New Release Tuesday!

Tuesday is an exciting day if you're a book lover; it's when the new releases tend to go on sale from major publishers (yes, I buy enough books to know this kind of thing)! [On a side note, I'd love to know why they chose Tuesday. Are Tuesday evenings imagined as quieter and more conducive to reading, maybe?]

My new release of the day is a title I preordered quite awhile ago: Down from the mountain. I'm excited to see it in my Google Play account... but now I need to finish Engineering Eden so that I can read it!

Two (two for Tuesday?) titles have recently appeared in my Google Play library: A Sin by any Other Name and The Dark Stuff. I chose Lee's title because I've always been fascinated by his historical namesake - a fascination that has become more fraught and nuanced as the statue debate rages through the South and racial divides widen into chasms that I thought closed in the 1960s. I'm excited to see what he has to say about the burden of the Southern past.

I've had this title saved for awhile, but it came to mind when I read Meet me at the museum (which discussed ancient bodies found in peat bogs), when I heard about Ghost Wall, in which archeologists attempt to live the life of those they're studying and inch toward human sacrifice, and in conversation with my sister, who is all about her garden and her plants. I'm not any good with plants (except a robust Solomon's seal that is returning and expanding this year) so I'll stick to reading about them! And since everything is blooming, this seemed a fine time to add a plant-oriented book to the pile!

And since it is new release Tuesday, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the books I've preordered that I'll get blog about on some upcoming Tuesday!

If you've read any earlier entries, you know I never miss a Phoebe and Her Unicorn adventure! This one is coming in October, just in time for my birthday!

Searching for Stonewall Jackson will also be arriving in October. I was leery about it at first, concerned that it might be of the "South-will-rise-again" school, but James MacPherson is endorsing it, so I'm probably safe. It deals with many of the same issues as Sin (above).

This book was mentioned in an article about books that scare horror writers; two writers chose it as their pick and one even claimed she threw her Kindle across the room when she became too frightened. A perfect October addition!

My husband recently reminded me that I'd been remiss when it comes to my Civil War reading as of late (he's probably secretly glad, since I'm not boring him with dull Civil War facts!), so I set out on a search for some new Civil War titles. This one looks promising, offering a new take on the final year of the war.

I confess: I didn't know that "forensic ecologist" was a job. It might be perfect for me: I love Law and Order and ecology! But I'd miss teaching, so, rather than give up and go back to school, I'll learn about forensic ecology in armchair fashion!

Jack McCoy probably not thinking of re-training as a forensic ecologist...

Completed books and books joining the ranks

My wonderful husband often answers the question: “do you want to get me a book?” in the affirmative and Everything is Just Fine is one of the titles he recently got for me on Google Play (his card might be linked to my account…) It was such a good read that I finished it in just two days! Told, largely, in the form of an email chain between parents, it chronicles the struggles of a group of people involved in a youth soccer league including the coach, his wife, the assistant coach, a divorced mom, and a mom in denial about her son’s mental condition. At first, the book seemed to be about the male coach – whose quirky, goofy writing style made him endearing even as his life jumped the tracks – but it quickly morphed into a feminist work. 

My only complaint would be that the author seemed to use coarse language for shock value in some places and it jarred with the overall tone of the story. What really drew me in was the humor. The different speakers give so much away in their emails (as I suppose we all do) and even when I felt embarrassed for them, I cared about them, too. I’ll be thinking about the Manatees and their parents for a long time to come!

We3 - Getting to teach is a blessing. Getting the opportunity to design meaningful coursework is a gift and a credit to my wonderful home institution, Alderson Broaddus University.  This semester, I have the privilege of teaching an Honors course on Human-Animal Studies, and this week we will be discussing the unsettling and poignant graphic novel We3, which features weaponized animals and asks some hard questions about our responsibilities toward our fellow creatures.

Joining the Ranks

I can never end a post, it seems, without discussing the new books that have come into my life! 

Leopards in changing landscapes – This one of the last expensive big cat books missing from my collection (another is Panthera Onca) so I decided that it was time for it to come home to the cat shelf.

Collecting the world – Another book I have wanted for a long time; this one became affordable when they put it out in paperback. This one is connected to the research I did for my dissertation. 

 

The Otter’s Tale – My husband was surveying my animal books collecting and pointed out a lack of small mammals. He’s right and the reason I’m low on those titles is that they are so freaking expensive. Why is a book on shrews $30? This book is a newer title and just became affordable, so welcome, river rodents, to the collection!

Return of the Sea Otter – We can’t have river rodents without sea rodents!

A Richness of Martens – And what would sea rodents be without tree rodents?

 

The Winter of the fisher – And since we’re reading about rodents in fact, I thought I would add some fiction with this one and with Syla the Mink !

The Unexpected Genius of Pigs – I came across this book on the NHBS site (love it so much!) and got sucked in. 

 

The Secret Life of Cows -  I didn’t want the pigs to feel lonely… 

Coyote Settles the South - This is a book I've been after for a long time. Amazon reduced the Kindle price quite a bit so I was lured in!

White Stag - This has some very clear Labyrinth vibes (the sequel is called Goblin King) so I asked my wonderful husband to get it for me!

Dragon of Ash and Stars - I had this one saved because of an internet recommendation and the price went down to nothing (literally). I love the elusive "buy this for free with one click button!" 

 

The Familiars - I've had my eye on this since it was released. Google play reduced the price to $2.99  so I couldn't pass it up. Maybe I can pair it with These witches don't burn!