Mailbox Monday, originally started by Marcia is now on a rotating schedule. December's host is Let Them Read Books.
Hardcover, 544 pages
Published February 21st 2011 by Princeton University Press
This stunningly illustrated book from acclaimed birder and photographer Richard Crossley revolutionizes birding by providing the first real-life approach to identification. Whether you are a beginner, expert, or anywhere in between, The Crossley ID Guide will vastly improve your ability to identify birds.
Unlike other guides, which provide isolated individual photographs or illustrations, this is the first book to feature large, lifelike scenes for each species. These scenes--640 in all--are composed from more than 10,000 of the author's images showing birds in a wide range of views--near and far, from different angles, in various plumages and behaviors, including flight, and in the habitat in which they live. These beautiful compositions show how a bird's appearance changes with distance, and give equal emphasis to characteristics experts use to identify birds: size, structure and shape, behavior, probability, and color. This is the first book to convey all of these features visually--in a single image--and to reinforce them with accurate, concise text. Each scene provides a wealth of detailed visual information that invites and rewards careful study, but the most important identification features can be grasped instantly by anyone.
Received from PTA Reviewer Rewards for review.
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published December 7th 2010 by Crown (first published December 2nd 2010)
From publisher:
Shipwrecked on the Scottish coast, a young Saxon princess and her family—including the outlawed Edgar of England—ask sanctuary of the warrior-king Malcolm Canmore, who shrewdly sees the political advantage. He promises to aid Edgar and the Saxon cause in return for the hand of Edgar’s sister, Margaret, in marriage.
A foreign queen in a strange land, Margaret adapts to life among the barbarian Scots, bears princes, and shapes the fierce warrior Malcolm into a sophisticated ruler. Yet even as the king and queen build a passionate and tempestuous partnership, the Scots distrust her. When her husband brings Eva, a Celtic bard, to court as a hostage for the good behavior of the formidable Lady Macbeth, Margaret expects trouble. Instead, an unlikely friendship grows between the queen and her bard, though one has a wild Celtic nature and the other follows the demanding path of obligation.
Torn between old and new loyalties, Eva is bound by a vow to betray the king and his Saxon queen. Soon imprisoned and charged with witchcraft and treason, Eva learns that Queen Margaret—counseled by the furious king and his powerful priests—will decide her fate and that of her kinswoman Lady Macbeth. But can the proud queen forgive such deep treachery?
Oh, I love bird books and that one looks gorgeous! Queen Hereafter was just OK for me. Hope you enjoy both of them!
ReplyDeleteForgot to say, I love your new winter background :)
ReplyDeleteThe bird book looks awesome. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to read Queen Hereafter, hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI like the looks of that bird book Kaye....gotta see if the library has it. enjoy
ReplyDeleteQueen Hereafter is on my wish list. I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!!
ReplyDeleteHere is mine
The ID Guide looks so fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThe Crossley Guide is fantastic. I've been using it for a few weeks now and it's the best bird ID guide I own. You'll love it.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to read the queen hereafter cos I like that time in Scottish history :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely cover on Queen Hereafter. Not sure I would like the book though. I will wait for your review.
ReplyDeleteQueen Hereafter looks really good. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThat birding book looks amazing! I hope that you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThe Queen Hereafter caught my eye, enjoy your mailbox.
ReplyDeletehttp://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/12/mailbox-monday_12.html
I love the bird book. I have a bird book on hand here but it isn't a very good one. I can't wait to hear what you think of this one!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great mailbox -- e the bird book especially appeals to me. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaye,
ReplyDelete'Queen Hereafter' sounds like my kind of book and I would be really interested to see how an American author tackles English historical fiction, so I may just add this to my reading list.
We have had so many birds in the garden over the last couple of years, it has been a real pleasure and fun to watch them. Most of our visitors are the common varieties of finch, tits and of course robins ... although we do have our resident owl who entertains us nightly and the woodpeckers who are hell bent on trying to demolish the oak tree in which they live.
Have a great week.
Yvonne
Queen Hereafter sounds like a great historical. Enjoy your reading week and thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read Queen Hereafter for awhile-that and her first one Lady Macbeth. Enjoy your new reads!
ReplyDeleteLove the Santa penguins BTW!
I never want a book on birds until I see one. Sounds like something I could get lost in for a while. Hope you have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThat guide book to birds looks awesome. Do you do a lot of bird watching?
ReplyDeleteBoth books sound so beautiful! Whenever I need to figure out what kind of bird is flitting about my flowers I'll just call you!
ReplyDeleteI may have to pick up the bird book in spring. It looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the bird book is beautiful!
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