Fluffy Flowers

A Garden of One's Own

It's not secret that I've been on a gardening kick lately. I wanted to share another of those library gems that I discovered by dragging home a dozen or so books at a time. A Garden of One's Own: Making and Keeping Your Flower Garden by Elsa Bakalar is full of gardening wisdom from a no nonsense gardener. I love her straightforward way of talking and her can do attitude. Elsa was a master gardener who influenced many folks over her lifetime. If you see this one on your library's shelves, grab it and enjoy it on the porch with a cup of tea.

The Lost Garden

I don't know about you, but when I go out of town for a couple days it seems like I'm completely loaded down with stuff. And I don't mean things like hairdryers and extra clothes. Who needs a change of pants anyway? No, what I'm talking about is stuff that is essential to life. Stuff that makes the days fun. I'm talking about craft projects and books.

Even for a short trip, one essential thing is a choice of craft projects and books. I never know what mood I'll be in while I'm away so I've always got to have a selection of each to fill my needs. Recently, I was on one of these sojourns with an unsatisfying novel. It was about my favorite subject of late, gardening, but I just couldn't get into it. So I set it aside in favor of Helen Humphreys's The Lost Garden. Boy am I glad I did!

This book was a delight from beginning to end. Set in World War II, our heroine, Gwen, volunteers to head up a farming project in rural England for the Women's Land Army. Problem is, she isn't much of a leader. In fact, she's quite shy and introverted with a low opinion of herself. Not your typical heroine and this is no typical book. Well, actually, it is sort of typical. It's a story about an ordinary person and the small world she inhabits. Its also about love and a lost garden that is found. Helen has written a beautiful book that is nothing short of a delight. It's storytelling at it's best. I promise you'll like it so please run right out and get this book.

On a related note I've spent many hours thinking about and planning my gardens. Y'all may recall that I detested the state of my barren backyard and have been working to build flowerbeds. Well, I've also got an eyesore chainlink fence with a wide open view not only of the neighbors but the neighbors beyond them on the other side of their street! This is not working for me. I want privacy. I want a backyard I can hunker down in and read a good book. So I've been working out just exactly what plants I want to grow along the fence to look and smell good and keep out the prying eyes.

I finally settled on a mix of Confederate Jasmine, Lady Banks roses, and some sort of clematis. Since I will need several to cover up the fence I decided to save a little money by rooting these vines myself. Of course I'd never done this before so who knows where this grand experiment will end. But forget the ending, I still needed to begin! I was on the hunt down around the neighborhood for some Confederate Jasmine from which to take some cuttings. I didn't really know what it looked like so I spent a lot of time online looking at pictures of its flowers and leaves from different angles from up close and far away. I've had to do a lot of this the last few months as I've struggled to get to know plants. When I finally figured it all out I realized that, just as I'd hoped, it was everywhere. Including my own backyard. Who knew?!

Apparently, that little shrub way back there in the corner by the fence is the exact vine I was seeking. I remember seeing some of it climbing the fence last year and thinking that I needed to hack them down. So I did. I had no earthly idea that it was a vining plant nor that it was one that I'd eventually settle on to decorate my fence. And it's kind of funny that it worked out that way, don't you think? A little bit of a lost garden, right there in my own backyard.

The Fortune Quilt

Every once in a great while I find a book so funny that it makes me laugh out loud. And even rarer than that is a book that makes me laugh out loud several times. The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich is one that made me laugh out loud not once, not twice, but many times.

I loved this book. Mostly because the characters were so awesome. As Jennifer Crusie says on the back cover "Great snarky voice." That's what I enjoyed most. Our heroine, Carly McKay, has some of the wittiest comebacks I've heard in a while. And it reads super quick. I'm usually a pretty slow reader but I zoomed through this book in a couple of days.

If you're a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series then you'll enjoy this book too. When ever I find a book that I really enjoy I always track down other books by that author. And lucky for me Lani has got oodles of books including a collaboration this year with Jennifer Crusie and Anne Stuart called Dogs and Goddesses. I'm off to find it!

Mrs. Greenthumbs

A little while ago I talked about the virtues of hauling home oodles of books from the public library. It's a super way to explore a new hobby in a cheap and satisfying way. One of the things I'm always on the lookout for are fabulous authors whose voices speak to me. And I found just that in the books by Cassandra Danz.

Now when I first picked up Mrs. Greenthumbs Plows Ahead: Five Steps to the Drop-Dead Gorgeous Garden of Your Dreams, I glanced half heartedly at the cover. Surely this frumpy lady in an 80s style dress could teach me nothing about gardening. But oh how wrong I was! Not only did she teach me gardening know how, but she made me understand it. I couldn't believe it. All my life I've been looking for a gardening book to explain just how to make a garden in a way that I could understand. She articulated my needs and explained just exactly how to meet them. I was amazed! And I was converted.

I set about to acquire all the books that were written by this fabulous female gardener. And that's when I discovered to horribly sad news. Cassandra Danz, the person who finally made me see the gardening light, died at age 55 from breast cancer. I was crushed. How devastating that such a lively, energetic person could succumb to such a horrible disease. Damned unfair. And I'm not the only one who misses this enthusiastic personality. I was pretty bummed that just when I'd found the perfect gardener's voice to guide me through my horticultural adventure, she was snatched away.

What makes me love her books so much? Her voice. Her style of writing is quite conversational. It's a lot like a blog, really. She talks to her reader as if we're sitting together chatting over a cup of coffee. And she's funny too. Oh yes friends, she is indeed funny. We're talking Stephanie Plum funny here.

I never thought I'd ever laugh out loud at a gardening book. I thought the only kind in existence were boring, lecture type books that extolled the virtues of plants using horribly boring black and white charts. You know the ones I mean, the kind that state you "must" do it this way or else. Or else what?! I always wondered. Or else you'll come over to my house and march into my backyard and set the place on fire? I always wondered.

But Mrs. Greenthumbs changed all that. She changed my whole gardening information world. She made it ok not to have all the answers. She made it ok to make mistakes. She made it ok to go ahead and try my hand at gardening, even though I didn't know everything. All those other books put the fear into me that I had to memorize all that stuff so I would know it all and avoid mistakes. Oh the horror of mistakes!

I think the reason I didn't get serious about gardening before was because I never felt I knew enough not to make mistakes. But gosh darn folks, ya know what? Everyone makes mistakes! And we new gardeners are bound to. Mrs. Greenthumbs made me realize those things. And for that I will forever be grateful. So thank you Cassandra, for all of your words of wisdom and laugh out loud funniness that helped set me on my gardening path. Even though you've gone to the great big mulch pile in the sky, I take my sun hat off to you and will plant a fluffy flower in your honor.

Private Gardens of Georgia

There is nothing more fun than browsing through books at your local public library. This is even more fun when you've just discovered a potentially fun new hobby. Trucking home a lot of books from the library is a great way to inexpensively immerse yourself in this newly discovered fun and it's also a perfect way to learn oodles about it.

So when I really got into this whole gardening thing this year, I did just that. One of the books that I drug home from the library was Private Gardens of Georgia by Polly McLeod Mattox. Now ordinarily I'd just look at this book for the pretty pictures and oo and ah and lament the fact that my garden could never look like that. Well folks, I'm starting to change my tune! As I looked through this book I felt like I was receiving my own personal tour of these private gardens and I was taking notes!

The neat thing about reading a book about private gardens in your own state is that you can get some sort of idea of how beautiful your own garden can be. I mean, think about it. Yeah, they might have more money for hardscape and garden furniture but since they're in or around your same hardiness zone, basically they're using the same plants you will use. And if they can make their stuff look that good you can too!

One of the things that I'm trying to learn from books like these is layout and design. I have no background or training in design of any kind, so I'm trying to understand and learn the principles that they used to create these fabulous gardens. I see no reason why I can't recreate these same design concepts in my own garden with lesser priced accouterments. Yes indeed, I think I'm on to something here.

Another reason I love this particular book is because it features one of my most favorite gardens ever. I went on a Macon Secret Garden tour earlier this spring in this beautiful garden which you can see here. It was fun to read up a little more about it. And one thing's for sure, it was so much more beautiful in person.

The Cottage Garden

I had no idea when I picked up The Cottage Garden at the library several years ago that author Christopher Lloyd was THE guy when it comes to horticulture. I just liked to look at the pretty pictures. But I was reading the best gardening book ever written and it mentioned Christopher Lloyd. A lot. And the funny thing was, I kept thinking she meant Christopher LOWELL. Um, yeah, that's a totally different guy. Anyway, eventually I figured out my mistake and was happy to be introduced to an amazingly inspirational British gardener.

This time when I sought out this book again at my library I was ready to actually learn from it's pages. After years spent pouring over the beautiful photos in gardening books and wondering how the heck they managed to create such beautiful gardens, I'm finally, slowly learning how to craft my own beautiful gardens. And what I found out is that not only is this book a delight for the visual sense but it's also crammed full of helpful information. Its an excellent overview of the history of cottage gardens and the plants within them. And not just plants and flowers but all the other aspects that make up a cottage garden too: gates & doors, fences, walls, & hedges, ponds, streams, & ditches, pathways, containers, furniture, and outbuildings. Wow!

If you are at all considering establishing a cottage garden at your home I highly encourage you to find this book. And if you have a cottage garden already then you'll love it too. Sadly, Christopher Lloyd is no longer with us. But thankfully he left behind a body of work that can be read and savored for years to come.

Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden

I've had a lot of luck with good things to read lately. I don't know if y'all know this about me but I usually have three books going at one time: an audio book in the car, a fiction book by the bed, and a nonfiction book in the sitting room. I just finished reading a delightful memoir called Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden by Emily Whaley. This book was entertaining from start to finish.

It's more than just a book about a garden and a gardener in her eighties. It's a wonderful glimpse into the life of a southern woman raised in the country during the early part of the twentieth century. It's also a celebration of that life and the people around her. She gives credit to all those folks who where important in her life including her dog, Rosie.

What is really fabulous about this book is the style of writing. Its really more of a conversation than anything else. And Mrs. Whaley's voice, and her opinions, are loud and clear. This lady tells it like it is! I found myself nodding my head and chuckling more than a few times at her sage advice.

Really folks, it's an easy, short read that is thoroughly delightful. You can read more about Mrs. Whaley's garden over at the Stencil Library's blog.

The Little Stranger

It's been a very long time since I've read anything as brilliantly written as The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Probably I should have held this book review back for October, the month of Halloween and all things spooky. But I've just finished reading this chilling story so I figured I'd go ahead and tell y'all about it now so you can get your name on the list at your local library.

At the recommendation of one of my favorite bloggers, I read another of by Sarah's books, Fingersmith, a couple of years ago. That book had quite an original story line with a plot that took twists and turns to reach it's surprise ending. The Little Stranger is quite a different tale altogether.

Set in the post World War II English countryside, this gothic tale lures readers in with its normalcy. It's nearly day in the life type stuff, with a country doctor as our hero who aids the reclusive Ayers family. These upper class artiscrats have long since lost their family fortune yet struggle to keep their manor house, Hundreds Hall, from falling completely to bits. But things start to happen at Hundreds that are difficult to explain away.

This story is creepy gothic at its best. I have to say that this book was super scary in a "what the h*ll is going on around here?" way. I almost put the book down and walked away but it was impossible to do. I had to know what happened. So if you've got nerves of steal and love a good ghost story, I'd recommend you run right out and pick this book up. But don't blame me if you start hearing things go bump in the night!

gardening books

Been reading heaps of gardening books lately. I've mentioned a couple of them to y'all already. But I thought I'd show you just how pretty they look all piled up on the garden bench.

That would be Slashables's bench.

He was hanging out with me during the photo op. In fact, Slash usually hangs out with me when ever I'm out in the garden.

And he's really good company too!

The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett was an amazing character study of upper middle class white women and their black maids in 1960s Mississippi. Kathryn gave us beautiful characters who are brought to life in rich detail. We hear them think and interact with each other that shows the many sides of their lives.

These folks are brought to life in such detail that you will feel you know them. And you will definitely feel strongly toward them. Some you will love, some you will hate, and some you will love but hate their actions. But one thing is for sure, you will have strong reactions!

The southern dialect is evocative of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small where the Yorkshire country folk's words were translated just as they sound. Southern folks will have no trouble reading the dialect which we'll automatically hear in our heads. Those not from the south may struggle a bit to catch the rhythm.
 
I wish the author had been given a longer deadline to write the book. I wanted more detail about the life of Miss Celia. What in her background led to her being the least racist person in the book?

Hoof it on down to your local library and pick up this fascinating read.

Easy Gardens for the South

I haven't spent a lot of time on the computer lately so my blogging seems to have turned into a sporadic adventure. One thing that has kept me away from the computer this summer is hard work in the yard. I've spent the past several months working diligently to turn this place into a pretty cottage garden.

For years I dreamed about gardening, imagining a yard filled with beautiful blooming flowers. I've spent many an hour browsing inspirational photographs on flickr and perusing gobs of library books which I usually check out a dozen or two at a time.

I spent a lot of those years confused by the conflicting information I would read in different sources. I noticed that the "right" way to do things was often exactly the opposite for the same problems from different "experts". I stayed confused most of the time. Their information only served to create fear that rendered me immobile, rooted to the same spot and unable to move.

There was a gradual shift in me over this past year that put me in a place where I finally built up the courage to get my hands dirty and get to gardening. We are talking, after all, about plants. This isn't rocket science! After researching gardening and thinking about things, I finally jumped in with both feet. This time I've actually gone beyond the stage of dreaming about gardening and I've finally, finally taken steps to create a garden of my own.

I'm super glad that I drug home a million gardening books from the library over the years. I've found a few gems that have really inspired me. Easy Gardens for the South by Pamela Crawford is one that I absolutely love. The plant information is organized so well that even I can figure how how to select plants for my gardens. I'm going to purchase my own copy of this one so I can spend the long, cold winter planning out my gardens. What I love about this book is that is focuses on plants that do well in my area. And by "do well" I mean can survive when I forget to water them for a while or forget to prune them or otherwise neglect those pretties. I highly recommend that you seek out gardening books that discuss plants for your state. And if you don't know where to start, then ask your local librarian, cooperative extension office or master gardener. 

Oh, and one more exciting thing for those here in the middle Georgia area. Erica Glasener, host of HGTV's Gardener's Diary will be giving a lecture at the end of October. I love her show and will definitely be there!

The Lace Reader

I love a good story. And I love a good story about broken people. The Lace Reader fits the bill perfectly.

Author Brunonia Barry has crafted a story full of loveable, flawed characters. But the beauty of it is that she never lets us feel sorry for them and for that I am grateful.

Set in present day Salem, Massachusets, we're immersed in an ordinary world with ordinary problems. Bad people and their effects on our character's lives make this a story that draws the reader in deep. There is a small thread of witches, weaved throughout the tale, until a huge, twisted knot appears near the end.

I love that each chapter starts with directons from the fabricated book "The Lace Reader's Guide". This book is just good ol' fashioned storytelling. Definitely one to procure from your local library or bookshop and add to your large pile of "to read" books by your bed.

And by the way, the name Brunonia Barry has got to be one of the grooviest author names ever. Love that alliteration!

Flower Confidential

Thought I'd share some of my other fluffy flowers adventures with y'all. So here's what I've been up to lately when I'm not reading or plush making.

I have, in fact, been gardening. Lasagna gardening. This little weedy mess is the lasagna garden that I started a few months ago. Its a simple method of layering compostables and letting them rot while planting the bed at the same time. I never actually got around to planting this spot so a few weeds have sprouted up.

Too bad the weeds look so pretty cause these suckers have got to go.

And this sucker has really got to go! I have it on good authority that this weed truly is super invasive here in the state of Georgia so out he comes asap.

It's taken me nearly three years to decide exactly how to establish a garden in my backyard. I've been cutting the grass back there and yanking out the weeds but that lifeless expanse of grass and concrete feels like a dead zone. About the only life that can be found are the neighbors and their penned up prisoner dogs that can be clearly seen through the fence.

But finally, after reading and thinking, watching Gardener's Diary and note taking, and perusing GardenWeb forums, finally I think I've got my plan. And I've been slowly putting my plan into action the past couple of months.

One part of my plan involves establishing oodles of new flower beds in my backyard. I long for it to be a secret garden hideaway where I can enjoy lots of fluffy flowers. But beauty is hard work y'all! And hauling around mega pounds of cow poo is no easy task!

But gosh y'all, I think it's worth it. Because in my mind I can just see that new garden, can't you? And it doesn't really matter how long it takes. I'll just keep plugging along at it and taking all the necessary steps and making all the mistakes and reading all the books until I make it my own fluffy flowers magical land.

And speaking of reading, you might find Amy Stewart's book Flower Confidential: the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful very interesting. This selective, historical account of the modern flower industry is fascinating! It reads almost like fiction (until she gets to the math section where my non-mathematical mind glazed over) with lots of interesting, in depth stories of folks in the industry. Run by the library and pick this one up when you get a chance.

Guess I had to slip a little reading in this story somehow! When next you find me I'll probably still be scrubbing at the dirt under my nails...

been busy...

...reading

Is there anything prettier than a fresh pile of library books?

I think not.

 
Finished The Lace Reader and loved it. I promise to write a review soon. I'm reading The Forgotten Garden right now. I'm smitten!

I'm so glad I've made room for reading in my life. Its a wonderful way to relax and get away from everyday life.

What are you reading right now?

Janet Evanovich

If you want to read something that will nearly make you wet yourself with laughter then I highly recommend Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series. Y'all probably know by now that I'm a major fan of the series.

Well, this weekend Janet and I got together and hung out. Just me, her, her daughter Alex, and four hundred and ninety-nine of her closest friends!

I attended a book signing up in Atlanta. You would think this would be held at a Barnes and Noble or a Books-A-Million, right?

Well, it was actually held at a Sam's Club! So I got to spend some quality time hanging out in line next to the mattresses.

And the funny thing about that was folks were actually shopping for them! We kept having to move out of the way for ginormous forklifts to trundle by with goods. It was hysterical.

But honestly, I can not say enough about the super sweet Sam's staff. They even came down the very long line and served samples of cheesecake! Stephanie would approve.

And it was worth the long wait because I got to meet one of my favorite authors. And I gave her one of the awesome buttons I made which you can see me wearing. Oh, and I got that fab necklace here.

I offered Janet one of the buttons and she selected the one that read "Babe." Fans of the books will know just how funny that is :) Good choice, Janet! See the far left in the above photo.

I also got to meet and chat with Alex, Janet's daughter, who is nice as pie. She loved the buttons and took a photo of my friend's "boob" where she was proudly wearing them. I wonder where that picture will show up?

I've read about a hundred pages so far and this book is one of the funniest ones in a while. Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore if you want to be highly entertained.

Made from Scratch

I think I'm knitting my third, no wait, my fourth pair of socks. I'm so glad that I found my way back to sock knitting. It is truly satisfying!

I've also been reading too. But I seem to have switched from fiction to non-fiction. I think I ran out of really good novels to read so I migrated over to how-to's and decorating.

One book in particular I've enjoyed lately is Made from Scratch by Jenna Woginrich. Part memoir, part urban homestead how-to, this book will leave you inspired. She talks about her life before starting her small farm and about the process she went through to get there. But it's not all roses. She paints a stark picture of some of the realities of the so called simple life. And the amazing thing is that she is only twenty-six! At that age I hadn't really even figured out what my life goals were, let alone made huge strides in accomplishing them. And even if homesteading is not your dream, Jenna's story is sure to inspire and motivate you to work toward your own goals. This would be a great gift book for a young person.

I think I've found a true kindred spirit in Mary Randolph Carter. Her books, American Junk and Garden Junk are a celebration of groovy junk she's aquired in all sort of places, yard sales, flea markets, etc. The book is crammed full of photos of those junk treasures as she found them. And best of all? She shares with us the price she paid for each item! It's like a conversation for your Saturday morning yard saling mama who comes home at lunchtime with an armload of treasures and a slew of stories. Love these books!

Now a couple of books that I recently found and could not put down are Junk Beautiful and Decorating Junk Market Style by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer. I don't think I've ever been as inspired to transform junk into treasures. These ladies are fabulous! You might have seen their articles in Country Home magazine. Their website is sure to inspire you as well so I hope you head on over there and check it out.

And finally, I've also been revisiting one of my favorite Better Homes and Gardens books, Flea Market Decorating: Creating Style with Vintage Finds. I actually own this one and love to flip through the pages every so often for a big old jolt of inspiration.

Finally, some of my favorite trash to treasure TV shows are Decorating Cents hosted by Joan Steffend and Junkin' with Val and Dave. Sadly, this last show is no longer on the air but you might be able to find a show or two over on YouTube. Or perhaps we should all email Turner South and demand that they put the show back on the air! Oh, and some of the older Decorating Cents shows are even better than the newer ones. Hope HGTV figures out they'll increase their audience by replaying fome of those old classics.

Ok folks, that's it! Hope you find some inspiration in these resources.

in the bathroom

The Year of Shabby Chic Home Improvement continues with a trip to the bathroom. I rarely see home tours of bathrooms out there in the blog world so I thought y'all might enjoy a visit to mine. And you just know it's going to be full of fluffy flowers!

Here's an in progress shot where I seem to be in desperate need of some pretty towels to spiff up the place:

After a major hunt down I found some fabulous vintage towels over in Red Comb Vintage's shop.

I love these towels oodles and Abi is such a sweet person that I hope y'all zip on over there and pay her a visit.

This little bathroom is slowly but surely turning into a perfect little tweet's nest.

Complete with a little tweet that lives in the coo coo clock:

Had to ditch these horrid old towels:

For some much prettier ones:

And a thrift store picture or two fits right in:

Can't forget the all important bathroom reading material:

I am head over heals about The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. Based on her blog, Yarnstorm, this book is so full of inspiration that I look forward to visiting the bathroom just so I can read the next essay. I rarely buy books, favoring instead to borrow them from my local library, but this is one that I will gladly add to my collection and cherish for years to come.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

A Body to Die For

I swear y'all, reading is not the only thing I've been doing lately! But it does seem that that's all I have time to blog about these days. If you're looking for a little lighthearted fun reading give A Body to Die For by G. A. McKevett a go.

Probably having too much fun all the way around to blog. I'll see if I can be better about it next week.

Anyway, reading is oodles of fun when you've got a cute Slash kitty for company.

the girl who stopped swimming

When I started reading this book I absolutely could not put it down, not even to exercise. So I fitted it on the rack of my brand new treadmill and carried on huffing and puffing up the inclines all while my eyes were riveted to the page.

I saw Joshilyn Jackson speak a few months ago at the Decatur Book Festival. To say she was entertaining is an understatement. She spoke to a packed house full of devoted fans, myself included, who hung on her every word. I enjoyed hearing her so much that I made sure to see her again when she made it to my own small town for a writer's conference. At that time I'd only read Between, Georgia and had no idea that her next novel was patiently waiting for me to relish and enjoy.

The girl who stopped swimming is a ghost story. But these ghosts are the ones that haunt you when you're alone and you let your guard down enough to see what might really be happening around you. Is it real or a trick of the mind? And if it is a trick, doesn't that still make it real? Joshilyn carries us swiftly through this story of secrets held and of relationships with sisters, husbands, mothers, fathers and ourselves without letting us stop to take a breath. Without letting us stop and look around us to really see. In a way, she forces us to experience what our main character, Laurel, does. And Laurel must somehow recon with the ghosts that push hard against her blinders.

This is not a story for the faint of heart. The tragic death of a young girl is the center around which this book travels. And mirrors will be held up in places that are frankly, painful. There are two types of folks who will enjoy this book, those that enjoy good story telling (i.e. everyone!) and those who grew up poor in the rural south. To the latter group I say, when you see yourself here in this book, know that I see myself too.

Guide to the Birds of East Africa

Just exactly what have I been doing with myself lately? I've certainly been MIA in the blog world. You already know I've been straightening and pitching out and cleaning like a mad fiend. But I've also managed to spare a moment or two to squeeze in some reading and, at long last, some knitting.

It's been a good long while since I picked up the sticks and string and went at it. Many of you might not even know that knitting is my first and foremost craft love. I taught myself when I was a teenager and even though I tuck the needles and yarn away for often months and sometimes years at a time, I still manage to find my way back to it eventually. Now it seems that I'm on a sock making bender. I can't get enough of socks, socks, socks. Beautiful yarns in tasty hand dyed colors are making my mouth water and this pair in chili pepper colors are my latest.

The socks are for car trips but the reading is for any moment I can find to tuck it in. Before the holidays I swept my local library for reading material. I came away with a pile of books, one of which was A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson. I must admit that this is not my typical book and that I was swayed to slip it into my stack by the pretty birds on the cover.

This novel is set in modern day Nairobi, Kenya with a short, bald, round, brown man, Mr. Malik, as it's protagonist. Mr. Malik is quite ordinary indeed, having been raised in the usual English boarding school style and now a semi-retired business man. Yet as the story unfolds we find the irresistable, heart of gold Mr. Malik thrown into quite extraordinary circumstances. Watching how he deals with them and, eventually, puts them into perspective is an understatedly delightful journey.

The central them of bird watching initially had me worried since I know next to nothing about birds. But I needn't have worried because it wasn't neccessary for me to enjoy every minute of this book. At it's heart its a love story but not, I'm delighted to say, in the typical way. Drayson is a true storyteller and this is a book definitely not to be missed.