How to Find and Photograph Kentucky Wildflowers
Author and photographer Thomas Barnes offers a colorful paperback guide that speaks to two interests and combines them in a volume that also addresses the concerns of conservation and biodiversity.
A professor in the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky, Barnes has, for decades, photographed and written about the natural beauty of Kentucky's landscape.
The beauty that the state offers in its wildflowers is captured and the processes described for their portraiture, for both the purposes of amateur and professional photographers, and are elevated to the level of artistry. Beginning with where to find the wildlife subjects, Barnes takes us from the mountains in the east to the creeks and caves of western Kentucky. Mentioning sites such as Red River Gorge, Carter Caves, Bee Rock, Mammoth Cave, Tioga Falls and the cliffs of Boone County, among many others, he provides access ratings for both driving and hiking trails and gives directions to get the reader started on the right foot.
One of Barnes' previous books, "Kentucky's Last Great Places," was nominated for the Kentucky Literary Award in non-fiction and his photographs have been displayed by the Chicago Botanical Garden, the Audubon Aquarium, The Smithsonian and the Bronx Zoo -
along with appearing in numerous magazines (including this one), calendars, books and websites.
The Tiger's Wife
In a tale that winds numerous stories into one, author Tea Obreht begins with Dr. Natalia Stefanovi as she and her friend Zora travel the hills of their war torn Balkan country to inoculate the children in the tiny towns there. Burdened on this journey with the questions that surround the recent unexplained death of her beloved grandfather, Natalia reflects in flashback on her childhood when she and her grandfather would travel by foot to a zoo, and he would entertain her with stories of his life and with the tales from Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"- a book he carried with him at all times.
Among his stories is that of the "deathless man," a wanderer who seemed doomed to live forever -
cursed by a family member for defying him. With that lingering in her thoughts, she travels to a tiny settlement where her grandfather died mysteriously to gather his belongings, wondering all the while why he had told her grandmother he was leaving to visit her.
Steeped in myths, fed by memories yet faced with realities, Natalia's search for the truth presents a rich and winding tale that establishes Obreht as a unique and exciting new talent. Named by the New Yorker magazine
as one of the 20 best American fiction writers under 40, her work has also been published in "The Best American Short Stories."