The Aroma of Books

"Lady Hermione … was looking stunned, flustered, disturbed, unnerved and disconcerted. … Gally, who..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 02:11:15 -0400

“Lady Hermione … was looking stunned, flustered, disturbed, unnerved and disconcerted. … Gally, who was given to homely similes, thought she was madder than a wet hen, and he was right. Only an exceptionally emotional hen when unusually moist could have exhibited an equal annoyance.”

- P.G. Wodehouse, Galahad at Blandings (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

"“We ought to send for a doctor!” “I don’t want a doctor!” “Then I shall go and heat you up a nice..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:49:46 -0400

“

“We ought to send for a doctor!”

“I don’t want a doctor!”

“Then I shall go and heat you up a nice glass of milk,” said Ma Balsam. She belonged to the school of thought which holds that a nice glass of hot milk, while not baffling the death angel altogether, can at least postpone the inevitable.

”

- P.G. Wodehouse, A Pelican at Blandings (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

"It was a small dingy bookshop in a side street … I sidled through the doorway. It was necessary to..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:38:43 -0400

“It was a small dingy bookshop in a side street … I sidled through the doorway. It was necessary to sidle, since precariously arranged books impinged more and more every day on the passageway from the street. Inside, it was clear that the books owned the shop rather than the other way about. Everywhere they had run wild and taken possession of their habitat, breeding and multiplying and clearly lacking any strong hand to keep them down.”

- Agatha Christie, The Clocks, 1963
(via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

"“Why does it feel like God has conditions on loving me?” “He doesn’t. You’re projecting your own..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:27:38 -0400

“

“Why does it feel like God has conditions on loving me?”

“He doesn’t. You’re projecting your own list of what you think He should expect. It gets pretty intense when you realize He accepts you despite the fact that you’re a mess as the moment … Jesus is the kind who moves in, says I love you anyway, and then starts helping repair the mess. He means it when He says He loves you as you are, not based on what you’ve done. But He loves you too much to leave you in that chaos once you know Him.”

”

- Dee Henderson, The Rescuer (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

"He had time, now, to kneel and wait, having busied himself thus far in anxious efforts like a man..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:17:04 -0400

“He had time, now, to kneel and wait, having busied himself thus far in anxious efforts like a man struggling up a mountain, when he knew there was a force that could make the mountain bow.”

- Ellis Peters, Saint Peter’s Fair (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

by Maud Hart Lovelace Published 1942 I feel like a broken...

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:06:07 -0400

by Maud Hart Lovelace

Published 1942

I feel like a broken record–these books are so adorable and sweet! In this book, the girls decide to crown a queen of spring. However, Betsy and Tacy’s older sisters have already decided to do the same thing! Drama ensues.

What I really love about these books is how beautifully and kindly Lovelace portrays family. Betsy and her sister have always gotten along so well, that to see them in the midst of a serious argument is really quite distressing. But the way that they make up, and the way that everything comes together in the end–perfect.

I am enjoying these books so very, very much, and cannot recommend them highly enough. 5/5.

"You know, the longer I live, the more clearly I see that half the trouble in this bally world is..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:55:08 -0400

“You know, the longer I live, the more clearly I see that half the trouble in this bally world is caused by the light-hearted and thoughtless way in which chappies dash off letters of introduction and hand them other chappies to deliver to chappies of the third part. It’s one of those things that make you wish you were living in the Stone Age. What I mean to say is, if a fellow in those days wanted to give anyone a letter of introduction, he had to spend a month or so carving it on a large-sized boulder, and the chances were that the other chappies got so sick of lugging the thing round in the hot sun that he dropped it after the first mile. But nowadays it’s so easy to write letters of introduction that everybody does it without a second thought, with the result that some perfectly harmless cove like myself gets in the soup.”

- P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

The Inimitable Jeeves

Sun, 12 May 2013 08:44:09 -0400

by P.G. Wodehouse

Published 1923

While this book does not include the first appearance of Jeeves, it is the first collection of short stories devoted solely to the famous butler and his lovable master. If you have never read a Jeeves and Wooster book, stop whatever you’re doing right now and find one immediately. These books are a treasure.

That said, I prefer some of Wodehouse’s later works of Jeeves, which are full-length. While these short stories tie together loosely, each chapter is basically independent, and so, for me, the theme of “Bertie has a piece of clothing Jeeves doesn’t like. Bertie has a problem. Jeeves solves the problem. Bertie gets rid of the despised piece of clothing” gets a little redundant. But despite that, I still cannot read Wodehouse in public because I start laughing out loud and people look at me as though I’ve gone crazy. He is a definite favorite.

4/5.

"And of course, dash it, at the end of ten minutes I’d allowed the blighter to talk me round. It’s..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 06:33:04 -0400

“And of course, dash it, at the end of ten minutes I’d allowed the blighter to talk me round. It’s always the way. Anyone can talk me round. If I were in a Trappist monastery, the first thing that would happen would be that some smooth performer would lure me into some frightful idiocy against my better judgement by means of the deaf-and-dumb language.”

- P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

St. Peter’s Fair by Ellis Peters Published 1981 Another...

Sun, 12 May 2013 04:22:31 -0400

St. Peter’s Fair

by Ellis Peters

Published 1981

Another gem in the Brother Cadfael series. In this fourth book, the annual abbey’s fair is being held. But with Shrewsbury still in the midst of England’s civil war, the fair can be a place for more than honest trading. Also, feelings are still running high in the town, which has suffered from the war.

The story is exciting, the mystery is good, and the wisdom of Brother Cadfael–and in this book, particularly, Father Abbot–shines through.

5/5.

Galahad Threepwood's opinion on tea vs. alcohol

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:11:34 -0400

manycurrentssmallpuddle:

“Ah, here you are, Mr Whipple,” Lord Emsworth said. ”Capital, capital. I will ring for tea.”

“Tea?” said Gally. ”You don’t want tea. Filthy stuff. Look what it did to poor Buffy Struggles. Did I ever tell you about Buffy? Someone lured him into one of those temperance lectures illustrated with coloured slides and there was one showing the liver of the drinker of alcohol. He called on me next day, his face ashen. ’Gally,’ he said, ‘what would you say the procedure was when a fellow wants to buy tea?’ ’Tea?’ I said. ’What do you want tea for?’ ’To drink,’ he said. I told him to pull himself together. ’You’re talking wildly,’ I said. ’You can’t drink tea. Have a drop of brandy.’ He shook his head. ’No more alcohol for me,’ he said. ’It makes your liver look like a Turner sunset.’ Well, I begged him with tears in my eyes not to do anything rash, but I couldn’t move him. He ordered in ten pounds of the muck and was dead two weeks later. Got run over by a hansom cab in Piccadilly. Obviously if his system hadn’t been weakened by tea, he’d have been able to dodge the vehicle. Summon Beach and tell him to bring a bottle of champagne. I can see from Whipple’s face that he needs a bracer.”

“Perhaps you are right,” said Lord Emsworth.

“I know I’m right. The only safe way to get through life is to pickle your system thoroughly in alcohol. Look at Freddie Potts and his brother Eustace the time they ate the hedgehog.”

“Ate what?”

“The hedgehog. Freddie and Eustace were living on the Riviera at the time and they had French chef, one of those whose job was to go to market and buy supplies. On the way to Grasse that day, as he trotted off with the money in his pocket, he saw a dead hedgehog lying by the side of the road. Now this chef was a thrifty sort of chap and he saw immediately that if he refrained from buying the chicken he’d been sent to buy and stuck to the money, he’d be that much up, and he knew that with the aid of a few sauces he could pass that hedgehog off as chicken all right, so he picked it up and went home with it and served it up next day en casserole. Both brothers ate heartily, and here’s the point of the story. Eustace, who was a teetotaller, nearly died, but Freddie, who had lived mostly on whisky since early boyhood, showed no ill effects whatsoever. I think there is a lesson in this for all of us, so press that bell, Clarence.”

by Scott Corbett Published 1963 In this third (?) book of...

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:05:15 -0400

by Scott Corbett

Published 1963

In this third (?) book of the ‘Trick’ series, Kerby, Fenton, and Waldo (the dog) are looking forward to a fun backyard camping trip. The parents are all off for a quiet evening of bridge and the boys are left on their own.

Disaster strikes when Waldo gets out of the house before the boys can put his new license tag on. Luckily, the boys possess a special–possibly even magic–chemistry set. With the aid of the mysterious Mrs. Graymalkin, they set off on a whirlwind adventure to bring Waldo home.

These books are funny and easy reads. Paul Galdone’s illustrations are perfect. 4/5.

"But if I had … consented to go with Brother Elyas straight here to Bromfield, she would be living..."

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:35:03 -0400

““But if I had … consented to go with Brother Elyas straight here to Bromfield, she would be living now—”
“Do we know that? Might not you, too, have fallen into such hands [as theirs]? Child, if men had not done as they did, any time these five centuries, of course things would have gone on differently, but need they have been better? There is no profit in ifs. We go on from where we stand, we answer for our own evil, and leave to God our good.””

- Ellis Peters, The Virgin in the Ice (via manycurrentssmallpuddle)

by Maud Hart Lovelace Published 1941 Guys, I love these books....

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:32:21 -0400

by Maud Hart Lovelace

Published 1941

Guys, I love these books. I just can’t believe that I’ve missed them all my life. They keep getting more and more adorable! This is the second book of the series. At the very end of Betsy-Tacy, the girls met a new girl, Tib, and in this book, the three of them go adventuring. As I said, these books are just sweet and pleasant and very difficult to describe without making them sound silly and dull, and they aren’t. They are very, very readable.

And Lois Lenski’s illustrations are perfect. Bonus!!

5/5.

The Lemonade Trick by Scott Corbett Published 1960 This is the...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:49:06 -0400

The Lemonade Trick

by Scott Corbett

Published 1960

This is the first in a lively little series of books aimed at (I would say) 4th-5th grade. In this book, we meet Kerby and his dog, Waldo. Kerby and Waldo, in turn, meet a mysterious old lady in the park, Mrs. Graymalkin. Kerby helps Mrs. Graymalkin out, and she tells him that if he comes back the next day, she will give him a present–something that used to belong to her son when he was a little boy. The gift turns out to be a chemistry set–”Feats o’ Magic!”

Now, obviously, we don’t want children conversing with strangers in the park anymore, much less accepting presents from them, but, nonetheless, I have found these books to be hilarious. Each story involves the use of a different beaker from the chemistry set, and adventures ensue. Kerby and his best friend, Fenton, are torn about whether or not the chemistry set really is magic, and whether or not Mrs. Graymalkin is a–”well, you know, something she couldn’t be, not in real life”–(they never actually say “witch”). Fenton is convinced that she actually a very intelligent scientist, but Kerby isn’t so sure.

In The Lemonade Trick, Kerby discovers that mixing one of the beakers with lemonade makes an irresistible drink–and drinking it makes you feel “good”–after drinking it, Kerby spends the rest of the day cleaning out the basement and the garage, much to his parents’ surprise and concern! It is a funny and sweet book, with a nice ending.

This is the same author who wrote the Inspector Tearle books. These are illustrated by Paul Galdone, whose line drawings grace many of my old books. It’s a fun and light-hearted read, an easy 4/5.

Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters Published 1980 In this...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:12:26 -0400

Monk’s Hood

by Ellis Peters

Published 1980

In this third Brother Cadfael book, the brothers at the Benedictine Abbey at Shrewsbury are in a state of uncertainty. Their Father Abbot has been called to a meeting, and there is a strong possibility that he will return without the authority with which he is leaving. Meantime, he feels that he must leave several pieces of business unfinished, for the new Abbot may not have the same inclinations as the old. One of these items is the acceptance of an estate in exchange for the life-long care of the current owner and his wife. When this man dies before that charter can be signed, it is up to Cadfael to determine whether or not the obvious suspect is actually the murderer.

One of the things that I love about these books is the rich background Peters provides. Between these books and Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles, I am quite intrigued by Wales and Welsh culture, if for no other reason than every time I see Welsh names, they seem to include an impossible combination of letters. This story also includes a meeting between Cadfael and the fiancee of his youth, providing us with more insight into the character that is Cadfael.

You’ll notice that this book cover is from the television series. I only saw a few episodes, but it was actually a decent rendition. However, these books are so full of characters and conversations, that, to me, the television version felt a bit abrupt and confusing if you weren’t already familiar with the story. But it’s been a super long time since I watched, so I could be completely wrong.

Anyway, 5/5 for Cadfael.

The Rescuer

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:22:15 -0400

by Dee Henderson

Published 2003

This is the final book in O’Malley series, and focuses on Stephen, who is a paramedic. Completely burned out from his job (driving a squad to emergencies in Chicago is no tea party), emotionally exhausted from the illness and death of his youngest sister, and frustrated because the rest of his family have all become Christians and he can’t understand why, Stephen leaves for a long break. When he returns, he buys a small farm in a small town outside of Chicago, and is ready to start his new life.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have the entire series. This one involved a jewel thief parallel story line that seemed a bit obscure to me, but Stephen’s love interest, Meghan, is one of my favorite characters in the entire series, so the book was a bit of a toss-up for me. :-D I will say that it contains more excellent conversations about religion. I greatly appreciated this exchange–

“Why does it feel like God has conditions on loving me?”

“He doesn’t. You’re projecting your own list of what you think He should expect. It gets pretty intense when you realize He accepts you despite the fact that you’re a mess as the moment … Jesus is the kind who moves in, says I love you anyway, and then starts helping repair the mess. He means it when He says He loves you as you are, not based on what you’ve done. But He loves you too much to leave you in that chaos once you know Him.”

Henderson manages to capture that beautiful tension of the Christian life–Christ accepts us for who we are, without demanding us to “clean up” our lives in order to approach Him, but once we give our lives to Him, He helps us to clean them up, working alongside of us–a holy life is a result of a relationship with Christ, not a prerequisite.

I do feel like this book ends a bit abruptly. We’ve traveled along with this family for six fat books, and then it’s just sort of “and everyone lived happily ever after” kind of feel and that’s the end. Still, I really enjoyed this series as a whole, and this book in particular is an easy 4/5.

The Healer

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:11:15 -0400

by Dee Henderson

So, I was just writing a review for the last book in this series (The Protector) when I realized that I had somehow never reviewed The Healer?!? Which is a shame, because it is a really good one. So. We will fix that now. :-D

This is one of the O’Malley books, and focuses on the story of Rachel. She works for the Red Cross as a trauma psychologist, traveling to areas that have had some kind of disaster, and working with the people there to overcome their stress and terror. It involves lots of talking, lots of hugs, and recognizing that we, as humans, cling to things that are simple and small when our lives are spiraling out of control. Rachel is excellent at giving people back a semblance of normalcy. More, she doesn’t just abandon people after the initial difficulty has been overcome–she frequently hands out personalized business cards so that people with whom she has spoken can contact her later if they are struggling with returning to normal life.

Rachel is the O’Malley that I admire the most, honestly. She is calm and steady, the kind of person you automatically turn to in a time of need.

We first met Rachel in-depth in the book prior to this one, The Protector. While that book focused on her brother Jack, Rachel’s story was also a large part of it. Between that book and this one, Rachel has also become a Christian, so this book, rather than focusing on her journey to Christ, focuses more on the struggles of a brand-new Christian–learning to roll trouble and confusion onto His shoulders, and to lean on Him when the way becomes rough.

I have to say, one thing that I really, really, really love about these books is the way that they value friendship. The O’Malleys are a group of adults who have basically pledged to be life-long friends. They have legally adopted one another by changing their names, and they choose to stay together and support one another. And even as they are all getting married and such, those new spouses are brought into the family as well–true friends, accepted, loved, protected, challenged. The friendships exhibited in these books are beautiful to me.

Throughout this book, Jennifer, the sister with cancer, is getting sicker, and that is also part of Rachel’s struggle–trying to understand prayer, healing (or the lack thereof) and how this all works. The conversations are real and gritty, and I personally fell in love with Rachel’s love interest, Cole. Such a good man.

Anyway, these books are great; I love them. The mysteries are decent, the characters good, the conversations excellent. If all Christian fiction was like this, I would be a much happier woman.

4/5.

by Slavomir Rawicz Published 1956 This is a fascinating book....

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:49:48 -0400

by Slavomir Rawicz

Published 1956

This is a fascinating book. It is the true story of a small group of men who escaped from a Siberian prison camp and walked to India. INDIA, people, from SIBERIA. ACROSS THE DESERT AND THE MOUNTAINS.

I definitely recommend this book. It is actually a reasonably fast read. Rawicz’s narrative is easy to follow and completely fascinating. Although it is also rather dark and sad (for obvious reasons). He is obviously a haunted man, but eventually he ended up in England, where he married and had a family, so his life, at least, had a happy ending.

But this story of survival is simply brilliant, and the kind of book that everyone should read, if for no other reason than to remind ourselves of how incredibly easy our lives are. Books like this make me stop complaining and start being thankful.

To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy Published 1949 This is classic...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:38:42 -0400

To Hell and Back

by Audie Murphy

Published 1949

This is classic World War II reading material, in my mind. The memoirs of a decorated soldier, who went on to become a movie star (including playing himself in a film based on his book), make for interesting reading.

When studying history, I like to read books that were written during that time as well as books about that time. The latter can provide retrospective big-picture views, but the former give us insight into the more personal nature of history–history is comprised of people who had feelings and fears and hopes and joys just as we do every day. Books like this one give us a glimpse of that, reminding us of the very humanness of history. It is easy to read a log of numbers of people killed; it is something different to read a story that gives names to those deaths.

While Murphy’s account makes for interesting reading, it can also be confusing. He doesn’t bother a whole lot with telling you where he is or when it is–although, in truth, as a soldier, quite often he didn’t know where he was or when it was, so I suppose that makes sense. A lot of his book is conversation in the trenches, so it’s stories being told by other soldiers, stories of their past lives, stories of the lives they yearn to have someday. In some ways, this book is almost dull–day after day of trudging, of death, of waiting for death, of stupidity and frustration and hunger and cold and wet.

I wouldn’t recommend this book for very young readers–there is some language, and some discussion about women that makes the book a bit inappropriate for the pre-teen crowd, but overall a good read.