“Paw Paw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit”

 Title: “Paw Paw:  In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit”

Author:  Andrew Moore

Genre: Nonfiction

Summary: In Pawpaw―a 2016 James Beard Foundation Award nominee in the Writing & Literature category―author Andrew Moore explores the past, present, and future of this unique fruit, traveling from the Ozarks to Monticello; canoeing the lower Mississippi in search of wild fruit; drinking pawpaw beer in Durham, North Carolina; tracking down lost cultivars in Appalachian hollers; and helping out during harvest season in a Maryland orchard. Along the way, he gathers pawpaw lore and knowledge not only from the plant breeders and horticulturists working to bring pawpaws into the mainstream (including Neal Peterson, known in pawpaw circles as the fruit’s own “Johnny Pawpawseed”), but also regular folks who remember eating them in the woods as kids, but haven’t had one in over fifty years. 

Rating:  Very interesting.  I read it from cover to cover.

Why I Like It:  Covers history, cultural practices, recipes, etc.

Reviewer: Nancy Bucher

The Bluebird Effect Uncommon Bonds With Common Birds

 

Title: The Bluebird Effect Uncommon Bonds With Common Birds
Author: Julie Zickelfoose
Genre: Natural History

Summary: (from Goodreads) Julie Zickefoose lives for the moment when a wild, free living bird that she has raised or rehabilitated comes back to visit her; their eyes meet and they share a spark of understanding. Her reward for the grueling work of rescuing birds—such as feeding baby hummingbirds every twenty minutes all day long—is her empathy with them and the satisfaction of knowing the world is a birdier and more beautiful place.

The Bluebird Effect is about the change that's set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks. And each chapter is illustrated with Zickefoose's stunning watercolor paintings and drawings. Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds, The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds.

Rating: Very Interesting

Why I Like It: I learned a lot about the behavior of the birds I have observed over the years. It was very good book to read during the summer. Non-birders should like it.

Reviewer: Nancy Bucher