JESSICA FREEBURG & NATALIE FOWLER'S PAGE: GHOSTS OF THE WILD WEST; MONSTERS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST; MONSTERS OF THE SOUTH

MONSTERS OF THE SOUTH: Stories of Swamp Creatures, Aliens, and Other Legendary Beasts
JESSICA FREEBURG & NATALIE FOWLER
Adventure Publications (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$8.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Read 26 chilling stories, from two paranormal investigators, about reportedly true encounters with monsters in the South and Southeast.

A mysterious winged creature descends upon a community, leaving behind a horrific disaster and whispers of a deadly omen. A family’s peaceful night becomes a nightmare when their home is attacked by otherworldly beings. In the dead of night, a man is visited by a monstrous half-dragon, half-bird beast. The South’s history includes several unimaginable encounters with legendary creatures. This collection of “ghost stories” presents the creepiest, most surprising tales of monsters in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Authors Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler are active paranormal investigators with a shared fascination for things that go bump in the night. The professional writers spent countless hours combing the region for the strangest and scariest run-ins with the unexplained.

Horror fans and history buffs will delight in these 26 terrifying tales. They’re based on reportedly true accounts, proving that the Southern USA is the setting for some of the most unnerving monster tales ever told. The short stories are ideal for quick reading, and they are sure to captivate even the most reluctant of readers. Share them with friends around a campfire or try them alone at home—if you dare.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: A great choice for your advanced eight-year-old cryptid fancier! Nothing in here will scare the ordinary ten-year-old or older. None of the vocabulary should present much of a problem after sixth-grade level. Any weird words are explained in the text.

It's a car/plane/travel book, one that's easy to put down and pick up. Best not to give it to the gulp-it-down reader, it gets repetitious.

I *love* this title!

I don't think anyone who isn't already into cryptids will get much joy. There's only the one alien story:

You're bound to know at least one kid who'll like this.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MONSTERS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: Stories About Bigfoot, Sea Serpents, and Other Legendary Creatures
JESSICA FREEBURG & NATALIE FOWLER
Adventure Publications (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$8.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Read 22 chilling stories, written by two paranormal investigators, about reportedly true encounters with monsters in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

A pastor’s afternoon hike takes a horrifying turn when a creature follows him home and terrorizes his family. A woman’s routine drive becomes a heart-pounding encounter when a Sasquatch chases a deer into the path of her car. A child’s innocent night games go from sporty to sinister when a Wendigo stalks him from the shadows. The Pacific Northwest’s history includes several unimaginable encounters with legendary creatures. This collection of “ghost stories” presents the creepiest, most surprising tales of monsters in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Authors Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler are active paranormal investigators with a shared fascination for things that go bump in the night. The professional writers spent countless hours combing the region for the strangest and scariest run-ins with the unexplained.

Horror fans and history buffs will delight in these 22 terrifying tales. They’re based on reportedly true accounts, proving that the Pacific Northwest is the setting for some of the most unnerving monster tales ever told. The short stories are ideal for quick reading, and they are sure to captivate even the most reluctant of readers. Share them with friends around a campfire or try them alone at home—if you dare.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Exactly the same formula as the author duos other browsing or traveling books. Tales of cryptids, monsters, oddball stuff, designed to entertain anyone over a sixth-grade reading level. Challenging vocabulary is about the critters themselves, so is explained in the text.

Going to Seattle, Portland, Yakima, Vancouver? Give the kid this book for the trip.

It's not a huge investment, the series looks fine on a tablet or ereader, and who knows? Might keep kid plus siblings quiet!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

GHOSTS OF THE WILD WEST: Stories from Deadwood, Tombstone, and the Old Frontier
JESSICA FREEBURG & NATALIE FOWLER
Adventure Publications (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$8.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Read 21 chilling ghost stories with ties to the Wild West, based on actual accounts, as told by two paranormal investigators.

Too many lawmen and bandits met their ends on the streets of Deadwood, and their ghostly whispers still remain. In Tombstone, the infamous Bird Cage Theatre is haunted by the shadows of gamblers and painted ladies from long ago. The Wild West produced some of America’s most legendary characters—whose spirits might still roam among us. This collection of ghost stories unearths the creepiest, most surprising tales about old cowboys, outlaws, sharpshooters, prospectors, and more!

Authors Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler are active paranormal investigators with a shared fascination for things that go bump in the night. The professional writers spent countless hours combing the country for the strangest and scariest run-ins with unexplained phenomena connected to the Old Frontier.

Horror fans and history buffs will delight in these 21 terrifying tales. They’re based on reportedly true accounts, proving that the Wild West sparked some of the most notorious and compelling ghostly tales ever told. The short stories are paired with brief retellings of each figure’s deeds while among the living and are ideal for quick reading. They are sure to captivate anyone who enjoys a good scare. Share them with friends around a campfire or try them alone at home—if you dare.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Nothing in here will scare anyone over thirteen, at least not of average maturity level. I'd give it happily to an advanced twelve-year-old for a long, dull car trip or flight.

Adults? If they like the ghost hunter shows, sure, but not just because. Someone without that interest won't much enjoy the read...plus, like all compendiums like this, don't gulp...sip.

What it looks like.

I though these were more interesting:

Utilitarian, made for a purpose and serves it.

ODD BIRDS & FAT CATS (An Urban Bestiary), beautiful gift item indeed

ODD BIRDS & FAT CATS (An Urban Bestiary)
Peter Wortsman (illus. Aurélie Bernard Wortsman)
Turtle Point Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$23.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Ravens in Berlin . . . Parakeets in Brooklyn . . . Chickens in Tel Aviv . . . Spiders in Cognac. City creatures spark the imagination and intellect in words and art by this father-daughter team.

Odd Birds & Fat Cats (An Urban Bestiary) is an illustrated collection of brief observations on city creatures. Inspired by the tradition of the medieval bestiary, bestiarum vocabulum, a 12th-century bestselling genre that chronicled animals and beings both real and fantastical, the book features pithy impressions of birds and animals that delight, confound, and edify, written by Peter Wortsman, coupled with detailed naturalist artwork by his daughter, Aurélie Bernard Wortsman.

Featured creatures include:

Pigeons: “When, finally, it takes flight . . . this asphalt-colored bird is like a piece of the pavement which by some fluke of gravity broke loose and is foolishly falling upward by mistake."

Seagulls: “Fallen splinters of eternity, they hang overhead with the equanimity and mild disdain of angels in a medieval altarpiece, and unlike pigeons, refuse any direct contact with man."

Ants: “Micro-managers in three-piece bodies, ants parody human antics to a tee. Or is it the other way around?"

Dust mites: “Every time you scratch yourself or comb your hair, you are feeding the tiny intruders with the detritus of self."

With four-color images throughout, printed in a beautiful hardbound edition, this one-of-a-kind volume will please the discerning animal lover, traveler, art lover, iconoclast, and literati on your gift list—and, of course, also you!

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: The world is changing around us at huge speed. A bestiary such as this will stand as a record as change accelerates, making these creatures either obsolete or altered. It's a great gift item for your environmentalist giftee, of any age after fourteen. It's gorgeous, informative, not in the least bit dry; this is a gift item pure and simple.

contents page

In studying the urban world, the father/daughter team decided we should feature as much as the other animals..after all no us, no cities:

Of course, the creatures around us are as prominent as they are to our quotidian notice...maybe moreso:

And, I must say, I found the humor, and the observations of beauty, both equally delightful as I browsed the book.

Something for a discerning special late teen, young adult, or friend who loves to look at te world through beautiful glasses.

THE GENIUS BAT: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal, one of the most fascinating creatures gets its literary due

THE GENIUS BAT: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal
YOSSI YOVEL
St. Martin's Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$16.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: An awe-inspiring tour of bat world by the world’s leading expert

With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of mammalian species. The most successful and most diverse group of mammals, bats come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, from the tiny bumblebee bat to the giant golden-crowned flying fox. Some bats eat fruit and nectar; others eat frogs, scorpions or fish. Vampire bats feed on blood. Bats are the only mammals that can fly; their fingers have elongated through evolution to become wings with a unique super-flexible skin membrane stretched between them. Their robust immune system is one of the reasons for their extreme longevity. A tiny bat can live for forty years.

Yossi Yovel, an ecologist and a neurobiologist, is passionate about deciphering the secrets of bats, including using AI to decipher their communication. In The Genius Bat he brings to vivid life these amazing creatures as well as the obsessive and sometime eccentric people who study them–bat scientists. From muddy rainforests, to star-covered night deserts, from guest houses in Thailand, to museum drawers full of fossils in New York, this is an eye-opening and entertaining account of a mighty mammal.

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My Review: My homeplace of Austin, Texas, has a huge population of Mexican free-tailed bats that live in the Congress Avenue Bridge; that's the way I've thought of bats as a result. Cultural icons, things to put up special habitats for, little mosquito-munching guano factories...there are caves in and around my old part of Central Texas that house colonies of the skeeter-eaters and welcome to 'em, y'all.

One of the main strands in this read was about the intense social nature of the bat as a genus. I am fascinated by their lives, so similar to ours as humans packed in together, so full of care and altruism to balance out the conflict and crowding. A neurobiologist is very much able to bring the reality of bat sociality to its most advantageous light. Author Yossi's clear fascination with and sympathy for the bat makes me feel some hope for these persecuted, threatened members of our world.

Habitat loss is a main threat to bats worldwide. These are beings with simple enough needs that humans, with our tremendous cognitive abilities, ought to be able to come up with better solutions than "watch and hope" to the issues of their protection. The book's structure, starting chapters with Author Yossi's personable, warm voice telling his own tales of events and incidents, then moving as seamlessly as I could hope for to the researches and results of others, kept me in the flow of this read.

While it is non-fiction with an advocate for the subject's point-of-view, it does not read as a hectoring or pleading or accusatory polemic. It felt to me as though a charming guest came to my living room to enjoy himself, and to express that pleasure by sharing his own experiences. It is a welcome feeling, a relaxed and...to my bat-friendly self...relaxing way to learn some really surprising new-to-me information.

I took a half-star off for some of the author's possibly-meant-as-humor slaps at people not like him.

THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE DUMB BIRDS OF THE WHOLE STUPID WORLD, great Valentine gift for your birder love

THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE DUMB BIRDS OF THE WHOLE STUPID WORLD
MATT KRACHT
Chronicle Books
$15.95 trade paper, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: This must-have sequel to the bestselling parody book The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America proves that all birds are fascinating, wonderful, idiotic jerks—no matter where in the world they reside.

Following in the tracks of the first uproarious and beloved bird book in the series, this hilarious sequel ventures beyond to identify the stupidest birds around the world. Featuring birds from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, author Matt Kracht identifies the dumb birds that manage to live all over the freaking place with snarky yet accurate names and humorous, anger-filled drawings. Offering a balance of fact and wit, this uproarious profanity-laden handbook will appeal to hardcore birders and casual bird lovers (and haters) alike.

ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL: This laugh-out-loud funny spoof guide to all things wings includes a matching game, a bird descriptor checklist, and tips on how to identify a bird (you can tell a lot by looking into a bird's eyes, for example). Plus, each entry is accompanied by facts about a bird's (annoying) call, its (dumb) migratory pattern, its (downright tacky) markings, and more.

POPULAR AUTHOR: Matt Kracht is an amateur birder, writer, and illustrator who enjoys creating books that celebrate the humor inherent in life's absurdities. Based in Seattle, he enjoys gazing out the window at the beautiful waters of Puget Sound and making fun of birds. Other amusing titles from Matt include The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America and OMFG, BEES!

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Do you love a birder? You do?! Why? Couldn't you find a normal person, one that doesn't glue (super expensive, need upgrading all the time) binoculars to their face at the smallest rustle of a leaf?

Well, it's your life, you do you. Or them, I suppose....

As Valentines Day is coming up very, very quickly, you might need a last-minute gift idea since you have the terrible taste to hang out with a bird nut. No doubt forgetting it's the romantic holiday is completely within such a goofball's capabilities. If the hinted-after super-de-dooper binocs are outside your budget, but something bird-y is still required, believe me when I tell you a reference book ain't a lot cheaper than the binoculars. Go for this book, it's more fun than you usually have with the bloody birds, and it's about $20.

Enjoy the artwork.

Even *I*, no bird-fancier bones in me anywhere, got a ton of good laughs at the expense of all these dumb birds from all over the entire stupid world.

PLANET OF THE ANTS: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors, correction to the error tha Humankind rule the world

PLANET OF THE ANTS: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors
SUSANNE FOITZIK & OLAF FRITSCHE (tr. Ayça Türkoglu)
The Experiment
$17.95 trade paper, available now

Rating: 4.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Shortlisted for the 2022 Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize

This sweeping portrait of the world’s uncontested six-legged conquerors will open your eyes to the secret societies thriving right beneath your feet—and shift your perspective on humanity.

Publisher’s note: Planet of the Ants was previously published in hardcover as Empire of Ants.

Ants number in the ten quadrillions, and they have been here since the Jurassic era. Inside an anthill, you’ll find high drama worthy of a royal court; and between colonies, high-stakes geopolitical intrigue is afoot. Just like us, ants grow crops, raise livestock, tend their young and infirm, and make vaccines. And, just like us, ants have a dark side: They wage war, despoil environments, and enslave rivals—but also rebel against their oppressors.

Engineered by nature to fulfill their particular roles, ants flawlessly perform a complex symphony of tasks to sustain their colony—seemingly without a conductor—from fearsome army ants, who stage twelve-hour hunting raids where they devour thousands, to gentle leafcutters cooperatively gardening in their peaceful underground kingdoms.

Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik has traveled the globe to study these master architects of Earth. Joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, Foitzik invites readers deep into her world—in the field and in the lab. (How do you observe the behavior of ants just millimeters long—or dissect a brain the width of a needle?) With more than sixty black-and-white photographs and illustrations throughout, Planet of the Ants will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower—and raise new questions about the very meaning of “civilization.”

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Decidedly a book for those seeking information about ants, and the unbelievably complex natural world they rule over, manage, and allow us...quite graciously, I think after reading this book...to exist on.

If not for antkind, humanity would struggle to exist briefly, then wink out. This is not a supposition, as reading this analysis of exactly what ants get up to, and how important it is they get up to it, will elucidate for you.

Eminent German myrmecologist Foitzik explains with a fortuitous eye for the *telling* detail the ecological role of the ant species we've learned of so far, and who really knows how many more there are awaiting discovery? We *think* there are over 22,000 species, and we've classified by niches and relationships about two-thirds of those. We think there are tens of quadrillions of individual ants on Earth today: that's over 10,000,000,000,000,000.

Is your mind blown yet? Does the sheer biomass that ants represent now begin to dawn on you?

Translator Ayça Türkoglu turns the erudite prose by the learnèd expert in ant studies into very readable English. Olaf Fritsche's eye for the journalistically important details (he was an editor at the German-language edition of Scientific American), and long experience as a German-language writer of books for children, means the text is crisp and clearly organized. The photos are quite good at illustrating the points made in the text:

Ants occupy a vital position in the entire planet's ecology. I think this is underappreciated, even among the nature-minded folk who read widely. It really should be required of us that we take more important information about the true rulers of the Earth on board.

Anything else I could tell you is just a bastardized version of the authors' far more educated prose. What I'm here to tell you is that this read is packed with important and interesting facts, presented in a very readable way (you noticed the fact that this book was shortlisted for a German-English translation award, right?), about a very underappreciated genus of animal. It is fine for the science-mad fourteen-year-old and up as a #Booksgiving gift. I would encourage you to gift it to every young woman with a fondness for life sciences of any kind: Susanne Foitzik is world-ranked in her field, and a very prolific scientist with an excellent reputation.

A message we can, I trust, agree is one we need to send to the generation being educated in the US these days.