My LINKcat AccountA couple of weeks ago, upon my return from attending a conference which had me driving through the sandhill crane migration in Kearney, Nebraska in April (my wont is to do at the end of February as you may or may not recall), I opined that I would have one more sandhill-crane based digression at the top of the books in this column before this part of the annual crane cycle turns to sitting on eggs and rearing young which pretty much makes cranes invisible for a few months. This last digression is based on the annual Midwest Crane Count which was April 16th this year from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. I patrol three sites in Columbia County; the same sites I have been visiting for over twenty years. I use the same technique every year so the inter-rater reliability is extremely high. I drive. I stop. I listen. I get out of the car and look around. I drive some more. I stop and listen. I take detailed field notes which I later transcribe into the official forms. There is something about being up and about and participating in an important scientific undertaking in the pre-dawn hours which can’t help but make you feel virtuous. I drove north on Highway 51 at 5:15 in the morning just as first light was creeping above the horizon. It was a clear sky and the colors of the dawn came slowly and inexorably. Starting with the faintest pastels of blue which were followed by pinks and oranges and then suddenly enough light arrived to see a crane in. The cranes were very noisy this year and I heard pairs unison calling on all three of the sites. I also saw a number of cranes feeding and loafing and just being cranes. There were turkeys everywhere. Toms were fanning and chasing groups of females who were playing hard to get. I saw a pair of wood ducks in a tree. The pair was about 20 feet up in a hardwood tree leaping from branch to branch. I guess that’s why they call them wood ducks – because they hang out in trees. There were deer everywhere too, but once daylight was advanced – say by 6:15 they all went down for their naps. Besides counting about 25 cranes this year, I saw a turkey vulture come in for a landing on the roofline of a decrepit barn. The way it was acting made me suspect that there might be a nest in the loft of that barn based on a webcam I had followed a couple of years ago from Missouri where this was indeed the case. Here is the URL for that website in case you’re interested in watching http://www.ustream.tv/missouriturkeyvultures . All-in-all it was a wonderful morning filled with birdsong and sunshine. The recent weather has been much more conducive to reading what with the wind, rain, and clouds. Below are some new books which just arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Jungle of stone : the true story of two men, their extraordinary journey, and the discovery of the lost civilization of the Maya / by William Carlsen. Documents the true story of the 19th-century rediscovery of the Mayan civilization by American ambassador John Lloyd Stephens and British architect Frederick Catherwood, illuminating how their findings profoundly changed Western understandings about human history.
Shoe dog : a memoir by the creator of Nike / by Phil Knight. The influential founder and CEO of Nike shares the inside story of the company's early days as an intrepid startup and its evolution to one of the world's most iconic and profitable brands, offering insights into his own experiences as a young man who envisioned a company that would be run in atypical ways.
If you're so smart, why aren't you happy? by Raj Raghunathan. A professor and psychological researcher embarks on a quest to discover why the smartest and most successful people he knows were also the most unhappy and discovered that many of the personality traits that helped them get ahead also fostered habits that prevented happiness.
Rise of the rocket girls : the women who propelled us, from missiles to the moon to Mars / by Nathalia Holt. Traces the pivotal achievements of the elite female science recruits at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where in the mid-20th century they transformed rocket design and enabled the creations of the first American satellites.
The big fat truth : behind-the-scenes secrets to losing weight and gaining the inner strength to transform your life / by J.D. Roth. The executive producer of Extreme Weight Loss describes how the “move more, eat less” formula for weight loss doesn’t get to the mental and emotional causes and discusses how he helps people unearth and deal with their unresolved issues.
New Fiction
Fast and loose / by Fern Michaels. The best-selling author of Point Blank and Wishes for Christmas presents a second entry in the series that began with Double Down.
City of secrets / by Stewart O’Nan. A moral thriller about the Jewish underground resistance in Jerusalem after World War II follows the experiences of a hunted refugee, who, after losing everything, assumes a different identity and commits himself to the evolution while accepting increasingly dangerous missions.
The translation of love : a novel / by Lynne Kutsukake. Deported back to Japan after losing her mother in a Canadian internment camp, 13-year-old Aya Shimamura struggles with her father's demoralizing work schedule and school bullies before helping a classmate write a letter to Douglas MacArthur and venturing into Tokyo's dangerous red-light district. A first novel.
Here comes the bribe / by Mary Daheim. Shocked by the arrival of a guest who claims to be her son, Judith McMonigle Flynn accepts the young man's help investigating a murder on the premises only to discover that he has designs on the inn.
The killing in the café / by Simon Brett. When a badly decomposing body on a beach is connected to a local cafe that the Fethering residents are trying to save, Carole and Jude are on the case.
The beast : a novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood / by J.R. Ward. Increasingly stymied by panic and insecurity in spite of his loving heart and insatiable appetites, Brother Rhage suffers a mortal injury that forces him to reassess his priorities only to make a discovery that challenges everything his mate and he believe. By the best-selling author of “The Bourbon Kings”.
What we find / by Robyn Carr. Abandoned by her boyfriend in the aftermath of wrongful malpractice suit, a Denver neurosurgeon relocates to a small rural town named after her ancestor, where she slowly recovers and reconnects with her estranged father while bonding with a mysterious loner.