Page 63 - Avid Reader News Today

“On Animals” by Susan Orlean; Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster (288 pages, $27)

NONFICTION: A quarter-century of essays about animals and their humans from one of Americas most noted animal lovers. "On Animals" by Susan Orlean; Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster (288 pages,

Orleans descriptions of the animals on the Hudson Valley farm where she once lived may evoke a warm feeling — but those of donkeys in Fez and others in her essays may conjure other emotions.

Take a look at Susan Orlean's contributors page at newyorker.com and you'll see that the topics of her essays—more than any other subject—have been about animals. A collection of those essays is available in a new book, aptly titled On Animals. KMUW's Beth Golay recently spoke with Orlean about the collection for this week's Marginalia.

China says Australia's new security pact with the UK and US could severely damage regional peace and intensify the arms race, and 70% of Australians over the age of 16 have now had their first COVID vaccine dose.

Mims Cushing says the gripping story -- about an airplane pilot facing life-or-death choices -- is an impressive debut novel from T.J. Newman.

Bay Area mask recommendations bring a mix of frustration and acceptance FacebookTwitterEmail 1of3 Marinka Swift buys a book from Sophia Fingerman at Avid Reader in Davis on Friday. Yolo is one of nine California counties that are recommending everyone wear masks indoors again. Avid Reader’s staff continues to wear masks.Salgu Wissmath/Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less 2of3 Thomas Gammer browses in a mask at Avid Reader in Davis. Yolo County recommends masks indoors.Salgu Wissmath / S...

View Comments On a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York several years ago, flight attendant T.J. Newman suddenly had a thought: What would happen if someone kidnapped a pilot’s family and demanded that the pilot crash the plane in exchange for their family’s safety? Unable to shake the thought, she posed the hypothetical question to a pilot she worked with several days later. His response was not a reassuring one. “The look on his face terrified me because I knew he didnt have an a...

With restrictions lifting everywhere, venturing out doesn't mean abandoning your books. Ten summer reads to help you mark the return of beach season

Monthly book release highlights from bookstagrammer @jord_reads_books