The Desert Year

Written by: Joseph Wood Krutch

First line: Scenery, as such, never meant much to me. 

Why you should read this book: A New England academic, captivated by his scant passing views of the Sonoran Desert, dedicates a sabbatical year and change to living among the saguaros so as to learn the secrets of this strange landscape. Meandering yet focused, the narrative begins afresh with every chapter, with some observation of plant, animal, terrain, or weather serving as a springboard to the author's thoughts about life on earth (human and otherwise), philosophy, sociology, spirituality, along with biology, zoology, botany, and any other scholarly pursuit that springs to mind. In the tradition of the amateur American naturalist, Krutch endeavors to sit with his environment until it makes itself known to him, and then, in his professorial capacity, turns to books and experts to make further sense of the revelations granted to those who learn to love the land as they love themselves. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: I guess if you didn't like Walden when you were in college, you won't like this. 

 

American Vampire Volume 7

Written by: Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, Matías Bergara, Dave McCaig

First line: We can't stay much longer.

Why you should read this book: I don't know how I ended up reading volume seven in a series of which I hadn't read volumes 1-6, but I'm glad I did, because every time I think vampires are played out and nobody will ever have an original thought about vampires, someone does. I loved the concept of the evolution of vampires and the different species with different origins living together as refugees with a common and terrifying enemy, and the historical pieces of the tale, hinting at ancient evils buried in the earth. With no background on the world or the characters, I was still able to follow the narrative and find myself engaged by the plot in this refreshing and compelling volume.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Some creepy monsters and also a very creepy pregnancy.

The Sunhat

Written by: Jennifer Ward and Stephanie Roth Sisson

First line: Rosa wore a sunhat red as rubies, soft as sand.

Why you should read this book: A red hat blown into the desert becomes a shelter for a variety of animals who stretch it out before it's miraculously returned to its owner. The drawings are adorable, and beautifully depict the Sonoran Desert and its denizens. Simple and enjoyable.

Why you shouldn't read this book: While the setting makes it somewhat unique, we've seen this story many, many, many times before in various formats (Jan Brett's The Mitten comes immediately to mind).

The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 18

Written by: Chuck Dixon et al.

First line: The Zamoran dawn sheds crimson tears of a rebellion met with doom.

Why you should read this book: Fighting, death, thievery, death, sex, death, magic, death, betrayal, death, monsters, death, and more fighting, and more death. I should probably feel guilty about how much I enjoy slipping into the world of Conan, a world in which one man defeats gods (sometimes on a daily basis) and survives impossible odds every single day. Conan lives by a code, and while it wouldn't get you or me very far in our world, in Conan's world it always makes sense and it always ends with Conan surviving.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You demand accountability in your fantasy fiction.

King Solomon's Mines

Written by: H. Rider Haggard

First line: It is a curious thing that at my age--fifty-five last birthday--I should find myself taking up a pen to try and write a history.

Why you should read this book: Perhaps the quintessential colonialist mindset adventure book of darkest Africa, the story of elephant hunter Allan Quartermain is markedly less racist than the Tarzan novels, with a slightly different breed of sexism. Figuring he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, Quartermain sets out to help Sir Henry locate his long lost brother, last seen questing for the untold riches of King Solomon's Mines. Accompanied by the stunning African warrior Umbopa and the well-dressed retired sailor Captain Good, they face privation, intrigue, the threat of death around every corner, and the possibility of the greatest treasure upon which any Englishman has ever laid his eyes.

Why you shouldn't read this book: A complete and marked lack of petticoats.

Ocean Power: Poems from the Desert

Written by: Ofelia Zepeda

First line: In the dark shadows of an early summer morning, the muffled movements in the outdoor kitchen filter around the corner where we sleep.

Why you should read this book: This delicious and refreshing poetry collection, written in English and Tohono O'odham, takes the reader on an intimate journey through the many moods of the Sonoran Desert, though the eyes of a women who grew up immersed in its seasons. Clouds, rain, wind, dust, and heat form the tactile landmarks through a world comprised in equal parts unyielding reality and fluid spirituality. As a child in the cotton fields, as an adult contemplating the ocean, Zepeda's words imbue her experience with radiant energy, illuminating tumbleweeds, long hair, and dish towels so that they possess as much power as the massive forces of nature that surround her.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't take the heat.

The Nature of Arizona

Edited by: James Kavanagh

First line: James C. Rettie wrote the following essay while working for the National Forest Service in 1948. In a flash of brilliance, he converted the statistics from an existing government pamphlet on soil erosion into an analogy for the ages.

Why you should read this book: A handy little overview, this guide begins with a great description of the history of life in earth, then discusses evolution in general before delving into the specifics of the region's land and climate. The bulk of the book is color coded and divided by groups: mammals; birds; reptiles and amphibians; fishes; invertebrates; trees, shrubs, and cacti; and wildflowers, with short descriptive blurbs and color drawings of each species. Multiple appendices list attractions by region of the state, popular hikes, desert survival information, and more, making it a useful reference for tourists or newcomers to the state.

Why you shouldn't read this book: The size and scope of this book means that there is no depth to any entry, and that many species are omitted entirely.

Now and Forever

Author: Ray Bradbury

First line: There was a desert prairie filled with wind and sun and sagebrush and a silence that grew sweetly up in wildflowers.

Why you should read this book: Bradbury beats a new path through a forest of familiar old tropes in a pair of novellas that parse time and desire. In "Somewhere a Band Is Playing," a reporter travels to a desert oasis of small town fantasy where he uncovers a true understanding of youth, aging, and drinking deep from the cup of miraculous life. In "Leviathan '99," an ambitious astronaut named Ishmael is tossed through an updated reimagining of Moby Dick as his mad captain drags the crew across the universe in pursuit of the great, white comet.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You prefer love stories with more sweat and space operas with more blood.

Lucky Breaks

Author: Susan Patron

First line: Eleven, Lucky thought from her seat at the back of the school bus, eleven, eleven, eleven, and the idea of it, the sound of it, threw off sparks in her head.

Why you should read this book: Now that she's almost, almost eleven and has an officially adopted new mom, Lucky has big, grown-up things to worry about, like her best friend Lincoln disappearing to England on the basis of his superb knot-tying skills, and the coffin-like package delivered to Short Sammy's water tank, and a tragically romantic lost artifact at the bottom of an abandoned mine, and the gland inside her that occasionally makes her do something mean and shameful, and the self-conscious question of how her life appears to people from outside Hard Pan. When a group of big-city geologists show up at her mom's new cafe, Lucky finds something a growing girl needs: a best girl friend who can make her laugh until it hurts and doesn't mind a little adventure now and then. This sequel to the Newbery winner The Higher Power of Lucky is another smart, introspective voyage through the mind of an intelligent child forging her way across a rich and rocky landscape of youthful desire and wonder.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Fear of the rampaging wild donkey, devastator of innocent desert tomato plants.



(Note: Susan Patron kindly sent me an advanced reader's copy of this book, which will be commercially available March 10. Orders placed through Amazon before that date will be shipped next month when the book is released.)

The Higher Power of Lucky

Author: Susan Patron

First line: Lucky Trimble crouched in a wedge of shade behind the Dumpster.

Why you should read this book: Talk about misnomers: Lucky's father never wanted her; her mother accidentally stepped on a live wire, electrocuting herself while admiring the landscape after a storm; and Lucky's guardian, her father's beautiful, sophisticated, first wife, Brigitte, hates the hardscrabble town of Hard Pan (population 43) and is certain to abandon Lucky to an orphanage and run home to France any day. This is the rare book where the child narrator's voice dovetails seamlessly with exquisite writing, every sentence heavy with meaning, humor, and life, inspiring real characters moving through real landscapes to deal with real conflicts. Just a perfect novel (the Newbery committee thought so too).

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're offended by the concept of a Higher Power.

Efrain of the Sonoran Desert: A Lizard's Life among the Seri Indians

Author: Amalia Astorga as told to Gary Paul Nabhan

First line: As I pulled my kayak up onto the beach below the Seri village--before any of the girls and boys ran up to greet me--I spotted a zebra-tailed lizard lounging in the sun.

Why you should read this book: A brilliant lens on an endangered indigenous culture, this book is broken into three rough parts: Nabhan's two experiences as a visitor to the Seri people; Astorga's story about the intelligent sand-dwelling lizard who became her friend; and supplemental information about the Seri, other endangered cultures, Sonoran lizards, and conservation. Each section is delightful, but the central story about Efraim, who is as faithful to Astorga "as any husband could be," is a true gem. This book functions on many levels and is appropriate for very young children (provided they are capable of surviving the death of a beloved creature in a story) as well as older children and adults.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't get the big deal about some endangered reptiles dying in the desert.

Letters of a Woman Homesteader

Author: Elinore Pruitt Stewart

First line: Dear Mrs. Coney,--Are you thinking I am lost, like the Babes in the woods?

Why you should read this book: In 1909, a young, widowed single mother, seeking a cure for the grippe and the rigors of city life, relocates to Wyoming intent on demonstrating that women can homestead. With a clear head and a joyful heart, she throws herself into the rigors of country life, delighting in the natural beauty that surrounds her, while endearing herself to every sort of neighbor. Her letters to an old friend back home are written with spectacular description, fine humor, and an overall sense of the pioneer spirit that drives Stewart to overcome hardship and embrace love as she follows her dreams.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You belong to an outlaw polygamist Mormon sect. Also, some casual use of the n-word along with a few playful stereotypes of different European peoples.

Trouble at Sugar Dip Well

Author: Esther Pearl Watson

First line: Out in the brown and dusty West lived a cowgirl names Jules, who was genuine like leather, strong like licorice.

Why you should read this book: A joyful take on the spaghetti Western, this book lets girls get in on the fun, with a heroine who's smart, strong, and generous, and a horse who can "sing, dance, cook, make a mean cup of coffee, multiply, divide, and speak three languages." Written in the cadence of the old West and drawing on every oater cliche imaginable, this story will enthrall both children and adults with its regional tale of good versus evil. Riding, roping, secret passages, exploding dynamite, and fresh lemonade fill a really well-written, entertaining story.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't abide the bullying of buffaloes.

Clarence Goes Out West and Meets a Purple Horse

Author: Jean Eckman Adams

First line: Clarence is going on a trip.

Why you should read this book: Clarence is a little edgy about his trip to a dude ranch, but Smoky, his horse for the week, gives him plenty of confidence to ride, dance, gamble, and play the washtub in a cowboy band in this gorgeously and whimsically illustrated book. When Clarence learns that Smoky is getting long in the tooth and is about to be sent out to pasture, the little pig knows he must save his big friend. Sacrifice in the name of friendship makes perfect sense and changes Clarence's life for good.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You'd send an old horse to a glue factory.

Sonoran Desert Wildflowers

Author: Richard Spellenberg

First line: This guide is designed for the identification of wildflowers and shrubs and trees with showy flowers from the Sonoran Desert north of Mexico, an area covering much of southeastern California and southern Arizona.

Why you should read this book: The introduction puts it pretty succinctly, and you certainly could use it as a guide to identify Sonoran wildflowers; that was my intended purpose, anyway, but once I got it home, I became much more interested in reading it to see common names like "yellow-throat monkeyflower," "hoary tansy-aster," and "rosy desert-beard tongue," along with scientific descriptions like "densely glandular-hairy." Overall, it's a neat little book with full-color photographs for every species, detailed physical descriptions, and lots of interesting extra information, sometimes lyrical and lovely. Organized by color, the guide is easy to use, fun to read, and includes a glossary, an index, and an additional reading list.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You neither want to identify wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert nor amuse yourself by reading bizarre plant names.

The Monkey Wrench Gang

Author: Edward Abbey

First line: When a new bridge between two sovereign states of the United States has been completed, it is time for speech.

Why you should read this book: Joyfully provocative, controversial, and contradictory, this dynamic novel begat the Earth First! movement and remains the bible for eco-warriors more than thirty years after its original publication. United by a love of the land and disgust with the havoc wreaked by industry on the pristine desert, the four members of the Monkey Wrench Gang unite to make war against the machines that systematically destroy the environment in the name of progress. Rich in details, both of the landscape as well as the methods used to take down construction equipment, billboards, and bridges, this story is a fast-paced tour with an irreverent guide intent on preserving paradise at almost any cost.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think the desert is a lot of wasted space and you don't see why it shouldn't be strip mined, clear cut, and paved over.

Desert Solitaire

Author: Edward Abbey

First line: This is the most beautiful place on earth.

Why you should read this book: Abbey's experimental sojourn in to the desert involved masquerading as a park ranger while injecting himself into the enviroment, injecting the environment into himself, and gulping up the landscape like a drowning man gasping for air. Describing the stark beauty of a single tree, a brutal stretch of sun-baked rock, or the tourists whose automobile culture encroach on the pristine splendor of his world, Abbey's book is vivid, angry, awe-inspired, and real. He warns his reader not to go looking for his eden, that technology has improved the wilderness right out of existence, and we have only the vibrant colors of his linguistic snapshots to haunt our future, reminding us how progress can take us further from perfection.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You believe everything worth seeing can be seen from the driver's seat of your SUV.