“Adventures of a Louisiana Birder, 1 Year, 2 Wings, 300 Species”
by Marybeth Lima
A tale of intrigue, a near-death experience, humorous mishaps and a year-long road trip. Does this sound like the most recent account from your favorite dashing international journalist? A diary from the frontline? A travelogue from dangerous jungles? How about the heretofore undisclosed exciting life of a birder?
LSU professor Marybeth Lima brings a tale of excitement and turmoil, science and nature, all while on the trail to document Louisiana’s unique bird population. Traversing the state, along with her spouse Lynn, Lima reveals the down and dirty side of birding, all while documenting 300 species of birds from the lush and unique Louisiana habitat.
“Adventures of a Louisiana Birder, 1 Year, 2 Wings, 300 Species” by Marybeth Lima, LSU Press, 272 Pages, $39.95
“The Art of Place”
by Lee Ledbetter
New Orleans architect and interior designer Lee Ledbetter believes that incorporating a home’s history with clean and classic design is essential to create interiors that are at once modern and mindful of the past. “The Art of Place,” Ledbetter’s first book, will inspire both professionals and fans of design.
“The Art of Place” by Lee Ledbetter, Rizzoli, 240 pages, $34.43
“There is a real talent to capturing complicated ideas with simplicity and humor. These essays on the history of science and philosophy were excellent. Just my type of book.” – Perry Missner (Lafayette Public Librarian)
“When Einstein Walked with Gödel: Excursions to the Edge of Thought” by Jim Holt, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 384 pages, $28.00
BEACH READ
“Who Slays the Wicked”
by C.S. Harris, Berkley Press, 352 pages, $26.00.
The latest from local writer C.S. Harris takes Regency hero Sebastian St. Cyr on a new mysterious adventure. After a notorious nobleman is found brutally murdered, St. Cyr must find a killer, while navigating a maze of misdirects, suspicious clues and a web of rumor and intrigue among the London elite. Harris is a writer who has the smarts and experience to back up her writing, with a PhD in European history, time spent on archeological digs across the country and a passport stamped from time in Spain, England, Australia and more international destinations. She now calls Louisiana home.
ASK A LIBRARIAN
Lafayette Public Librarian Perry Missner offers some reading recommendations along with Twitter-sized reviews:
FICTION
“You Think It, I’ll Say It”
by Curtis Sittenfeld
“Intriguing short stories, mainly about power dynamics between couples. Thoughts on fame, the past, and motherhood. I will read more by this author.”
“The Witch Elm”
by Tana French
“I thought the first 75 percent of this book was extremely compelling and French set up a beautiful mystery. The resolution dragged a bit. The audio was very well read.”
NONFICTION
“Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side”
by Julia Shaw
“An examination of what people think as evil is usually something that they have not considered fully. Looks at some of the strangeness of people in an effort to ‘demystify the other.’ There seemed to be an odd tone shift in the middle of the book.”
