Books 17-25

[bojojoti]

I’ve had a nice variety in my latest reading:  a Western, a mystery, a best-seller, a volume from an author prominent in his time, a biography, a new author, a young adult tale, a non-fiction reference, and a gift book.

17.  Hondo by Louis L’Amour

18.  The Heretic’s Apprentice by Ellis Peters

19.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

20.  Thurber Country by James Thurber

21.  The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill

22.  World of Pies by Karen Stolz

23.  Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

24.  The Unicorn Tapestries by Margaret Freeman and Linda Sipress

25.  To Those Who See by Gwen Frostic

Hondo by Louis L’Amour

Inspired by

ruthette's love of L’Amour, appropriately enough, I picked up this book at the Friends’ of the Library bookshelf sale.  I can’t say that Westerns are my genre of choice, but I enjoyed this one:  the West where men were men, and women were, amazingly, not stereotypical damsels in distress.  I appreciated L’Amour’s treatment of Indians and women.  One would expect a writer from his era and genre to be less enlightened, but I was pleasantly surprised that the Indians were treated as individuals, good and bad; the white men were individuals, good and bad; and the lone woman character was strong, principled, and brave.  This is so refreshing in literature!  Nothing irritates me more than to have a pioneer woman portrayed cowering in a corner, while her man is embroiled in a fight to the death with a worthless ne’er-do-well, who will certainly come after her next if he prevails.  This is the same pioneer woman who nonchalantly pulled the heads off of chickens, hacked rattlesnakes to pieces, and faced endless trials and tribulations in the wild.  Trust me, she wouldn’t be quaking with fear and resignation---she’d skewer that fellow with the pitchfork or bash his head in with a shovel.  But I digress.  I enjoyed this Western, and I’ll read another one; next year, likely.

(3.5/5)

The Heretic’s Apprentice by Ellis Peters

The more I read the Brother Cadfael mysteries, the more I enjoy them.  The characters are becoming good friends.  For a gentle, sweet mystery set against a medieval background, this series can’t be beat.

(4/5)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

An interesting peek into the mind of an autistic, the story is written from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old high-functioning boy.  The voice of the story is spot on, and the reader is given the experience of living as an autistic person in a seemingly uncaring, oblivious world.  The author did a very good job portraying sensory overload, and I would highly recommend this book for those who are unaware of the difficulties of the autistic in dealing with a world that is too noisy, too bright, too loud, and too tactile.

Having said that, I will admit that I was surprised to see this book listed amongst the Top 100 Books A Person Must Read (or some other likely title).  Frankly, I thought The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon was a much better novel about an autistic character.  Haddon had the voice of the autistic, but Moon had the voice AND a plot line. 

(3.5/5)

Thurber Country by James Thurber

I felt as though I should stretch my boundaries a bit and read a book by a writer prominent in his day; hence, my foray into Thurber’s writings.  How sad to realize that Thurber was a pompous ass.  An intelligent ass, to be sure, but an ass all the same:  condescending, rude, irritating, and sexist.  He maintained “there had been no woman novelist since Miss Cather’s death.”  I seem to recall Harper Lee scribbling off an insignificant story about a little girl called “Scout” after Miss Cather’s death.  And she may not be up to Thurber’s standards, but Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books will be read after Thurber’s writings are long out of print.  Harrumph!

(2/5)

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill

How can a story about the Holocaust leave a person with hope for mankind?  Corrie ten Boom’s story of her family’s involvement in the Underground during the Holocaust deals with loss, deprivation, pain, and sorrow; through it all, the love of family and a deep, abiding faith in God sees Corrie through situations that I hope none of us ever have to endure or witness.  I read this book for the first time in 1978 or ’79, and it has held up well.  It is still a beautiful book about an ugly period of time.  Of all the Holocaust material I’ve read, this story illustrates best the power of love over hate. 

(5/5)

World of Pies by Karen Stolz

I was hoping this would be tasty; some of it was sweet, but other bites had a nasty aftertaste.  I enjoyed the nostalgic feel of the book—it was a step back into the 70s and 80s.  It had a very Southern feel of small town, Friday night football games, and drinking Coca-Cola out of bottles.  Very sweet.  Then the main character’s cousin came home from Viet Nam an amputee, and our heroine, to restore his sense of manhood, had sex with him.  Squick!  Her cousin!  Yuck!  Whom she grew up with!  Gross!  Well, that knocked Mayberry for a loop.  And knocked me clear out of the story. 

(1/5) 

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

I washed my mind out with this sweet (with no bitter aftertaste) tale of a boy growing up in the hills of Oklahoma.  I was born in Oklahoma and lived there during parts of my childhood.  I did see monkeys at the Enid Zoo (long defunct as is most of the town I remember), but I never attempted to catch one! 

This is the sort of young adult literature I would buy my imaginary grandchildren:  although imaginative and entertaining, it shows the struggles and eventual victory of a noble heart overcoming the desires of self.  This is literature at its best; it goes beyond a good story to inspire goodness in its readers. 

(4.5/5)

The Unicorn Tapestries by Margaret Freeman and Linda Sipress

Now that I’ve read all about the tapestries and the meaning behind each plant and animal, I have the burning desire to see The Unicorn Tapestries again.  Why, oh why, didn’t I read this before our trip to The Cloisters several years ago? 

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/the_cloisters/The_Unicorn_in_Captivity/ViewObject.aspx?depNm=the_cloisters&pID=1&kWd=unicorn&vW=0&Pg=1&St=5&StOd=1&vT=2&OID=70007568

I shall have to go back!

(4/5)

To Those Who See by Gwen Frostic

This is what I generally refer to as a “gift book.”  It's very attractive and would make a nice present.  I gifted myself this volume from our library’s sale books.  What a pleasure to turn each deckle-edged page—each so different; this one a smooth vellum, the next a strong textured page, while the next is a transparent overlay, and here a translucent rag page with an actual butterfly embedded and another with a bit of lavender pressed between it.  The pages are decorated with Frostic’ artwork, prose, and poetry.

http://www.gwenfrostic.com/

(4/5 for the tactile and visual joy this book brings)

Comments

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I think so! I've joined so many book places.

I just checked--yes, I am. I need to update there badly. I am bojojoti there, too.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I added you! Now, I just need to be more faithful about keeping up with that site. Is there an easy way to add books there--like from a list?

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The 'explore' tab is fun.

[write4jesus.livejournal.com]

My mom loves Brother Cadfael.:)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I think I'm in love with the good Brother. Would that be scandalous? LOL

[ruthette.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like Thurber. Then again, I haven't read that one.

Yay, L'Amour!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Obviously, he irritated me! His attitude toward women was so very demeaning in this book. I tried to remember that he was a product of his time, but that didn't make things go down any better.

I wonder if you could stomach this Thurber any better than I.

[kiwi-kimi.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're enjoying dear old Cadfael. He's been a friend for a while now :-) I like to sit in his sheltered garden from time to time, the air scented with herbs and no sound louder than an occasional bee.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Isn't that part of the books a joy? The peace and joy of simplicity exudes from the pages.

[jazzyglo.livejournal.com]

I love The Hiding Place. I read it every couple years.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

It is so good. Re-reading it was hard, because I knew the people involved and cared about them so.