Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Nevermore: Naturalist, When the Stars Go Dark, Fields and Pastures New

 

 Reported by Rita

 


Naturalist: A Graphic Adaptation by Jim Ottaviani (Adapter), Edward O. Wilson, C.M. Butzer (Illustrator)

A vibrant graphic adaptation of the classic science memoir. Regarded as one of the world’s preeminent biologists, Edward O. Wilson spent his boyhood exploring the forests and swamps of south Alabama and the Florida panhandle, collecting snakes, butterflies, and ants—the latter to become his lifelong specialty. His memoir Naturalist, called “one of the finest scientific memoirs ever written” by the Los Angeles Times, is an inspiring account of Wilson’s growth as a scientist and the evolution of the fields he helped define. This graphic edition, adapted by New York Times bestselling comics writer Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by C.M. Butzer, brings Wilson’s childhood and celebrated career to life through dynamic full-color illustrations and Wilson’s own lyric writing.

I didn't like it. I thought it was too technical.      - CD       1 star

 

 


When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

Anna Hart is a missing persons detective in San Francisco. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever.

I couldn't put it down. A great read!      - WJ      5 stars

 

 


Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet by John McCormack

In 1963, just three years out of veterinary school, Dr. John McCormack moved his wife and kids to Choctaw County, Alabama, to start his first practice. Choctaw folk never had a licensed vet before, and, with few exceptions, they welcomed the red-headed doctor and the tireless care he gave their animals.

The characters are really funny. I found it enjoyable and cute.     - NH    5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned:

 

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf

The Caretaker by Ron Rash

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger

More Letters From The Pit: Stories of a Physician’s Odyssey in Emergency Medicine by Patrick J. Crocker

The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin

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