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This crime whodunnit starts strong but loses a bit of steam in the middle. Touched a lot of topics in the span of a short book which made it feel a bit forced. Cool premise, quick read.

This one completely pulled me in. I devoured it in 2 days! Roxie Laybourne feels like a fully realized character even though this is nonfiction, and all the side paths into feather forensics, the Smithsonian, bird strikes, misogyny, and conservation made the world feel rich and alive. Some parts broke my heart, but I came away with real admiration for people who choose these quiet, obsessive corners of science.

#Wardens2025 #Read2025

Fascinating read!

#WeekendReads #WeekendReading

What I‘m most excited about (trying) to finish in the next two days. Happy reading everyone🤓📚

Thank you @Kshakal for this #cbbc #coffeebeanbookclub

This outstanding book chronicles the life and work of Roxie Laybourne, a woman who was just trying to do work she loved. She had a knack for taxidermy and was hired by the Smithsonian (unpaid for a while, of course) and found she was especially good at birds. This segued into her pioneering a way to ID bird species from airplane bird strikes. I can‘t emphasize how good this book is—amazing woman with fantastic writing.

Next up. “...it all started with a podcast.“

I found this to be a solid cozy mystery that gave very strong Bones (the tv show vibes)… it had a good mystery and kept me guessing the whole time! An enjoyable read!

The author is a podcaster, and she narrates the audio pretty well. This was a bookclub pick. It blends true crime with forensic science, mostly following one Jane Doe case in Indiana but with stories from other cases the author has looked into. It‘s good that private citizens have access to look into the cold cases that authorities don‘t have time or money to continue with. Quite a few Does have been identified in this way.

Excited to read these new nonfiction books. The Feather Detective is about an alumna of Meredith College (where I work) and her pioneering work as a forensic expert on feathers. The other is narrative nonfiction that was featured this week on The Stacks podcast and it sounded right up my alley.