TTT: Top Books Featuring Indigenous People/History

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Book Featuring Indigenous People

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day (used to be Columbus Day) in the U.S. I decided to go off-the-board and create a list of excellent books featuring Indigenous people! (Indigenous tribes in parenthesis)

1-3. The Justice Trilogy by Louise Erdrich (Ojibwe)

    a. The Plague of Doves (2008)

    b. The Round House (2012)

    c. LaRose (2016) 

     I cannot begin to tell you how impactful these books have been to understanding Indigenous people and culture. I sum up each book in the link about the trilogy. 

     I have really enjoyed all of the Erdich's books I've read and recommend them all. She is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa, an Ojibwe tribe. All her books include at least some Indigenous characters. The Sentence; The Night Watchman; The Mighty Red. 

4. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi)

A nonfiction book of botanical wisdom and human-nature reciprocity. It is very kind and gentle an makes one feel that they too can become a better person. There is an adult book, too, but I like the YA book better.

5. Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Blackfeet)

It might be a horror story but it is also a historical account of the heartbreaking story of what happened to the Blackfeet nation when the buffalo hunters came to their land.

6. There There by Tommy Orange (Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota, urban Native Americans)

Native Americans come to life in their own chapters but soon we see that they are almost dancing around each other as the circle dance draws closer and closer to the final event, the Big Oakland Powwow. Some of the characters will come to dance in their regalia, others will come to fulfill work commitments, while others will come with mischief in their hearts. Profound. There is a sequel: Wandering Stars.

7. Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Ojibwe)

A teenage girl works undercover for the police on her reservation. It is a mystery but it also includes lots of the tribe's traditions and cultures. The first book of a YA series. I haven't read the other books.

8. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (Osage)

A super interesting account of what happened to the Osage tribe in Oklahoma in the early 1920s. Much better than the movie which was made from it.

9. Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee, Cree, Apache, Tuscarora, Navajo, Native Hawaiian, Choctaw, Aleut/Alutiiq, and more.)

Short stories by a variety of Indigenous authors. Native teens all receive the help they need when they arrive (often magically) at the Legendary Frybread Drive-In.

10. Apple (Skin to the Core): a Memoir by Eric Gansworth (Onondaga)

A memoir written by an Indigenous author and artist. The book is written in verse and is about his life as an outsider. He is a member of one tribe but lived on a reservation for another tribe (Tuscarora). The term "Apple" is a slam to a Native person. It means red on the outside but white on the inside.

11. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: a Memoir by Sherman Alexie (Spokane)

If you haven't read any Alexie, I suggest you start with his much-awarded, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, a semi-autobiographical/fictional account of a young Indian growing up on the Wellpinit Reservation (Spokane tribe) in Washington state, but going to school off the Rez...making him a part-time Indian in both places. Then read or listen to this book You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: a Memoir and the picture of his life will be filled in.

12. Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Lakota Nation/ Rosebud Sioux tribe) 

A mystery set on the Rosebud Sioux reservation of South Dakota. Winter counts refers to a traditional Lakota pictorial calendar system.

13. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (Mi’kmaq, mainly found in Northeastern Canada)

A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl is kidnapped when her family is picking berries in Maine. What her absence does to the family is the focus of the story. Profound. First book in a series.

14. Poet Warrior: a Memoir by Joy Harjo (Muscogee)

Harjo is the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States. This is her story.

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Books I'd like to read by Indigenous authors:

• Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec (Anishinaabe)
• The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell (Tlingit)
• If the Dead Belong Here by Carson Faust (Edisto Natchez-Kusso)
• To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage (Cherokee)
• Whereas: Poems by Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Sioux)
• The Tao of Raven: A Native Alaskan Memoir by Ernestine Hayes (Tlingit)

-Anne

Goals to Get Me to the End of 2026 Book Tag

I got the idea to do this book tag from Emma at Words and Peace who posted her 2026 goals book tag the other day. The creator of the tag is Lost in the Narrative. Emma tweaked things and so did I.

GOAL #1:
Are there any books that you started this year that you need to finish?

Yes, three:

• The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler
• Jane Austen: For Every Day of the Year by Tara Richardson
• The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

GOAL #2
Do you have any holiday books you hope to read before year's end?

Possibles:

•  The Bewitching due to its Halloween-ish theme and it is a book on the Goodreads challenge for the fall.  
• Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. I wanted to read it last year for the Christmas season but didn't get to it.

GOAL #3
Is there a new release that you’re still waiting for?

I have three fall releases I hope to get to:

• Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
• Hollywood, Ending by John Green

GOALS #4
What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

• The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (Book Prize Shortlist)
• Dèy by Edwidge Danticat(National Book Award finalist, Fiction category)
• Tree of Knowledge by Victoria Chang (National Book Award finalist, Poetry category)

GOAL #5
Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

It might be Partita. I have loved all of Kingsolver's books so it wouldn't surprise me if it took over the number one spot.

GOAL #6

Goals you created in January you still need to finish up before year's end?

Oh boy. It's a lot:

• Read one of the Booker Prize finalists (See above #4)
• Read two of the winners or finalists for the National Book Award (See above #4)
• Read two past winners of the Pulitzer Prize (Unlikely)
• Read two 2026 Printz Honor books (Less likely)
• Read seven books for the Autumn Goodreads Challenge (doubling up is allowed)
• Read and review the remaining four book club books for the two clubs
• Read four more books from the NYT Best Books of the 21 Century list
• Total=22 books. I could read that many books in the remaining time but it is very unlikely that I will finish all these goals. That number, 22, doesn't include the books I want to finish and the new releases I want to get to, either. That total is 29. Gulp. Next year I am paring down my challenge list for sure. My heart is no longer into many of these challenges: Printz and Pulitzer past winners among them. The NYT Times listed books I've read recently I haven't liked so I may remove that personal challenge, too. Who cares if I read the books on that list or not?

GOAL #7
Have you already started making reading plans for 2027?

1. I am only at the mulling over stage of what book I want for my One Big Book Challenge of 2027. I'm considering from: 

• Anna Karenina
• Midnight's Children
• Don Quixode 
• Crime and Punishment

2. I want to read a book published in 1927, making it 100 years old, so I am checking for possible options:

• To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolfe
• Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
• The Big Four by Agatha Christie
• Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne

Phew. I need to get to work!

-Anne

Friday Book Snippets: DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL

Title: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

First page snippet: 

2nd snippet, page 47, last page of preview:

Summary: Carl and his girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, happen to be outside on a freezing cold night when the whole world is transformed and the only survivors had nothing over their head when it happened. The survivors, like Princess Donut and Carl, had just a few minutes to decide to enter the dungeon (and the game) or die. They chose the dungeon. Once inside they make their way to a safe room where the rules of the game are explained to them by Mordecai (he's the rat on page 47). And when I say them, I mean the man and the cat. Donut gains the power of speech when she enters the dungeon even though she remains a cat. 

There are eighteen levels in the dungeon and the goal is to make it to that level and to win the game. But that also means the winner is the sole survivor. Each level must be mastered within a time limit and once that time is done that level is destroyed. If a player doesn't make it to the next level before the time limit, they will be destroyed along with the level. Carl and Princess Donut make it to level 3 before book's end. There are several more books in the series, four at least with a possibly an additional four after that. (Eight in total?)

My thoughts: My eldest daughter listened to the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobook with her book group and told me how much she liked it but cautioned me against it because of all the foul language. Since I let her buy the book on my Audible account, I also had access to the audiobook and on a whim I decided to have a listen. My first reaction was "Well, this is fun." And silly, and crass, and unbelievable, and dastardly. In some ways it reminded me of The Hunger Games due to the fighting in a game setting where aliens from other planets can watch the players as they attempt to survive all the creatures bent on killing them. And the viewers can sponsor participants, giving them powers to heal quicker, or deflect incoming weapons, etc. The battles are usually fairly cartoonish and remind me of the green slime on that old Nichelodeon show kids thought was so funny years ago. Admittedly I got a bit fatigued by the book. Unlike The Hunger Games book/series, there doesn't seem to be a lot of psychological depth to it.

I was prepared to give the book a 3 star rating, but then the audiobook production was explained by the narrator and I thought, "Hmm. This IS a good audiobook in terms of the uniqueness of the production" --all the different voices, sounds, and qualities I've never experienced before. So I upgraded my estimation of the book to 4 stars. I kind of doubt I will read on in the series, but I am not sad that I spent time reading/listening to this one. As I reflected on the book's storyline I thought about how the kids at the school where I was the librarian would have loved this book. I bet I would have purchased more than one copy and kids would be lining up for the sequels. There are so few books which get readers really excited. The ones that do need to be celebrated.

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Welcome to a combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56 with a new name Friday Book Snippets. I am co-hosting this weekly blogging event with Olivia at Bemused & Bookish. You can link up at either of our sites but be sure to still visit and comment on other participant's blogs to increase our community.

Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please. 

Click on the "OH-NO" message and it will take you to the linkup this week. I'll find you there.

LinkUp: 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

-Anne

Banned Books Week

Right now, October 4-10, 2026 is Banned Books Week.

October 10th is Let Freedom Read Day!

Why is it important for those of us who love to read to stand up and fight against book banning and placing restrictions on books? Because often time people in trouble can find themselves in the pages of books and through the recognition they find there, guide them to help or provide solace. Just because a book doesn't fit with your value systems or mores doesn't mean it is okay to ban it so that others can't read it either.

When I was a teen librarian I would often have students tell me that such-and-so book shouldn't be in the library because it used bad words/had nudity or sex/drug use/etc. I would tell the student to not check it out. There were lots of books in the library which don't have those things but this particular book might be helpful for another student. That usually would satisfy to would-be banner. They had said their piece and I wasn't buying their logic.

This past year was an especially awful year for book bans and restrictions in the U.S. There were over 11,000 instances of book banning in schools. Many of the books were banned based on an A.I. algorithm... the banners hadn't even read the book or it's summary.

For example, the number one banned book this past year was Sold by Patricia McCormick. The book, published in 2006, is about a girl who is sold into prostitution by her family, not because they didn't love her but because they were so desperately poor they had no options. The book is aimed at grade 8-10 students and brings up the depressing reality of many impoverished people's lives. And the book was published 20 years ago!!! It was the number one banned book in 2025 and it has just now come to the attention of a book whose message is so distressing that parents can't stand the idea of their sons or daughters reading it? Shouldn't parents want their children to work out ideas of compassion through books rather than live a life devoid of compassion for others?

The most frequently banned books of 2025 were (note the copyright dates):

1. Sold by Patricia McCormick (2006)
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999)
3. Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe (2019)
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (2016)
5. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (2021)
6. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins (2009)
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015)
8. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)
9. Identical by Ellen Hopkins (2008)
10. Looking for Alaska by John Green (2005)
11. Storm and Fury by Jennifer Armentrout (2019)

Parents only bother banning books which kids actually read. Why bother with a book sitting dusty on a shelf? They also try to ban books which have been assigned for a class to read and discuss. Heaven forbid making a child read a book in school. What do they want kids to read? Only stuff they can't relate to? Grr.rrr

This week I am reading The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway. It was banned back in the 1930, soon after it was published and again in the 1950s because of profane language, sexual promiscuity, and unglamourous depictions of war. Overindulgent drinking wasn't mentioned. What does that say?

What can you do to support efforts to curtail such flagrant book banning? Pick a book from the PEN list of the 52 most banned books the past five years. Read the book and review it. Make a big deal in your review about it being a banned book and why you hope your review helps people to see the value of reading it or other banned books. 

Every book isn't for everyone. Of the list of 52 most recent banned books, I've read 29 of them. Some I liked, some I didn't. That is not the point. The point is that the books should be available for students who need/want them.

Here are a few quotes from authors whose books have been banned:

“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”

― Salman Rushdie

“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.”

― Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak

“A word to the unwise.

Torch every book.

Char every page.

Burn every word to ash.

Ideas are incombustible.

And therein lies your real fear.”

― Ellen Hopkins

“Everybody has the right to form their own opinion and read what they like and come to their own conclusion about it... I trust the reader.”

― Philip Pullman

For more information consult:

• Banned Books Week
• PEN America Banned Boks Week
• The American Library Association

-Anne

TTT: Books that Conjure Up Happy Memories

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Conjure Up Happy Memories

Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day by Clemency Burton-Hill
I love listening to all kinds of music and learning about the people who make the music. I didn't listen to one song a day, as suggested, I emersed myself in music for a month while I read the book and listened to the suggested selections. Sheer joy!

This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage
My husband and I listened to this book as we were driving toward a vacation in Yellowstone. It was the perfect book for the moment and I enjoyed the discussions it evoked, too.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Something about this book just made me happy. Then we read it for book club and all of the gals at club felt the same way. It felt like a blessing.

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
This book is simply hilarious and fun. We laughed our way through book club where we discussed it.

So Far Gone by Jess Walter
Another book I listened to with my husband and we both enjoyed it so much and kept repeating the funny lines to each other. I love sharing literature moments with my hubby.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
My hubby and I took our grandsons of an overnight trip to the ocean. While in the car we listened to this hilarious kids book. We all laughed and repeated lines from it the whole weekend. Just thinking about this makes me happy!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
I've been reading this book to my family every year since it was published. Now my girls, adults both, now read it to their family or make sure we still read it here. So much love and happiness wrapped up in this book.

Subpar Parks: Americas Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share.
This book makes me laugh to just think about it. As I read it, I'd follow family members around the house to share the funny entries.

Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World by Rob Sheffield
I am an unabashed Beatles fan and this book fed by obsession. I just get happy thinking about both the Beatles and this book.

James by Percival Everett
Another book Don and I listened to together and enjoyed the experience so much.

-Anne

Sunday Salon : Highlights of our United Kingdom trip

Highlights of Trip to the UK

Weather: We got home from our UK trip yesterday at 9 PM, PDT. It was overcast in the high 60s in London when we left, very comfortable on our last day for a hike in The Regent's Park before we boarded our plane homeward bound. This morning we awoke to light rain and fog, temperatures in the lows 50s here at home. We experienced a range of weather on our trip: sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, cold, warm but never uncomfortably hot.

Our trip began here in Bath, England

Our 17-Day Itinerary: We flew into Heathrow airport and traveled immediately to Bath, England (Roman baths, Georgian architecture, Jane Austen sites); after renting a car we made our way to Stonehenge (prehistoric site) enroute to the Cotswolds (medieval villages) staying in Chipping Campden; onto the Lake District (Beautiful scenery, Beatrix Potter sites) spending two nights in Keswick; driving the coast of Scotland north of Glasgow with a visit to Loch Lomond before spending a night in Oban (seafood capitol of Scotland); with iffy weather we decided to skip our planned detour further into the highlands and headed directly to Edinburgh (Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, home of Presbyterianism) for three nights; re-entering England our last stop with the car was York for two nights (2,000 years of historic sites, including medieval walls and market places); a train trip to Stratford-upon-Avon (Tudor architecture, Shakespeare sites including attending one of his plays, "As You Like It"); and finally concluding our trip in London (Tower of London, museums, historic sites, West End theatre experience seeing "Hadestown").

Cathedrals left to right - Top: Bath Abbey; inside St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh; the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in the background. Bottom: outside York Minster; inside Westminster Abbey in the choir section where we sat for evensong.

Evensong and other services/programs in the grand cathedrals of the U.K. : We attended three evensong services as we toured around -- Bath Abbey, York Minster; and Westminster Abbey (London) -- all Anglican services sung by choirs. In Westminster we sat in the padded pews of the choir, or 'quire', part of the cathedral. In York we were seated in folding chairs on the floor within the choir, which increased our spiritual/musical experiences being so close to the singers. September 29th is the day Anglicans celebrate Michaelmas, the day set aside to honor the Archangel Michael and all angels. On that evening, we joined the congregation at St. Paul's Cathedral in London for a sung Holy Eucharist service. Afterwards Don kept exclaiming, "We got to sing a hymn in St Paul's!" Lastly, we bought tickets for candlelight concert in St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. The Piccadilly Sinfonietta played a wonderful program that featured Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", along with works by Mozart and Bach. Exquisite!  

Literary moments: (Top) Old Books store in Bath; dressing up in Regency clothes, Tea in the Pump Room which featured prominently in Austen's Northanger Abbey novel (with Jane Austen tea and live music from movies made from her books). (Middle) Inside Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm House, Carly has collected Beatrix Potter books and memorabilia her whole life, a scene from Mr. McGregor's garden after he nearly caught Peter Rabbit. (Bottom) The Tolkien inspiring doors of St. Edward's church in Stow-on-the-Wold; The Writer's Museum in Edinburgh; a memorial dedicated to Shakespeare in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, London.

Literary Moments: We had many planned and several unplanned literary moments. In Bath we were all about Jane Austen since she set two of her novels in Bath and lived in Bath for a portion of her life. We visited the Jane Austen Centre where we were met at the door by Mr. Bennet (Elizabeth's father in Pride and Prejudice) and our guide was Anne Elliot (Persuasion). While in the Cotswolds we found the St. Edward's church which has a door that inspired JRR Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings. In the Lake District we visited Hill Top Farm, home of Beatrix Potter (The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, et al) and visited an interactive exhibition for all things dedicated to this very popular children's author/illustrator in Bowness-on-Windermere. In Edinburgh we stumbled upon The Writer's Museum dedicated to Scots authors: Robert Louis Stephenson, poet Robert Burns, and Sir Walter Scott. We puttered around in it for a few moments before continuing our tour of the Royal Mile. Stratford-upon-Avon is of course dedicated to Shakespeare. In Westminster Abbey we found Poet's Corner, where many famous authors are buried, or have memorials on the walls or in the floor. A few we noticed: C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, the Bronte sisters, and Dylan Thomas. We also visited several indie bookstores: Bath Old Books, Ironbridge Book Nook, and London's Daunt Books in Marylebone, not far from our hotel.

Theater moments: The three of us in Stratford and in London. In Stratford we are standing in front of an image of Shakespeare created from Lego bricks. Bottom picture is our view of the stage (lighted in blue) and the rest of the theater. All but the floor seats were on sharp angles and each level is practically straight up. We had to lean forward to see most of the action of the stage.

Theater moments: When we began planning our trip, our daughter Carly, who loves musical theater, rightly insisted we include some theater. When we learned that the actor Jonathan Groff (known for King George III in the original cast of Hamilton, and the Glee TV series) was playing one of the leads in "As You Like It" in Stratford-upon-Avon, we knew we had to find a way to make it happen. The performance dates meant we had to alter our itinerary somewhat, but we made it work. I'm so glad we did as this was the best Shakespeare I've seen performed on stage. We also asked Carly to pick a show for us to see in London's West End. She selected "Hadestown", an excellent choice. I'd say that attending these two performances were the highlights of the highlights of our whole trip.

Don watching his head in Chipping Campden; view of Oban Bay

Accommodations: We followed the Rick Steve's Guide suggestions to stay in hotels and B&B spots close to the old towns and sites we hoped to visit. This meant we often encountered unique and charming issues. The funniest place we stayed was the Eight Bells Inn in Chipping Campden. We were greeted by a sign which warned of uneven floors and low ceilings so we should watch our steps. (See photo above of the cross beam we had to navigate under to get to our bedroom.) Our favorite was No. 21 York B&B where the proprietor was so friendly and made homemade bread every day. The best view was from the Kenavara House in Oban, Scotland of the Oban Bay.

Food: The last time Don and I were in the UK (2019) we had terrible experiences with food so our expectations were low going into this trip but we were pleasantly surprised by the many wonderful meals we ate this time. A few highlights -- Sunday Roast Dinner at the Dog and Gun pub in Keswick, Northern England. True to the pub's name, there were lots of dogs laying around under foot throughout the pub. The fish chowder at the Cuan Mòr restaurant in Oban. Everything we ordered at the Wee Greek Kitchen in Edinburgh: Moussaka, Chicken 'Paprikash', and the Lamb 'Tsigariasto'. Just thinking about these meals makes me want to go back.

Castlerigg. Note the boots Carly is wearing.

Funny moments: As a family we love to laugh at ourselves and will often retell funny stories of what happens to us. Here are a few of those memorable, funny moments from this trip:

• "But does it have marzipan?" I have an allergy to walnuts so I was given a special tray of sandwiches and treats for the Jane Austen tea that contained NO nuts. I kept eyeing the treats on the other tray and was especially interested in one that looked like it was covered with marzipan, which I love. Both Carly and Don tried a bite to test it and neither could tell me if it had marzipan or not. I eventually tried a tiny bite myself. I couldn't tell either. For the rest of the trip anytime anyone commented on a food, someone would ask, "But does it have marzipan?"
• We stopped for lunch one day we were on the road near Newcastle-upon-Tyne at a charming village of shops called the Milkhope Center. The lunch menu included a tuna-mayo-chive sandwich. Don and I decided to share one. I went off to save a table while Carly and Don stood in line. When it was his turn to order, Don said he'd like a tuna-mayo-chive sandwich, a coffee, and whatever else he ordered. As the young man was reading back the order he asked, "Are you sure you just want two mayo and chive sandwiches?" Don and Carly realized there was a pronunciation problem. We pronounce tuna as "two-na", they pronounce it as "choo-na". We did get tuna in our mayo and chive sandwiches but unfortunately the order was not completely correct...we still ended up with two sandwiches.
• We visited an ancient stone circle, Castlerigg, near Keswick, Northern England. Unlike Stonehenge it was not guarded and sheep are allowed to graze nearby and among the stones. As we walked among the stones we had to take pains to avoid the dung. The next day Carly kept complaining that her raincoat smelled like sheep dung. She finally figured out why. After we left Castlerigg she stuffed the boots she was wearing that day into a bag with her raincoat. Guess what she stepped on? She refused to wear that coat for the rest of the trip. Wonder why?

Birds: Egyptian Goose, Eurasian Coot, Common Raven (residents and characters in the Tower of London), Mute Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon, Pigeons everywhere and so irreverent. These are hanging out on a landmark in Bath.  

Bird Watching: Whenever we had a chance both Carly and I would break out the Merlin Bird App on our phones and try to identify new birds to us. Carly added 23 new birds to her life list, I added 20. Carly was thrilled to see a ring-necked pheasant up close and personal in Hollyrood Park after Don and Carly climbed Arthur's Seat. I enjoyed identifying all but two of the possible corvids which live in the UK: Hooded crows, Jackdaws, Rooks, Common Ravens, Eurasian Magpies, and Carrion Crows. Our last day in the UK we spent some time in Regent's Park and had fun figuring out the water birds we saw. Carly was especially smitten by the Egyptian Geese. And I was amazed by the feet of the Eurasian Coot. (See above.)

Museums and landmarks/historic sites: Roman Baths; Stonehenge; McCaig's Tower (Oban); Edinburgh Castle; Hollyroodhouse Palace (Edinburgh); Scottish National Gallery; walking tour of York; Hop-on/Hop-off Bus tour of London; Victoria and Albert Museum; the Tower of London; British Museum. I'll let the collages (See top of page, too) do the talking with just a few comments -- I was too tired by the time we got to the Scottish Art Gallery to appreciate it. The Hop-on/off bus tour in London was disappointing. We would have appreciated more history and information than we got. The British Museum was overwhelming. There were so many people. You had to fight through mobs of people to see many of the exhibits. See the photo below of Don and Carly trying to see the statue of Ramses.

We did so much more but I'm ready to stop typing and post this. We had a wonderful trip but as happens to me after long trips, I am always happy to be home.

Door knockers of the Cotswolds

-Anne