Honey Badger Don't Care by Randall

Summary:

Sweet Jesus--a riotous wildlife book for adults! The mononymous Randall, narrator of the You Tube sensation (15 MILLION views) "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger," is the wild new voice of nature. In Honey Badger Don't Care(tm), Randall presents a dozen crazy, badass animals of the wild kingdom as only Randall could. Don't be stupid--buy this book!

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Here it is. The first book read of 2012.
First off let me tell you that I had no idea what this book was about when I requested to read it from NetGalley but I wanted to give a shot. You know branch out a bit and read something fun and easy and since this book is only something like 64 pages long I thought it would be perfect to read something funny.
It wasn't funny. At least not to me I feel like this is just someone's effort to make money on being a youtube sensation by other means. I didn't find the writing funny and I absolutely ridiculous but once again I seem to be in the minority because other people who reviewed it seemed to love it.
I just couldn't find anything funny about this book it was way to ridiculous for me and I didn't like it at all. I don't hand out 1 star ratings lightly or that often but this is one of the rare occaisons in which I am forced to do so. This just wasn't for me.

*I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

★

Grayson by Lynne Cox

Summary:

Grayson is Lynne Cox’s first book since Swimming to Antarctica (“Riveting”—Sports Illustrated; “Pitch-perfect”—Outside). In it she tells the story of a miraculous ocean encounter that happened to her when she was seventeen and in training for a big swim (she had already swum the English Channel, twice, and the Catalina Channel).

It was the dark of early morning; Lynne was in 55-degree water as smooth as black ice, two hundred yards offshore, outside the wave break. She was swimming her last half-mile back to the pier before heading home for breakfast when she became aware that something was swimming with her. The ocean was charged with energy as if a squall was moving in; thousands of baby anchovy darted through the water like lit sparklers, trying to evade something larger. Whatever it was, it felt large enough to be a white shark coursing beneath her body.

It wasn’t a shark. It became clear that it was a baby gray whale—following alongside Lynne for a mile or so. Lynne had been swimming for more than an hour; she needed to get out of the water to rest, but she realized that if she did, the young calf would follow her onto shore and die from collapsed lungs.

The baby whale—eighteen feet long!—was migrating on a three-month trek to its feeding grounds in the Bering Sea, an eight-thousand-mile journey. It would have to be carried on its mother’s back for much of that distance, and was dependent on its mother’s milk for food—baby whales drink up to fifty gallons of milk a day. If Lynne didn’t find the mother whale, the baby would suffer from dehydration and starve to death.

Something so enormous—the mother whale was fifty feet long—suddenly seemed very small in the vast Pacific Ocean. How could Lynne possibly find her?

This is the story—part mystery, part magical tale—of what happened . . .
Summary taken from Goodreads.com

The main reason I read this book is because I've been on a bit of a nature kick lately and I needed something light and easy to read before bed a few nights ago. This was the perfect book for that. I read it in a few hours on Friday night/Saturday morning.

            The story in itself is something special that should be savoured. The author painted a breath taking picture of her experience with Grayson the lost baby whale on that early morning when she was still a teenager.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm so glad that I gave it a chance because too me it looked a bit too "fluffy" if you will and while it was sappy her experience is one that deserved to be printed in a book. I only have two problems with it and mostly it's with the dialogue she had with Grayson in the book during those parts the words seemed forced and unnatural to be coming from her lips in such a situation. But alas that's not to say that she didn't speak that way. Who knows? I'm not her.

I also wish that when she would insert facts into the story that she did it in a way that created potholes in the story throwing the flow off. But alas maybe it's me being jealous of her for sharing those few hours with Grayson, which in itself is a remarkable gift.

I recommend this book to to nature lovers and I hope to read more of her books soon!

★★★



We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Changed Their Lives Forever by Benjamin Mee

Summary:
The house hunt of author Benjamin Mee and his wife, Katherine, ended with an unusual, even bizarre solution: The pair decided to move into a ramshackle zoo in the English countryside. Mee had a degree in psychology and specializes in animal behavior, but not even he could have imagined the complexities of holding sway over more than 200 exotic animals. Almost immediately, the project of reopening the zoo as a family business ran into financial -- and four-footed -- obstacles. Then a major tragedy broke: Katherine's brain tumor recurred and she died at the age of 40. Through it all, the family persevered, and in July 2007, the zoo reopened under Mee management. A bittersweet story about creatures sharing one another's company.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com

So I admit it. The only reason I knew this book even existed  is because of the movie featuring Matt Damon that is coming out this Christmas. But I am glad that the movie sparked an interest in me to read this book.
Maybe you don't know this about me I love animals and would love nothing more than to work in a Zoo like Dartmoor. Honestly I grew up watching countless hours of animal/nature specials, and my favourite magazine is still National Geographic and has been since birth. I think it has something to do with the fact that my Daddy has had a subscription to it for the last 40 years.
Anyways on to my review!
I adore this book. The way the author wrote it was in my opinion unique. Given the unfortunate and untimely passing of his beloved wife Katherine which left him a widower with two young children and trying to reestablish a zoo he did no come over as "preachy" or too "Let this be a message to you" as if he were really trying to sell the book based on the horrible circumstances.
He wrote it honestly, full of wit, humour, and passion. This passion is evident through the whole book whether he is talking about the process of buying the zoo, Katherine, his children and family, the staff and the animals it was all the same. He honestly loves what he does and is not afraid to let it shine through in his writing what so ever.
He had a rare opportunity to do something that so many people spend their lives dreaming about it is hard not to want the best for him especially when you can tell he is just a regular guy trying to do something extraordinary.
I cannot wait to see the movie though I can already tell its very different from the book and when me and my better half finally make it across the pond Dartmoor Zoo is one locale we will definately with out a shadow of a doubt be checking out. I know it's a long shot but just in case the author ever reads this I'd like to say Thank you for writing this book and I wish you all the success and happiness for you and yours in the world.
I strongly recommend this book to the animal lovers out there and people that like a good memoir.

★★★★★

Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien

Summary:

On Valentine's Day 1985, biologist Stacey O'Brien first met a four-day-old baby barn owl -- a fateful encounter that would turn into an astonishing 19-year saga. With nerve damage in one wing, the owlet's ability to fly was forever compromised, and he had no hope of surviving on his own in the wild. O'Brien, a young assistant in the owl laboratory at Caltech, was immediately smitten, promising to care for the helpless owlet and give him a permanent home. Wesley the Owl is the funny, poignant story of their dramatic two decades together.

With both a tender heart and a scientist's eye, O'Brien studied Wesley's strange habits intensively and first-hand -- and provided a mice-only diet that required her to buy the rodents in bulk (28,000 over the owl's lifetime). As Wesley grew, she snapped photos of him at every stage like any proud parent, recording his life from a helpless ball of fuzz to a playful, clumsy adolescent to a gorgeous, gold-and-white, macho adult owl with a heart-shaped face and an outsize personality that belied his 18-inch stature. Stacey and Wesley's bond deepened as she discovered Wesley's individual personality, subtle emotions, and playful nature that could also turn fiercely loyal and protective -- though she could have done without Wesley's driving away her would-be human suitors!
O'Brien also brings us inside the prestigious research community, a kind of scientific Hogwarts where resident owls sometimes flew freely from office to office and eccentric, brilliant scientists were extraordinarily committed to studying and helping animals; all of them were changed by the animal they loved. As O'Brien gets close to Wesley, she makes important discoveries about owl behavior, intelligence, and communication, coining the term "The Way of the Owl" to describe his inclinations: he did not tolerate lies, held her to her promises, and provided unconditional love, though he was not beyond an occasional sulk. When O'Brien develops her own life-threatening illness, the biologist who saved the life of a helpless baby bird is herself rescued from death by the insistent love and courage of this wild animal.
Enhanced by wonderful photos, Wesley the Owl is a thoroughly engaging, heartwarming, often funny story of a complex, emotional, non-human being capable of reason, play, and, most important, love and loyalty. It is sure to be cherished by animal lovers everywhere.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com


So one day earlier this week I was lurking a friends bookshelf on Goodreads and I spotted this book. I was drawn immediately to the cover because honestly how can you NOT find the picture of young Wesley adorable. I must say he really was a handsome fellow and Stacey O'Brien was a lucky girl indeed.

Now I'm not normally one to read animal stories mostly because they usually end in the animal dying. But I am NOT I repeat NOT against them. I have enjoyed the couple that I have read and I hope to be reading more books like this one in the near future.

Right off the bat I knew that I would come to love this book, the author Stacey O'Brien wrote it beautifully and with heart. She had the rare ability to make a book like this come alive while I was reading it and it was almost as if I were in the room with her and Wesley.

Reading about Wesley's antics was hilarious and I found myself laughing rather loudly when he decided that Stacey was no longer his mother but his mate and proceeded to mate with her arm and attempted to feed her dead mice while she was sleeping as well as making nests for her. Honestly what more could a gal want? He even did a stand up job protecting her from other people who came into their "territory" (Her room).

What I loved most about this book is that you could feel the love Stacey and Wesley shared emanating off of every page. The book was so good that I finished it in a few short hours. I commend Stacey on her efforts and I hope that her, her grandma and both of their owls get a chance to hang out one day.  As for the ending I did have a tear but had to curb my impulse to cry since I was finishing the book on the bus to school this morning.

I recommend this to everyone. It's one of the best books I've read this year and I guarantee you will never look at owls the same ever again and maybe it can encourage people to have their say and help the efforts to end the way owls are treated now.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★