Sometimes she wished she was an only child . . . "She's lovely! Look at those curls. Those blue eyes. She's just beautiful!" Berta was used to hearing comments like that. But they were not about her. . . . Whenever ladies came to the house or met her mother on the street, they exclaimed over Berta's little sister, Glenna. Somewhere along the way, Berta decided that whatever Glenna was, she would not be. Whatever Glenna did, she would not do. Whatever Glenna liked, she would not like. She would be the opposite. Sure enough, Glenna is sparkling, vivacious, outgoing, and adored, while Berta is serious, dependable, and prim. Their relationship grows more and more distant until, finally, Berta must look into her heart and discover what truly has caused the rift between them.

Sometimes she wished she was an only child . . . "She's lovely! Look at those curls. Those blue eyes. She's just beautiful!" Berta was used to hearing comments like that. But they were not about her. . . . Whenever ladies came to the house or met her mother on the street, they exclaimed over Berta's little sister, Glenna. Somewhere along the way, Berta decided that whatever Glenna was, she would not be. Whatever Glenna did, she would not do. Whatever Glenna liked, she would not like. She would be the opposite. Sure enough, Glenna is sparkling, vivacious, outgoing, and adored, while Berta is serious, dependable, and prim. Their relationship grows more and more distant until, finally, Berta must look into her heart and discover what truly has caused the rift between them.

Sometimes she wished she was an only child . . .

Blue Sparrow was born on Twitter. It's a compilation of my daily ramblings as a first time novelist encouraging myself and other writers to bite the bullet and do it despite the fear of blank paper, the insecurities, the angst every writer faces when left alone with the story and trying to bleed it out. My Twitter followers asked me to make it. They said they want to carry it around in their pockets and take it out each time they felt stuck, scared, or simply need to smile. Because people tell me my tweets are funny. You be the judge.

This is a "hands-on" guide to Bluebirds that provides practical knowledge and proven techniques to increase your chances of being successful with bluebirds in your backyard. New, up-to-date techniques will be presented regarding habitat selection, building and installing nest boxes, monitoring techniques, planting flora for bluebirds, and protecting them from predators.

Winner of three O. Henry Awards, the Commonwealth Gold Medal, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Kirsch Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement, Wallace Stegner was a literary giant. In Marking the Sparrow's Fall, the first collection of Stegner's work published since his death, Stegner's son Page has collected, annotated, and edited fifteen essays that have never before been published in any edition, as well as a little-known novella and several of Stegner's best-known essays on the American West. Seventy-five percent of the contents of this body of work is published here for the first time.

Julie Zickefoose lives for the moment when a wild, free living bird that she has raised or rehabilitated comes back to visit her; their eyes meet and they share a spark of understanding. Her reward for the grueling work of rescuing birds—such as feeding baby hummingbirds every twenty minutes all day long—is her empathy with them and the satisfaction of knowing the world is a birdier and more beautiful place. The Bluebird Effect is about the change that's set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks. And each chapter is illustrated with Zickefoose's stunning watercolor paintings and drawings. Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds, The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds.