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jeannepathfinder's review
4.0
I was both in awe and appalled by this book. The author started by rescuing an injured dove by the side of the road, and ended up turning her house and yard into a sanctuary for exotic birds. I had no idea that so many birds needed rescued, just like other pets like cats and dogs.
mcinsmile's review
3.0
This was well told, but not particularly interesting for me. I am very interested in birding in nature. This is an account of one woman's journey from accidental wild bird rehabber to endangered bird breeder. I couldn't shake the judgy feeling that this was crazy cat lady/Carole Baskin of exotic captive birds. If exotic captive birds are your thing, you might really like this.
zptdoda's review
3.0
Cute read. Not a huge fan of birds and was trying to learn more to appreciate them -- this book was a start. The short stories she told of the birds she rescued were sweet, but was hoping for more - now wondering where those birds are and how their rescue is doing - off to the blog. Loved the photos, but wish there had been a photo of Sweetie!
bookwormmichelle's review
5.0
Very fun little book! The author began taking in rescued birds, ended up running a conservation breeding program. She loves her birds and it is easy to see why--she excels at describing their personalities.
kathymisun's review
5.0
What a delightful book! I learned a lot - but especially loved the stories of the various birds who live at Pandemonium. This is a great book for middle-school and up, too.
boggremlin's review
3.0
Raffin's chronicle of Pandemonium, her bird sanctuary, is a charming story of unexpected animal relationships. After rescuing an injured dove, Raffin gradually becomes an avian enthusiast (and transforms her family's home into an all-encompassing series of bird enclosures). Recommended for fans of animal stories, conservation efforts, and a memoirist who's not afraid to laugh at her own enthusiasm.
sunshynne's review
5.0
I loved this book! Every chapter I laughed and I cried. I wish this book were longer, I would've loved more stories about these fascinating and beautiful birds.
sasha_in_a_box's review
5.0
I need to add a "biiiiirds" shelf on here, since I've been slightly bird-crazy lately. But for good reason! Birds are awesome, and I can't have one so I'm living vicariously through these bird-nerds and their loud and crazy lives.
I used to think I wasn't much into nonfiction because I've read some boring stuff, but books like this one give them a good name. There wasn't a single boring sentence throughout. Michele Raffin rose from clueless bird-noob with a soft spot for an injured dove to an owner of one of the most successful bird sanctuaries in the world in about ten years. She has large flocks of amazing birds such as the Victoria crown pigeon
Green naped pheasant pigeon
I looked up all the birds she mentioned, and some of them are unbelievably gorgeous:
Lady Gouldian Finch
Bleeding Heart Pigeon
Plum-headed Parakeet
The Diva-licious African Crane
And many more.
Michele Raffin writes with amazing empathy for these birds. I never knew how strong their personalities were or just how tightly they can wrap a measly human around their finger. Her dedication is nothing I've seen before. I'm pretty blown away by how this woman found birds, how much she invested in them right off the bat, and how she barely hesitated to let birds take over her life. She's sure lucky to have a pretty great husband and kids, who seem to just shake their heads and chuckle at their crazy bird poop-covered Michele yet run and help when needed. Especially her husband who got singled out by Amigo the parrot with an affectionate nickname of "Asshole!" What a fun house to live in.
It's too bad that the aviary is closed to the public, because I'd go visit Pandemonium when in SF. I'll just keep watching her youtube videos and looking at pretty bird pictures.
The females of the Eclectus parrot are always blue and red, and the males are green! So cool!
-I got a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review-
I used to think I wasn't much into nonfiction because I've read some boring stuff, but books like this one give them a good name. There wasn't a single boring sentence throughout. Michele Raffin rose from clueless bird-noob with a soft spot for an injured dove to an owner of one of the most successful bird sanctuaries in the world in about ten years. She has large flocks of amazing birds such as the Victoria crown pigeon
Green naped pheasant pigeon
I looked up all the birds she mentioned, and some of them are unbelievably gorgeous:
Lady Gouldian Finch
Bleeding Heart Pigeon
Plum-headed Parakeet
The Diva-licious African Crane
And many more.
Michele Raffin writes with amazing empathy for these birds. I never knew how strong their personalities were or just how tightly they can wrap a measly human around their finger. Her dedication is nothing I've seen before. I'm pretty blown away by how this woman found birds, how much she invested in them right off the bat, and how she barely hesitated to let birds take over her life. She's sure lucky to have a pretty great husband and kids, who seem to just shake their heads and chuckle at their crazy bird poop-covered Michele yet run and help when needed. Especially her husband who got singled out by Amigo the parrot with an affectionate nickname of "Asshole!" What a fun house to live in.
It's too bad that the aviary is closed to the public, because I'd go visit Pandemonium when in SF. I'll just keep watching her youtube videos and looking at pretty bird pictures.
The females of the Eclectus parrot are always blue and red, and the males are green! So cool!
-I got a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review-