How to Look at a Bird: Open Your Eyes to the Joy of Watching and Knowing Birds by Clare Walker Leslie

Thanks to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for providing me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🦜 I don't know when exactly it was when I realized that I've always been fascinated by birds. I am an early riser, and I love to go outside on my apartment balcony in the morning, to feel the crisp air, watching the golden light of sun touching the tips of the trees, smell the freshness of the pines or flowers, and...the chirps and songs of the birds. No matter how rough I have felt the day before, a few minutes of these rituals always bring smile on my face, and warmth in my heart, ready to start the new day. In fact, watching the birds itself always make me happy. And that's why I was very excited to get to read and review this book.

🦜 Clare Walker Leslie is both an author and illustrator. In this little book, she encourages beginners at birdwatching to take the first step in taking this hobby into next level. It doesn't require one to be scientist or naturalist. First the joy of watching birds around where we live, be it in the country, suburban, or even in a busy big city like where I live. From there, you'll get curious to what bird that is, what they are doing, why they're doing it, and so on. That curiosity will make one a better observer.

🦜 This book hooked me from the first because apparently Clare has been staying at an apartment building, as I do. She shares how she attracted birds by hanging some feeders on the balcony. It made me realize that one CAN do birdwatching without having to travel in the country or visiting a forest. Clare also shares how to choose our binoculars. I like this kind of practical tips when reading a "how to" books.

🦜 If you imagine this book would be boring and full of technicality or specifications of birds, you were wrong. It feels more like talking with a longtime birdwatchers who's glad to tell you of her love of birds and birdwatching. She wasn't an expert too when she began, but when you do what you love, I believe you'll find ways to learn more. You'll search for it on the internet, you'll find people with the same hobby to talk too, and so on. The possibility would be endless. What you need is to take the first step. And that's what this book will inspire you without being condescending.

🦜 Another pleasant part of this book is the sketches and colorful illustrations of birds and birdwatching. My favorite is the feeder hung on her apartment balcony – maybe because I can relate to it, living in an apartment myself. Clare even shares the step-by-step of sketching a bird. You needn't be good at drawing, by the way. There's this technique which she called blind contouring – doing rough-sketch while focusing on the object, without looking at what you’re doing – which seems quite doable. I can't wait to try myself!

🦜 Do you love birds, but find the word "birdwatching" intimidating? Read this book, and you'll see that it's actually not that scary! Clare described in details several species of birds (with illustrations) which you'll find in some parts of the world (mainly the US), but like she said in this book, wherever you live, there are always birds around you. Moreover, you’ll learn some interesting things about these birds, though you might perhaps never see them. Like the story of Rocky, the saw-whet owl which made headlines in 2020 because she was found in the giant Christmas tree of Rockefeller Center which has been brought from Canada, that's amazing!

🦜 I am so lucky to have found this book, it inspired me to start a new hobby, which might perhaps be useful after my retirement! If you love nature and birds, you'll find this book a helpful guidance.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

**How to Look at a Bird: Open Your Eyes to the Joy of Watching and Knowing Birds will be published on 6th February 2024.

 

#MurderEveryMonday: Covers with Train

Murder Every Monday was created by Kate @ Crossexamining Crime and @ArmchairSleuth. Put simply, the plan is for readers to take a photo of a crime fiction book (novel or short story collection) which meets a given week’s theme criteria and to then share it online, using the hashtag #MurderEveryMonday.

This week's theme is:

Cover with a train on

I didn't realize there are quite a lot of Golden Age murder mysteries set on or around a train. The increasingly common use of express train in those days was part of the reasons, I guess. Here are covers with train that I could think of:

Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?

If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme:

Six Books Saturday #2: Books That Remind Me of My Father

#SixBooksSaturday is my personal monthly bookish meme, inspired by Six Word Saturday, which I've stumbled upon Travel with Intent.

It's basically to list six books of random category, which I'd decided on the spot. Anything is possible according to my whim. I post Six Books Saturday on last Saturday of each month. If you're interested, you are, of course, welcomed to join me. There's no rule, really. You can post six anything about books.


This month's theme is very personal. My father passed away two months ago, and I have missed him terribly. This is a remembrance to my dear Papa, who had imparted his passion of reading on me since my childhood. Here are:

Six Books that Remind Me of My Father

Harry Potter (book 1 to 7) by J.K. Rowling

It always amazes me how my father must have loved Harry Potter much more than I. But that's a fact. He had read through the series for probably six times (or more), especially during the last three to five years of his life. Looking at my now battered Harry Potter books will always reminds me of him. We often watched the movie together too, but more often he watched it alone on HBO.

The Adventures of Tintin (series) by Hergé

When I was about five or six years old, my father's hobby was photography. He often took me when he visited the photography shop, which was next to a bookstore. I remember how I used to read Tintin at the bookstore while waiting for Papa doing his business next door. I was so absorbed into Tintin's universe, that I didn't see Papa coming to fetch me.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

My first read of The Three Musketeers was a graphic novel, and it was introduced by Papa. He explained to me the story and taught me about integrity, loyalty, and friendship while we were reading together (I looked at only the picture mostly). Many years later, I might have forgotten the plot, but remembered clearly what a wicked woman Milady was.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

It all began on my seventeenth birthday. Papa used to write me a letter on my birthdays, and few others when I started college and on my 1st day of work. He imparted his wisdoms, everything that he had learned about life and human existence. On these occasions he often wrote about hope and positive thinking, quoting passages from Anne Frank. Later on he encouraged me to finally read the book, but its value had reached me long before. I always believe that my relatively smooth journey to adulthood was partly due to these letters from Papa, besides, of course, my parents' loving care.

Winnetou by Karl May

This is perhaps a less known series you'd probably never read or even heard of. It's about deep friendship between a German-American frontiersman and a Native American called Winnetou, chief of Apache tribe. Winnetou is one of Papa’s favorites, and which for years he had had persuaded me to read. At first I thought West World, horses, cowboy, and Indian was too masculine for me, but once I tried, I couldn’t put it down. From Winnetou I learned about true friendship between two different races, and of course, the injustice done by the stronger race against the weaker one.

Agatha Christie's mystery books

My first encounter with Agatha Christie's book was at the school library, and I found it too dark. Upon my reading it at home, Papa suggested I tried And Then There Were None, which he thought I might like better. I did like it, in fact I was addicted to Christie's to this day. I remember Papa used to bring Mama and me to the bookstore every month. He let me choose one Agatha Christie to buy, and what a tremendous joy those moments were when I spend a long time in front of the Agatha Christie shelf to pick just one I'd like to read (I wanted all! 😛). On certain occasions, Papa let me pick two, and how I left the store the happiest girl in the world!


I am forever grateful to my dearest Papa for everything he did to make me the person I am today, both as an avid reader, and a human being. He was a wonderful man and remarkable father. I will always love you, Papa!

Next Six Books Saturday: 28th October 2023.

 

The Unfinished Clue (1934) by Georgette Heyer

💃🏻 Sir Arthur Billington-Smith is the type of person who attracts murder. He's a bully, unpleasant man, who treated his family horribly, and made everyone miserable. Thus, it is clear from the beginning who the victim would be.

💃🏻 Sir Arthur and Lady Fay Billington-Smith is receiving guests for the weekend in their countryside house. Dinah Fawcet, Fay's sister, is staying to support her sister. She's an intelligent, efficient, no-nonsense girl. Also staying as guests: Camilla Halliday, who is flirting with her host, with her jealous husband Basil; Sir Arthur's hard-up nephew: Francis Billington-Smith; and Stephen Guest, a family friend who's in love with Fay Billington-Smith and wants to marry her. Last but definitely not least: Sir Arthur's rebellious son Geoffrey, who's causing upheaval at her father's house by bringing home with him his new fianceé, an insolent selfish cabaret dancer named Lola de Silva.

💃🏻 Sir Arthur was found dead in his study, stabbed on the neck, with only a piece of paper, with unfinished word or sentence written before death took him, as the clue. Excepting Dinah Fawcet, who had neither opportunity nor strong motive to kill him, all the others are suspects. Is it an insider's job? Or one of the servants or other non-staying guests? Whoever it was, the local police were in a difficult position to handle the case, so they call in the Scotland Yard.

💃🏻 Inspector Harding is the epitome of a perfect crime detective. Educated in Oxford, and gentlemanly in his manner, he skillfully deals with the people concerned. He's a charming man too. Had Heyer written a series of Inspector Harding, he would be my favorite detective. Unfortunately, this is a standalone book, and Harding himself uttered a wish to leave Yard and become a farmer in the final chapter. While performing his investigation diligently, he still has time to court the admirable Dinah Fawcet, who reciprocates his affection. What I loved from him most, is his ability in deduction and extracting information from suspects, and his professional authority when he's on duty, which always commanding respect instead of fear.

💃🏻 All in all, this was a perfect Golden Age detective story. A charming detective, a wonderful plot with surprising twist, a proportionate writing with decent pace, a tinge of efficient romance, pleasant and believable characters, set in an English countryside. What more could you expect? Well, more books, actually...! But as we won’t have it, at least this one has been a very wholesome read.

Rating: 5 / 5

This book counts for: British Crime Classics Challenge 2023

For Bingo Card: Death by Stabbing

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie: A Re-read from Audiobook

🐷 I have read almost all – if not all - Agatha Christie's crime novels, yet, still could never accurately predict the murderer before the dénouement. Oh, I guessed them quite often, I did. Yet, I have never been completely sure. You know how it is, if not a couple of red-herrings that make you doubt yourself, then the idea is too absurd - like in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, for instance. When I got to several last chapters of Five Little Pigs, I saw a loophole, and knew instantly the murderer. It was a 'eureka' moment for me. I got to the dénouement excitingly; have I predicted the whodunnit correctly this time? Alas, no! Agatha Christie did it again.

🐷 A young girl called Clara Lemarchant hired Poirot to investigate a murder of her father, sixteen years ago. Her mother, Caroline Crale, was found guilty of poisoning him. Carla never doubts that her mother was innocent, but now that she's engaged to be married, Carla and her fiancé needs to know the truth.

🐷 Investigating a murder that happened in the past has its difficulty - the detective can't see the crime scene, or looking for clues. But these things never hamper Hercule Poirot - his investigation method is more on the psychological side, besides on the facts. For this case, he interviews people who was involved in the case: the police, the solicitor, the doctor. But most importantly, he visits five people who were present at the crime scene: Philip Blake (close friend of the victim - a painter called Amyas Crale), Meredith Blake (amateur chemist, Philip's brother, in love with Caroline Crale), Elsa Greer (young girl, Amyas's model, wanting to marry him), Angela Warren (Caroline's half-sister), and Cecilia Williams (Angela's governess). These five are Poirot's suspects, whom he dubs as 'five little pigs', following a nursery rhyme.

🐷 These interviews and, later on, five written "views" from each suspect's perspective on the event, help Poirot to see the truth, which had eluded the police sixteen years ago. His success was due to his ability to analyze psychological condition of all the suspects, but particularly of Caroline.

🐷 At first, it seemed like a simple case. Amyas must have angered someone, and the person saw an opportunity, and put something into his drink. But Poirot shows us that it wasn't that simple. The solution was smart, and Christie had actually put a hint in the previous chapter, if only I've read more thoroughly. Just one word that I have thought incorrect before, proved to be the key. I would have to be careful to mince every word and sentence on my next Christie read – she’s such a skillful words-weaver!

🐷 This mystery isn't like any regular Golden Age detective stories, which depend on clues and alibis. It's all about psychology. Another masterpiece from Christie, and I don't understand why it wasn't as famous as, say... Murder on the Orient Express, which I found 'meh'. I have completed this book by listening to the audiobook version, narrated, as with most of Christie’s audiobooks, by Hugh Fraser.

Rating: 5 / 5

This book counts for: British Crime Classics Challenge 2023

For Bingo Card: Death by Poison

For Monthly Theme: Books by Agatha Christie

#MurderEveryMonday: Cover with a Poison On

 
Murder Every Monday was created by Kate @ Crossexamining Crime and @ArmchairSleuth. Put simply, the plan is for readers to take a photo of a crime fiction book (novel or short story collection) which meets a given week’s theme criteria and to then share it online, using the hashtag #MurderEveryMonday.

This week's theme is:

Cover with a poison on

Here's a random selection of covers with poison on, either in the image or in the title.

Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?

If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme.

 

Montgomery Bonbon #1: Murder at the Museum (2023) by Alasdair Beckett-King: An Audiobook Review

🕵️‍♀️ Bonnie Montgomery is an ordinary 10-year-old girl who lives with her mother and grandpa Banks. But as soon as she's on a crime scene, with the help of a moustache, a beret, and foreign accent, voila... she would instantly transform into her alter ego: Montgomery Bonbon, the great detective.

🕵️‍♀️ On a visit to Hornville Museum, the power is suddenly off, and then, a horrible shriek. Montgomery Bonbon, accompanied by her—I mean his—accomplice (grandpa Banks) rushed to the crime scene, where a museum's staff was found murdered, and a rare exhibit was stolen.

🕵️‍♀️ Undeterred by the local police's effort to ban Montgomery Bonbon from the crime scene, Bonnie must count on her wit and deduction skill to solve the murder and the theft. It's easier said than done, for Montgomery Bonbon has had quite a few dangerous struggles, including interviewing the suspects, entering a closed scene, and snooping at private places, before his triumphant moment finally come

🕵️‍♀️ This was a refreshing, funny, fast-paced murder mystery for young readers. Montgomery Bonbon, the small moustachioed man with his foreign accent is not dissimilar to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Not just his appearance, but also his style of denouement in the end.

🕵️‍♀️ I loved every single moment of this story, especially when Montgomery Bonbon lost his moustache - I laughed out loud at that!! And that little cheeky moment at the end concerning the moustache, why, that's a clever touch, I say! The mystery itself was brilliantly written, clever solution, with a little theatrical drama which is not unlike Poirot's.

🕵️‍♀️ An added value to this delightful mystery: I listened to the audiobook, narrated by non-other than the writer himself: Alasdair Beckett-King! He isn't just a wonderful writer, but also a stand-up comedian and actor. Hence, this highly entertaining gem!

Rating: 5 / 5