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Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Books for February
Just one completed book this month, and one short story. I've read partway through several others but not finished any. March's book post will be all the fatter for that. :)
Title (bold indicates first-time read) -- Author -- Rating (out of 5)
- All Creatures Great and Small -- James Herriott -- 4
- I can't put this in bold because I read it years and years ago -- I'd say I was under ten. I barely remembered it, so in many ways it was like reading it for the first time. Still, rules are rules. ;)
Reasons not to read James Herriott:
- He's light on plot; his stories are highly anecdotal by nature.
- He's not edgy.
- There's no Really Deep Meaning to be found in these pages.
- There's no foul language, sex, violence, or foulness, other than the biological sort inherent to his profession.
- He sticks his arms inside the orifices of large animals and tells you about it.
If this won't bother you, at least for an occasional light read, then by all means DO read Herriott. I really enjoy his books. His stories about the humor and frustration found as a country veterinarian in pre-WWII northern England may not have been PEN award material, but his writing style is unpretentious and cheery, the bucolic lifestyle he tells about appeals to me, and, well, he's really funny. I may have wondered at the ethics of laughing loudly enough to wake the family at a description of an episode wherein Herriott's partner gets covered in bovine, um, digestive secretions during an operation on a constipated cow, when we've taught our children that Potty Humor Isn't Nice -- but I definitely wondered while I laughed. (It's worth noting that it's not all like that. That was just one very memorable incident.) - He's light on plot; his stories are highly anecdotal by nature.
- Rikki-Tikki Tavi -- Rudyard Kipling -- 5 (short story)
- I had forgotten how much I loved this story. I think reading it as an adult is especially rewarding because now I notice just how brilliant Kipling's writing style was. It makes me want to read the rest of his works. This would be a wonderful family read-aloud; I'm planning on doing it next time we have a car trip. :)
Comments
I remember reading Rikki-Tikki-Tavi! I will have to read it again. I have a HUGE pile of books that I want to get through. And I have only read the first one. Tuesdays with Morrie. 1 down, at least 12 to go. AND I want to get my crocheting project done to put in the fair. =)
Posted by: debi at March 2, 2006 09:08 AM
I keep meaning to read Herriott - I read a few of his picture books as a child, but haven't gotten to any of the longer ones yet.
I only have two books for February too - not a good month for reading, I guess!
Posted by: Kat at March 2, 2006 09:36 AM
I used to LOVE Rikki-Tikki-Tavi as a kid! I'll have to see if I can find it at our library, 'cause now I also want to reread it.
Posted by: Maria at March 2, 2006 11:07 PM
