Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter last week’s giveaway for a chance to win a copy of:
The Crane Wife
Winner: Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader
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The annual Great Backyard Bird Count takes place next weekend, February 14 – 17. The event was started in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. It was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.
The Blue Jay, above, is a frequent visitor to my tray feeder. It helps that I leave him a few whole peanuts in the shell, a favorite food, to entice him to return.
Citizen Scientists Needed
The Backyard Bird Count is an opportunity for citizen scientists around the world to help researchers by spending a few minutes next weekend counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. It’s as easy as looking out your window for 15 minutes or going for a walk at a local park.
People of all ages and skill levels can participate. You do not need to be an expert to contribute. Even if you can only identify the common birds you can still take part in the count.
How to participate
- Get started by creating an account if you have not participated in the past.
- Download an instruction sheet.
- Print a checklist of birds for your area.
- Count birds for 15 minutes or more.
- Enter your results on the birdcount webpage.
The little Pine Siskin on the right is enjoying thistle. Pine Siskins look similar to the American Goldfinch and are winter visitors to the Chicago area. They are irruptive migrants and will only migrate when their food supply becomes scarce. They have not visited my yard this winter. These are the type of trends that scientists are evaluating.
Why Count in February?
You might be wondering why a bird count that originated in North America is held in the coldest month of the year. The reason was to create a snapshot of the distribution of birds just before spring migrations begin in March. Last year a change was made and the count went global, creating snapshots of birds wherever they are in February, regardless of seasons across the hemispheres.
The Dark-eyed Junco, above, is a winter migrant across much of North America. They are predictable and return every winter. When they appear in my yard in October I know winter isn’t far behind.
Where to find birds?
Your backyard, at a local park or wildlife refuge, or wherever you like to watch birds.
I count in several places. The easiest is my backyard where I have several feeders and a regular crowd of birds. I can always count on cardinals, finches, woodpeckers and sparrows to stop by for a meal. I also count on the trails at the park and the forest preserve. That may be a little more difficult this year with all the snow and ice, but I am planning on counting if I have to do it from the parking lot! And yes, a parking lot count is perfectly acceptable.
The Mourning Doves, above, are year-round residents. They don’t eat thistle but have taken refuge under the dome on the thistle feeder to wait out the storm.
Last Year’s Statistics
Graphic and figures from gbbc.birdcount.org
Checklists Submitted: 137998 | Total Species Observed: 4258 | Total Individual Birds Counted: 33464616
Will You Join In?
I would love to hear about your experience if you decide to participate. And if you do, stop by and let me know all about it.
Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. It is now hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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The Crane Wife
by Patrick Ness
Genre: Magical Realism
Publisher: The Penguin Press
Publish Date: January 23, 2014
Format: Hardcover | 320 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
George Duncan is an American living and working in London. At forty-eight, he owns a small print shop, is divorced, and lonelier than he realizes. All of the women with whom he has relationships eventually leave him for being too nice. But one night he is woken by an astonishing sound—a terrific keening, which is coming from somewhere in his garden. When he investigates he finds a great white crane, a bird taller than even himself. It has been shot through the wing with an arrow. Moved more than he can say, George struggles to take out the arrow from the bird’s wing, saving its life before it flies away into the night sky.
The next morning, a shaken George tries to go about his daily life, retreating to the back of his store and making cuttings from discarded books—a harmless, personal hobby—when through the front door of the shop a woman walks in. Her name is Kumiko, and she asks George to help her with her own artwork. George is dumbstruck by her beauty and her enigmatic nature, and begins to fall desperately in love with her. She seems to hold the potential to change his entire life, if he could only get her to reveal the secret of who she is and why she has brought her artwork to him.
My Thoughts:
Sometimes I find it difficult to put into words why I found a book so enjoyable. The beauty of the writing, the imagery it evoked, and the sheer magic of the story was compelling from beginning to end. When I become completely absorbed in a wonderful book, I forget to take notes or mark pages, I just enjoy reading. This was one of those books.
Based on a Japanese folk tale, The Crane Wife is a modern-day retelling of the fable set in Britain. The story revolves around George, a lonely London shopkeeper, who saves the life of an injured Crane, and his daughter, Amanda, equally lonely in her own way.
The day after George rescues the crane he meets a mysterious woman, Kumiko, and falls madly in love with her. Kumiko, an artist who designs beautiful tiles, enlists George’s help with her creations. With her by his side George begins a remarkable transformation. Although no longer lonely and reclusive, he longs to know more about Kumiko, who is reluctant to tell him anything about herself or even let him visit his apartment.
There is also a story within the story: Interspersed between the chapters and told in 32 parts, it is the mythological tale of the crane and the volcano, and I assume the legend on which the book is based. The connection between the 32 parts of the fable and the tiles Kumiko is designing eventually becomes apparent.
This was a simple story but a powerful book, and one that has remained with me days after I finished reading it. And one that kept me reading late into the night.
Giveaway
To enter, fill out the form on the giveaway post.
US addresses only by midnight 2/8.
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Source: Review copy
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Almost wordless: This was taken late December along the East Branch of the DuPage River before we got hit with multiple large snowfalls. It was shot in color on an overcast day shortly before winter officially began.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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The Supreme Macaroni Company
by Adriana Trigiani
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publish Date: November 26, 2013
Format: Audio, 11 hours | 8 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 3 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past … and a secret.
My Thoughts:
This is book three in the Valentine series, although you wouldn’t guess it from the title, and initially I thought it was a standalone story. About half-way through we finally learn the meaning, but it still felt like an odd choice for the title.
In the first two books, Very Valentine and Brava Valentine, Valentine Roncalli was portrayed as a mature, determined young woman working hard to save the family’s shoe business and at the same time balancing family and personal life with her career. In the third book, Valentine’s character has changed. It’s as if falling in love with Gianluca has messed up her brain. She is no longer a strong, wise young woman and has become whiny and insecure.
A whirlwind wedding can be believable but most couples know each other well enough to discuss some very important issues before running to the alter; especially subjects like children, where to live, careers, and family history. Marriage is a big step and Valentine didn’t understand that many parts of her life would change. It wasn’t very believable that two people who weren’t young kids, and that already had much life experience, would not bother to talk about these things and then argue about it later. (I suppose I shouldn’t look for reality in my romance reading, but I keep searching).
Despite my disappointment in Valentine, I thoroughly enjoyed her large Italian family, the witty conversations and the beautiful descriptions of Italy. Coming from a Tuscan Italian family myself, I can attest that the descriptions have a delightful air of authenticity, albeit a little overblown. This is where the author is at her best and it makes this a book worth reading.
One last thought, and with no spoilers, was that I did not like the ending and am hoping for another book in the series. While many loose ends were tied up, a lot more openings were created.
Audio Production: The audio was read by the excellent Cassandra Campbell. Her changes in vocalization for the many different characters made it easy for me to tell them apart. Listeners need to stay alert for a few jumps forward in time, but otherwise, an easy listen.
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Source: Review copy provided by HarperAudio
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Last week I received a mix of print, ebooks and audiobooks.
Print Books
Under Magnolia by Frances Mayes from Crown.
A lyrical and evocative memoir from Frances Mayes, the Bard of Tuscany, about coming of age in the Deep South and the region’s powerful influence on her life.
The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh from Spiegel & Grau.
A dark, gripping debut novel of literary suspense about two mysterious disappearances, a generation apart, and the meaning of family-the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love.
The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger from Crown.
Witty and wonderful, sparkling and sophisticated, this debut romantic comedy brilliantly tells the story of one very messy, very high-profile divorce, and the endearingly cynical young lawyer dragooned into handling it.
Audio Downloads
From Random House Audio
HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton by Jonathan Allen
The mesmerizing story of Hillary Clinton’s political rebirth, based on eyewitness accounts from deep inside her inner circle.
Little Demon in the City of Light by Steven Levingston
The thrilling–and so wonderfully French–story of a gruesome 1889 murder of a lascivious court official by a ruthless con man and his pliant mistress, an international manhunt, a sensational trial, and an inquiry into the limits of hypnotic power.
eBooks
From NetGalley
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North from Redhook.
Every time Harry dies, he is reborn in exactly the same time and place, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, and nothing ever changes. Until now.
Buzz Books 2014: Spring/Summer from Publishers Lunch.
Exclusive Excerpts from 40 Top New Titles.
Giveaway
There’s still time to enter to win a copy of The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness:
A magical novel based on a Japanese folk tale that imagines how the life of a broken-hearted man is transformed when he rescues an injured white crane that has landed in his backyard.
Fill out the form on the giveaway post.
US addresses only by midnight February 8th.
What are you reading?
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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A Humorous Read for Bird Lovers
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers | August 2013
Format: Paperback | 112 pages | Rating: 4 stars
Birders and just about anyone who likes birds will delight in this field guide parody. Thirty-two fabulous new species are depicted in this volume, which features tongue-in-cheek descriptions, observation hints, and range maps, as well as remarkable full-color illustrations. The reader will never look at our feathered friends in the same way after encountering these frequent flyers.
This delightful little book is written in the format of a field guide for rare birds, complete with description, illustrations and tips for finding these cleverly named, non-existent birds. It is packed with humor that will amuse anyone who enjoys watching birds, but especially experienced birders who will be laughing out loud at some of the parodies of the real-world problems of identifying a bird in the field.
This description of the fictitious “Yellowlegs” perfectly illustrates the problem facing a birder when trying to identify similar looking shorebirds using their field guide:
Yellowlegs © John Sill.
Middle Yellowlegs and Least Yellowlegs
Both are similar to the lesser and Greater Yellowlegs; however, they are readily identified by the fact that the Middle Yellowlegs is smaller than the Greater Yellowlegs, while the least Yellowlegs is smaller than the Greater, Middle, and lesser Yellowlegs, but is larger than some smaller birds.
The color illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the text.
Monarch Warbler
© John Sill.
Warblers are tricky little birds to identify, but don’t spend too much time looking for the elusive Monarch Warbler pictured here on the left.
This was a fun book and a wonderful diversion for me to read on a cold winter night while longing for the spring warblers to return.
Clever and creative, a perfect book for bird watchers or anyone who enjoys our feathered friends.
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Review copy provided as an eGalley by Peachtree Publishers
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