Our Native Bees by Paige Embry

3.5 Stars

Life is pollination, Love the Pollinators!

So, another local fauna book. This one is to assist in determining my planting plan.

After years of drought in California, I decided to reevaluate my open space, tiny as it is, and optimize for responsible resource use. That means planting things that don't require regular watering. I toughened up some of my plants and let the others die. Bye, roses. Good job, camellias.  I do make small concessions to my fruit bearing citrus trees, but even they manage on limited water.

I have several hummingbirds who avail themselves of the fountain in my garden and fight over it. One made a nest in the pine tree right over it, and I hope there isn't a repeat of baby bird that I have to guard from the evil marauding neighbor's cat that roams until it hops up my orange tree to safety. Couldn't fly, but managed to flutter up a branch, rest for five to ten minutes and then do another. Meanwhile, I'm watching desperately wishing I could just stick it in the tree, but knowing better than to get involved especially since one of the parents was still cheerleading the little sucker.

But I digress, I'm presently in native pollinator spoiling/wooing mode. I've been optimizing for my hummers and trying to lure butterflies when it occurred to me that some bees would be a wise choice, so I picked this book to come up to speed with the basics and it was good. Generally insightful overview of the both the situation with native bees and European honeybees since they've been the default workers on farms. California produces >40% of the fruits and vegetables eaten in the U.S.; that's a lot of pollenating. Good discussions on habitat and the issues with various pesticides, which is more complicated than you might suspect.

Some absolutely gorgeous pictures of the bees:

And useful information like most native bees Don't Sting. Males can't and unless attacked, i.e. stepped on then females don't either. In fact, there's a whole species called the Tickle Bee that doesn't at all!

Btw. I'll be taking part in the Great Sunflower Project and the Pollinator Friendly Plants Program where I'll sit outside with coffee or wine depending on the time of day and count visitors!

I think the book did a good job for the average person to understand the importance of bees, the environment, and insects in general. What I really appreciate in an ebook and this one did it, clickable references--CLICKABLE! Takes you right to the paper. So disappointing when a medium doesn't utilize its advantages.

The Return of the Sea Otter by Todd McLeish

3 Stars

'd always dreamed of being an otter in my next life. Good news, still a good plan. Bad news, not as easy as I thought.

First, great white sharks have to be stupid. Pretty sure thinking about what they're going to bite is not high on their list of things to do. Just like people, sea otters are given one taste and spit out by great whites. Not yummy seal. Which means that if I wanted to be a California sea otter that I'd have a 30% chance of death by great white chomp. *sigh* Might explain the weird dreams I have.

But choosing to be further north along the coast in Washington, British Columbia, Alaska through the Aleutian Islands is fraught with different perils. Everything from killer whales, to getting shot by irate people, to disease from various chemicals in runoff, and species' jumping infections makes the chomp-chomp, death by great white seem not great, but could be worse. Plus the idea of being a kelp forest guardian sounds pretty awesome.

McLeish covers the whole Pacific range. The near extinction and recovery in different regions. The stress between humans and animals, the interaction between plants and animals in the food web and the otter's place as apex predator and how it's near eradication due to the fur trade affected ecosystems. Solid information that's provided in an accessible manner with enough data to give laypeople an understanding without swimming in numbers.

Why I want to be a sea otter:

As we looked down into the glassy water, it appeared as if we were peering down from the canopy of a liquid forest, which we sort of were. Great egrets and double-crested cormorants perched warily on some of the studier branches, while sea lions and seals surfaced repeatedly in all directions. Almost everywhere we turned, we saw long chains of sales--tiny jellyfish-like creatures that look somewhat like clear caterpillars were visible an arm's reach below the surface. Occasionally we saw a school of herring or small salmon darting by, and solitary kelp rockfish could often be seen pausing motionless for long moments at a time, as if they thought they were well camouflaged.

AND all the seafood!

The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer

3 Stars

Amusing story of succession.

This is really not a romance, but more of a family dynamics' vehicle. You have the unforeknown, dark horse relative of mixed origins hailing from the northern hinterlands plopped into the decaying Sussex/Kent gentry of the Darracotts. The "new", not really new, but new to all but Lord Darracott coming to meet the family after the heir apparent's unexpected demise, Hugo wastes no time in playing the idiot to meet his family's expectations.

Done for more amusement than spite, nonetheless, you see who figures out that the country bumpkin oaf isn't as slow-witted as they thought, and that the title of major was not given lightly. It was earned. You have a range of male relations from the overbearing to the dandy explored, and slowly, as this story does take its time unwinding. But by the end, Hugo has won over the esteem of his relatives and with practically no interaction the hand of his cousin, Anthea.

"What a delightful thing it is to know that if I am such a wet-goose as to marry you I shall be able to depend on having a husband who won't hesitate to the take the wind out of my eye every time I try to get a point the better of him!"

There were more quips by other characters regarding their relationship then expounded on by Hugo and Anthea together. If you enjoy the charm of county seat Regency stories then this is entertaining.

"You can't go about smelling of April and May, the pair of you, and then expect to gull people into thinking you don't mean to get riveted!"

The language was more colloquial than I'm used to with the Heyer novels I've read. Luckily, I have some practical experience and the contextual clues were quite good so the reader really wasn't left to wander wondering what terms meant.

Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) by Jane Harper

3 Stars

Five women go out on a three-day team building exercise and only four come back. 

Work mandated Rah-Rah-RAH activities, I'm not a huge fan. I think there are better ways of motivating, less structured and more organic ways, but it's a management choice. So, this starts with the misfit group of employees, some with existing relationships that have already seen friction and others are peripheral. Quickly, the tensions begin to build; a few haven't figured out they're on this three day tour and rather than play things low-key they're immediately pushing buttons and invading boundaries. Yeah, not going to end well.

The characters are interesting, not groundbreaking. If you've worked in a corporate environment, then you've undoubtedly met them. I'm not going to break them down into archetypes because it's not relevant, what is key is whether or not the elements are used effectively. The characters have a solid mix and the additional interpersonal tie-ins provide a lot of tangle to the mystery of whodunit. The timeline and arc are good, and the pacing is perfect. But, I'm going to say that the tandem timeline didn't work for me; it rarely does. I don't like the dual reveal and switching back and forth between storylines from the women's story to the searchers later. The jumping back and forth might provide heightened suspense as the reader gets dumped right at a critical moment to bootstrap the exposition of the alternate timeline. It just feels manufactured and very heavy-handed to me. I know this is a personal preference, but this does play a role in my rating and easily deducts one star. 

Now, Aaron Falk. I didn't read the first book because this one was available first at my library. There is some backstory alluded to, but no major spoilers. I'll definitely read it. I'm assuming there's character development because there is significant discussion of Aaron's relationship with his father. In fact, parent/child relationships are a significant factor in this story as they are echoed through various segments and multiple characters. I liked Falk and can see enjoying other stories. 

So, I liked the story. The end seemed a little weak to me, but it might just have been the fatigue of timeline switching wore on me and by that point I was only looking for resolution. 

Favorite thought:

"When had teenage girls become so sexualized? Had they been like that at his age? Probably, he thought, except back then he had been all in favor of it. At that age, a lot of things seemed like harmless fun."

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri by Martin McDonagh

4 Stars

Rating a screenplay? Who knows?

Rating the story? Oh yeah... 

This all started with me attempting to cheat--no, that's not quite accurate, looking for an advantage in the annual Academy Awards ballot competition. While other participants read the local industry rags to find the odds, I decided to borrow a screenplay. Of course, I admitted I had a copy and was just starting to read it when the announcement that it was hitting Redbox Tuesday after the awards and I stopped. Truce of sorts. I don't really watch TV and the occasional show or movie is a concession I make, so I put it aside. 

Fastforward. So, I saw the movie before reading this, which to be honest, is a bit of a spoiler, but I still laughed at the same points in the screenplay as I did in the movie--Win. The technical aspects of how much direction is given was interesting to see. I really like the movie and I really liked the screenplay.

Because through Love comes Calm, and through Calm comes Thought. And you need Thought to detect stuff sometimes, Jason. It's kinda all you need.

Kudos to Francis McDormand and Sam Rockwell for their awards, though I have to admit that I was disappointed that Sam Rockwell didn't say:

Elmet by Fiona Mozley

5 Stars

Wow. Holy Crackerdoodles!

Bold and filled with images that are burnt into my psyche. Fierce, outside the box and filled with people who won't live in them. Others, not part of the system and no desire to be part of it. Only wanting to live honestly, in peace. But, there's always people who are waiting to take advantage, to play the game, manipulate it for gain.

This is no happy story. There is nothing but grit and determination and the price.

"We all grow into our coffins, Danny. And I saw myself growing into mine."

*Watch out and don't read too many reviews because spoilers would be a shame. I am definitely recommending this one to some people.

Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing

3 Stars

I write this review as an outsider.

Poetry is often intensely personal in ways prose avoids. This is a collection of insights, remembrances, and calls to push forth. It is also an invitation for readers, to bear witness, to reflect.

"What words can you offer us to help us be free black people in a world that does not love us?"

A rating on technique I am not qualified to give, so the rating is strictly subjective. I did enjoy it. I appreciated being invited to step inside a place I'm not allowed and observe. As a non-colored person that is the only role I can have reading this.

Ewing addresses the weight of race, of social injustice, of struggle, but also the strength and beauty inherent.

I am in the universe and it is my hair.
each strand arched electric and perfectly still
before my eyes, dancing, crooked,
arranged just so in the air
like the last humming chord of a song.
-excerpt, 'at the salon'

I grew up in the Caribbean. Many of my friends were black, and I was in awe of the intricate hairstyles they would come to school with, Monday mornings were magic. Revealed were the hours they spent with their sisters and mothers braiding and beading. I think it was envy. To never have your hair slip out of a ponytail during basketball, to not have to brush it all the time, and to have people who would want to spend seven hours doing your hair. Definitely envy.

A man can be may things: a snare drum
or a willow tree with its branches dragging down into the muddy water,
the white rind of a watermelon, or a run in your stockings,
or the moment that you see our name
written on the inside of a desk at school
and it wasn't you who wrote it. 

But you can be your own gin
and your best sip too.
You can make him with a nation and still be sovereign,
your own gold coin and your own honest trade.
You can touch his hand
and still be your own snapping fingers
when the snare has gone quiet.
-excerpt, 'appletree'

Magical realism is a genre borne out of oppression. A way to break reality in unrealistic ways in order to create something magical. It is optimistic by its nature because it provides trapped people modes of escape in the ugly of contemporary times. Not all the poems utilize it, but the ones that do have an extraordinary playfulness.

Again, a spectacular and gorgeous cover. The full image is even more amazing.