Book Review: Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor

Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(4 ½ stars) Lili Taylor began her interest in birds 15 years ago in Upstate New York and has continued her interest through the years. She is now involved with the National Audubon Society and the New York City Bird Alliance. This book is a collection of 13 short essays, each one on a different bird or a different situation. She discusses a variety of geographic locations: New Mexico, Austin, Texas, Nebraska, Bryant Park in New York City, and the Empire State Building. She also includes several chapters on birding festivals, buying binoculars, and even a bird tattoo contest.

I read this book over a two-month period, while bird watching in my own backyard with two bird feeders (finches and hummingbirds) and setting up a new bird bath. We regularly eat lunch and dinner on our patio, just feet from the feeders and bird bath, so can get an up-close and personal view of all the winged visitors.

Beautiful pencil sketches are included at the beginning of each chapter, but the artist is not acknowledged. I appreciate that she mentions several birding apps and websites, all of which I found quite helpful:
• eBird
• BirdEye
• Merlin Bird ID
• iNaturalist
• David Sibley
• Bird Cast

To be honest, I would have given this book five stars if it wasn’t for the chapter on sparrows (read other Goodreads reviews for content warnings).

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Book Review: The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paul Revere’s famous ride from Boston to Concord, Massachusetts (18 miles) took place on April 18-19, 1775.  Half of this book is devoted to Revere’s backstory – his early years, his family, and his occupation of silversmith, engraver, and dentist.  It also sets the scene in Boston surrounding the Revolutionary War:  the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, etc.  The other half of the book is a thrilling re-telling of the actual ride.  Revere was a very well-known and reliable Express Rider, so it was obvious that he should be the one selected to spread the news of the impending British invasion. 

The last chapter, entitled Echoes, focuses on the Longfellow poem, historical Boston locations, various Paul Revere named items, and other related poems.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem was written 85 years later, just before the Civil War (1860), and is most likely why American schoolchildren are very familiar with Paul Revere’s famous ride.  There’s also an interesting chapter detailing Jonathan Singley Copley’s painting of Paul Revere. 

Overall, this is an exciting book of narrative non-fiction.  It is very well researched, both with original sources and with visits to various sites mentioned in the book.  It also includes an extensive bibliography of books, journal articles, websites and documents, along with an index including all the individuals and locations mentioned in the book.  The author even met and interviewed Paul Revere III.  The map of the various routes taken was extremely helpful to this reader.  And I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s retelling of his climb to the top of the Old North Church steeple, 175 feet off the ground!

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Book Review: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 by Beth Brower (The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion #1)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 by Beth Brower
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(4 ½ stars)  Set in 1883 London, a young Emma M. Lion has moved into her family’s house in the St. Crispian’s neighborhood.  We gradually meet the quirky characters:  her spiteful cousin Archibald who banishes Emma to the 5th floor garret, cousin and good friend Arabella, aunt Eugenia Spencer, housekeeper and cook Agnes, and evil Aunt Matilde.  Lapis Lazuli is the house previously owned by her father, which he left to Archibald until Emma turns 21 years old.  Archibald has taken advantage of the situation and has frittered away the entire fortune, leaving Emma penniless. 
 
Mysteries abound – who exactly is Maxwell, why does Cousin Archibald hate Emma, what is the scandal of the Incident which lead to the Scar, and more!  

I raced through this charming book but kept telling myself to slow down so I could savor the descriptions of the time, the place, and Emma’s perspective on the world.  She has a perpetually cheerful outlook despite everything, and appreciates the humor in every situation.  To be expected, there is a lot of tea drinking in her journal, and she adores books and reading – a woman after my own heart!  It’s a very quick read – only 107 pages.  I will definitely be reading more of this 8-volume set!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.


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Book Review: Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie (Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid #13)

Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gemma Janes is a Scotland Yard detective who is extremely stressed and overworked.  She worries about her job  family, a sick mother, supporting her friends, all the while trying to plan a wedding.  Once again she teams up with her husband, Duncan Kincaid to investigate the murder in the East End of London. 

In the end, clues were revealed, and guilty parties were identified and arrest in the last two chapters.  I felt it was a little too much of a rushed and tidy ending.  I wasn’t fond of the storyline in this book, but what really stood out for me were the detective teams of Gemma James/ Melody Tabot and Duncan Kincaid / Doug Cullen.  Each team worked together quite well and I enjoyed reading about their partnerships.  And who doesn’t appreciate a map included on the end pages which identifies all the relevant streets and buildings discussed in the book!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

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