Ahoy there me mateys!  I loved the author's naturalist memoir h is for hawk and was gratified to get a copy of this new offering from the publisher.  I started reading it and realized that I missed listening to the author read her own work.  So I got an audiobook copy and felt that was the best way for me to experience these stories.

Unlike her previous book, this is not one larger narrative but rather a series of essays and snippets on various topics.  I listened to this in short bursts and this was both the highlight and the weakness.  I would have loved many of the topics to be explored in more depth but also found the majority of the subjects fascinating.

The favorite was the titular story which concerned swifts.  I knew nothing about them and was spellbound reading about them and then proceeded to share facts about the birds with every person I came across that day.  Other awesome topics included search for life near volcanoes, ostrich farming, and the market for finches.  Birds are a central theme to this work.

What makes this collection so wonderful is not just the animal facts but how the author muses on nature, philosophy, history, climate change, politics, etc.  It is not heavy handed, even when I don't agree with the viewpoint, but it is thought-provoking.  Macdonald views the world in ways I don't and that makes this book so worth reading.  Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank ye kindly Grove Press!