Birdie

Very prose heavy but that's ofc what you should expect with Mary Oliver (and hopefully enjoy if you're picking up one of her books). Definitely don't recommend it as a first read if you're trying to get into the author. The writing is lovely but it never falters much in rhythm or pace, making it a 'slow' read to get through, but since I was looking for something to sit down with and pick back up when I felt like it rather than something to complete in a single sitting, I had a good experience with this book.

SUCH a fantastic book. I came from this having seen the film first, so I knew what to expect from the overall plot, but the book does an amazing job. It's a little slow from time to time but I like to think of it as more of a Greek tragedy, especially as far as the direction the metaphors and characterization go.

It also makes an effort to keep the scope of the world and the enormity of everything happening around them in it pretty large while still giving that sense of isolation and focus on this small group of survivors. And there are quite a few horrific or violent scenes or descriptions, but it makes conscious effort not to desensitize you to it. To make you aware of how horrified our characters are by it, and why they feel that way, further solidifying their established characteristics and personalities and also expanding on them. So the horror of it gives it a purpose instead of ONLY being to gross out and scare the reader.

I think the build up to the ending was very good. All these bits and pieces leading to the final revelation about how the world moves forward and progresses after the apocalypse, all driven by this little girl who's far too intelligent and also a little blinded by her own curiosity and the moral principles of an 'old world' that she's been so recklessly shaped with.

Overall I recommend this read, especially if you're a fan of subversion within a genre and enjoy a good post apocalyptic story. It's a little less action heavy and a lot more introspective and character driven, so if you're going into it expecting a fast-paced thrill you'll be pretty disappointed. One of those books you can spend a lot of comfortable time getting to know.

The descriptions of the character's actions get long and drawn out from time to time but I think it's an important read regardless, if not to learn the bleaker origins of the animated cartoon then for its exploration and themes of urbanization and environmentalism. Has some interesting ideas about how urbanization and the loss of nature forces animal and man alike to behave in a way that does not come naturally, which I think is the main value the book brings.

CONTENT WARNINGS for the book are: Scat and references to it (in terms of animals and animal behavior but it's pretty commonplace and frequent in this book), animal death and baby animal death, rabies and an attack by a rabid animal (specifically an attack on children), a lot of references to and descriptions of 'breeding' that border on being personified from the animal's point of view and also have a separation through the lens of animal psychology and behavior, making the overall effect pretty icky.

I think I got all of them but as always be safe and take care!

A very fun children's book that integrates aspects of magical realism with a coming of age story following a girl who goes on a search for her missing sister. This was a go-to read I had growing up, it's short and sweet and easy to pick up more than once. For an adult the storytelling is pretty linear and predictable at times but it's still a nice read. It plays with fairy tale tropes in an interesting way while still creating its own loose 'rules' for how magic functions and is viewed within this society.

"Crags" are treated as a marginalized group and I think having the main character and her family be Vietnamese (a minority as well) while still holding a bias against Crags holds a space for a lot of nuance without talking down to the younger audience.

Some minor body horror elements were sprinkled throughout but nothing terribly grotesque or uncomfortable. Definitely appropriate for a middle grade reader.