For the Love of the Earth and All Things Green.

      For the Month of April, I chose a theme that is Earth friendly. Since Earth Day is in April, I wanted to read books that were about climate change, global warming or had an Earth friendly theme of some kind. I have read some young adult books on this particular theme before, usually with a dystopian theme but I tried to find some adult fiction with the same theme. I really didn't find very many that I had access to. However, as I am finding with this monthly themed reading I found some interesting books that I would not have ordinarily picked out myself. So let's get started with the Earth love.  

     The first novel I read was South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby. This book is way out of my typical choice for reading. Towards the end of the book, there was LOTS of science that was a little above my head, but all in all it was an interesting read. It was about an artist who gets a grant to go to the South Pole station. The main purpose of the station is for scientist to study global warming. There was a group to prove the effects of global warning with one scientist who was trying to disprove the theory of global warming. The politics of global warning was addressed and played into the funding of the project. The main character, Cooper was an artist and received an art grant to stay at the South Pole station. I thought it was interesting that the project included an artist, a dancer, a novelist, and a psychologist. Living at the South Pole takes a toll on a person not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This was a unique book that I would not have typically picked up if I had not looked for books with an environmental theme. It definitely made me stop and think about how being isolated in an area like the South Pole would make an impact on a person. Some of the characters found themselves missing green grass, sunshine, and various foods. Not a bad book to check out if you like to read something that makes you think about things in a different way. 

           

photo from Goodreads.com

      As we leave the South Pole we enter the library. The next book, Weather by Jenny Offill is written in short fragments and inner monologues. Occasionally there are snippets of the main character, Lizzie, and a typical day at the library where she works and interacts with patrons. I thought it was kind of cool that she was a librarian, I always love reading about fellow librarians. She helps a mentor answer emails and letters addressing issues on a podcast that she hosts. As she addresses queries and comments from the public at the library, and deals with answering mail from fans of the podcast, she starts to become engrossed in all things survival. Lizzie's obsession with the change in the weather and how it might affect her world has her second guessing if she is ready for a disaster if it happens. It really doesn't help that she plays "psychologist" for her brother who has addiction issues and her mother who has other issues.  Due to the fragments, this was a quick read; but I don't feel I get to know the characters as well with this style of writing. The format is not my favorite type of book to read, but the concept was interesting. 

photo from amazon.com

          If you really want to find a great read that deals with global warming or climate change, then you need to search through the young adult section of the library or book store. There are lots of dystopian books about what might happen to the earth if the weather patterns change. Such scenarios as moon phases changing and causing huge tides to flood the earth or make the earth's atmosphere much cooler causing things to freeze over. How about rampant forest fires that clear out a whole area or running our of clean drinking water, which is a very real fear for some countries, or even cities. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis is a YA novel about the earth running short of drinking water. Part of the population is wiped out due to bacterial diseases caused by bad drinking water. Many of the population has moved from rural areas to big cities, with multiple people living in single family housing just to find clean drinking water. Those who choose to stay in the rural areas have to defend their clean water supplies like the cowboys had to protect their herds years ago. They stand guard with a rifle until they know the approaching visitor is friend or foe. Lynn has been taught to guard the family pond with a rifle from her roof top since she was a toddler. She and her mom live in their basement and very rarely go into the house upstairs. This is a unique story with unforgettable characters. The grittiness of the YA dystopian is what attracts young readers, but they tend to hook me as well. 

The last title I want to talk about has been my very favorite in this category. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver is a beautifully written book. I listened to it on audiobook and it was read by the author. She has a very soothing voice and she included a soundtrack of the woods with birds singing and crickets chirping between chapters. This is not a global warming themed book, but it is an Earth friendly book. There are three story lines in the book and each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters from a story line. The setting is a rural area on farms and mountains in Virginia near southern Appalachia. Three of the characters have backgrounds in biology and the study of wildlife, insects or moths. All three story lines have females as their main characters that are strong and well versed in their field of study and often stand out in the community. I learned so much about how certain insects help plants that I didn't already know. I tend to be a naturalist myself and enjoy things that are organic and natural, so this book was right up my alley. It was also written very beautifully. I have read some of Kingsolver's books before, but it has been a while. I have read The Bean Trees and The Poison Wood Bible. Both were good books but it has been a while since I have read them and now I am interested in reading more of her work. If you do not come away after reading this book wanting to grow butterfly bushes, start your own bee hive or begin composting, then you didn't pay attention while reading it. I highly recommend taking time to slow down, enjoy the songs of the birds and read this book in a hammock among the trees. 

                            photo by abebooks.com

     We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I have not been able to really cook much lately. I really miss not being able to bake or make some of my homemade favorites. So, instead of sharing a recipe, I wish to share some photos of another hobby I really enjoy, flowers. I am not a cold weather person. I stay cold from around September 15th until May 1st. Once Spring rolls around, I feel so much better. The longer days of daylight, warmer evenings, sunshine just do my soul a world of good. I am not very good at it, but I do enjoy planting flowers. I also enjoy taking walks and enjoying God's creation and taking pictures along the way. So, I thought I would share some wonderful pictures of nature I have noticed this Spring. We have had wonderful blooms and color this year. I guess the wet winter helped to make the trees and plants bloom full of color this Spring. 

First came the pop of trees:

My neighborhood had some of the most beautiful dogwoods this year. I also noticed that the Bradford pears and the red buds were bright as well. I don't think I have seen them as full as they were this year. I have the runny nose to prove it too.

My forsythia in the front yard goes a little crazy each year. Our dog, Phil loves to do his share by helping to "water" my plants.

This beauty was outside of our local public library where I work. Not sure what it is, but it was just so full and pretty for about 5 days then the blooms fell off. 

This is my Japanese snowball bush. It has not bloomed for two years, but decided to this year. It grows like crazy. My husband pruned it severely last year and he thought he may have killed it. However, it is very hearty and came back with a vengeance. 

My knock out roses usually bloom by Derby weekend. I had one beauty partially open this year on Derby. 

This was the Monday after Derby and it was fully open with two more buds starting to bloom. I have a difficult time keeping the leaves on these. Something, maybe Japanese beetles, want to strip the leaves from my roses. I use Seven Dust, which Nannie in Prodigal Summer would not be happy with me. 

My azalea bushes are some of my favorites. I have one smaller one that I just can't seem to get to grow any bigger, and a large shrub by the front porch that was here when I bought the house in the late 1990's. It is a little big and out of control, but my husband pruned it back a lot last year and it looks better than it has in a while. I just can't make myself dig it up for fear of killing it. I love the color. 

Finally, my small potted annuals that I planted on Derby day this year: petunias, small pansies, begonias, sunlight inpatients, and I think some type of daisies. 

And, what has become my favorite hearty flower, the pansy. I planted these pansies last fall at the end of the season right before it got cold. They endured the eight inches of snow this winter and had blooms after the snow melted. Such a strong, yet delicate flower. 

Thank you for visiting my blog and make sure you stop by next month. I am still debating on what topic to read about during the month of May. We will be at the beach for one week in May, so I may just do beach reads. 

Keep reading and don't forget to take time to stop and smell the flowers.