Birds and Books

On my ride home from work last night I saw a lot of birds as usual. There is always a big variety of birds too. As I leave work I see doves and starlings and a pair of plovers that have been around for at least 5 years. I ride past a little pond where there are ducks and, if I’m lucky, ibis. It got me thinking about how many books I’ve read that had anything to do with birds. Well, I can’t go past a thought about books of any kind without getting out my little pad and pencil and writing some thoughts. So I pulled over to a lovely little bench on the bike path and made some notes.

My first thoughts were of that silly book (sorry!) Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I know people loved that novella in 1970 and some still hold on to that long distant memory of the beginnings of hippy spirituality so I will not write my thoughts here.

I remembered a book I read in my early teens that absolutely thrilled me – The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski. I couldn’t believe that people could write about sexual deprivation and war in that way. I wouldn’t recommend this book to many. The tie in with birds, if I remember right, was there was a man that the boy travelled with that was a bird catcher who paints the birds he catches. The Painted Bird is considered an important Holocaust book but it is rude and lewd at the same time. You can make your own mind up about this one.

I read Edward the Emu about 300 times in my life. (and I say I don’t like to re-read books!)

How about The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. Everyone either remembers this book or the movie and if you don’t, well, you should.

One of my ‘lusting for’ books is Andrew Zuckerman’s Bird. I’ve drooled over it in book shops for a couple of years now. By the way - if you don't look at links normally, make sure you look at the link for this book. The photos and movies and sounds on this page are worth the trip.

There are a few bird books on my ‘to-read’ list as well – Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes, Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey and Birds without Wings by Louis de Bernieres (I loved The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts, Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and Captain Corelli's Mandolin – the book not the movie (the movie was on my worst movies of all time list!))

The birds I see are many and I am very lucky to have them all on my 20 minute ride home. They are the best entertainment a girl could hope for on a bike ride. Especially since I am too scared to wear my ipod in case I don’t hear the bike trying to pass me or the car coming at me from behind. So, indulge me for a few minutes while I associate my birds with books.

Cockatoos: There is a book on my shelf that I have passed over many a time now called Riding the Black Cockatoo by John Danalis. I got it in the box of books that came in mail from the ABC contest I won last year. I looked it up and I think it sounds great so I will be reading it this year. Stay tuned.

Doves: I had trouble deciding between two that came to mind straight away. But then I realized that I don’t have to decide. It’s my blog! My dad gave me Lonesome Dove when it came out in the mid 80’s. My dad was a big western novel fan and I have most of his Louis L’amore collection. Larry McMurtry writes great books. I moved on to Wallace Stegner and Cormac McCarthy because of Lonesome Dove and am thankful as both of these authors have given me hours of pleasure. Lonesome Dove is an old west love story and a ripping good yarn. And Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. What a joy this book was and is. Erdrich really ‘gets’ writing people, emotions, passions and drama. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Honey Eaters: There are several birds that I have no book to associate them with, and this is a stretch but one of my favourite fiction characters of all time is Honey Barbara in Bliss by Peter Carey. She is a wonderfully realized character that has stayed with me for years. Her classic line in Bliss is “Your alarm clock is your key to freedom”. Get up early enough and you own the world.

Magpies: Debra Magpie Earling wrote a book called Perma Red. I found this book in 2002 when I was reading a lot of Erdrich. Earling has a wonderful voice in a young Native American girl who has much difficulty in her life. The landscape of Montana, the culture of the plains Indians and the depth of the characters make this a most enjoyable book. It is the only book that she has written and I sincerely hope there is another one in her somewhere.

Willie Wagtail: Another stretch but if you haven’t read Charlie and The Chocolate Factory to your kids or your partner (or your neighbour or your nephew) then do it. It is dark and funny and so clever. It has to be read out loud to be appreciated fully in my opinion.

Ducks: Wild Ducks Flying Backwards by Tom Robbins is not one of his best but still worth the effort. I have it if you want to borrow it. But my favourite duck book is Five Little Ducks – I read it several times a day for a month to my grandson and now I sing it to him once a week on Skype. Love it!

Starlings: Who could go past Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. I remember the first time I read Thomas Harris – it was Red Dragon and I got so scared. But I persisted with Silence of the Lambs which, of course, was translated into a brilliant movie. Clarice reappears in Hannibal and does some pretty gross stuff with Hannibal. The movie Hannibal was a complete cop out as far the ending was concerned – spoiler alert – in the book Clarice goes off to live with Lecter in Europe. Much juicier.

Ibis: Amitav Ghosh wrote a book - Sea of Poppies - in which the ship was called the Ibis. She sailed across the Indian Ocean transporting Opium and Asians, and is an essential character is this terrific novel.

Plovers: I remember a character in one of Robin Klein’s books called Plover. I wish I could remember the title of the book.

There are so many other birds I have no book to associate with – Galahs, Wrens, Friar Birds, Wattle Birds, Currawongs, Blackbirds (Ravens yes, but we don’t call them Ravens in Australia, do we?) and Cormorants. I know this is a silly exercise but it has been fun for me. Do you have books that relate, even vaguely, to my missing birds or birds of your own?