Suburban Safari

by Hannah Holmes; 246 pgs.

Hannah Holmes is a freelance science writer who recently moved to the suburbs in South Portland, Maine. She decides to spend a year observing the flora and fauna in her suburban yard and write about it. The book is divided into the seasons and begins with Spring. The book is a personal account of the goings-on in and around her house, interspersed with interesting tidbits on the effect of the suburban lawn on the environment. She frequently quotes an author of a book I've been trying to get my hands on for a long time, "Redesigning the American Lawn."

I enjoyed every minute of this book, it was an easy read including quirky stories of Cheeky the Chipmunk (who became a regular visitor inside her house to get sesame seeds from her hand), the crows she feeds every morning, to how earthworms are destroying the woods in New England. Her hatred for neighborhood cats and English Sparrows gets more than a few pages, as well.

I frequently patted myself on the back for my own "Freedom Lawn" and how it's helping reduce global warming... now if I could just convince everyone else. Hey, read this book!