Old Turtle by Douglas Wood

This book may be shelved in the children’s section, but it is a book for adults as well.  Written by Douglas Wood and illustrated by Cheng-Khee Chee, this story is a parable for our times that received the top rating of 5 stars in its 73 reviews on Amazon.com—a rare feat indeed.

Wood writes of a time long ago when all the different parts of nature could communicate with each other, and of how they began to argue about subjects all too familiar to us:  What is the most important thing?  Who is God?  How can we know God?  The lioness argues that She is a hunter, the antelope envisions Him as a runner, the ants as Someone close, and the stars as a lofty Being who is far away.  How can they decide who is right?

The argument gets louder and nastier until at last Old Turtle steps in.  She tells the creatures about a new race of beings who are coming, who will occupy a very special place in nature.  When these “human” beings finally come, the same argument ensues with even more devastating results.  Only after the humans remember who they are does the destruction stop.

Remembering who we are turns out to be about more than just knowing ourselves.  There can only be peace and harmony on the earth when we take that next step toward understanding and accepting our fellow creatures and their different points of view.

This simple yet eloquent story is a powerful reminder of how much we need each other.  Each of us sees and knows only one small part of the whole.  Together, our understanding is much greater.  This understanding turns out to be the kind of love that heals the earth.

Cheng Khee-Chee’s watercolor illustrations perfectly capture both the beautiful detail and the sweeping scope of Wood’s vision.  Yes, children can get a great deal out of this book.  However, I believe it is a story that grows in meaning with time, maturity, and experience.

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Fixing Climate: What Past Climate Changes Reveal About the Current Threat—and How to Counter It By Wallace Broecker and Robert Kunzig

This book is amazing – startling, terrifying, and yet, reassuring.  A unique combination to be sure, but those are the phrases that come to mind when I think back about this book.  One of the authors, Wallace Broecker, may sound familiar as the scientist who developed the “conveyor belt” system that explains the circulation of water throughout the world’s oceans.  He started measuring carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere back in the 1950’s, a time when few people gave any thought to the idea that rising emissions of CO2 could have any effect on us and our world.  This early start and subsequent expertise has made him one of the leading researchers in the field.

The amount of science covered in this book is phenomenal.   One of the things that really caught my attention is that during the last ice age we experienced a short period of about 10 to 12 years where the earth heated up rapidly and came out of the ice age only to plunge right back into the ice age again.  Scientists have no clue as to why this happened and what the implications of this event might be for us today.  Another thing that really stuck with me is that about 40% of our increased CO2 output is being absorbed by the oceans.   The problem is that this absorption is acidifying our oceans and threatening the way water circulates through them, thereby threatening the best climate stabilizer we have.

The authors believe there is no way we will be able to eliminate our addiction to carbon based fuels quickly enough to stop the ensuing climate problems that increasing levels of CO2 cause.  Just as my spirit was sinking in despair at this news, they gave me hope for our future.  Technology now exists to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but questions remain about where to store it once it’s been removed.  The good news is that they are close to having this system worked out and we have reason to believe that we can return to a cooler world.

Science based books are not typically page-turners, but this one truly is.  Give it a try and I think you’ll enjoy it.

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Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman

I know you. You think you don’t like to read short stories. You’re not sure why, since you haven’t ever really read a collection of short stories penned by only one author, just the various stories you were assigned in school. But you’re pretty sure you don’t like them.

I’m a huge fan of short stories. I love their compactness, their conciseness, their ability to slay you with just a sentence, a phrase, a word. If I were in charge, the New York Times would have a bestseller list just for short story collections.

I want to issue you a challenge. This summer, in addition to your usual beach read of choice — mystery, romance, biography, bestseller — mix it up a little. Make a librarian happy and try a short story collection. Specifically, try Megan Mayhew Bergman’s Birds of a Lesser Paradise.

I loved so many things about these stories. I liked that many of the tales are set here in North Carolina. Bergman is a native and it shows. She chooses just the right details to make you not only see, but feel and taste North Carolina. The overarching theme of how we relate to each other within families resonated with me, especially the stories centered on parent/child relationships. The emphasis on nature and how people experience it is also used to great effect. But what I liked best about this collection is that each one is memorable. I cannot choose a favorite. I recommend you read them all.

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Evidence: Poems by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver’s poems are what poetry should be.  They are neither so dark and mysterious that only a literature professor can understand them, nor are they overly simplistic and sing-song in quality.  They are easy to understand, using common language in a way reminiscent of Robert Frost, yet each one contains a little mystery,  a truth to ponder, a haunting phrase.  They are light and playful, even when she deals with very serious themes, such as death:

May I never not be frisky,
May I never not be risque.

May my ashes, when you have them, friend,
and give them to the ocean,

leap in the froth of the waves,
still loving movement,

still ready, beyond all else,
to dance for the world.

Light seems to shine out of these poems that describe grass, mockingbirds, pine cones, and other familiar natural things.  Occasionally, a somber thought seems to weigh her down, but she gives herself a mental shake:

What, in the earth world,
is there not to be amazed by
and to be steadied by
and to cherish? . . .

look at the world.
Behold the morning glory,
the meanest flower, the ragweed, the thistle.
Look at the grass.

Mary Oliver’s poems are both quieting and uplifting, a refreshment for the spirit.  By drawing our gaze to the beauty of the outward world, she frees us from the self-absorption that too often overwhelms us:

And what do I risk to tell you this, which is all I know?
Love yourself.  Then forget it.  Then, love the world.

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Blind Descent: the quest to discover the deepest place on earth by James M. Tabor

When the team of experienced cavers reached the bottom of Krubera’s Cave’s floor and sat “in the center of the triangular shaped room’s clay floor there was a circular, crater-like depression about 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep. Down at its bottom, the hole came to a point, like the drain in a sink (which it might well have been at one time), and in that spot was lodged a small white rock.” With their altimeter they determined that the white rock was at a depth of 2,080 meters (6824 Feet!). “The assembled team erupted with cheers.”

These cavers had won a race to find the deepest hole on all the world’s continents. They had been exploring Krubera Cave in the Republic of Georgia, while another competing team had been exploring the depths of Cheve Cave in southern Mexico. Both these teams of devoted scientists had spent years trying to find the deepest point of dry land on the planet.

Even though I do suffer from a bit of claustrophobia, I found this book to be incredibly interesting and a fun read at the same time. The pacing is brisk and full of fascinating descriptions. Anyone who enjoys a high-end adventure story will enjoy reading this outstanding book. Great book to peruse on your ereader, so you can jump on the web and do some research while you are reading.

By the way, the official geographic name of the point officially designated, as “bottom of the world” is “Game Over.”

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The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey

This week I will be featuring books that are available in all of our formats. Print, Audio & Ebook. Enjoy!

Waves and their destructive forces are more on our minds now days than any other time in man’s history. In The Wave, Susan Casey delivers a well written, well rounded detailed book about seemingly every facet of big waves. From the inside perspective of the life of big wave riders like Laird Hamilton in pursuit of the legendary 100’ wave and the camera crews that follow them around the globe, to the scientists, geologists, meteorologists, shipping firms and the insurance companies that cover them (yes, this book even explains the origins, traditions and current practices of Lloyds of London), this book covers it all and it is done in an exciting, informative fashion.

As an avid sailor who has sailed on open water many times, the forces of the ocean and how waves affect every aspect of seafaring are endlessly fascinating to me. The Wave keeps you hooked all the way through. Even the technical aspects of this still very relatively unknown subject matter are easily explained and are pictured painted so vividly, you can actually “see” how these waves react to the underwater world that so few of us even know exists. Finally, and most eye opening for me, was the account of the largest wave ever to be documented. It struck in 1958 in Alaska. Sorry, to find about this one you will just have to read the book. But I can tell you that when I read about it, I was dumbfounded and terrified!

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A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

What’s more American than the majestic views and scenic vistas of our National Parks?  Did you know that the most visited National Park in the United States is North Carolina’s own Great Smoky Mountains?  America’s longest hiking trail, The Appalachain Trail, winds it’s way through our North Carolina mountains from Georgia all the way to Maine.  I’ll be heading there later this week for a trip to check out the Asheville area and drive “America’s Favorite Journey” on the Blue Ridge Parkway (so dubbed in a recent WRAL documentary).   I’ve been to the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia before and have camped and even been white water rafting down the Nantahala River.  Even though I love the mountains, I’d never be foolish enough to think that I could “thru-hike” the entire Appalachian Trail from end to end.  But, that’s exactly what Bill Bryson did back in the mid-nineties upon returning to the United States after living as an ex-patriot for about 20 years in England.  Not only did the overweight, out-of-shape author think it would be a great way to get re-aquainted with his homeland, he also though it would be a great idea to bring his even more overweight and out-of-shape ex-alcoholic friend, Stephen Katz, too!

I first read this hilariously inspiring and informative book before it was published, as the publisher had sent copies to thousands of booksellers around the country to generate buzz.  It worked like a charm as I devoured the book, bought copies as gifts and suggested it to everyone I could think of.  It went on to become a huge best-seller and has remained very popular over the past decade, as well.  Bryson used to “hike” quite a bit in England, but evidently hiking in England means short to medium country walks from village to village and pub to pub.  Wilderness hiking in America is something quite different – as Bryson & Katz discovered.  Soon after moving back to America and settling with his family in a small New Hampshire town, Bryson found a local path that disappeared into the woods.  His curiosity being too great to resist, Bryson followed the path and discovered that it connected to the famed “AT” and inspiration struck.  Now he just had to convice his family to let him attempt what is possibly the most difficult “thru-hike” in America … and start getting into shape and buying his supplies.

What makes this books such a great read, especially in the Summer, is not only Bryson’s writing style and the unique adventure they find themselves in, are the strange cast of characters they meet along the way and the beautiful descriptions of nature & the fascinating history discovered along the journey of the “AT.”   Bryson presents a tale that will entertain and make you think about the need to renew our commitment to preservation of America’s National Parks and wild places.  If you enjoy this book, you’ll want to try some more of Bill Bryson’s wonderfully humorous, engaging and surprisingly informative books.

Find and reserve A Walk in the Woods in our catalog.