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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
It’s hard for me to give 3 stars to a book that I genuinely enjoyed. However, despite the fact that I love reading about animals of all kinds and love to birdwatch, and despite the fact that I admire the author’s passion and pride in his work with the ravens, the writing is serviceable instead of poetic, and someone who didn’t have an interest in ravens or the Tower of London would probably not enjoy it. Regardless, if you share these interests with me, read it! I truly enjoyed the read.
Merlina, Munin, Erin, Jubilee II, Gripp II, Rocky, Harris. Totally fell in love with these birds and the Ravenmaster.
This is a quick and mostly entertaining read. I would have liked more about the ravens and less of the author’s military recollections. All-in-all, it’s a book worth reading if you are interested in corvids or the Tower.
This was great! After being obsessed with Tudor history and that leading me to become obsessed with the Tower of London history, I knew I would enjoy this book. I have watched the TV documentaries of the Tower, and have been lucky enough to visit there myself and see the ravens in person, so as soon as I heard there was a book about them, I got it!
You can tell Ravenmaster, Chris Skaife, loves his job - and what a cool job it is! He is in charge of caring for the Tower's ravens every day. I found out so much about the job and the ravens that I didn't know before, and there are lots of other facts about the Tower, its history and other tidbits thrown into this book too, which were so fun to read about. If you are interested in the Tower of London at all, then definitely pick this one up!
You can tell Ravenmaster, Chris Skaife, loves his job - and what a cool job it is! He is in charge of caring for the Tower's ravens every day. I found out so much about the job and the ravens that I didn't know before, and there are lots of other facts about the Tower, its history and other tidbits thrown into this book too, which were so fun to read about. If you are interested in the Tower of London at all, then definitely pick this one up!
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This is just a perfect mix of a day-to-day memoir of the Ravenmaster, some anecdotes about his life and his hijinks with the ravens, and a bit of history of the Tower and ravens with some raven science mixed in. Skaife comes off as a very likable, dutiful guy who is super passionate about his charges, which makes this a pleasure to read. I did it in one day. When I visited the Tower, I felt bad for these guys who have to wear these uniforms in all weather, but you can really see that, at least for Skaife, they really love their jobs. A really interesting and unique book (and short too)!
A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was my absolute favorite book of the year.
I have been struggling to become an “avid reader” like I used to be when I was younger and had more energy and time. These days, it can take me up to a month to finish a relatively short book, and it frustrates me to no end. This book took me 3 days! I read like I was a kid again, staying up late and reading in every spare moment. It is due to the wonderful author of this book.
Christopher Skaife’s enthusiasm and love for his job is honestly inspiring. It fascinates me that he’s not an ornithologist, he was originally a soldier. He is someone who has truly found his purpose in life. Reading this book, I was reminded of this quote by Howard Thurman: “Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Skaife’s positivity and desire to learn everything possible about the ravens he cares for astounds me. It is evident in his writing that he has done heavy research into his subject matter.
I didn’t expect to love this book so much, but it really touched me. I love English history which is what initially caught my eye, but this book is the perfect blend of humor, fun anecdotes, historical facts, and ornithology. I suspect it could be enjoyed by basically anyone, not just anglophiles or bird lovers.
May we all come alive as Christopher Skaife has!
I have been struggling to become an “avid reader” like I used to be when I was younger and had more energy and time. These days, it can take me up to a month to finish a relatively short book, and it frustrates me to no end. This book took me 3 days! I read like I was a kid again, staying up late and reading in every spare moment. It is due to the wonderful author of this book.
Christopher Skaife’s enthusiasm and love for his job is honestly inspiring. It fascinates me that he’s not an ornithologist, he was originally a soldier. He is someone who has truly found his purpose in life. Reading this book, I was reminded of this quote by Howard Thurman: “Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Skaife’s positivity and desire to learn everything possible about the ravens he cares for astounds me. It is evident in his writing that he has done heavy research into his subject matter.
I didn’t expect to love this book so much, but it really touched me. I love English history which is what initially caught my eye, but this book is the perfect blend of humor, fun anecdotes, historical facts, and ornithology. I suspect it could be enjoyed by basically anyone, not just anglophiles or bird lovers.
May we all come alive as Christopher Skaife has!