Spring and Fall are always exciting times for bird watchers as species migrate across the continent. The small pond a few blocks from my house has been attracting a variety of birds that I only get to see during migration. Almost every time I go for a walk I find a new bird. A few days ago I was excited to find a Rusty Blackbird walking at the edge of the water.
This bird spends the summer in the boreal forests in Canada and then migrates south and winters in the eastern U.S. They can be identified by their rusty edged feather, pale yellow eyes and a bold eyebrow. The bird I saw was a female. The male is darker, a dull black with rusty bars.
Their preferred habitats are ponds, roadsides, landfills, wet meadows, and shrubby shorelines. Their diet consists of mostly insects and plant matter.
You’re probably wondering why I was excited to see a blackbird; aren’t they everywhere? No, not this species. The Red-winged Blackbird is common, but the Rusty Blackbird is not. This bird is classified by the IUCN as a Vulnerable Species and is on the Audubon Watchlist. Unfortunately their populations are in severe decline. The global population is estimated at less than two million individuals, a decline of over 85% over the last 40 years.
Scientists are completely puzzled as to what is the cause of their decline. The following possibilities are per Audubon:
Acid rain and mercury accumulation on the breeding grounds may be harming the species. Changes associated with global warming in the northern wetlands will continue to impact the Rusty Blackbird. Loss of wintering habitat has also played a role in this bird’s decreasing numbers. In addition, since Rusty Blackbirds sometimes join mixed blackbird flocks, they fall victim to lethal “blackbird control” programs which are indiscriminate.
I stood near the pond on that cool, windy morning for about 15 minutes and watched her until she few away. I wished her a safe journey.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Three-Day Affair
by Michael Kardos
Narrated by Ray Chase
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Publisher: Mysterious Press/Highbridge Audio
Publish Date: September 4, 2012
Format: Audio, 7 hours | 32 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5
Every year four college friends get together for a weekend of golf and relaxation. But this year the outing doesn’t go as planned. The weekend quickly turns into a nightmare when one of them robs a convenience store and kidnaps the clerk.
Will, a failed musician, Jeffrey, a dot-com millionaire, Evan, a lawyer, and Nolan, a state senator, have been friends since their days at Princeton. At the start of the weekend, Jeffrey needed to stop and pick up a few things at the store. Will and Nolan waited in the car. A few minutes later Jeffrey ran out of the store dragging a young woman with him, jumped in the car and yelled, “Drive!”. Will obeyed without thinking.
Jeffrey had robbed the store and taken the clerk hostage and now Will and Nolan were accessories and Will was driving the getaway car. If they stop and let the girl out, she will likely call the police. Not knowing what to do, Will keeps driving. They aren’t criminals but there is no way to prove that. Their careers will be destroyed, their lives will ruined; they need to find a way out of this mess.
The story is narrated by Will with flashbacks to their days in college. Bit by bit the relationships between the four friends unfold as old rivalries and jealousies are revealed. Characters are nicely developed and while mostly likeable, I kept wondering how they could be so stupid as they continue to make the situation worse. Several times I thought I knew where the plot was going and just when I had it all figured out, it switched direction. I didn’t see the ending coming until the last few minutes.
At only 7½ hours long, I listened to this in only two days. This was just the right length for the story; long enough to hook me but not so long as to wear out its welcome. It was nicely narrated by Ray Chase who used an engaging, noir tone. The pacing was fast and even making for an enjoyable listening experience.
The Three-Day Affair is a suspenseful and entertaining debut; I’m looking forward to reading more from Michael Kardos.
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Source: Review copy.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: Always amazing to watch this large bird land in a tree. Seen last week at a local park.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
This is How You Lose Her
by Junot Díaz
Narrated by Junot Díaz
Genre: Short Stories, Literature
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publish Date: September 11, 2012
Format: Audio, 5 hours | 14 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
This is a passionate, emotional collection of short stories all, except one, told through the eyes of Yunior, a young Dominican who has recently moved to the United States. The stories revolve around the various women in his life: lovers, friends, family.
The writing was vivid, often vulgar, but poetic at the same time. I could feel the gritty neighborhood where Yunior lived, sense his feeling of not belonging, of being in a cold unfriendly place, of being treated like an outsider. And then the thrill, the happiness, the beauty of home when, in the first story, he visited Santo Domingo with his girlfriend only to thoroughly mess up the relationship. I’m not going to review each story – the collection was short and saying too much would ruin them – but Yunior remained a somewhat likeable character even though he was not good with relationships and not the most respectful man on the planet.
I usually assign a rating from 1 to 5 to the books I read but for a number of reasons I am having a difficult time determining where this should land on my rating scale. If my only consideration were, “Did I enjoy the stories?”, I’m somewhere between a three and a four, but there is more to consider about this book than just liking the stories.
First off, this was an unsolicited audiobook and from the description I already knew it was not the type of novel that I usually choose to read. However, it has been receiving a lot of publicity and recommendations, the author had won a Pulitzer Prize for a previous novel, and I do occasionally like to stretch outside my comfort zone.
From the very first moment of listening I was immersed into a culture totally foreign to me. The stories are told from the point of view of Yunior, a Dominican immigrant. There is a lot of slang, street language, crude expressions and more than a few vulgar words. Knowing a little Spanish would be helpful but not entirely necessary. I could pick up the general idea through context. Also, the internet is a wonderful resource and, put it this way, I now know a few more swear words in Spanish, ones my four years of language classes never taught me.
I enjoyed the audio production which was narrated by the author. Each story began with a short intro of Latin music to set the tone and let the listener know a new story was beginning. The author’s voice adding authenticity and, with his Dominican accent, reminded us that Yunior was not from the East Coast. At times the reading was a little shaky and uneven, but the lack of smoothness was not a problem. For those who decide to listen to the audio, I recommend headphones if there are children around; this is definitely R-rated. I don’t mind a little coarse language but more sensitive readers may be offended.
This book is not for everyone. If you enjoy authenticity, immersion into a gritty subculture and don’t mind a little rough language, I would recommend the experience.
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Source: Review copy.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Mailbox Monday
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The October host is Marcia at The Mailbox Monday Blog.
A win from Anna at Diary of an Eccentric:
Diary of a One Night Stand
by Alexandrea Weis
Resilient and practical, Kara Barton has continually strived to live a respectable life. She went to college, embarked on a promising career as an attorney, married a great guy, and always appeared to be the perfect wife and mother. But all is not what it seems, and the troubling past Kara has been running from her entire life is about to catch up with her. Urged on by her insecurities about growing older, and desperately wanting to feel one more night of passion, Kara agrees to share a tryst in a hotel room with a sexy business associate, Scott Ellsworth. But Scott wants more than one night together… more
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.
Share what you read last week and what you are currently reading.
I finished listening to This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz, a passionate, emotional collection of stories focusing on Yunior’s relationships, mostly of the various women in his life and his family. Short but powerful.
I reviewed What the Zhang Boys Know, a beautifully written collection of interrelated stories each centering on one of the residents of a condominium building in a gentrifying area of Washington, DC. I have one copy for giveaway to readers with an address in the US or Canada.
Reading/Listening This Week:
I’m listening to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman over the next two weeks for the RIP VII Group read hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings. I’m almost finished listening to The Three Day Affair by Michael Kardos, a debut crime novel from the newly relaunched Mysterious Press. While a bit unrealistic, it’s quite entertaining and a pleasant surprise.
I’ve been threatening to read The Dog Stars for a few weeks now and this is the week I finally read it, no more excuses.
Next up in audio is NW by Zadie Smith.
What Are You Reading?
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
For the past few week warblers have been passing through in large numbers on their migration south. The most common warbler is the yellow-rumped. A large number of them were at the nature park yesterday flitting around the shrubs and trees and hopping around the edge of the muddy pond making their distinctive chipping sound. While most warblers prefer to stay hidden in the foliage, the yellow-rumped are more approachable and will venture out near people.
Their plumage varies between the eastern and western forms and changes again during breeding season. The birds in these photos are in winter plumage. I can’t tell if they are male or female as they look similar this time of the year.
During breeding season they molt to bright yellow, charcoal gray and black, and bold white. This little guy below was showing off the yellow patch on his rump from which they get their name.
In the summer their diet consists of mostly insects but in the winter they will also eat seeds and berries. They will occasionally venture into backyards and stop at a feeder for seeds or suet or a drink at the bird bath.
The yellow-rumped has a large range and can be seen at various times of year over most of the North American continent. A lot of the birds I’m seeing now are only passing through, but their winter range has been creeping further north and some will remain in the Chicago area. We have seen them during the winter bird counts for the past few years.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Roots of the Olive Tree
by Courtney Miller Santo
Narrated by Karen White
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publish Date: August 21, 2012
Format: Audio, 10 hours | 35 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate – Advanced
Rating: 4 of 5
Five generations of firstborn Keller women live together in a house on an olive grove in California’s Sacramento Valley. The oldest at 112 is Anna. She doesn’t look or act her age and is determined to become the oldest person in the world.
Dr. Hashmi, a geneticist, discovers the family and wants to study them to find the secret to both their longevity and their slower aging process. He believes there is a longevity gene, and that it may have been passed on through each of the women. Anna is not interested in genetic research or understanding the secrets of her aging. Unlocking the mystery of her age would also reveal family secrets she would prefer remain hidden. As Dr. Hashmi begins exploring the family’s history, we discover that each of the women has their own secrets, secrets that they have concealed from one another.
This is a rich, multilayered story presented in five sections, each part from the point of view of one of the women. I like the use of this technique. It allows the reader to better understand the relationships between these strong, independent women; and the women are definitely in charge in this family. The men, while not insignificant, are mostly in the background and have a few secrets of their own.
I listened to the audiobook and while I enjoyed it, I would only recommend the audio to seasoned audiobook listeners because of the complexity of the plot, the changing points of view, and the use of flashbacks in the story. Karen White’s pleasant voice and tone made for a nice listening experience. It was easy to know when Anna was speaking because of her Australian accent but there were only slight variations in the voices of the other women. If you do listen to the audio, write down the names and birth order of the women for reference, it will enhance the listening experience. Maybe I’m a little slow, but it took me half the book to remember who was who in the large Keller family.
One of the reasons I wanted to read this book is that I am fascinated by the idea of a longevity gene, one that allows advanced age with good health. I’ve always been interested in science, genetics and biology, but this has an even more personal reason for me. My grandmother is 102 years old, looks and acts 30 years younger, and still lives independently in her own home. She worked until she was 95! She is a super-ager. My great-grandmother also lived to be over 100 and there are others in the family that lived well into their 90s. I often wonder if it’s genetic or if it’s the Mediterranean diet/lifestyle they brought with them from Tuscany.
Overall, an enjoyable story and a book I recommend. I did have one slight issue with the ending, or rather lack of a conclusive ending. There was an epilogue, a glimpse into the year 2017, which I listened to three times and still felt unsatisfied and with questions left unanswered. Maybe it was just me, because I wanted to know more. Maybe there will be a sequel.
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Source: Review copy.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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