to change/break those cycles/teach better messages is groundbreaking and very important. There is a LOT of bad theology out there especially in relation to gender roles, sex, and marriage. Gregoire is working hard to promote good theology and write books like this to help Christians have The Marriage You Want. I liked how they organized the book using an acrostic for BARE - Balance, Affection, Responsibility, and Emotional Connection, since her website is Bare Marriage. They also include a lot of data from a huge survey they conducted that led to this book. This is a fantastic Christian marriage book and while I definitely enjoyed it, I do think it's more suited to engaged couples or newlyweds who want to shape their marriage in a healthy way from the start. Not that you can't learn new things or make your marriage better at any time. I guess because I've been following her for so long, there wasn't a lot of new information for me. I did enjoy it and I'm thankful to be in a marriage I want with my husband of 26 years.
Some quotes I liked:
"Holding up miraculous transformation stories as if they are formulas turns the burden for the marriage on its head. While one spouse may be doing something to destroy the very fabric of the marriage, it now becomes the fault of the spouse who wants the marriage to work because if they just prayed harder, forgave more, or had more sex, the supposedly things would change. Tremendous destruction has been wrought by this faulty theology based on a faulty reading of Scripture that values the institution of marriage over the people within that marriage." (p. 39)
"Marriage doesn't need to be a huge slog you endure until one of you dies. If you put in the work and build on solid relationship principles, like the ones we've shared here, marriage can and should be what makes life easier to handle because there are two of you sharing the load. Instead of saying, 'Marriage is hard,' we'd phrase it as 'Life is hard. But marriage is meant to make it easier!'" (p. 215)
Some quotes I liked:
"Holding up miraculous transformation stories as if they are formulas turns the burden for the marriage on its head. While one spouse may be doing something to destroy the very fabric of the marriage, it now becomes the fault of the spouse who wants the marriage to work because if they just prayed harder, forgave more, or had more sex, the supposedly things would change. Tremendous destruction has been wrought by this faulty theology based on a faulty reading of Scripture that values the institution of marriage over the people within that marriage." (p. 39)
"Marriage doesn't need to be a huge slog you endure until one of you dies. If you put in the work and build on solid relationship principles, like the ones we've shared here, marriage can and should be what makes life easier to handle because there are two of you sharing the load. Instead of saying, 'Marriage is hard,' we'd phrase it as 'Life is hard. But marriage is meant to make it easier!'" (p. 215)
Leo Lionni: storyteller, artist, designer by Steven Heller, Leonard S. Marcus, Annie Lionni, and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, eds.
I just happened upon this book on the shelf at the library where I work and because I always loved Leo Lionni's picture books I picked it up. I didn't know much about Leo Lionni, but I after reading this book that was put out as a companion to an exhibit of his work at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, I know a lot more about Lionni. He lived in the Netherlands, United States, and Italy and spoke 5 languages. He had a very successful career in advertising and marketing in the United States and decided to move back to Italy to focus more on art for himself in his 50's. While trying to entertain his grandchildren on a train ride, he came up with the idea that became his first picture book, Little Blue and Little Yellow. After that he wrote and illustrated a picture book about every year, publishing 40 before his death at the age of 89. I found it really interesting that he wanted to keep his 3 art worlds separate. He was worried that he wouldn't be taken seriously as an artist if people knew he was publishing children's picture books. This book did a great job of showing all three aspects of Lionni's artwork and while I did like his midcentury modern advertising artwork, I still love his picture book artwork the most.
Some quotes I liked:
"In addition to designing memorable covers, typography, and interior layouts, he was instrumental in launching the careers of many emerging artists and designers, including the celebrated picture book artist Eric Carle, who considered him a mentor and lifelong friend." (p. 23)
"After decades of satisfying clients' and employers' demands, he longed to reclaim the sense of wonder that had made him fall in love with art as a child. Surprisingly, considering how it all turned out, making art for children was not, at the outset, on the menu of this new creative adventure; but the 'little miracle' changed that. From 1959 to 1994, Lionni published a new picture book nearly every year; in some years, he published two." (p. 91)
[In 1997] "Vivian G. Paley was a kindergarten teacher nearing retirement at the University of Chicago's progressive Laboratory Schools when it occurred to her to design and implement an immersive Leo Lionni curriculum for her final group of five-year-olds. Throughout their year of play and study together, Paley and the children not only shared Lionni's books in the traditional, story-hour way but also made drawings, painted posters, mounted plays, and composed new stories inspired by the books, and engaged in free-flowing, often surprisingly sophisticated discussions about the questions the books raised for them. Upon her retirement, Paley described all this in a memoir, The Girl with the Brown Crayon." (p. 124)
Some quotes I liked:
"In addition to designing memorable covers, typography, and interior layouts, he was instrumental in launching the careers of many emerging artists and designers, including the celebrated picture book artist Eric Carle, who considered him a mentor and lifelong friend." (p. 23)
"After decades of satisfying clients' and employers' demands, he longed to reclaim the sense of wonder that had made him fall in love with art as a child. Surprisingly, considering how it all turned out, making art for children was not, at the outset, on the menu of this new creative adventure; but the 'little miracle' changed that. From 1959 to 1994, Lionni published a new picture book nearly every year; in some years, he published two." (p. 91)
[In 1997] "Vivian G. Paley was a kindergarten teacher nearing retirement at the University of Chicago's progressive Laboratory Schools when it occurred to her to design and implement an immersive Leo Lionni curriculum for her final group of five-year-olds. Throughout their year of play and study together, Paley and the children not only shared Lionni's books in the traditional, story-hour way but also made drawings, painted posters, mounted plays, and composed new stories inspired by the books, and engaged in free-flowing, often surprisingly sophisticated discussions about the questions the books raised for them. Upon her retirement, Paley described all this in a memoir, The Girl with the Brown Crayon." (p. 124)
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