[Nature] Backyard birds

I've seen a couple of unusual birds in our backyard in the past week. Last weekend, I saw a hummingbird that was red like a fox--kind of a russet red. I was able to identify it as a male Rufus Hummingbird. Today, I saw a bird that had a brown body and a zebra-striped head, stripes running front to back. I just identified it as a white-striped sparrow.

I've also noticed kestrels in the area a bit more often. They usually stay out in the more rural areas, but we've seen them in our neighborhood lately.

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[Book review] Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Click image to purchase from Amazon This review contains minor spoilers. I have a love/hate relationship with steampunk. I never fell head-over-heels in love with the genre the way some people have. At best, I’ve tolerated its presence on the shelves. Recently, I’ve read some steampunk that I thought was good, but I still don’t consider myself to be an aficionado. Therefore, I tend to approach any novel with steampunk elements with a bit of trepidation. Phoenix Rising does indeed fit the bill of steampunk, but contains many other story elements as well. Wellington Books, Archivist for England’s Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, finds himself in a most uncomfortable position: captive by the House of Usher. But his salvation comes in the peculiar form of Eliza Braun, field agent for the Ministry and someone overly fond of explosives. As a result of the dramatic rescue, Braun is reassigned to the Archives with Books. Although initial...

[Book review] The Hammer by K. J. Parker

Click image to purchase from Amazon I suppose that one could say that fantasy novels are the fables for modern adults. They use magic and strange creatures to cloak the morality plays that typically only belong to children’s books. Whereas a small child might read “Hansel and Gretel” and absorb the “don’t talk to strangers” motto, novels for adults can’t be that blatant. Luckily, we have books like The Hammer , which not only explores the idea of vengeance, but it also digs into the issues of community and its responsibilities. Gignomai met’Oc is a younger son in an exiled noble family. Lording it over the community that sits at the foot of their plateau, they constantly look towards the day when they will be allowed Home and their exile will end. While not exactly approving of Gig’s forays into town to interact with “common folk”, the family nonetheless turns a blind eye to his visits. But one day the visits stop, and when they resume, Gig has obviou...

Burning Nation by Trent Reedy

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (Description nicked from B&N.com.) “At the end of Divided We Fall , Danny Wright’s beloved Idaho had been invaded by the federal government, their electricity shut off, their rights suspended. Danny goes into hiding with his friends in order to remain free. But after the state declares itself a Republic, Idaho rises to fight in a second American Civil War, and Danny is right in the center of the action, running guerrilla missions with his fellow soldiers to break the Federal occupation. Yet what at first seems like a straightforward battle against governmental repression quickly grows more complicated, as more states secede, more people die, and Danny discovers the true nature of some of his new allies.” Continue reading...

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