Two Books I Neither Loved Nor Hated, BUT That's Just My Opinion...

Susan Orlean has written Rin Tin Tin, the Life and the Legend.  Rin Tin Tin was a real dog, and his story is fascinating. The author dedicated ten years of her life to researching this legend of movies and TV, and that may have been the problem for me.  I think she took the long way around the barn.  Enough said.

My sister-in-law came to visit and left me Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal.  It claims to be of the "Jane Austen Genre", but I think it tries too hard.  It's entertaining, if you don't have anything else to read.

Buh bye for now.

Wildwood

Attention Narnia and Harry Potter fans!   Have I got a book for you!!  I was minding my own business at the grocery store when I happened down the book and magazine aisle.  There, practically begging me to buy it, was Wildwood by Colin Meloy.  If not for the beautifully illustrated cover done by Carson Ellis, I most likely would have gone right on about my grocery business. Instead, I made a beeline for that book, admired the art, read the fly leaf and was hooked.  Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover!

The story takes place in Portland, Oregon, where our 12 year old heroine, Prue, lives with her baby brother, Mac, and their parents.  Until the fateful day when Mac is kidnapped by a murder of crows and flown off into the Impassable Wilderness.  All manner of weirdness follows, as Prue goes on a mission to rescue Mac and save Wildwood in the process.  You'll have to read the book to find out the rest.  Sorry.

Now, some would say this is a children's book.  I say NOT!  It definitely speaks to all ages, as the struggle between good and evil knows no boundaries, actual or metaphorical.  So read Wildwood!  You'll never look at that neighborhood forest or parkland the same again.  And beware of wayward crows.

Rules of Civility

My daughter gave me Rules of Civility by Amor Towles for my birthday.  It was a great choice.  (I love you, Kate!)  And I loved this book.  It is the story of Katey Kontent, a Manhattan secretary who through a chance encounter is introduced to the cream of New York society.  But don't turn up your nose, this tale is much more F. Scott than Judith Krantz.  Katey isn't a lost heiress, and she isn't saved by the handsome-yet-brooding-boss-with-the-tragic-past.  She navigates her way through college co-eds, awkward millionaires, and tyrannical mentors by making her own decisions, something a little unusual for women in 1938.  But does she learn to be content, just like her name?  Read the book and see for yourself!

Amor Towles has written a great first novel.  It is a story that transports and fascinates, and I hope he writes more.