I read the book and found it wonderful. It filled one w/ the sense of uniting earth-linked events w/ the cosmos in a very personal way.

I picked this up last week and read it over the weekend. It's a long, rambling tale of how the author re-discovered astronomy and plunged back in with both feet, including the design and construction of a back-yard observatory. The book is organized into chapters, one per month, and each chapter begins with a short description of some of the celestial sights visible from that time. The book meanders a great deal, shifting subjects in an occasionally annoying "stream of consciousness" manner. From my perspective, the most annoying omissions from the book were initially tantalizing hints of how his spouse and family dealt with his initial obsession with telescope hardware, which were never really concluded, and his description of the design and building of his backyard observatory, which began with a level of detail appropriate (in my opinion) to this kind of book, but which grew gradually more and more vague until at the end of the book - wham! It's done. A good read for a cloudy week, but not likely to become a classic of the field.<br>

In The Stargazing Year, Charles Calia gives clear testimony that one aspect of astronomy is that our love and pursuit of this hobby can be on, off, and on again throughout our lives. Interestingly, he softens technical material with personal reflections and anecdotes.<br><br>Within each of the twelve chapters (calendar months), he threads three strands of a braid together for the reader. Strand one is his selection of several high points of astronomical objects available for your viewing during each month. Strand two is reflection on how he came to love the hobby, and how wide and varied his own personal experiences have been. The third strand that pulls the book together is his year-long project building an observatory. I found myself smiling as he shared his wife’s reactions to his construction problems and progress. I can relate here. <br><br>This was a fun read that reminded me of my own personal experience with astronomy in so many ways. This book would make a great “read” before group discussion. Astronomy clubs, college classes, and otherwise interested amateurs might enjoy using the threads of Calia’s presentation as seeds for sharing their own views and experiences.<br><br>Enjoy.<br><br>Les King<br>Surf City, NC<br>