It's summer so the doors and windows are open. I am now into hearing aids and while they are most certainly better than the ones my dad wore, they still are just amplifying sound ... so I am finding crows and seagulls to be loud and at times annoying. Still, crows are smart, we all know this, so I found a book. Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World, by Candace Savage. Research included studies of their intellect, social interactions (with other crows, animals, and humans), and emotions. This is the 10th anniversary edition and includes personal stories of experiences of crows. It was a captivating read with just one complaint ... the layout is confusing! You turn the page, expecting to continue on with what you've been reading only to discover one of the personal stories instead. The chapter you are reading continues on in a a page or two. I finally figured out these entries have a subtle header and footer and went through and read those first, then went back and read the 'other' part of the book. Personally, I think this could have been done a better way. Still, the book was a good read, and won't take you long. Candace Savage is a Canadian author.

I like to read, and write (and was raised by an English teacher) so it's no surprise that I enjoy words and learning about them. I did that in Friends With Words: Adventures in Languageland, by Martha Barnette. The author is co-host of a show on PBS called A Way With Words, which I have not heard, but have read that it is excellent. In this book you will learn about origins, and regional differences (and why those occur), as well as slang and those odd phrases we sometimes hear from our grandparents (or someone of that age). Often humorous!

My Mom was always big on 'honey, think it through' so I am channeling her with this suggested read (on this 25th anniversary of 9/11) (or reread, hopefully) from my post of June 29, 2014: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede. Small town, but with runways long enough for the big jets to land, it's where many planes ended up after the attacks on the twin towers, Pennsylvania and WA DC. In these unsettled times between our countries, think of our past history.

Reading Hermit With Dog