Well I cried my eyes out in this one. Seventy-nine long days of suffering medical malpractice endured with grace, dignity, and good humor. If I‘m ever near the Garfield library I‘ll be sure to visit and I‘ll definitely be reading more of Millard.

This sweeping fictional history of Colombia through the lens of magical realism was a little hard to get into but well worth the ride once you commit. I wouldn‘t recommend the audio version to anyone like me with a bad ear for Latin names solely because without the benefit of a printed genealogy it‘s pretty difficult to keep the names straight. I am also going to enjoy bananas less for a while.

Why did it take me so long to discover Octavia Butler? Oh well, now I have her entire catalogue to enjoy.

If you loved Swamplandia you‘ll probably love this short story collection, as most of the tales take place in that quirky universe. I myself preferred the title story and one other that was more of a one off outside of that very strange island of gator farms, giant conch‘s and indoor blizzard orgies.

I have a bad habit of not really reading book blurbs, which really makes me wonder just how I make the decision to read something. In this case I know it was because I liked the author and was looking for a immediately available audio for my commute. It's generally not a good sign when you ask yourself "just how old was he when he wrote this". Definitely NOT in the same league as his later works. I may give the 2nd a try as it came 7 years later

Very interesting overview of our current understanding of avian cognition. I enjoyed the behavioral experiments and the natural history far more than the anatomy sections. The last chapter, where Ackerman takes a look a the likely future of the world's avifauna was predictably grim.

#infinitejestbuddyread How do they put a giant Depends on her with those flowing robes?

My reading companion du jour seems bored already! #infinitejestbuddyread

I was embarrassed to realize how little attention I paid to the crisis in North Africa when jihadists a Tuareg separatists nearly took over Mali. This is the story of how dedicated book collectors, librarians, and ordinary people proud of their cultural inheritance risked their lives to save the rich history of Timbuktu from the sort of horrific devastation that has been inflicted on Palmyra.