Search results matching tags 'nonfiction' and 'humor'

Remarkable Story of an Owl and His Girl

wag.mado@evpl — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:13:00 GMT

Yes, that's the subtitle of the book I just finished. Wesley the Owl is a must for anyone who has ever been in love with an animal. The story is written by Stacey O'Brien, who was a lab assistant at Cal Tech when she adopted a 4-day-old barn owl after he suffered permanent nerve damage and could not survive in the wild.

The story, which spans close to 20 years, is filled with fascinating anecdotes of the relationship that developed between these two sentient beings. O'Brien's education as a biologist helps the reader understand many interesting facts about barn owls, but that does not keep her from falling deeply in love with Wesley. The story has a deeper meaning which is about unconditional love and commitment and is referred to many times in the book as "the way of the owl."

I found this memoir humorous, heartwarming, educational, compassionate, and I had a hard time putting it down. I'll never think of barn owls the same again.

A day after finishing the book, I tuned in to Oprah where she featured a man whose best friend is a Grizzly Bear. That segment was followed by a friendship between an elephant and a dog at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald Tennessee -- the same place where Evansville's beloved "Bunny" lived out her last few years. Must have been my week for animal relationship stories!

The Longest Trip Home

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:08:00 GMT

After reading several mixed reviews on John Grogan's newest book, I took the plunge and decided I'd see for myself. I really didn't think there was any way I could like the book as much as the bestselling "Marley and Me", but I didn't think it would be as bad as some of the reviews I read either.

This memoir is mostly a story about growing up Catholic in the 1950's. Since, I grew up Catholic in the 1950's, I could relate with almost everything - except being an altar boy. I could also understand how those who did not grow up Catholic may not like the book - and realized how those who are Catholic could be offended or taken aback by Grogan's feelings about his religious upbringing with extremely devout parents.

The book (which I listened to on audio, read by Grogan himself) did have places that seemed to drag on. However, I stayed with it because I never lost my curiosity about where the story was taking me, as Grogan tried to become his own person, living life with a moral code different from his parents.

All that being said - I liked this book. It was an honest, sometimes humorous, sometimes heart wrenching memoir, written by a person who tried to find his own place in the world even when it didn't follow the path his parents had in mind. In that respect, this could be the life story of many of us.

Oh, and about the book being as good as "Marley?" Heavens no! Not even Grogan himself could upstage that beloved dog.

A great book...or THE GREATEST book of all time???

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:01:00 GMT

Last weekend I finished reading Stephen Colbert's epic tome I Am America (and So Can You!). If you have not done yourself the favor of reading this New York Times Bestseller (previously #1 on the hardcover nonfiction list), DO IT NOW! The fate of the free world rests in your hands.

Being a fan of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Stephen's spin-off, The Colbert Report, I can attest that I Am America lives up to the wit and humor of the television shows. As always, Colbert pulls no punches as he speaks his mind, the one-and-only absolute truth. The only other way to absorb this much of his truthiness is to beam the contents of his brain directly into yours; look for the "Stephen Colbert's Brain Downloading Kit" coming soon to stores, but unlike his book it won't be available for free at the library.

Without this book, I would not have known the truth about the evil, liberal media; the evil, liberal Hollywood; Catholicism being the one true religion; the unfair advantages seniors get in our country (lookin' at you, Social Security!!!); and, of course, the cold-blooded killers that bears are. I will not ruin the surprise by going on further about the book's content, but it should be considered sacred doctrine. In fact, each copy comes with a sticker alerting firemen how many copies of the book are in your house to rescue, in case it's ever on fire.

In short, read this book now. As I went through withdrawals during the writers' strike, it helped me get my Colbert fix. If you're still not convinced, know that it was recently awarded with "The Stephen T. Colbert Award For The Literary Excellence".