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Review: You've never seen 'Sound of Music' like this
Cleveland R&B vocalist to make Akron debut
Actor Bernsen enjoying ride of derby movie project
End of an era: Oprah ending show after 25 years
Ohio native takes second place on 'Project Runway'
'New Moon' casts spell on fans
'The Blind Side' scores as feel-good crowd-pleaser
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Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Angel Food Ministries helps stretch grocery dollars
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 13-47
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Published on Sunday, Oct 21, 2007
Jim Roetzel lets his photographs do the talking in his beautiful new book, Birds of North America. In his introduction, Roetzel explains his decision to keep descriptive text to a minimum: That information (migration, habitat) is readily available elsewhere, and ''there [are] few books available . . . that simply focus on communicating the joy of birds.''
Although quite a few of the photos are taken close to his Cuyahoga Falls home, such as those in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Roetzel traveled to Nome, Alaska, for his shot of a Lapland longspur and a northern wheater; the horned lark, which the caption says is the only true lark native to North America, was found in Manitoba.
The book is divided into sections not by geography but by the birds' form and role in nature: birds of prey, open country or woodland, duck-like or gull-like, wading and shore birds. Roetzel notes with a ''CC'' which photos have been taken under controlled conditions, such as that of a pink flamingo in the San Diego Zoo.
To anyone familiar with Roetzel's work, it need hardly be said that the photos are masterful. The birds that seem most drab achieve dignity: See the little brown winter wren from St. Paul Island, Alaska, its feathers a little ruffled, its yellow-and-orange beak giving it a haughty look.
The color reproduction is superior. Birds of North America (160 pages, hardcover) costs $26.95 from Twin Lights Publishers, http://www.twinlightspub.com.
Ohio's fossil history
Ohio University Press is crowing about its first book for young readers, but adults can learn plenty from Under Ohio: The Story of Ohio's Rocks and Fossils, a refreshing, noncondescending look at the prehistoric events that shaped our state.
Michigan geologist Charles Ferguson Barker describes the Ice Age, tells about a mountain range called the Greenville Mountains (they're gone now) and, in bright, precise crayon drawings, shows how Ohio was south of the equator 300 million years ago. There's a glossary and an appendix of sites to visit: With permission, you can look for fossils at Lodi City Park in Medina County. Under Ohio (56 pages, hardcover) costs $17.95 from http://www.ohioswallow.com.
Tale of Kelleys Island
The 350-some people who call Kelleys Island their full-time home may know all about its history, but the thousands who visit every summer and want a souvenir will be pleased with Kelleys Island: An Island Story, an overview by Claudia M. Brown.
Brown tells of the island's pre-history, early industry (wineries, quarries, fishing) and how residents get mail, education and access to health care. There are plenty of color photos.
Kelleys Island (80 pages, hardcover) is available from publishers Don and Sandy Alexander, former Brimfield Township residents whose Kelleys Cove gift shop will mail-order the book for $38; call 419-746-2622. The author, Brown, is an island resident and painter/ceramist.
Meet the author
Cookbook author Bev Shaffer will give a chocolate demonstration and sign her books from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Highland Square branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 807 W. Market St. Seating is limited, and reservations are required; call 330-376-2927.
Cleveland journalist Michael Heaton will sign Truth and Justice for Fun and Profit: Collected Reporting on Tuesday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. On Thursday, Dario Castagno will sign A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide; and on Friday, North Royalton ''Ghost Whisperer'' Mary Ann Winkowski will talk about being a paranormal investigator and sign When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits. All appearances are at 7 p.m.
Our Lady of the Elms Alumnae Association continues its 21st season of Author! Author! on Wednesday at the high school auditorium, 1375 W. Exchange St. Featured authors are Robert Olmstead (Civil War novel Coal Black Horse), Russ Musarra and Chuck Ayers (illustrated essays Walks Around Akron: Rediscovering a City in Transition) and Betsy Carter (Swim to Me, a novel about a ''mermaid'' at Florida's Weeki Wachee Springs). They will begin speaking at 11 a.m.; lunch ($25) starts at 11:30. Call 330-867-9974 for reservations.
Peg Bobel will visit the Blue Heron Bookstore on Friday from 7 to 8 p.m. with the third edition of Trail Guide to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which includes maps and photos. The shop is at 1593 Main St., Peninsula.
A.D. Adams will sign his mystery Death on Lake Ice and fantasy The Dragon Healer of Tone from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Borders Express in Chapel Hill Mall. Barbara McIntyre Special to the Beacon Journal
Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.
Jim Roetzel lets his photographs do the talking in his beautiful new book, Birds of North America. In his introduction, Roetzel explains his decision to keep descriptive text to a minimum: That information (migration, habitat) is readily available elsewhere, and ''there [are] few books available . . . that simply focus on communicating the joy of birds.''
Get the full article here.
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