June 2018 - Page 2 of 3

The Encounter

Animorphs #3
by K.A. Applegate

It seems these books switch, each one written from a different viewpoint. Most of the plot in this one is about Tobias\’ struggle with his fate in the form of a hawk. More and more he feels overwhelmed by desires to live as a wild bird- to associate with a female hawk nearby, to hunt and eat prey. He\’s still part of the team and involved in their plans, but checks out now and then as he wrestles with his animal nature, sometimes acutely missing the things he used to do as a human, at other times having difficulty even remembering what that was like. In one very dark moment, he despairs about being a hawk forever and attempts a suicide move.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing conflict with the alien forces, the Animorphs discover their enemies\’ cloaked ship and attempt to sabotage it, but their plan is not very well-thought out and once more they barely escape with their lives, accomplishing nothing. There are casualties in the fight that occurs- although just a side character, it saddened me, because I liked the complexity that individual had raised with Tobias\’ situation.

There are some inconsistencies, though- now all of a sudden they can\’t communicate mentally when in human form, only if they are morphed- but in the previous two books whole conversations took place between morphed and fully human Animorphs. The descriptions of them going through stages of morphing are pretty good at making you realize what a disturbing and unsettling sight it would be- but at one point the author gets something very wrong about animal anatomy. There were a few other small details that momentarily jarred me out of the story because they just sounded inaccurate, but for the most part I enjoyed it, and once again found it a bit more complex and gritty than expected. With a nice dash of humor in the banter between characters. The new animal morph in this book was fish– and I was disappointed to not get a more detailed depiction of that experience, as the main character -of course- remained a hawk.

Borrowed from the public library. Previous book in the series. Next book.

Rating: 3/5 154 pages, 1996

more opinions:

Animorphology

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Fantasy / Sci Fi, Juvenile Fic

The Visitor

Animorphs #2
by K.A. Applegate

In the second book, the five Animorphs decide to spy on one of their alien enemies, whose host is the parent of Rachel\’s friend Melissa. Well, Melissa used to be Rachel’s friend, but gradually a distance has grown between them and Melissa seems cold towards her, unhappy overall. When Rachel takes the form of a cat to spy on the enemy in Melissa’s house, she finds out why. Her mission becomes more than just gathering information, she now feels compelled to help her old friend- even though it means risking exposure, or staying too long in the cat body. The friends discover more about the alien Yeerk’s organization, see at close hand how the parasitic Yeerks destroy families from the inside out, and come uncomfortably close to the worst of the bad guys- narrowly escaping with their lives. Unfortunately they don’t really save Melissa- her parents are still enslaved by the aliens- but they do prevent a worse fate happening to her.

I can see now why some other readers mention these books are dark. There are battles that can be gruesome, I see moral dilemmas arising, and so far there are no happy, neatly-tied up endings. The kids try hard to fight the enemy, but they are still arguing a lot among themselves, still figuring out how morphing works, and one of them- Tobias- got trapped in the body of a hawk permanently. There’s an interestingly dark irony to the fact that Rachel recognizes her struggle to control the animal brain she takes on as a morph, is similar to the struggle the alien Yeeks exert to control their human hosts. The main animal experiences in this book are Rachel’s as a cat- her quickness to notice movement, her indifference to things people care about, her supreme self-confidence. There’s also a scene where she transforms into a shrew- and has a terrible time controlling the shrew’s frantic panic at any threat and desperate drive to find food. You’d think, then, that Jake’s transformation into a flea would also be a frightening experience (he found it very unsettling to be in the body and mind of a skittish lizard in the last book) but on the contrary- his senses were so limited in comparison to a human experience- visual input he couldn’t interpret, sounds just loud, muffled reverberations- that he couldn’t really tell what was going on. I found all this pretty interesting, and although the alien battle storyline still strikes me as rather juvenile, the kids’ strong emotional motives to continue the fight (after all, the Yeerks don’t know who they are, so they could easily fade back into anonymity if they wanted to) are made to feel very real.

Borrowed from the public library. (This is the only one of the newer issues where the frozen-hologram image on the hardcover works for me.) Previous book in the series. Next book.

Rating: 3/5 174 pages, 1996

more opinions:
Arkham Reviews
the Library Ladies

Animorphology

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Fantasy / Sci Fi, Juvenile Fic

The Invasion

Animorphs #1
by K.A. Applegate

I think I would have been wowed by this series as a kid. I saw them around and for some reason never read any before. Thistle’s review perked my interest so I borrowed the first few of the series from the library. I pretty much agree with her assessment: the plot and characterization is rather juvenile (to be expected, looking at the age group these books are written for), but the scenes where the kids turn into animals are really cool and worth reading it for.

Let me backtrack: it’s about five kids who cut through a construction site walking home one day, where a spaceship suddenly lands and an alien grants them powers in a last effort to protect the human race, before he dies. There’s a war going on in space; some slug-like aliens crawl into the brains of other species and control them. The Andalites have been fighting them, and this one gives the kids abilities to change into whatever animal they touch, by absorbing DNA material. Sounds hokey, and the kids think so too, until one of them tries it out. Unbelievable, the freedom and far-distant sight of a hawk. The speed of a horse. The lithe power of a cat. The discerning nose of a dog. They realize that nature has powers they can really use. But when they change into animals, they also have to fight that animal’s natural instinct, and be careful not to stay too long or they are stuck in the morphed form. For example, when one kid is spying on the bad guys in form of a dog, he has to really concentrate not to get distracted by all the intriguing smells and small creatures to chase and so on. Because yeah, they find out quickly that already many people on Earth have been taken over by the slug aliens (Yeerks) and there’s no way to tell who. They have to keep their abilities secret, because any Yeerk who knew would kill them.

But at the same time, they are still dealing with real life: school, family issues and so on. Some aspects of the story felt lame or overly-convenient (how nice is it that one of the main characters, Cassie, has parents who work at both a wildlife hospital and a zoo? so they sneak in and touch all different kinds of animal to gain the abilities to morph into those species)- but I was neatly surprised at how real the dialog felt, and the humor that cropped up now and then. Mostly I really liked the switching perspective- what’s it like to suddenly be a lizard smaller than a shoe? or a massive elephant?

I do think I’ll continue the series- it’s great light reading- until maybe it deteriorates in quality. I see that there’s sixty-four books total, but many of the later ones ghost written so I don’t know how good those are. And my library only has the first eight… The cover image I posted here is from the original paperback issues- it shows the morphing process (which caught my eye decades ago). My library has newer re-issued copies, with holograph type covers which oddly enough, only work on the paperbacks- you can see the image change when you tilt the book. But the hardbound issues don’t have that effect- the image is in-between and rather disturbing on some of them. I happen to really like this version printed in Brazil.

Next book in the series.

Rating: 3/5 185 pages, 1996

more opinions:
In Bed with Books
Arkham Reviews
the Library Ladies

Animorphology

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Fantasy / Sci Fi, Juvenile Fic

Coleus

Rainbow Foliage for Containers and Gardens
by Ray Rogers

For a book about plants, this one is informative and engaging. It even made me laugh quite a few times. I like a bit of humor in gardening books. It\’s all about coleus. I acquired my first coleus by accident- it was an abandoned plant someone gave to me and I didn\’t even know what it was. I almost killed it with improper care. Then I learned how to take cuttings, and got a few more varieties. Now I have a list- mostly from this book! – of other types I\’d like to have. I must be picky, though, because my window space is limited in winter time, to keep them going for spring…

Anyway, this book gives a little history of the plant, explaning why there are so many varieties of coleus out there (with a confusing number of common names as well). It tells, of course, how to care for coleus- some of them are more finicky than you\’d expect- and how to take cuttings or grow from seed- if you want something totally unpredictable. Helpfully, there is a wide range of photographs demonstrating how coleus can be featured in the garden- a lot of them have very gaudy, even shocking colors, which can be difficult to harmonize. I don\’t really care for the appearance of coleus topiary- but if you aspire to that, there are instructions in here. The gallery of cultivars at back has clear photographs and descriptions telling you what plant might actually be another by the same name, what types of sun/shade they can stand, how they behave differently if the lighting or temperature is not to their liking, the stability of pattern throughout a growing season or when taking cuttings and so forth. The notes are brief, but very helpful. Already I noted that a few which caught my eye while reading the book, might not really be worth the trouble to grow long-term.

I also gained some tips on their care, things I didn\’t know before. I discovered that the oddly round leaf I found on one of my orange-and-red coleus must have been a \’sport\’- and I should have cut it to grow out into its own plant! also that the individual plants will drastically change color intensity depending on what kind of lighting they are in. I\’ve seen that happen, too.

Borrowed from the public library. One I\’ll gladly add to my own shelf, if I ever find it at a sale.

Rating: 4/5 228 pages, 2008

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Current Reads, Gardening / Food

Killing Keiko

by Mark A. Simmons

When I saw this book on the library shelf, I recalled reading Death at SeaWorld and was curious about another perspective on similar subject: orcas in captivity. This book is about one particular orca that starred in the film Free Willy. Following the film\’s popularity, people wanted Keiko- the real whale- to be set free in the ocean- he was living in a theme park in Mexico. The attempt was made- with huge donations of money from both the public and private organizations. The whale was moved from Mexico to an aquarium in North America for a rehabilitation period, and then to an oceanic pen on the coast of Iceland where the release was planned. He was led into the open ocean and guided back to the pen many times- but in the end did not make it. Reports say he was weakened by long-term illness and deteriorating skin conditions caused by his decade in captivity. It certainly sounds like the effort of restoring his health and releasing him into the wild again was a complicated, daunting task- some say with little hope of success.

I couldn\’t read the book, though. I went into it not knowing who the author was, his agenda or background. I was baffled on the opening page, when the author claimed that orcas in captivity behave no differently than those in the wild. I was taken aback by his disparaging attitude towards others around him- both colleagues and renowned scientists. The writing felt awkward and often sounded peevish. It jumps around a lot but usually zeroed in on why the author felt slighted or how his opinion trumped everyone else\’s- which really bored me. The book itself- as a physical object- felt like a self-published volume- cramped margins, slightly-over-large text, thinly glued binding. I assume my guess was right when I looked up the publisher and found this one book to their name. Just couldn\’t read any more after that.

Abandoned 398 pages, 2008

Tags: 0/5- Abandoned, Animals Nonfiction

For Big Bucks Only

by Jeff Murray

I think I got this book from a library sale. Just for curiosity. As with Ride the Right Horse, I\’m not really the intended audience- so the rating reflects my interest level, not the book\’s actual quality. Reading it as an outsider (although I do have extended family members who are hunters), I couldn\’t really tell you whether this guy\’s advice on how to hunt whitetails is good; I don\’t know if the recommended gear is the best, or if the scientific studies referred to are the latest information. What kept me skipping through (I skimmed some) were the insights into wildlife behavior. Of course to be able to find deer in the woods (especially during hunting season when they are extra wary) takes some knowledge of their habits and responses to threat. Where will the deer go when pressured by different types of hunting methods? how do does or young bucks act different than older bucks. How do they use the landscape, and how can the hunter turn that to his advantage. What types of browse and tree cover do they favor, how does acorn (mast) ripening times affect their movements, what do they do just before and after a storm, etc etc. It was more interesting than I would have guessed.

The chapters detail how to use stereoscopic maps to find promising patches of habitat, how deer movements are tied to their favorite food supply (acorns), where bucks will usually be found in relation to their rubbings or scrapings, tips for hunting deer on farmland, around beaver ponds and in deep forest, scoping out the land before the season, using stands in trees, bowhunting tactics, how deer act in different types of weather, reading and following tracks, the importance of personal stamina and patience, estimating weight in the field and so on. There are some anecdotes and hunting stories in here, both personal accounts and ones the author shares from other hunters. While all the photographs are in black and white, they\’re pretty good quality. I\’d sketch from them if I were still drawing pictures. The writing style is easy and friendly with a light sprinkling of humor that kept me picking it up even when I realized it wasn\’t a keeper. For my shelf at least. I\’m going to give this one to my dad and see if he finds it useful.

It\’s published by the North American Hunting Club.

Rating: 3/5 216 pages, 1989

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Nonfiction, Current Reads

Higglety Pigglety Pop!

or There Must Be More To Life
by Maruice Sendak

I saw this one browsing in the library and picked it up. I thought I\’d read it before, but I must have just seen the final panels reproduced elsewhere- the beginning was more or less unfamiliar to me.

The first part is chapter-book style, with full page illustrations. Jennie, a sealyham terrier, has everything she could want in life but feels unsatisfied so she runs away to find adventure. She wants to have a star role in the theater but needs experience. A passing milkman assumes she is the newest nursemaid for a child in a big house nearby- exclaiming one must need experience for the job- so the dog accepts that and does her best to go make the baby eat her dinner. Instead, it\’s the dog who is eating tons of stuff on nearly every page! she does land the theater position in the end, and the final pages show the performance- a silly nursery rhyme about a dog eating a mop. Yeah, what?

Some other things are really odd- the dog talks to a plant and eats all its leaves until it can\’t speak to her anymore (she also later talks to an unhappy tree). The family in the big house moved away, left their baby behind, and then promptly forgot their original address so couldn\’t return to get her. And they keep a lion in their basement to eat the nursemaids who fail at the job (main requirement is getting the baby to eat). A lot of it is just the kind of ridiculousness and skewed logic a child might employ, but I\’m not sure if my kid would find this book amusing, or just plain weird!

Myself, I didn\’t really care for it in the end. But the illustrations, with their detailed pen-and-ink texture, are lovely. They transcend the story.

Rating: 2/5 70 pages, 1967

Tags: 2/5- Just Okay, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Picture Books

Call of the Mild

Learning to Hunt My Own Dinner
by Lily Raff McCaulou

I found this memoir about the author\’s introduction to hunting as a grown woman thoughtful and heartfelt. She certainly made me question some assumptions I had (prompted by media outrage) about gun ownership in America. A lot of the book is about her family life, and how her job led her to move from big city to semi-rural Oregon where she began to accompany her husband fly-fishing and found she rather enjoyed it. Her interest in learning to observe the river habitat expanded to a curiosity about hunting- would it allow her to see and read the forest in a new way? She had a healthy fear of firearms- in fact never really lost that- but took a beginner\’s hunter safety course (full of kids) and started by practicing at a shooting range and then hunting birds- pheasant, chukars, ducks, mourning doves, geese. She was fascinated by the role of dogs in hunting groups she went out with- (but the cover image is a bit misleading as her own dog was not a hunting companion). She kept hunting birds but also shot rabbits and eventually worked up her skills to attempt going after deer and elk. All the while wrestling with internal emotions about taking the life of an animal- becoming more conscientious about where the meat in grocery stores comes from, learning how invested many hunters are in conservation efforts, careful land management and wildlife protection. Overall I found it an eye-opening read (although I\’m not interested in becoming a hunter myself) and I didn\’t mind that part of the book was just about family life and emotional upheaval she went through (a period of many deaths near her- elderly neighbors, family members and friends alike)- it made me understand her as a person better. This quote from one of the final chapters sums it up neatly:

Hunting has changed the way I think about the food I eat and my pet dog, not to mention the animals that live out of sight but all around me. It has give me a deeper connection to the fast-growing community where I live. It has changed the way I follow politics. Still, I have only brushed the surface. I have not yet wrung all the meaning I can out of this new adventure.

Borrowed from the public library

Rating: 4/5 323 pages, 2012

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Bios / Memoirs, Current Reads, Nature

Snapper

by Brian Kimberling

I didn\’t care for this one much. It\’s a novel but reads more like a halfhearted memoir, some of the incidents are so odd and displaced they must have happened to a real person, and there\’s very little plot per se. The main character drifts through life, mooning over a girl who never really pays much attention to him, works in the field for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counting birds and monitoring their nest sites. The part about his job- I appreciate that he liked his low-paying position, being outside, better than a move up the ladder would have been, putting him in an office analyzing the data- was interesting, but there simply wasn\’t enough of it. Likewise one of the more interesting side characters- a woman he met who\’d had lyme disease that caused neurological damage disabling her arms and hands- was only present in a few scenes. Further on in the book he moves to Vermont for a job in a raptor rehabilitation center- another part I would have liked to read more about- but the work is hardly mentioned as he doesn\’t like raptors. Observations of eagles and hawks from his songbird-watching job in the forestry service made that clear.

Most of it is really descriptions of odd daily happenings and people around in him in southern Indiana. Which make it sound like a dismal place to live. He\’s rather disparaging of the people and place. Of Texas, too. Perhaps it\’s supposed to be funny, but the few times I caught the humor, I already knew the joke so it fell rather flat. One of the oddest scenes was when his dog found a large bone in a cemetary- he guessed it was a human femur- and he couldn\’t figure out what to do with it, so took it home. Another part is about his friend\’s disappointment with his work in library sciences. There are parts about meeting up with people he\’d known in high school, and realizing he doesn\’t like them, or they don\’t have anything in common anymore. Awkward scenes. One includes the other guy catching and teasing a snapping turtle. The guy got what he deserved.

I started skipping some pages just to get to parts that I felt were more worth reading. In the end it\’s all just really lackluster and leaves you wondering what\’s the point. Oh well.

Rating: 2/5 210 pages, 2013

Tags: 2/5- Just Okay, General Fiction

My Gentle Barn

by Ellie Laks with Nomi Isak

This book is about how someone with a troubled childhood found solace and healing in the companionship of animals. She nearly crashed and burned as a drug addict but then pulled her life together and started rescuing dogs from kill shelters to place them in new homes. Lots of ups and downs, struggles with her marriage, friction with neighbors which precipitated a huge move. Eventually she acquired more property and ran a sanctuary, a place to take in mistreated farm animals. She opened her doors to groups of at-risk and troubled teens, hoping that some contact with the animals and hearing their stories would help them on the path to recovery, as well. Apparently she did really well with her operation, learning as she went, nurturing the animals in spite of many setbacks, finding a new husband and raising three kids along the way. Most of all, her love was for the animals. I did enjoy reading this book, although I raised my eyebrows at a few things- she claims to be able to hear animals speak to her mind, telling her their true names, to have been lead by \”whisperings\” to animals in need, and so forth… The writing is a bit simplistic and lots of details are left out, but this does not surprise me with a book that is co-authored, when after all she\’s not a writer by trade. I also thought at first that she was just sparing us the worst details, which could be hard to stomach when reading a story about both child abuse and animals being seriously neglected and mistreated. Most of it is uplifting, hearing about how the animals are cared for, most of them recover to enjoy peaceful lives.

But… why does this happen so often? I finish reading a memoir or story like this, hop onto the computer to see who else may have written about it (usually because I want to learn more about the background, find out where things have gone since the book was written, or locate other points of view on the book) and encounter some harsh criticism accusing the author of blatant lies and misrepresentation. Sigh. So now I don\’t know what to believe, and having found such bitter criticism sours me on the whole story.

Borrowed from the public library.

Rating: 3/5 268 pages, 2014

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Nonfiction, Bios / Memoirs, Current Reads

Month: June 2018

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