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December 31, 2017 , Sun | Wrap-Ups | 0 or add you thoughts!

I had such a blast reading Christmas-y books this month! I also got to a few other great things too. Overall, it was a wonderful reading month to close out the year!

“Finally, thank you to the starlings of the West Pier, the adders of the Minsmere, the foxes of Kensal Rise, the painted ladies of Belle Vue, the pelicans of Lancelin, the hedgehogs of the top Dene, the dolphins of Curio Bay, the lizards of the Perenthian Islands, the saltys of Kakadu, the camels of the outback, the hares of Old Charlie’s, the humpback whales of Hervey Bay, the sparrows of Queen Street, the jellyfish of Seaton Carew, the bullfinches on our feeder, the emus of Coral Bay, the ravens of the Mynd, the jays of Hove, the lapwings of the A49, and the goldfinches of home.”

I enjoyed this so very much! Split into three sections—land, air, and water—this lovely novelty book explores some of the more unusual collective nouns of the animal kingdom. Sewell does a wonderful job of exploring the history behind each of them, and his dedication at the end was breathtaking. That’s the quote I’ve included. read more

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November 30, 2017 , Thu | Wrap-Ups | 0 or add you thoughts!

Hello, friends! It’s the final day of November, which means wrap-up time! I read quite a bit, despite being busy, and really enjoyed everything! So yay!!

“Species that rebel against seasonal norms are loved for their courage. The mistle thrush that can be heard to sing when all other birds have turned shy, even during winter gales, earns our respect, and his nickname, ‘tormcock,’ comes alive on the wind. The red berries and dark-green leaves of holly have found their way onto Christmas cards and earned a little fondness, despite their prickles, because they refuse to let their colors be bowed by a decrease in daylight or a blanket of snow. Gorse will flower at any time of year, and our love of this resilience can be found in the old saying, ‘Gorse is out of bloom when kissing’s out of fashion.'”

If you are interested in learning more about the way we perceive nature, and how we can improve, and benefit from improving, our observational skills, this is a book for you! I picked this up mostly just because I thought the audiobook would be nice to listen to on walks with my dog. I ended up loving it and getting so much out of it. Gooley even walks the reader through observational exercises to explain the way we see certain things and how we might see them in more detail. It was so enjoyable! read more

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