Close To Birds by Mats Ottosson and Asa Ottosson

This is a gorgeous book. The photographs of the birds are delightful and full of detail, and they exude a miraculous sense of life. The text is very anecdotal, quoting multiple bird lovers' personal impressions and experiences with certain birds who regularly visit Northern Europe. Plenty of guidebooks exist to identify birds but this book is designed to awaken an interest in these fabulous creatures in anyone who even just casually peruses its contents but also enchant hard-core bird lovers.

The Unwinding Of The Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams

A very difficult book to read and process as it details the life and then lengthy struggle of an incredible young woman who first seeks myriad treatments to deal with a diagnosis of stage four colon cancer, and then finally comes to terms with the relentless death sentence it remained from the initial diagnosis. Frank in her portrayal of the five-year ordeal for herself and her husband and two children, she shares her pain and suffering as a way to provide others with some illuminating insights into facing and working to overcome the hardships that life often unleashes upon people in the course of their lifetime.

Rez Life by David Treuer

An informative book which provides facts and details about contemporary Indian life on reservations, the history of the creation and development of reservations and many of the subsequent changes that have mired many reservations in continued poverty while enabling a few to become prosperous. A history and explanation of Sovereignty on reservations and the constant struggles to retain rights promised in historical treaties and in subsequent laws. The author poignantly explains the struggles to retain cultural identity despite the cruel and relentless efforts by the American government and its dominant European immigrants to wipe out all Indian cultures. An impressive mix of political and historical facts that inform as well as considered opinions that provoke thought and reflection. Recommended.

Mr. Lear: A Life Of Art And Nonsense by Jenny Uglow

An impressive biography that illuminates the complexity of a fascinating artist/poet/"traveloguer"/human being. I previously only knew Mr. Lear from his many witty limericks. The author reveals him vividly through his own writings and his many friendships with the aristocratic, artistic and movers and shakers" of the 19th century. Recommended!

The Last Year Of The War by Susan Meissner

Two twelve year old American born girls meet in an internment camp in Texas. One is a German American, the other is Japanese-American. From their brief time together under very difficult circumstances in Crystal City, the "Camp", they develop a friendship that lasts over sixty years. Unfortunately, that friendship is one enjoyed only through memories because they are soon separated, each to return against their will to the homeland of their parents. Before they part, they hatch a plan to reunite immediately at the end of the war. The focus of the story is Elsie/Elise the German American girl as her story unfolds through the end of the war and then as she attains adulthood. This is a poignant historical fiction.

A Year By The Sea by Joan Anderson

A contemplative narrative by a woman in her middle age who takes up residence in the family cottage on the Cape. Her two sons are launched and she chooses not to accompany her husband when he takes a new job. Instead, she spends a year living alone, absorbing the wild beauty of Nature as she takes stock of her life and the desires and changes she wants moving into her older age. Lyrical descriptions and thoughtful musings infuse this lovely memoir. Recommended.