Birthdays are better with books (part 8): Just in time for Halloween!

I love Halloween! I love the atmosphere, the way ordinary streetlights take on a pumpkin tinge, the way the grey clouds seem to hold hostage the light, the way black cats truly begin to slink and spiders come creeping indoors, knowing the cold is just behind. I love the smell and the texture of the fallen leaves, the dying colors that signal the shortening days ahead. I even love candy corn! As I write this afternoon, I have my Halloween playlist streaming into my ears, songs like Rush's "Witch Hunt," Chris de Burgh's "Spanish Train," and Alice Cooper's "He's Back (the man behind the mask)." And what would the festivities be without a book or ten? These are the seasonally appropriate titles living on my e-reader and nightstand.

My museum collection has wanted this title - focusing on famous bones, charnel houses and ossuaries - for a long time. This birthday season, my wonderful sister sent me a gift card to add it to my collection! I'll be rattling bones and turning pages this All Hallow's Eve!

If you've been keeping up with other posts, you know I have a predilection for predators. Considering all of the damage we've done to animals, I thought a book about their dark deeds and plots of revenge might make for some fun reading!

On that same theme, I discovered Animosity when I was doing research for a human-animals course I hope to teach someday. The premise is that animals gain sentience and start wreaking havoc on civilization. I've been disappointed in other "the animals awake" books, so I hope this one turns the tide on the theme!

Also in the graphic novel vein, I've been reading Scooby Apocalypse with equal parts delighted nostalgia and laughter. I'm looking forward to seeing the adventure continue in this second volume!

Feeling like I do about Scooby and company, I could hardly resist a book that claims to spoof the kids in the Mystery Machine! In this novel the Scooby-based gang are all grown up and dealing with the traumas of their pasts. Can't wait to see where it goes!

In a more serious vein (which may actually be scarier!) this book looks at the Salem Witch trials. I borrowed it from the library and fell so in love with the language that I had to own my own copy. Now I can wander back into the past at my leisure!

I usually avoid Patterson and his ilk (I can't trust someone who publishes that many books a year...) but I couldn't help be drawn back to the killer animal
motif! I am pairing his work with that of Luke Phillips, who writes about the "mystery cats" of Britain. His second work re-imagines the Tsavo lions and it's already on my Christmas list!

I know you aren't supposed to be taken in by covers, but the rainbow lines on this VHS style cover reminded me of those rare days when our local library would get in a copy of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and I couldn't help but want to know more! I hope the text lives up to the cover art!

This is another one of those books I have wanted for a very long time. This birthday, mom sent me a gift card and I was finally able to add it to the list! It looks at the connection between our national past and our myths and fears. The writing reminds me of one of my favorite texts: Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads so I already have goosebumps!

I only really get into Batman when it focuses on the Joker, so I was excited to see this new series come out. It turns the tables and focuses on Joker as the Redeemer of Gotham and Batman as a pseudo-terrorist (he does cause a great deal of collateral damage!). Issue one was great (it played up the Batman/Joker relationship!) so I am excited to see how it develops!





And I can't conclude this post without recommending my favorite Halloween reads! If you haven't already given them a try, grab yourself a popcorn ball, pour some apple cider, and curl up with one of these!

A meditation: on the same story over and over again

In the form of an apologia, this post isn't exactly about a book. It is about stories, however, and I decided that's good enough for me!

When I was very young, I formed a fondness for the country song, "Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days." One argument that can be made is that I had very little taste, but I'd rather focus on my age old attraction to nostalgia. When I found out in college that the word "nostalgia" derives from "return" or "homecoming," my attraction made sense -- I feel like I've always been looking for a centered hearth-space, a steady holt and haven. As I got older my nostalgia turned into a tendency (almost tidal) to roll back toward comfortable, long-loved things. I have books that I read almost every year and films I watch annually. I've seen every episode of Law and Order so many times that I could probably take that video game challenge in Ready Player One where the player has to correctly fill in the actor's lines.

If we've been acquainted for anything longer than 7.3 minutes, you probably know that one my longest and best loved things is the band Rush and its singer, Geddy Lee. Today, I pulled my fevered body under a massive comforter I crocheted this summer and turned to the recent Dan Rather interview with Mr. Lee. Hand paused to click the "play" icon, I wondered just what I was doing. After all, I'm pretty Rush-savvy at this point. I've seen several live shows (I would have seen more but my parents seemed to think it wasn't a good idea to even have me until the year Grace Under Pressure came out, so I was kind of young for some events...). I have the DVDs (concert and documentary). I have the albums (vinyl and MP3). I've read the books (almost all of the are terrible). And here I was, ready to listen to the story all over again, knowing full well that it was unlikely that either Dan Rather or Geddy Lee was going to drop any kind of bombshell or add to my Rush knowledge in any way (I confess, said knowledge is nowhere near what it was in high school, when I could pretty much list every song alphabetically, by year, or by length). (Oh, and I still do have hopes that Neil will write an expose someday. Can't blame a gal for hoping.)

Then it occurred to me. I wasn't watching to learn. I was watching to hear the story I already knew.

The world is a mess. Everything is uncertain. Politically, I can't even discuss my own country without feeling more than a little sick/paranoid/living inside The Handmaid's Tale. Environmentally, we're causing the sixth extinction. Economically, we're building fighter planes and failing to replace infrastructure or monitor GMOs or pollutants in our water. In the face of all that, I need something that drapes itself over my endless anxiety list like a well-worn blanket (preferably with silky edges). I fully admit that it is probably silly (and maybe a bit sacrilegious) to elevate a rock band to beacon-of-hope status, but I look up to my band. They're good people and they overcame difficulties I can understand and sometimes I need to hear a story where the good guys win. (It doesn't hurt that I could listen to Geddy read the phone book and still smile). So, cheers to you, Rush -- and thanks for living out the narrative I need to hear again and again.

"Sweet memories
Flashing very quickly by
Reminding me
And giving me a reason why
I know that
My goal is more than a thought
I'll be there
When I teach what I've been taught," - Rush, "Lessons"

Birthdays are better with books (part 7): Some hefty history

You know that you have done something right when you are still celebrating your birthday as the month closes out! Given the size of these books, I'll be celebrating for a long time!

I can't say exactly when the study of history began to exert such a pull on me. I do remember that we always had National Geographic in the house and that I was drawn to pull-out images of battles and I remember a Christmas when I was given a minie ball as a gift because I was so interested in the American Civil War. In college, I took so many classes from a history professor that I respected that his fiance became nervous (she was very congratulatory when I got engaged!) and I gave an impassioned speech about why English majors should study history as part of my Comprehensive exams. Perhaps my favorite thing about history is that I'm always tripping over something new, finding something that formerly seemed uninteresting and letting it grab hold of me drag me off to new climes, new tales, and new authors!

 I am come late to my study of the Revolution and I am moving slowly from figure to figure as I struggle to learn. I started this book as a borrowed title from the library and found the language and the author's affection for his subject so winning that it just had to come and live on my nightstand!

 I was excited about his book because I've wanted a book on Howe for quite some time. Unfortunately, the only predecessor to this one that I know of is Ira Gruber's The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution and it both looked rather technical and proved rather expensive. Thankfully, the popularity of Hamilton has prompted the publication of additional Revolutionary titles. I'm looking forward to meeting Howe in this one!

 As I have noted before, I am blessed to work with a flock of wonderful and brilliant scholars. One of my colleagues generously agreed to guest lecture when I taught and Maus in my graphic novel class. It was a pleasure for me to get to be a student again (I took notes!) and he spoke on two themes I hadn't though of in connection to the Holocaust - economics and gender. His words led directly to the purchase of these two books!

This one isn't strictly history; it's actually joining my museum collection. However, it does look at how we co-opt artifacts and articles to teach history and how the individuals with the most claim to these objects have often been left out of the process. I was rather blind to the politics of museums until I read Craig Childs' work Finders Keepers and I think this one will build nicely upon his themes!

Birthdays are better with books! (part 6)

As a young girl, my dad took me on several trips to SeaWorld. I was young enough (then) not to have ethical qualms about captive orcas or performing seals - and my favorite part of the trip (after the gift shop) was the tidal pools where I could dip my hands into the water and stroke the surprisingly silky bodies of rays and the pebbly limbs of starfish. I don't know what it is about animals that makes us want to touch them so much, but I've never forgotten my small moments of communion with these gentle sea denizens! The books below mark still more birthday gifts -- and my older and wiser explorations of life under the sea!

Discussing the effects of a submarine detection system on whales (it causes them to beach themselves) this book caught my eye when it made headlines for combining environmentalism and legal theory and again when it won the PEN/E.O. Wilson award.

Examining the taken-for-granted relationship of whales and trainers at the heart of the theme park's popularity, this book asks whether human beings should ever be in the water with a top ocean predator and examines the sometimes fatal consequences of capturing whales. Since orcas form complex societies and tight bonds, it's difficult to see how anyone ever sanctioned removing members from their pods and trying to supplement those bonds with one other animal (maybe) and a human trainer.

My bookshelf isn't lacking for shark titles. (I unwisely read Jaws, Demon Fish, Devil's Teeth, and Closer to Shore during a beach vacation one year.) I added this one not for the sinuous, threatening forms of the sharks on the cover, but because it also discusses skates and rays - creatures which fascinate me but which do not seem to have a general natural history title dedicated to them. My husband's travels have taught me this about skates: since they secrete waste through their skin, they taste like ammonia. I'm glad that he is so well-traveled and brave about these things! It lets me armchair travel and read about the depths instead of daring them!

Birthdays are better with books! (part 5): Extinction and Resurrection

Where it all began: bringing back life without thinking about the consequences!

 I am hoping to teach a class, in time, on human-animal studies, so I've been broadly researching all sorts of issues that connect to that topic. In my research, I came across this book, which argues that our eating, farming, and living practices are major contributors to the loss of wildlife. I don't want my students or my children (should I be lucky enough to have some!) to grow up on a planet where our common animals are as much myths as dragons and unicorns, so I am hoping to read some good advice in this one! This one was a gift from my mom, who always defends my belief that books need me!

 For all the damage we are doing to the world, resurrection science holds out the hope that we might undo it by bringing extinct species back to life and reintroducing them to their former stomping ground (stomp seems appropriate when the cover art is a rhinoceros). But two concerns hover around this noble mission: what unintended consequences will come about from bringing things back - and should we have to drive things down into death and disappearance before they merit our time, money, and care? 

Fleshing out this group (despite the bones on the cover) is a book I've wanted to read for a very long time - but a book I have hesitated to pick up because I know it will kindle feelings of disgust and despair in me. Why are people capable of so much wonder and so much horror at once? And why should one species (us) be responsible for the annihilation of so many others? The really galling part is the fact that we are all responsible and that is so difficult (and expensive) to disentangle oneself from the norms of consumption, waste, and cheap food... I certainly don't know or have the answers, but I hope books like these will push us toward a brighter future and better solutions for living with the other animals on our planet!Another gift from mom!

Birthdays are better with books! (part 4): Hoof beats

Pictured above is the magnificent and much missed Monarch V, the reigning stallion at Wildwood Arabians when I took lessons there as a girl. The time I spent there was some of the happiest of my life. My instructor, Mike Ladyga, trained, bred, and showed horses and he allowed me the great privilege of working in the barn to help pay for my lessons - time I spent half in mucking stalls or being of some actual use and half in rubbing the velvet noses of the barn's denizens.

My great love was one of Monarch's daughters: Beyberry. In my silly childish way, I diligently saved the dimes and quarters left over from my lunch money to buy her -- a dream that is no less precious to me even though it was never to be. As for Monarch himself, he was a true showman. Once I saw him out in the pasture. He was being a normal horse at graze -- until he felt the pressure of my eyes. Realizing he was being watched, he elevated his tail and pranced a dancing circle with the sun glinting off of his coat. I'll never forget those wonderful horses. Unfortunately, my adult life has not allowed me to reconnect with riding, but I still visit horses in the one way I can - in books!

This book dates back to my days of posting in the saddle and buckling a velvety helmet under my chin. A fantasy exploring the conflict between the forces of good and evil in the form of horses, it won my girlish heart. This birthday, I was determined to see it back on my shelves and my wonderful husband tracked down a copy for me!

I saw this book while I was searching for other things and it reminded me of a memory I made when I was still taking lessons at Wildwood. I was riding a chestnut gelding named Casey and (being the oddball child that I was) I always dressed for my riding lessons as if they were sacred, even though I was guaranteed to leave with straw and other less savory things stuck to my boots; I even had a golden button clip in the shape of a saddle... On this particular day, I was wearing a pair of earrings that happened to jangle. Rescued from a life on the racetrack, little Casey was sensitive to bell-like sounds and took off at a surprising clip! We both came away safely enough once my instructor realized the problem, and it's in Casey's memory that this one has come to rest on my shelves!

I've always been fond of that saying about hoof beats and zebras-- possibly because writers do expect zebras! I added this book because I've recently become interested in animal migrations. Unfortunately, there aren't many titles that examine these events (so central to the National Geographic documentaries of my childhood!) so I am settling for a record in pictures alongside Roger Caras's Endless Migrations.

I know you aren't supposed to be drawn in my book covers, but by the time this one became a bestseller last year, I'd already been won over by the cover as well as by the subject!

Around the same time I was taking riding lessons, I had a school friend who bonded with me because we both knew the correct pronunciation of dressage. She knew all about the white horses and Jankowski and when I saw this book come out I was transported back to those slumber party days of dreaming about horses and talking about boys...






I hope, someday, that horses return to my life with their warm, whuffling breaths, flicking ears, and that smell that I was always happy to draw into my lungs and have soaked into my clothes. Until then, I'll be happy with hoof beats on the page and remain, at least in part, a girl who never outgrew her love of horses.

Birthdays are better with books! (part 3): Nasty, sharp, pointy teeth!

Predators are one of my favorite things to read about; they seem like such noble creatures, capable of imparting wonder and awe. Already rare in nature, humanity has done so much to render them that much rarer - so I am always cheering for their return, recovery, and resurgence -- and reading about them with reverence and hope!


I discovered Stolzenburg's work through the book Where the Wild Things Were, where he laments the loss of predators. This title looks at introduced species - goats, cats, rats, and pigs - and their effect on fragile ecosystems.

You can't beat National Geographic for amazing images! I added this one to take a look at predators in action.

I first encountered Mr. Foster's work when he was writing for Star Wars - and his work felt authentic and fun, while other writers just seemed to be using the brand to make some money. When I saw that he was a predator fan like myself, I had to add this one to my library!

I found Wolf Nation at the local library - but I didn't get to finish before it was due back. American Wolf isn't out yet, but my best friend got me a Google Play card to pre-order it and add it to my collection of books on fierce and beautiful hunters.

Birthdays are better with books! (Part 2)

In one of my favorite conversations with my mom, she once declared that she wanted to give the world back to the elephants. Her reasoning was that elephants display care for other elephants, mourn their dead, and don't engage in all of the horrible things humans do. Looking around the world today, it's hard not to want more elephants. Maybe we can set up some sort of exchange? Instead of Africa culling elephants because they destroy trees, maybe they can send us elephants and we can drop offending personages into the Savannah. If they make it past the lions, they will have learned something!

So these are the elephant books that pachyderm-paraded onto my shelves this time around, courtesy of my wonderful husband who remains ever-patient with my mounting piles of books:

This one concerns the work and the wars that it takes to be the top tusk in an elephant herd and the challenges that face the elephant at the top. I'm on an ethology kick as late, so I can't wait to learn more about how elephants behave!







This one popped up during a search for something else, but it takes a look at poaching through the eyes of those involved - including an elephant! - so I was intrigued and added it to the list!

Birthdays are better with books! (part 1)

I'm writing today on my birthday and wishing I could live inside the picture of the cake I've found! It's already been a season of celebration here with seafood, ice wine, black forest cake, a beautiful owl decoration and necklace from a dear friend, -- and books of course! And birthday books do, most sincerely, believe that they deserve their own post. Who was I to say no? To make things more fun, I'm going to split them up by category! But, being books, there are always a few that don't belong in any category - so here are the misfits:

 I've been a fan of Roger Caras for a long time and I recently became interested in animal migrations because of David Wilcove's No Way Home, a book that focuses on the decline of animal migrations and the problems facing animals on the move. When I went looking for more information, I was surprised how few books there were on this topic. This is an old one, but I think it will complement Wilcove's work very well!

I can't remember exactly how I stumbled across this book, but I was impressed by the way it sought to tie animal liberation to the end of slavery to geography and culture. I'm still uncertain about the ethics of comparing animal liberation to human liberation, so I hope to find out more with this title!

I fell in love with this author's last work: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand -- it was impossible not to love the major! I hope this one will follow in the same vein.