Last week I was walking at Lincoln Marsh on the nature trails and spotted a parent robin, the dad, trying to coax a newly fledged youngster off a branch along the trail. The youngster was having none of that and sat frozen on his branch. As soon as the parent saw me he flew off to a nearby tree.

As I walked past I noticed another little robin nestled in some brush. A sibling. He didn’t look any happier about being out of the cozy nest.

If the parents sense danger they will stay away. I heard the dad chirp out an alarm call telling them to be quiet, a yeep followed by clucking. After taking a few quick shots I located a tree I could hide behind to observe them. After a while they forgot about me.

Eventually the little guy decided to give flying a try. He stood up and began flapping his wings in place and soon took off to a nearby tree branch. As I walked away I noticed the sibling was still hiding in the brush.

Interesting Facts:

• The first chick will fledge, or leave the nest, after about 13 days. Nestmates will leave over the next 24 hours.
• Fledglings wander a short distance and are still fed and cared for by the parents for about 3 weeks.
• Once all the nestlings have all fledged, the female will begin building a second nest and the primary care of the youngsters falls to the dad.
• For the first few weeks out of the nest they cannot maintain flight and will spend a lot of time hiding in shrubs and cover. That stubby little tail is the reason why. It will take a few weeks for it to grow.
• After about four weeks the juveniles can manage on their own.

Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. For the summer it will be hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Viking / Pamela Dorman Books and Penguin Audio
Publish Date: May 28, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 368 pages
Format: Audiobook: Approx 12 hours
Rating: 5 of 5

My Thoughts:

This was beautifully written story, timeless in its portrayal of a young woman growing up, establishing her independence and achieving her goals with strength and grace. Teddi has a passion for restoring furniture and vows to follow her dream, even if it means leaving her family and moving to Charleston. It’s a simple story and yet there is so much happening. Teddi will always be haunted by the loss of her brother, Josh, her distant relationship with her mother, and the many things she didn’t know about either of her parents until it was too late.

I adored the country setting. From the descriptive prose author Beth Hoffman’s love of nature shines through. I felt like I was there in the woods of Kentucky, breathing in the fresh air, surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature. I delighted in her inclusion of some of my favorite birds: the brilliant Indigo Bunting, the chipper Downy Woodpecker (with its black and white spotted tail feather), and the beautiful Red-tailed Hawk to name just a few.

I also have an audio copy of the book and listened while I was working in the garden. The audio was narrated by Jenna Lamia, a first-time narrator for me. She has a fantastic range giving each of the characters a unique sound. The voice and accent she used for Teddi was exactly as I had imagined her. I love when this happens, it makes the audio so much more appealing. As much as I enjoyed curling up with the print book in the evening, I highly recommend the audio.

This book oozes charm and was a delight. It only took me a few days to read, and I wasn’t ready to leave and move on to my next book.

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Source: Thanks to the author for a print copy and Penguin Audio for the audiobook.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press
Publish Date: March 8, 2013
Format: Audio, 11 hours | 46 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5

My Thoughts:

In this informative and often humorous memoir Brett demonstrates that his love for the farm is what keeps him going day after day. Along with his wife, Sharon, who also works as a nurse, they operate the small 10-acre farm on Salt Spring Island near Vancouver, BC.

There’s so much packed into this book about life on the farm I’m not sure where to begin. There’s the relationship with animals, the plants, the land and the history. And then there are the problems facing the modern-day small farm and all the exasperating government regulations. Brett does spend a fair amount of time railing against many of the complex rules the small farmer has to contend with, but in his defense, he does have a point. The safety issues that plague corporate farming are caused by the very industry itself. To apply the same standard to family farms is overkill and unnecessarily costly.

For years I’ve had a vegetable garden in my backyard and know the pleasure of growing and eating my own food. I bring bunches of herbs and bags of green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the prolific zucchini to friends and family who often refer to me as “the farmer”. I’ve always thought it would be fun to live on a small farm, but after reading Brett’s memoir I realize I have a romanticized idea of what that would involve. In reality it is an endless amount of work with little financial reward but a huge amount of personal satisfaction.

I listened to the audio while working in the garden. At almost 12 hours, it went by quickly. I didn’t realize it was that long until I was writing the review. This was the kind of book that was easy to get lost in and the time flew by. The narration was performed by Michael Puttonen who used a folksy, friendly, but at times a little too sing-songy voice when speaking about life on the farm, but then seamlessly switching to a more serious tone when talking about the impacts of corporate farming and government regulations.

Overall, an interesting look at life on a small farm presented in an entertaining and highly readable manner.

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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Almost wordless: An indication that this tree is not well. The fungi will only grow if the tree is rotting inside.

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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The May host is Abi @ 4 the LOVE of BOOKS

I received some audiobooks and a fun bird book:
 
For review from Penguin Audio:

A Hundred Summers
by Beatriz Williams

Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak. That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

Under the scorching summer sun, the unexpected truth of Budgie and Nick’s marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own, which will change their worlds forever.
 
The 5th Wave
by Rick Yance

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors.
 
Wild Ones
by Jon Mooallem

A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America.

Journalist Jon Mooallem has watched his little daughter’s world overflow with animals butterfly pajamas, appliquéd owls—while the actual world she’s inheriting slides into a great storm of extinction. Half of all species could disappear by the end of the century, and scientists now concede that most of America’s endangered animals will survive only if conservationists keep rigging the world around them in their favor. So Mooallem ventures into the field… more
 
From Kathy at Bermudaonion’s Weblog. Thanks Kathy!

Look Up!
by Annette LeBlanc Cate

This conversational, humorous introduction to bird-watching encourages kids to get outdoors with a sketchbook and really look around. Quirky full-color illustrations portray dozens of birds chatting about their distinctive characteristics, including color, shape, plumage, and beak and foot types, while tongue-in-cheek cartoons feature banter between birds, characters, and the reader (“Here I am, the noble spruce grouse. In a spruce grove. Eatin’ some spruce. Yep.”). Interactive and enjoyable tips bring an age-old hobby to new life for the next generation of bird-watchers.
 
What are you reading?

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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

I was part of a group that spent the day on a golf course surveying birds, an annual event we call The Bird Watching Open. One of the highlights of the day was finding the two Great-horned Owlets, the same two that I had posted about several weeks ago, had left their nest and were sitting on a nearby branch.

They are only a few months old but already are the size of their parents. Most of their feathers have grown in but you can still see the downy underparts. At this point they can only fly short distances from branch to branch and still depend on their parents to bring them food. Over the summer they will develop their flying skills and learn to hunt. By October they will be independent adults.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Gotham Books
Publish Date: May 2, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 288 pages

My Thoughts:

Josh speaks candidly about his faith, his struggle with Tourette’s and many other personal hardships he endured including an emotionally charged failed attempt at an adoption. This is an inspirational journey written with wit and charm.

I could easily relate to his love of books, his excitement over visiting the bookmobile and his obsession with Stephen King novels. His mom thought they were too violent, so he would swap out the jacket covers so she wouldn’t take the books away. Haven’t we all hid a book cover at least once for some reason or another? The stories he tells about the library patrons had me laughing out loud. I only wish he told more of them.

Something that librarians and those of us who spend a lot of time in libraries will appreciate are the subchapter headings; each are preceded by their designation in the Dewy Decimal Classification System. A little inside humor.

While I found the bookish parts of the story the most entertaining, I was inspired by his perseverance in his struggle with Tourette’s and his attempts to lead a normal life. He writes his story in a conversational and straight forward style, candidly discussing his attempts to conquer and control the Tourette’s and the affect it had on his family and his life.

A unique story told in an authentic voice, this will appeal not only to memoir fans, but to readers of all genres.

Still time to win a copy:

I have one copy of The World’s Strongest Librarian to give to one of my readers. Stop by the giveaway post and leave a comment to enter. Open through 5/18, US/Canada addresses only. I will choose a random winner when on turn on my computer on 5/19.

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Source: Review copy.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Almost wordless: From a garden tour I attended last week at Cantigny Gardens. I forget the name of the orange flower above but they are annuals and were started in the greenhouse. The flowers in the photo below are tulips.

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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Genre: Memoir
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publish Date: April 30, 2013
Format: Audio, 12 hours | 31 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5

My Thoughts:

I have been aware of this case ever since it hit international news a few years ago. Until her recent prime time television interview with Diane Sawyer, I had not heard or read an interview with Amanda herself, just other people’s thoughts and opinions. That’s when I found out she had written a memoir.

Amanda tells her story in linear style, beginning with her decision to spend time in Italy as an exchange student and ending with her release from prison four years later. She goes into a lot of detail about the case and her time in prison, and occasionally became repetitive, but overall it was a readable and compelling story. I was amazed and at times horrified at how the police and prosecutors manipulated the legal system. And for what purpose? Not to solve the crime, but because they didn’t want to admit their errors.

If Amanda is guilty of anything it is of being very naïve and knowing little about the culture of the country she was moving to. Italy is not America and by a lot of her actions it was evident she did not understand that. It’s unclear whether it was college student arrogance, her quirky personality or if she was just too trusting of everyone she met. She allowed the police to interrogate her multiple times without asking for an attorney and she didn’t contact the US Embassy for help or advice. By the time she realized she had a problem, it was too late. Many of her statements were not what she meant to convey because she did not speak fluent Italian and she had incriminated herself.

I listened to the audio and Amanda herself is the narrator. In the beginning her voice is neutral and almost flat but after a while she begins to add more emotion and occasional anger. I didn’t have a problem with her as the narrator as it is her story and her voice adds another level of authenticity.

After listening to Amanda’s story, I feel she is telling the truth. However, the reader/listener can judge for themselves.

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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The May host is Abi @ 4 the LOVE of BOOKS

 
A few review books and a couple of wins this week:

For review from Random House:

Enon
by Paul Harding

Powerful, brilliantly written, and deeply moving Paul Harding has, in Enon, written a worthy successor to Tinkers, a debut which John Freeman on NPR called “a masterpiece.” Drawn always to the rich landscape of his character’s inner lives, here, through the first person narrative of Charlie Crosby (grandson to George Crosby of Tinkers), Harding creates a devastating portrait of a father trying desperately to come to terms with family loss.
 

A win from Algonquin Books:

The Third Son
by Julie Wu

It’s 1943. As air-raid sirens blare in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, eight-year-old Saburo walks through the peach forests of Taoyuan. The least favored son of a Taiwanese politician, Saburo is in no hurry to get home to the taunting
and abuse he suffers at the hands of his parents and older brother. In the forest he meets Yoshiko, whose descriptions of her loving family are to Saburo like a glimpse of paradise. Meeting her is a moment he will remember forever, and for years he will try to find her again. When he finally does, she is by the side of his oldest brother and greatest rival.

A win from Stacy’s Books:

Chocolat
by Joanne Harris

In tiny Lansquenet, where nothing much has changed in a hundred years, beautiful newcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive and instantly begin to play havoc with Lenten vows. Each box of luscious bonbons comes with a free gift: Vianne’s uncanny perception of its buyer’s private discontents and a clever, caring cure for them. Is she a witch? Soon the parish no longer cares, as it abandons itself to temptation, happiness, and a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival.

For review from Penguin Audio:

Detective Carl Mørck has received a bottle that holds an old and decayed message written in blood. It’s a cry for help from two young brothers, tied and bound in a boathouse by the sea. After floating in the ocean for years before turning up, the bottle sat forgotten, unopened, on a police department windowsill, before the seal was cracked and the gruesome message, written in Danish, was analyzed. Could it be real? Who are these boys, and why weren’t they reported missing? Could they possibly still be alive?

What are you reading?

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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Last week for Wordless Wednesday I posted a photo of a bird’s nest. I thought it might be a robin’s nest but there weren’t any birds in the area and it was too high up for me to see if there were any eggs.

A week later I was walking on the same path and this time the nest was occupied. The Crab Apple tree now had leaves, the blossoms were beginning to open, and an American Robin was sitting on the nest. A robin on a nest in May is not an unusual site in my neighborhood, but this one was so pretty I had to stop and take a few pictures.

In some bird species both the male and the female will incubate the eggs. In the American Robin, only the female sits on the nest.

I hid behind a shrub so I wouldn’t disturb the birds and watched for a few minutes. Soon the male showed up with a worm, mom left for a short break and the nestlings got a meal.

International Migratory Bird Day

Today is International Migratory Bird Day, an annual event that highlights and celebrates the migration of nearly 350 species of migratory birds between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Many events and programs are taking place today. I will be out with a group of birders exploring a golf course and searching for migratory birds.
 

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publish Date: April 2, 2013
Format: Audio, 12 hours | 15 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5

My Thoughts:

Kate is devastated, her only child is dead and she is told it was a suicide. But when she receives a mysterious text message saying Amelia didn’t jump from the roof of the school, she begins her own investigation.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Kate, in the present as she pieces together what happened, and Amelia, during her last few months. The author used the technique of presenting the story through text messages, email, facebook updates and even some very nasty blog posts written by an anonymous source. Kate and Amelia were well-developed characters with Amelia the more likable and sympathetic of the two.

As the mystery of what happened to Amelia unfolds, the story becomes disturbing and often heartbreaking but at the same time compelling. I cringed at the meanness of her schoolmates, and wanted to yell at Amelia for not seeking help or advice. Most of the characters were not very likable and in many ways despicable people, with the story taking a darker tone than I was expecting. I did not figure out the ending until the last moment and felt the author did a good job presenting the clues and at times distracting the reader.

The audio was excellent. This was the first book I listened to that was narrated by Khristine Hvam and I was impressed. There were a lot of characters and she was able to vary her voice and tone so that I had no trouble differentiating between them. I even liked her portrayal of the male characters, something I often gripe about, and I especially enjoyed her snarky reading of the nasty blog posts. My only caution on the audio is that one needs to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of the chapters as the timeline moves between Amelia and Kate.

I wasn’t sure if this was a YA or adult novel, but it is very well-written and would easily find an audience among either group.

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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Almost wordless: No idea what these two were arguing about but it ended as quickly as it began and everyone was friends again.

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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publish Date: April 2nd 2013
Format: Audio, 8 hours | 46 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5

My Thoughts:

Pru is an animal behaviorist. She has a special gift when it comes to animals. She understands them, she can talk to them and she can hear their answers. She doesn’t always know exactly what they are trying to tell her but give her some time and she will figure it out.

Pru owns a classic muscle car and knows how to drive it, likes to put away a drink or two and in her younger days hung around with a fast crowd. She says she’s reformed now, but not everyone believes her. She hasn’t entirely given up living on the edge and doesn’t mind breaking a few laws if she feels it’s necessary to get to the truth.

This was a fun book to listen to and an easy read. No complex mystery, just an entertaining cozy. I had a very good idea who the ‘bad guy’ was but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story. The conversations between Pru and the animals were a hit with me. Pru’s cat and the parrot were instrumental in solving the mystery but there were other helpful animals too… a guide dog and a raccoon that she rescued, illegally, from animal control.

The novel’s pace was fast and at only nine hours the story moved along quickly. Tavia Gilbert’s narration was delightful. She did a great job on the many characters plus created unique voices for each of the animals. Especially memorable was Wallis, Pru’s snarky cat, and Randolph, the foul-mouthed African Gray Parrot.

This is the third novel in the Pet Noir series but the first one I’ve read. It has no trouble as a stand alone so feel free to jump in here with number three for a fun break from the heavy books and a good summer read.

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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The May host is Abi @ 4 the LOVE of BOOKS

This was a great week for audiobooks. Since half of the books I read are audio, I was thrilled to receive this great assortment of titles. I’m not good at sitting still for very long so audio is the perfect format for me.
 
For review from Houghton Mifflin:

The Testing
by Joelle Charbonneau

Sixteen-year-old Cia Vale is honoured to be chosen for The Testing – a series of exams set by the United Commonwealth that selects the brightest young adults to become leaders of their war- stricken world. But when candidates start disappearing and Cia witnesses unimaginable horrors done in the United Commonwealth’s name it becomes clear that these are no ordinary exams, and Cia is forced to realise the truth: this is no longer about winning, but surviving.

 
For review and tour from JKSCommunications:

Lucky Bastard
by Deborah Coonts

Lucky O’Toole, the newly promoted vice president of Customer Relations for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s primo Strip property, has never met a problem she couldn’t handle. But when a young woman is found dead, sprawled across the hood of a new, bright red Ferrari California in the Babylon’s on-site dealership, a Jimmy Choo stiletto stuck in her carotid, Lucky’s skills are maxed out. Of course her life is already on overload. Her mother, Mona, is pregnant, hormonal, and bored — a triple threat. A song that Teddie, Lucky’s former lover, wrote for her … more
 

For review from Harper Audio:

Waiting to Be Heard
by Amanda Knox

She spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit. Separated from her family, she was demonized by the international press and treated harshly by the Italian justice system, including disdainful police. She endured humiliation, injustice, and loneliness thousands of miles fromher home. Now, with intelligence, grace, and candor, Amanda Knox, the young Americanexchange student, tells the full story of her harrowing ordeal in Italy-a labyrinthine nightmare of crime and punishment, innocence and vindication-and of the unwavering support of family and friends who tirelessly worked to see her win her freedom.

Frozen In Time
by Mitchell Zuckoff

Frozen in Time places us at the center of a group of valiant airmen fighting to stay alive through 148 days of a brutal Arctic winter by sheltering from subzero temperatures and vicious blizzards in the tail section of the broken B-17 until an expedition headed by famed Arctic explorer Bernt Balchen attempts to bring them to safety.
 

For review from Penguin Audio:

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Silken Prey by John Sandford
A Delicate Truth by John le Carré
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson
The Black Country by Alex Grecian
The Other Typist Suzanne Rindell
 
 
 

What are you reading?

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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.