Monday, December 14, 2009

A good book for the cold winter nights ahead…

I just finished reading “A Year on the Wing, Four Seasons in a Life with Birds,” by Tim Dee, and I really enjoyed it. Much of the book takes place in England, which is what first appealed to me. Since starting my blog last January and making friends with many of the British bird bloggers, I’ve learned so much about the European birds. This book helped me reinforce that knowledge. Written in a beautiful, poetic style, you will want to linger over the pages—not speed through them. “A Year on the Wing” is a perfect book to get you through the gray days of January. Travel along with the author as he follows the birds through the year with a special concentration on migration. One of my favorite paragraphs in the book illustrates how devoted the author is to the birds and how sensitive he is to their lives, in particular, to their seasonal journeys:
"What must it be like to be so sensitive to the magnetism of the earth that you are able to taste the iron in the air; to be drawn up into that air as if evaporated; to feel the inching creep of longer nights pushing you away from what you know toward what you don’t? What must it be like to hatch from an egg and look up from a nest and know the stars already? As if your paper-thin skull were a planetarium, along with the smooth curve of your late abandoned eggshell and the cup or your nest, too, as if the skies and the stars had pressed their map into everything there is of you."

21 comments:

Elaine said...

Sounds intereting and perfect for a January read.

Anonymous said...

Wow Kelly, great new header and painted by an amazing artist.

Laure Ferlita said...

Thanks for the heads up on the book - I'll have to check it out!

Love the new header too!!

Jayne said...

Oh, LOVE your new header Kelly! Beautiful! Thanks for the book recommend. :c)

Diane said...

I love the new "front page"! Beautifully done, Kelly! And very Merry Christmasy!

Wai Yien said...

nice new banner, love it. The snowy effect is perfect for the season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to fans of Red & the Peanut.

Hilke Breder said...

I love your artwork, Kelly. I haven't heard of this book and will put it on my wishlist.

Kathy A. Johnson said...

I love the beautiful new header--wow! And the snow effect is perfect. I'll have to check out the book. I read one similar a couple of years ago: Living on the Wind by Scott Weidensaul (not 100% sure that's spelled correctly). Also very beautifully written.

Busy Bee Suz said...

This sounds interesting and beautiful Kelly.

I LOVE the Cardinal watercolor...gorgeous!!!!

Montanagirl said...

How beautiful! And I love your Header.

winterwren said...

That new header is a Christmas cracker Kelly! Beautifully painted. I hadn't heard of this book but will definitely check it out. Thanks for the enthusiastic review! (-:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Kel, That does look like a great book. Thanks for the recommendation. I love to snuggle under my blankie with a huge fire in the fireplace, drinking some hot cider, and reading a great book.

Hugs,
Betsy

Robin said...

Those cardinals are GREAT!!!!!! I'm assuming you painted them. And, I love the falling snowflakes!!

Warren Baker said...

I like the header too kelly.

There's nothing like a good book on the long winter evenings!

John said...

Hi Kelly,

I love the new Wintery Snowy look....brrr getting chilly just looking at it.

Thank you for the preview of the Book I am going to check it out right now looks just perfect to while away those dark evenings.

John

holdingmoments said...

Having trouble tracking that one down here; sounds interesting.
I may have to get a second hand copy from Amazon.

Appalachian Lady said...

sounds like a good book--will check it out. I love the painting of the cardinals as your header.

Kelly said...

...thanks, everyone. The book is available through Amazon--it's fairly new. I think released in October.

Yes, I did paint the header. It was going to be my Christmas card for this year, but it was just too perfect for Red and the Peanut.

Anonymous said...

I think I'll look out for this one! If you haven't already read his works, you may quite like Roger Deakin - he wrote beautifully about the English countryside.

Kerri Farley said...

This sounds like a wonderful book. I may have to put in on my wish list!! I would LOVE to get any other recommendations you have. I have a couple on my wish list already....hope hubby takes the hint :)

Adrienne Zwart said...

The excerpt is beautiful and enticing. I know what I'll be requesting next from my local library. Thanks for the review!

P.s. I love the header. You are so talented!