I discovered Gerald Durrell a couple of years ago and honestly, I don't know why it took so long. I lucked into a copy of My Family and Other Animals at a used book store and after reading it fell immediately in love. I decided to write about Durrell for Eclectica Magazine and got my hands on a copy of Douglas Botting's excellent biography. Durrell was a born naturalist and wrote many many books about his adventures collecting animals and running his zoo/threatened species park in Jersey, England. Because he started at such a young age his books will appeal to both young and old readers - if you know a kid who loves lizards then My Family is perfect for him. I really enjoyed the humor found in his books as well - that great British humor that finds something to laugh about in chaos. And Botting's biography fills in all the gaps, answers all the questions and shows every facet of Durrell's life. Durrell is one of my heroes, and I love his stuff.
The Verb 'To Bird' by Peter Cashwell. This is one of those great memoirs that will have you smiling the entire time you go through it. Cashwell traces his personal history of birding and all the crazy things he has done while working on his life list. He's not an obssessive crackpot, but birding is his hobby and he is more than willing to go out in all kinds of weather to find his target. I just liked the guy as I read this book and even though I'm not much of a birdwatcher, I found a lot to love in how much he enjoys doing it.
Zara's Tales by Peter Beard. Okay, I love Peter Beard. I think the guy is fascinating and amazingly talented. I was very happy to get my hands on Zara and review it for Eclectica. This book would change so many kid's lives if they got it when they were around 8 years old or so. It is all adventure, all exploration, all about getting out of your chair and seeing what the wildlife world has to offer. And the pictures and artwork are amazing. I really can not recommend it enough and it is a mystery to me why it isn't better known.
On The Ice by Gretchen Legler. I lucked into this title from Booklist and found myself completely enthralled by it. Legler went to Antarctica to write about the station and the ice. She met a lot of very interesting people and saw some of the original South Pole Expedition camps and fell in love both with the place and someone she met there. I am so impressed by Legler's ability to describe a scene without overstating it. She made me want to go to Antarctica - amazing!
The Rarest of the Rare by Nancy Pick & Mark Sloan. This is one of those eye candy books that actually has substance behind it. The photos are all taken of treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. But rather than just giving us page after page of pretty, Nancy Pick delves into the significance of the speciman, where it came from, who collected it, etc. I'm a bit of a natural history geek, so I was all ove this. If you see the cover you won't be able to walk away, I promise.
Walking the High Ridge by Robert Michael Pyle. It was the tagline of Pyle's book that caught my eye: "life as a field trip". I had to read this autobiography and I was completely not disappointed. Pyle loves butterflies and he made me beyond curious about them after reading this book. He is also an ardent environmentalist who does something about his convictions - he researches in the field, he studies, and he writes. He makes a difference - Pyle is another guy, like Beard, who gets out of his chair. Walking is part of Milkweed's excellent Credo series. There are a lot of very cool nature books from Milkweed (who is one of my favorite publishers) and if you like these books, you need to check them out.
I'm feeling like history tomorrow, although I might go crazy and jump into graphic novels instead. There are also picture books and illustrated novels...so many choices. I'll have to think about it!
