Did you know that baby Barn Owls smell like maple syrup? Or that they mate for life, and when their mate dies they turn their heads towards the tree they're on and stare until they die too? I learned this and so much more in Stacey O'Brien's delightful and touching memoir, Wesley the Owl.

This is a story of love, devotion and frankly a little bit of lunacy that begins on Valentine's Day 1985 when biologist O'Brien is asked to adopt a four-day-old Barn Owl. She spends the next 19 years caring for Wesley which includes humanely killing four live mice per day (Wesley is afraid of live mice), chronicling the complexities of his behavior (such as not looking at her when she laughs at his failed first attempt to land on the dining room table), and learning "The Way of the Owl" -- a way of wisdom and fierce devotion.

O'Brien's seamless blend of science and storytelling make this a wonderful read. ~Anne