Our Hearts Were Young and Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920’s by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough

None of Cornelia Otis Skinner's many accomplishments as actress or author came close to matching the phenomenal popularity of Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, which appeared in 1942 and went through more than twenty printings a total of more than two million copies. A collaboration with her former Bryn Mawr classmate Emily Kimbrough, the memoir charmingly and quite comically details the pair's youthful trip abroad two decades earlier, when they were almost out of their teens and on their own for the first time. From its very beginning, the flavor of the work is deliciously evident, as Emily surprises a naked man in his hotel room before the girls have even embarked. From Montreal to London to Paris, episode follows upon episode, absurdity upon absurdity: shipwreck in the Saint Lawrence River, an astonishingly funny game of deck tennis, Emily hitting a drowning man with a deck chair, Cornelia breaking out with the measles, both girls oblivious to the ill repute of the house in Dieppe where they found lodging one night with sightseeing and romantic yearnings coming in between.

This nostalgic and innocent book is a marvelous voyage, so bright with life and comedy and an air of happy coincidence that it's very hard to put down, and nearly impossible to forget.  DELIGHTFUL!!!

5 Stars (Rated G)

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

Calpurnia Tate is as spirited a character as the indomitable Anne of Green Gables.  You will fall in love with her and cheer her along. 

5 stars (Rated G)

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

Anne Fadiman is--by her own admission--the sort of person who learned about sex from her father's copy of Fanny Hill, whose husband buys her 19 pounds of dusty books for her birthday, and who once found herself poring over her roommate's 1974 Toyota Corolla manual because it was the only written material in the apartment that she had not read at least twice.

This witty collection of essays recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language. For Fadiman, as for many passionate readers, the books she loves have become chapters in her own life story.

What a delight…I tittered, snickered and laughed out loud.  When my husband asked what was so funny I shared with him.  Not being a reader, he didn’t see the humor.  Some of my favorite parts/quotes:

“To use an electronics analogy, closing a book on a bookmark is like pressing the Stop button, whereas when you leave a book facedown, you’ve only pressed Pause.”

“George Bernard Shaw once came across one of his books in a second-hand shop, inscribed To ________ with esteem, George Bernard Shaw. He bought the book, returned it to _________, adding the line, With renewed esteem. George Bernard Shaw.”

The whole chapter about plagiarism is hysterical. I especially enjoyed the parts about ‘anticipatory plagiarism’ (where someone plagiarizes you 100 years before you are born and the quote about Joe Biden and how he cannot NOT plagiarize.

5 Stars (Rated G)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

What fun this book is! I think it might be more fun as an adult than as a child!  It is the quintessential book for boys.  Every young man should read it.

I loved all the stories; it seemed to speed from one story to another.  From Tom convincing the other boys to pay him for the opportunity to paint the fence, to attending their own funeral, to pulling the wig off the schoolmaster, to his sweet relationship with Becky Thatcher, the reader is amused and entertained and swept along with Tom through a most enjoyable vision of a young man’s adventures.

I was filled with nostalgia for my childhood; while not as adventurous as Tom’s, it was nevertheless filled much outdoor exploration and imaginative play. I also felt bad for the youth of today whose lives are filled with video games and television that will never know this kind of enjoyment.

5 stars (Rated G)

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

First let me say that if it wasn’t for book club, I would not normally even think about reading a book published by Harlequin.  (Yes, I am that much of a book snob.) Oh, but I’m so glad I did.  What a delightful book!  This was written in the 1950’s and is classified as a “Harlequin Historical Romance” and is nowhere close to what we (or I) think of as a typical Harlequin.

Sylvester is the Duke of Salford and is looking for a wife.  He has a list of five women with their pros and cons and discusses this with his mother.  She gently scoffs at him and tells him if that is all he is concerned with he is not ready to get married.  Sylvester is arrogant and privileged and anyone raised as a Duke would expect to be, however we get a few glimpses that there is a caring soul under his somewhat stony façade.

Phoebe’s home life is not quite happy.  She lives with her father and step-mother (or mother-in-law as it was called in the book).  She has younger sisters and a nanny. But Phoebe is most comfortable in the barn with the horses and her best friend Tom. Her step-mother does not help Phoebe to fit into society and her father goes along with whatever her step-mother wants. 

Of course we know they will end up together in the end, but the ride along the way is filled with misunderstandings, mishaps and just plain enjoyable antics.  Most enjoyable for me was some of the slang words used.  I’ve called them “Heyerisms” and listed them here:

·     farradiddles – little lies (“If Lord Elvaston doesn’t know his daughter better than to believe the farradiddles she utters I have a poor opinion of his sense!”)

·     ninnyhammer – dim-witted (“…if she thought…she was no better than a ninnyhammer.”)

·     peccadilloes – little sins (“…loyally shielded her from blame in their peccadilloes.”)

·     fustian – inflated language, exaggeration – (“…don’t talk such fustian.”)

I would definitely read another of her books.

4 Stars (Rated G)

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

A hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians.

Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness.

What a fund read!  Great themes for children to discuss…families, good vs. evil, shifting paradigms, how important books can be and more. 

 

4 stars (Rated G)

Savvy by Ingrid Law

For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.

As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up -and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

This is a Newberry Honor Book.  It’s a delightful story and wonderful message.  It would be a great book to read to your children.

5 Stars (Rated G)

The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith

It all begins with Birdie Pickett’s first Christmas letter in 1944.  A lonely young war bride, Birdie is far from home and taking care of a new baby while her husband is fighting overseas.  At Christmastime, she writes home to her family about the joys and sorrows of her new life, and—being a wonderful cook—includes a recipe.  As her life changes and her children grown up, Birdie continues to write gossipy letters to her family and friends every holiday season.

Birdie’s daughter, Mary takes on the Christmas letter tradition—recipes and all—when she leaves college in the 1960’s to start a family of her own. Like her mother, she goes from poverty to prosperity, but she loses herself—and her marriage—along the way.

Finally, in the 1990’s, Mary’s daughter, Melanie, pours over the letters and lives of the women who came before herm and writes her first Christmas letter.

I can’t say that I highly recommend this book.  It was only 125 pages—I think too much happening in too short a time.  It didn’t seem to go anywhere, it fell kind or flat.  The last chapter (letter) written by Melanie seemed to be an advertisement or teaser for a book to come, but as far as I can tell, Ms. Smith has not written anything with the outline given in that letter.  In all, nothing special, and none of the recipes were all that special either! I would, however try another book by this author.

3 stars (Rated G)

The Modern Magi by Carol Lynn Pearson

Oh, I love Carol Lynn Pearson.  Her stories are almost as good as her poetry. 

This is a sweet short novella about fifty-seven year old Annabelle Perkins who lives alone in a small Midwestern town and works as a waitress.  She dreams of traveling to the Holy Land and giving a gift to Jesus at his birthplace, just as the Magi did two thousand years before.  After saving her money for months, her dream is about to come true.  Then something unexpected happens and forces Annabelle to make a series of difficult decisions.

Lovely story.

5 Stars (Rated G)

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

This delightful diversion was a lexicon lover’s treasure trove of wonderful words.  It was so much fun!  It is the story of 18 year-old Ella Minnow pea who lives on a fictional island called Nollop off the coast of South Carolina.  Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”  Now the memorial to Nollop and his pangram (a sentence using all 26 letters of the alphabet) is starting to loose its letters.  As the letters drop from the monument they are outlawed by the island’s Council and people start to desert the island for the safety of the United States.  The book follows Ella and others as they try to save their beloved island from total desertion and loss of language. 

So much fun!

5 stars (Rated G)

A Prairie Christmas Collection by Tracie Peterson et al.

This was a book of 9 different Christmas stories.  They all take place in the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska, etc. in the late 1800’s.  They are all Christian romances.  It was a nice gentle read.  Not great literature, but a fun read.

3 stars (Rated G)

So Big by Edna Ferber

This is another Pulitzer Pize winng book. The back of the book touts this as “A rollicking panorama of Chicago's high and low life, this stunning novel follows te travails of gambler's daughter Selina Peake DeJong as she struggles to maintain her dignity, her family, and her sanity in the face of monumental challenges."  I found this rather misleading as after the first 50 pages or so, Selina's father passes away and she leaves Chicago to live in the country as a school teacher.  Selina sees the beauty in everything she sees. Her observation on first seeing a field of cabbages, "Cabbages are beautiful" becomes a source of mocking from the country folk and is repeated throughout the novel as a means of separating Selina from the people with whom she lives among.

She quickly marries a ‘truck farmer’ and has a child…a son, Dirk or “So Big”.  Her husband dies after only a few years of marriage and then the story really begins. Selina is forced to work hard to give her son all the things she longed for and was never able to attain. 

I really enjoyed the first part about Selina, but when the story switches focus to Dirk, it falls kind of flat to me, but maybe that was intentional...hmmm.  I keep going back and forth about the ending.  I can’t decide if it was a ‘cop-out’ or a brilliant way to end the book.  I am looking forward to discussing it with the women of my book club to see if they felt the same way.  It definitely has a message to deliver and it does that well, whether you like the ending or not.

3 stars (Rated G – for young audiences as well)

The Angel of Bastogne by Gilbert Morris

Chicago newspaper reporter Ben Raines is a full-fledged cynic trying to bypass what he feels is the least wonderful time of the year. But his plan to escape Christmas on an overseas vacation is foiled when he’s assigned to write the big front-page holiday story.

In a humbug twist, Ben decides to sour the sugar coatings of December 25^th with a piece that will debunk a World War II legend involving his father.

Willy Raines fought in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne on Christmas Day in 1944, and, to Ben’s embarrassment, openly believe a real angel saved the lives of his men in the 101^st Airborne unit.
Along with a new friend, Ben makes a cross-country journey to find other veterans who witnessed the angel of Bastogne, sure to return empty-handed.  Instead, he comes home with a heart that is overflowing.

Not very well written but a lovely Christmas story with a Christian influence.  I loved it.

4 stars (Rated G – for everyone)

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

I think this was a case of over-anticipation.  I was eager to read this for so long that when I finally did, it didn’t live up to what I’d hyped it up to be.  It is a cute book.  The author lists things that are AWESOME and then give a little vignette about how they come to be, or why they are so awesome.  It does make you appreciate the small things in your every day life. A few of my favorites (that are small enough to share) were:

Solving the Wheel of Fortune puzzle before the people on the show. Sure, most of the time they beat you to the punch.  But once in a while you manage to get in there and shout it out before they’re done buying a vowel. Screaming out the right answer is great because it means you’re smarter than three random people on TV.  And since at the time you’re gorging on a plate of cookies on the couch with your eyeballs hal-drooped, this is a pretty good feeling.  We’ll take it. AWESOME!

Waking up and realizing it’s Saturday. CRAP WHAT TIME IS IT I GOTTA GET TO WORK. Wait a minute. AWESOME!

Finally remembering a word that’s been on the tip of your tongue for so long. It’s like throwing a pail of cold water on all your smoking inner head parts. Gears unjam, lines start rolling and you settle back in the restaurant booth with a satisfied smile on your face and just blurt it out.  “Parcheesi, that’s what it was called.” AWESOME!

3 stars (Rated G – for everyone.)

The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne

This is a sweet Christmas story to read as a family.  Give the final chapters to Dad to read though, Mom won’t make it through without some Kleenex.

Nine year-old Mo and his 11 year-old brother, Aaron find themselves acting as elves in a Children’s Hospital along side a jolly wheelchair-bound doctor/Mall Santa who promised them the “best gift they never wanted” for Christmas.  What happens at the hospital and the things Mo and Aaron learn that year are a lesson for all of us and a wonderful story.

5 stars (Rated G for everyone)

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

This is the astounding story of almost 4 year-old Colton Burpo’s trip to heaven during a life saving surgery.

Colton had a brush with death in March and then in July he starts to tell his parents matter-of-factly about his experience during the surgery. Pieces of the story come out little by little over the coming months. Colton tells his father that he saw him praying for him and Jesus told Colton he had to go back because of his father’s prayers. Colton describes Jesus and God, how they were dressed, but more importantly he always end with, “But Jesus loves us a lot, I mean A LOT!”

He visits with Pop, his father’s grandfather. When they show him a picture of Pop that had been taken just before he passed away, Colton responds, “Nobody is old in heaven.” They later show him a picture of Pop at 29 and he responds, “Where did you get the picture of Pop!”

The book is filled with many fascinating insights by this precious little boy. Amazing story!

4 stars (Rated G – for everyone)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I can’t remember where I heard about this book.  It has been on my wish list on PaperBackSwap for some time. I received it in the mail yesterday and read it last night.  It is a children’s book, probably in the 9-12 years old range. 

Miranda is a savvy New York City sixth-grader. She and her friend Sal know which places are safe and which are not.  One day someone punches Sal for seemingly no reason and Sal seems to withdraw.  Then she receives a note: “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.” The notes keep coming and the mystery building.  Miranda realizes the person writing the notes, knows things they should not know. 

Great story and great writing.  If you like A Wrinkle in Time, you will like this.

4 stars (Rated G)