...his memoirs are what for me rise to, if not greatness, then at least exceptional goodness, putting Apps in the company of our region's finest nature writers: Sigurd Olson, August Derleth, Ben Logan, John Hildebrand and, dare I say, Aldo Leopold...These essays...radiate simplicity, one of the most complicated things for a writer to do. You can pretty much open the book at random and read something beautiful...Apps is what his father taught him to be: a thorough and thoughtful observer of the natural world. He describes not just Wisconsin, where he grew up and still lives, dividing his time between Madison and his farm in Waushara County, but other favorite haunts, including the Boundary Waters and Yukon Island in Alaska. He [Apps] describes the wildflowers he loves, the animals he watches, the nature writers who inspire him, the family excursions he cherishes. He makes the natural world palpable, as when he tells of how “dew hung heavy on the grass, the little beads of moisture reflecting the first rays of the sun as it climbed above the eastern horizon,” or his evocation of wood smoke as “a primitive smell rich with history and memory.”  (Bill Lueders, Wisconsin State Journal)


His narrative voice is immediately familiar, like that of a gentle grandfather who smells of wood smoke and wears long-sleeve shirts year-round. His lively storytelling, anchored by exquisite attention to detail, profound discovery and an obvious passion for his subject, make this a pleasure to read — even if your idea of convening with nature is mowing the lawn once a week.(Michael Popke, Isthmus Magazine)


Exceptionally well written, deftly organized, impressively presented, Whispers and Shadows: A Naturalist's Memoir is a superbly crafted series of absorbing essays that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf. (Paul T. Vogel, Midwest Book Review, October 2015)