Books I bought last week:
May. 20th, 2011 03:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thanate(and, impressively, the Baltimore Harbor Barns & Noble actually had both of them in stock.)
Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor. This was recommended by the Animal Programs staff at the aquarium, and the name rang a faint bell, which it finally dawned on me was because this is the woman![[profile]](https://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dragonvyxn keeps going on about. At any rate, it was a very inspiring read about the benefits of properly applied positive reenforcement. It's not so much about animal training per se as it is about general techniques to apply to yourself and the rest of the animal kingdom; you can use these tools to train your dog, to keep your kids from screaming in public and your roommate from leaving laundry on the floor, or to train yourself to keep up with your exercise routine. It's presented very clearly and readably, with a wide range of examples from all kinds of situations. Highly recommended.
The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making by Catherynne M Valente, which has just, astonishingly, made the NYT bestseller's list. Neat. Originally written as an online, donation-based serial (the first two-thirds are still available here) to help the author continue to pay her rent, winner of the Andre Norton Award, & championed by various big names including Neil Gaiman. None of this is why you should read it: you should read it if you like sweet strange children's fantasy; it's got some of the same feel as the original Oz books, with a much more modern sensibility. It has empowered little girls (both good and evil), strange lands, fantastical creatures, and a little bit of very down-to-earth common sense from a girl who is growing up in the WWII era midwest. It has wandering winds, flying leopards, a wyvern who thinks he was fathered by a library, migratory bicycles, and an autumn wood... if any of this sounds intriguing, I'd recommend taking a look. :)
Experimentally cross-posty from dreamwidth. Comments encouraged in either location.
Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor. This was recommended by the Animal Programs staff at the aquarium, and the name rang a faint bell, which it finally dawned on me was because this is the woman
dragonvyxn keeps going on about. At any rate, it was a very inspiring read about the benefits of properly applied positive reenforcement. It's not so much about animal training per se as it is about general techniques to apply to yourself and the rest of the animal kingdom; you can use these tools to train your dog, to keep your kids from screaming in public and your roommate from leaving laundry on the floor, or to train yourself to keep up with your exercise routine. It's presented very clearly and readably, with a wide range of examples from all kinds of situations. Highly recommended.The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making by Catherynne M Valente, which has just, astonishingly, made the NYT bestseller's list. Neat. Originally written as an online, donation-based serial (the first two-thirds are still available here) to help the author continue to pay her rent, winner of the Andre Norton Award, & championed by various big names including Neil Gaiman. None of this is why you should read it: you should read it if you like sweet strange children's fantasy; it's got some of the same feel as the original Oz books, with a much more modern sensibility. It has empowered little girls (both good and evil), strange lands, fantastical creatures, and a little bit of very down-to-earth common sense from a girl who is growing up in the WWII era midwest. It has wandering winds, flying leopards, a wyvern who thinks he was fathered by a library, migratory bicycles, and an autumn wood... if any of this sounds intriguing, I'd recommend taking a look. :)
Experimentally cross-posty from dreamwidth. Comments encouraged in either location.