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Words about the Birds: Birder, She Wrote and Hello Birdy

2 Aug

Birder, She Wrote
by Donna Andrews
Donna Andrews’s Meg Langslow Mystery Series is one of my favorites with its cast of quirky characters amongst Meg’s large extended family and the local towns people in the fictitious Carephilly, VA. Each of her mysteries tie in with different species of birds. In the case of Birder, She Wrote, it is the backyard hummingbirds, like the ones I always envy my Virginia relatives for enjoying. Meg has a dilemma that one of her’s is a “bully bird” unwilling to share the sugar water feeder with the other hummers. Andrews infuses her cozies with humor and heart (she typically has two releases each year, one around beach read season and the other for the holidays). Unfortunately though this might be the perfect book for you to enjoy sipping an Arnold Palmer while relaxing in a hammock, Meg’s plans are dashed when her family and friends need her help. While she assists her grandmother Cordelia and a local deacon in finding a lost Pre Civil War Era African-American Cemetery, they discover a more recent body dumped there. The book also weaves in the very contemporary issue of NIMBY (not in my backyard) issues when people move from more urban to rural areas and must learn to balance their expectations of country life with the realities (living near farms can be literally stinky). Birder, She Wrote is the 33rd in the series with the 34th, Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! scheduled to be out on Oct 10.

Hello Birdy
Hello Birdy is a fun bingeable 6 episode (27 minute each) series from Australia hosted by award winning Aussie actor, William McInnes. Each episode covers a different categories of Australian birds including parrots, ancient birds, song birds, raptors, pests, and travelers. Back before I had decided on librarianship, I had contemplated a career in ornithology so this show was very much in my wheelhouse, but even if you are just a casual birdwatcher, this series will still delight. The episodes are infused with lots of humor and will be fun for the whole family, but there are also important environmental messages with some of the birds being featured being endangered. I was particularly intrigued by the ancient birds episode which looks at birds like the large flightless cassowaries which seem otherworldly compared with the cardinals and catbirds in my back yard. Interested in more Australian wildlife and nature; you can also check out Martin Clunes: Islands of Australia from Hoopla or the PBS documentary Australia featuring koalas, kangaroos and other intriguing creatures who call the land of OZ home from Kanopy.

If you are interested in bird watching you might be interested in the New York Times Birding Project. Hoboken residents have free access to the New York Times online. Simply email the the reference department with your library card.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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A Quality Queer Romance: She Gets the Girl

26 Jul

She Gets the Girl may be a YA romance, but it’s not just for starry-eyed teens. Co-authors Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick are married in real life and tell a story together that draws upon the experiences they once had. New college freshmen Alex is a little rough around the edges, and Molly is trying hard to get out of her quiet bubble. They’re opposites in most ways but join forces to get Molly the girl of her dreams, who she’s been crushing on since high school. Their friendship develops so purely as they learn the quirks and struggles of the other, and of course we can all guess how it ends. But like so many other books of this genre, we’re not really reading for a surprise so much as the emotions throughout–and it did not disappoint.

It was such a relief to me to read a YA queer romance in which the characters’ queer identities were not a plot point at all. There’s a need to represent the journeys and hardships of teens (or those around them) coming to terms with their identities, but I think it’s equally important to show the other side too: where someone of a marginalized group gets to simply be without their existence being an issue. Plus, it gave room for conflict we see less of in YA books. Alex dealt with economic issues and her mother’s alcoholism, and Molly navigated her social anxiety and how her mother’s internalized racism impacted her growth. I’ve read a fair amount of authors who were transracial adoptees themselves writing about the complexities of their experiences, but Molly was the first character I’ve read who is the child of a transracial adoptee. Written with so much emotion but readable for teens, I thought this perspective made the story richer and I’m really hopeful to read more of this type soon. 

My only critique is that I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between Alex and Molly the way I wanted to. However, every good romantic relationship has to have a super strong foundation of friendship–a message YA audiences aren’t always exposed to–and the authors really carried their weight in making it clear how important it is to genuinely like the person you’re with. I love how this book stayed fairly light even while trudging through some heavier topics, good for teens as well as adults who need a break but still want to get something out of their reading experience. You can read this book as an ebook or an audiobook from eBCCLS, or get a physical copy from the Hoboken Public Library or other BCCLS libraries.

Written by:
Stephanie Lodico
Access Services Assistant 

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