I'm continuing to catch up on some of the mysteries I've been meaning to read for a few years. This one is part of Braun's cat tales from Pickax, UP, Michigan from 2002 and is a short, quick read for lovers of her character, Jim Quilleran, and his super cats, Koko and Yum Yum. Those who prefer his librarian friend, Polly Duncan, will be slightly disappointed in this novel because Polly and one of her crones is away on a grand tour of the eastern U.S.
Jim decides to take his own vacation at a nearby resort, the Nutcracker Inn, which experiences a plethera of murders while Jim is in residence. Of course, Koko and Jim solve the who done it and save the reputation of the inn.
For those who love this series, "The Cat Who Went Up the Creek" will be standard, entertaining fare. Others may want to pass it up for more substantial and recent works.
Liz Nichols
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
"Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron
Dewey is a legend among library cats. In the world of library cats he reigns as the all-time champ because of the special characteristics that set him apart from all others. He consistently greeted every patron. He seemed to understand the needs and emotional state of everyone who came in, so he comforted the ones who needed his attention, and he stayed away from the ones who could not relate to him well.
Dewey arrived as a cast off someone threw into the Spencer, IA Public Library bookdrop on the coldest day of the year in January 1988. He was probably 2 months old and half frozen. Vicki Myron, Spencer Public Library Librarian, and her staff, nursed him back to health and gave him a home. For 19 years the regal Mr. Dewey reigned over the Spencer Public Library. He became a fixture not only of the library, but a symbol of the determination and will of the whole community. He became famous world-wide. Film companies from as far away as Japan came to tell his story.
When Dewey was felled by a tumor at age 19 the library received thousands of messages of sympathy from all over the world.
The book documents a remarkable series of stories about the life and times of Dewey the cat and his role within the community. While the book is about the cat, it also documents the relationship between a beloved pet and his caretaker, and her relationship with the community and her family.
It is a heartwarming, charming story in the tradition of "Marley and Me" (which I saw in the movie theater this weekend.) I highly recommend it to all cat lovers and library lovers.
Liz Nichols
Dewey arrived as a cast off someone threw into the Spencer, IA Public Library bookdrop on the coldest day of the year in January 1988. He was probably 2 months old and half frozen. Vicki Myron, Spencer Public Library Librarian, and her staff, nursed him back to health and gave him a home. For 19 years the regal Mr. Dewey reigned over the Spencer Public Library. He became a fixture not only of the library, but a symbol of the determination and will of the whole community. He became famous world-wide. Film companies from as far away as Japan came to tell his story.
When Dewey was felled by a tumor at age 19 the library received thousands of messages of sympathy from all over the world.
The book documents a remarkable series of stories about the life and times of Dewey the cat and his role within the community. While the book is about the cat, it also documents the relationship between a beloved pet and his caretaker, and her relationship with the community and her family.
It is a heartwarming, charming story in the tradition of "Marley and Me" (which I saw in the movie theater this weekend.) I highly recommend it to all cat lovers and library lovers.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, December 21, 2008
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski
For a first novel, this one is a doozie.
Like all great novels this one can be read on many different levels. It can be read again and again and each time the reader can take away a new insight or follow a different character or motif through the book. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" will become one of the cherished classics that will be read by generations to come; it is timeless.
This is much more than a story about a boy and his relationship with his family and his dogs. Certainly it is that, for one of the major themes is the coming of age story that leads Edgar to go off on his own and live off the land with a pack of his dogs. This is also the story of a post war couple trying to make it in a small family business. It is a Cane and Abel story of two brothers who have very different personalities, motives and very real jealousies that poison the lives of everyone around them. This is a dog story that delves very deeply into the behavior and training of dogs. It dissects the different personality types of both dogs and people and explores both human and human-canine relationships on both the conscious and subconscious level.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a tragedy with several flawed characters (including the boy, Edgar). There is no insipid, contrived happy ending here.
There are a few thematic elements that require the reader to suspend belief. For example, the Alpha dog, Forte, if taken literally, must be at least 25 years old by the end of the book, and yet he still seems to be going strong. That's a bit of a stretch for any dog, let alone a ferrel one. Still, when looked at metaphorically, Forte is more like the Biblical patriarch of the Sawtelle dogs, and is therefore symbolic and ageless.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a masterpiece of American literature and is as worthy of a permanent place on home and library bookshelves as the works of our finest authors. I know this first novel was a long time coming, and I hope that David Wroblewski, who lives in Colorado, has many more great stories in him.
Liz Nichols
Like all great novels this one can be read on many different levels. It can be read again and again and each time the reader can take away a new insight or follow a different character or motif through the book. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" will become one of the cherished classics that will be read by generations to come; it is timeless.
This is much more than a story about a boy and his relationship with his family and his dogs. Certainly it is that, for one of the major themes is the coming of age story that leads Edgar to go off on his own and live off the land with a pack of his dogs. This is also the story of a post war couple trying to make it in a small family business. It is a Cane and Abel story of two brothers who have very different personalities, motives and very real jealousies that poison the lives of everyone around them. This is a dog story that delves very deeply into the behavior and training of dogs. It dissects the different personality types of both dogs and people and explores both human and human-canine relationships on both the conscious and subconscious level.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a tragedy with several flawed characters (including the boy, Edgar). There is no insipid, contrived happy ending here.
There are a few thematic elements that require the reader to suspend belief. For example, the Alpha dog, Forte, if taken literally, must be at least 25 years old by the end of the book, and yet he still seems to be going strong. That's a bit of a stretch for any dog, let alone a ferrel one. Still, when looked at metaphorically, Forte is more like the Biblical patriarch of the Sawtelle dogs, and is therefore symbolic and ageless.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a masterpiece of American literature and is as worthy of a permanent place on home and library bookshelves as the works of our finest authors. I know this first novel was a long time coming, and I hope that David Wroblewski, who lives in Colorado, has many more great stories in him.
Liz Nichols
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
"Just Jane" by Nancy Moser
This is Moser's very well researched and well written bio-fiction about Jane Austen.
I had seen and enjoyed the movie, "Becoming Jane" and wanted to compare stories, essentially. "Becoming Jane" concentrates almost exclusively on Jane Austen's early love interest in Tom Lefroy, the Irish cousin of the Austen's Lefroy neighbors. The movie contends that this was a major love interest and that Jane very nearly ran off to marry Lefroy. The book, although just as much fiction as the movie, seems to be better grounded in reality and contends that this was just an unrequited infatuation that Jane fairly quickly got over.
The book contends that Jane actually received two marriage proposals, from Edward Bridges and Harris Bigg-Wither, and that she actually accepted Harris' proposal over one night until she thought better of it in the morning.
While Jane knew of at least one successful woman author who was also married, it was very much the exception for any woman to have any kind of career following marriage beyond motherhood. Jane's books were always her children. She took them everywhere with her and her ability to work on them depended very much on her mood and happiness with her living situation. Her years in Bath were unhappy and they were not productive from a writing stand-point.
"Just Jane" provides an insightful glimpse into the life of one of the 19th century's most brilliant authors pieced together from the letters that remain from the author, and some of the biographies about her.
I highly recomment "Just Jane" to all Austen lovers, and 19th century English literature readers.
Liz Nichols
I had seen and enjoyed the movie, "Becoming Jane" and wanted to compare stories, essentially. "Becoming Jane" concentrates almost exclusively on Jane Austen's early love interest in Tom Lefroy, the Irish cousin of the Austen's Lefroy neighbors. The movie contends that this was a major love interest and that Jane very nearly ran off to marry Lefroy. The book, although just as much fiction as the movie, seems to be better grounded in reality and contends that this was just an unrequited infatuation that Jane fairly quickly got over.
The book contends that Jane actually received two marriage proposals, from Edward Bridges and Harris Bigg-Wither, and that she actually accepted Harris' proposal over one night until she thought better of it in the morning.
While Jane knew of at least one successful woman author who was also married, it was very much the exception for any woman to have any kind of career following marriage beyond motherhood. Jane's books were always her children. She took them everywhere with her and her ability to work on them depended very much on her mood and happiness with her living situation. Her years in Bath were unhappy and they were not productive from a writing stand-point.
"Just Jane" provides an insightful glimpse into the life of one of the 19th century's most brilliant authors pieced together from the letters that remain from the author, and some of the biographies about her.
I highly recomment "Just Jane" to all Austen lovers, and 19th century English literature readers.
Liz Nichols
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