Initially, I thought the book club I was joining was Steph Curry’s personal book club; that was not the case. The actual online book club is Literati, and Steph Curry is one of the book club’s “inspiring people” who recommend books. The first four books recommend by Steph Curry were true stories, and the last a fictional account. After five books, I was ready for another direction, so I went with Joseph Campbell.
I received the first book, Trickster Makes This World, Mischief, Myth, and Art, by Lewis Hyde, and I realized I must not be very good at reading the small print because I thought I would be receiving books written by Joseph Campbell. Joseph Campbell is deceased, but he wrote many beautiful books and touched on fantastic subjects during his life. I plan to read this book, but I’m rethinking my reasons for joining the Literati book club. The isolation resulting from COVID-19 made me want to explore new things, hoping to find a community of other readers. I wanted people to socialize with. I thought the book club would fill that need. I wanted to discuss these books with other readers; there is no discussion of these books afterward, which is disappointing. Meanwhile, trying to sort out my next move I decided to share some of the books that I have read outside of a book club that I found particularly interesting.
Some of my books are not going to surprise you at all as I’m sure by now you’re well aware of my interests.
Books about Bears
The first book that spoke to me is, In The Company of Bears, by Benjamin Kilham. This book was delightful to read! The author raised an orphan bear cub and then carefully released her back into the wild. Their relationship continued for many years. He was able to observe this female bear for more than 17 years. I learned so much about my black bears from reading this book.
Female bears form alliances with other female bears, including their daughters and sisters, for the safety of the new cubs and at the same time maximize the available food sources. I learned about the typical size of the female bear’s territory compared to the male bears’. The author of this book also discusses the preference to speaking very quietly and calmly to bears unless you are in a dangerous situation. I remembered that guidance when I encountered the black bear in front of my house and was fortunate enough to look into the bear’s eyes.
Next, I want to share a two-book series with you that I enjoyed. The series is titled Bear In The Back Seat, Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger, by Kim DeLozier and Carolyn Jourdan. These are true-life stories involving bears and other wildlife and tourists. Some of the accounts are so funny!
I learned reading Bear In The Back Seat, before the formation of Appalachian Bear Rescue; if a mother bear was killed by a hunter or in an accident, the bear cubs were euthanized. I was completely unaware of this. With the formation of the Appalachian Bear Rescue, orphaned baby bear cubs are nurtured and cared for until they’re ready to be released into the wild on their own.
Books about Dogs
The next book I want to mention today is, How Dogs Love Us by Gregory Burns. The Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns trained his favorite dog, Callie, to enter an MRI imaging machine so that he could study her brain. I know this subject sounds dry, but the author is so funny! Who would’ve thought a neuroscientist could be so funny, but he was. Whenever he talked about being a bad dog parent, I had to laugh. I know the feeling. I loved this book. And since reading this book, I have seen several current programs where dogs willingly enter MRI machines for study. Dogs are so much more intelligent than we think they are. They possess strong emotional intelligence, and their senses are so superior to our puny human ones.
This is just a small number of the books I really enjoyed. What about you? Do you have any recommendations for me? We can form our own book club.
Usually your local library has book clubs. They are probably virtual right now. Often, each member chooses a book in turn, so it would widen your horizons to other’s interests. Or, it may bore you to find out what others are interested in.
hi Frank, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. An exchange of thoughts, an exchange of ideas, And social contact.
Thank you,
Nikki