Tag: books

Birding as a Hobby and a Profession

This picture of a Great Blue Heron was taken by me at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia many years ago. Recently in the news was their annual pony swim which was held last week, July 29th.

Last night I finished reading the book The Origin of Ava written by Annie Lampman. One of the main characters in this book was Dr. Avanthe Estmund, PhD, Professor of Ornithology (study of birds.) She loved all birds and many of the birds she mentions live in Ecuador which was a country where some parts of the book took place. She was originally from Idaho and grew up around the North Fork of the Clearwater River on the Nez Perce- Clearwater National Forest. She was particularly close to a Raven named Persephone. I will not tell you more since I think you should read this book. It follows three main characters that overcome overwhelming obstacles in their lives. It clearly demonstrates “the redemptive power of nature, time, and chosen family.” It is a book of fiction.

I chose to use the picture of the Great Blue Heron in this post because I wanted to honor all birds. This bird was not mentioned in the book.

I only have two weeks left before I go back to school. There is time to read another book or two. I looked up all the books written by James A. Michener and chose my next book to read. I have placed it on hold at my local library. I should pick it up early this week. It might take me all of the two weeks to read it with everything else in my life that I will still need to do, though it is much shorter than his first book I read.

This book was published the year I was married. Plus I was born on an island in the Caribbean sea.

James A. Michener is so detailed in his writing that I just might learn about some birds that live in the Caribbean. If not, I am sure I will learn some new things. He mixes lot of facts into his fiction.

Reading Books

This summer has not been a big reading time for me because I have been too busy with projects around our home, and working outside trying to prevent our backyard from becoming a wilderness of weeds, and doing some experimental cooking and mixology, and tending to my family’s needs.

This past Tuesday I checked out my first book of the summer. Its title intrigued me, The Origin Of Ava. I am only on page 17 at this point. I have never been a super avid reader like my brother and sister. I have to be in the mood and have the time and see a book that captures my attention. There are a few writers that I own several of their books, and they range from entertaining non-fiction to purely fiction. I prefer writing that appeals to a nerd’s desire to learn new things or is detailed with specific facts within a fictional story. I often have been challenged when asked what is my favorite book because I don’t think I have just one. For some reason, when I opened the recent library loaner, I thought of the first adult book that really captured my attention and kept my attention for all of the 937 pages. This book was Hawaii written by James A. Michener. I chose this picture from Wikipedia because this is what the book cover looked like. It was a book that must of come into my possesion from my parents collection.

I was surprised today when I looked up the information about this book. It was published just a few months after Hawaii became our 50th state. “August 21, 1959 President Eisenhower signs the formal proclamation admitting Hawaii as the 50th state.” This means that Hawaii was not yet a state when my brother was born there in 1955. I never knew this or really thought about it until today.

You live and you learn! 🙂