My mom could not be predicted. When I was in my early 20’s, she called up long distance (an expensive activity) and ordered me to read a certain book. Now. She heard about it from Gladys who got the recommendation from Jill and now that Mom had read it, I had to. This made no sense. Mom knew one or two women named Jill but neither of them usually recommended books and there was no Gladys I could think...
I love some books for their wonderful writing. I love some books for their wonderful characters. I even love a few for their couldn’t-guess-that plots. But All My Patients are Under the Bed and After All They’re Only Cats keep their place on my bookshelf because of their subject. They’re about the pets we make part of their lives. In this case they’re both about cats. Dr. Louis...
Fifty-five years ago this week, a Kansas farmer, his wife and two youngest children were murdered by a pair of ex-convicts. The cons didn’t get away with much (other than the lives of their victims) and they didn’t get away for long because they were under arrest within six weeks, under sentence of within six months and under the ground within six years, executed for the crimes they’d committed. In to...
I remember the summer I met her. I was in junior high, to old for kid’s books and too young (and snobbish) for the historical romances my mother favored. When I whined that I wanted something new to read, Mom looked at me thoughtfully and handed me a library book with a drawing of the English countryside on the cover. “Try this” she said.”It’s surprising.” I glanced at the title, tur...
Early on in “Educating Rita” the heroine characterizes Howards End as “one crap book.” When I heard that line, I mentally crossed Howards End off my books-to-read list. Rita is a funny and engaging character so if she said the book was crap, then crap it must be. Ten years later, I saw the Merchant-Ivory film and realized I might have been hasty. More than twenty years ha...