Back in February I reviewed a charming little children’s book called Cubby in Wonderland. Since then, you have no doubt been wondering, whatever happened to that ursine lad? Did he hibernate? Did he go off on his own? Did he encounter any new creatures? All these questions and more are answered in the second and final installment of this series, Cubby Returns to Yellowstone. (Two and out? Frances Joyce Farnsworth was clearly an amateur at milking a series.) When the book opens, Cubby is stirring […]
Not just for bird nerds
Just a few days after I finished reading The Genius of Birds I observed four adorable white-crowned sparrows in my yard. Every fall I look forward to their arrival, when their journey from parts north ends in my Southern California backyard. Each year they arrive in mid to late September–seemingly bringing more friends each time–and spend the winter and early spring enjoying the Los Angeles weather, until a day comes in late spring when I realize I haven’t seen them in awhile. Next season, the pattern […]
Can a story about the fall of a Soviet regime stand up 25 years later?
When The Porcupine was published in 1992, the world was still absorbing the dramatic events of the anti-Communist revolutions that started in the late 1980s, culminating in the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Influenced by these events, Barnes spun this tale that takes place in a fictional Soviet satellite country that some critics will swear is based on Bulgaria, while others will insist it’s obviously inspired by Romania. In this unnamed nation, the Communist Party has […]
DISAPPOINTED
In 2002, I sat in a dark movie theater watching Attack of the Clones. Around the time Yoda goes from wise wielder of the Force to crazy Ninja muppet, I contemplated walking out. I’ve never left a movie theater mid-screening, but on that day I was sorely tempted. Not because Attack of the Clones was the worst movie I’d ever seen, or even the worst movie I’d ever paid to see; I just couldn’t face any more disappointment in that series. What was once a […]