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#animalrescue
review
monalyisha
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Mehso-so

Sy Montgomery really seems to have taken the idea of “Turtle Time” to heart. I cannot say if this is typical of her writing style…but oh my goodness, this book seemed to last forever. The irony is not lost on me that I wished it would move faster! I found some bits to be repetitive, as well. I could‘ve done with fewer of Fire Chief‘s recovery details, in particular. The message is sweet & sound — turtles DO deserve saving. And cars ARE terrible.

monalyisha 1/2: I‘d be willing to try another of Montgomery‘s books in the future. I‘d read it in print (instead of listening to the audio, as I did this time around) to see if the change in format impacts how I receive her style. I‘m a little worried that her writing might not be for me, though! I think it‘s that the sweet bits are almost *too* earnestly sweet. 6d
monalyisha 2/2: Despite fully acknowledging the realities of climate change and the overwhelming environmental impact that humans have had in such a short period, Montgomery‘s tone teeters on the edge of saccharine. 6d
monalyisha *Note: While TRL‘s mission and overall vibe is *incredibly* impressive and heartwarming, to this Milennial, “TRL” will always stand for (MTV‘s) Total Request Live. I think Alexxia and Natasha might not be much older than I am. I wonder if their abbreviated name conjures up the same association for them! 6d
shanaqui I thought I remembered liking Sy Montgomery's book about octopodes, but I went and looked and I gave it 2/5 with some of the same caveats. 🤔 So yeah I suspect her work may just... be that way. 5d
59 likes4 comments
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ncsufoxes
Odder | Katherine Applegate
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Thumbs up from the 9 year old, she is loving the writing from an animals perspective. It was a cute story & a nice way to highlight some of the dangers that the otter community is facing. The timeline is a little wonky in a few places but the 9 year old didn‘t mind.

TheBookHippie Oh I love this!!! 3w
Butterfinger It was one of my read alouds this year, and we all adored Odder. 3w
23 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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When I bought tickets to watch this documentary film with a longtime friend at our childhood stomping grounds in Worcester (MA), I wondered if the (human) stars of my current audiobook would be there.

They were! 🐢

I drove past the house I grew up in, too, for the first time in about a decade. There are solar panels on the roof now and the front yard looked lovely. There were even a couple of young flowering trees. It made me happy to see.

AnnCrystal 💝💝💝. 3w
Amiable The Ecotarium!! My kids used to love that place when they were little and we lived near there. 2w
monalyisha @Amiable It was my favorite place when I was a kid (though it was called The Science Center then)! I loved riding the little train around with my grandpa, saying hi to all of their animals, learning about rocks and crystals, crawling through tunnels, and staring up at the “stars” in the Planetarium. We were so lucky to have it nearby! 2w
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Amiable @monalyisha Did you also go to the Higgins Armory Museum? My boys LOVED it. My oldest son had his 5th-birthday party there —the highlight was when they helped him cut his cake with a medieval sword. 😄 2w
monalyisha @Amiable YES! I took my husband there on one of our first dates, in fact! I wish we could‘ve been married there. Then, I could‘ve cut my wedding cake with a sword — like your son (& Alice Roosevelt, which I always thought was a totally bad-ass move)! Sadly, it closed (maintenance costs for the building were too high) & the collection was divvied up (mostly to the Worc. Art Museum) by the time we got married. Should‘ve picked up the pace, hubby! 😜 2w
monalyisha @Amiable I took him to the Ecotarium, too, actually, which he referred to as “the fake zoo.” He‘s lucky I didn‘t dump him. 😅 2w
Amiable @monalyisha 🙊🙉🙈🤺 (that‘s the best I can do for an offended zoo animal wielding a sword 🗡️ ) 😄 2w
monalyisha @Amiable 😂 A valiant attempt. I‘m honored that it was made. 2w
57 likes8 comments
review
TheBookgeekFrau
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Bailedbailed

I thought the story would carry the weird writing style. I thought wrong. #HailTheBail

33/80

May #BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

#ReadingMyTBRs #Reading2025 @DieAReader

DieAReader #Next 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 1mo
38 likes3 comments
quote
TheBookgeekFrau
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"It was dusk on a winter day, and from high on the mountain came barking, drifting down above the snow like peals of a bell, one, two, three, four, more, just to say the light was leaving, but that was all right: here I am, I'm a dog, all is well."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

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TheBookgeekFrau
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Starting my May #BookSpin

39 likes2 stack adds
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TheBookgeekFrau
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TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Enjoy!! 1mo
ShelleyBooksie How have I never heard of this book? Sounds excellent ♡ 1mo
36 likes2 comments
review
Robotswithpersonality
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Mehso-so

Sy Montgomery's distinctive voice, a mix of perky and reverent, just isn't a match for the overwhelmingly sad tone of the material. If dismal statistics and a flood of accidental, neglectful, cruel, and gory turtle injuries and casualties recounted wasn't enough, references to the COVID-19 pandemic and other hellish aspects of 2020 enter the story to depress the reader further. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? On the plus side:
Insatiable curiousity yields some interesting side bars/tangents.
The book showcases important work being done. I think perhaps Montgomery also wanted to focus on a more uplifting, relatable topic, the people helping the turtles, showing that people care even in the worst and most challenging of circumstances.
4mo
Robotswithpersonality 3/3 There are sweet and silly moments, by they come late and few.
The sub-theme of linkages to time based on the lifespan of turtles, the aging of the author, is not quite as shoe-horned into the narrative as it might first appear.

⚠️animal abuse, animal death, discussion of COVID-19 pandemic, discussion of transphobia
4mo
16 likes2 comments
review
Singout
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Pickpick

I loved this first #AuldLangSpine book from @Chelsea.Poole--hoping to get to more later in the year!
Sy Montgomery, a nature writer for children and adults, chronicles a year spent in New England with diverse people committed to understanding, rescuing, and deeply loving all kinds of turtles. The main focus is on the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts, who gently unearth and incubate eggs, and release the hatchlings /1

Singout helping turtles across the road during nesting and hatching season, responding to emergency calls, and providing a home and care to rehabilitate local turtles or have a forever home for exotic ones.
The beauty and dignity of the turtles shines through, as well as the dedication and vigour of those who care for them. Montgomery also intersperses these very local stories with global ones, and spiritual and ecojustice perspectives and
wisdom.
(edited) 4mo
Chelsea.Poole I am so happy you chose this one to start off the year. I love these creatures and loved hearing about the kind souls caring for them. Validated my lifelong commitment to stopping for to remove turtles from the road. 💚 4mo
monalyisha Added! Turtles keep popping up for me lately. I‘m taking it as a sign. Also, I‘m from MA, I work there now, and I live just across the border in RI. So, if reading this book spawns the inspiration for a field trip or two, I‘m in a good position to embrace that! 4mo
21 likes1 stack add4 comments
quote
Singout
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In Hindu and Buddhist mythology the tortoise Akūpāra carries the world on his back, upholding the earth and sea. From Alaska to the Admiralty Islands in Polynesia, people say the World Turtle hatched the eggs that turned into the first humans. In North America‘s Haudenosaunee, Lenape, and Abenaki creation stories the Great Spirit places the Earth on the back of a huge turtle and many now still refer to the Earth as Turtle Island.
#auldlangspine