Do I have great friends, or what?

I hope that any of you that read this blog realize that I don't find all these excellent books by myself. I have wonderful friends that lend or recommend or even bring books to my house. Yesterday, I finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (1996). You may have heard of this book, as they just recently released a movie that was based on it.
This is the true story of a young, idealistic, financially secure college graduate who gave away all of his possessions and his money to set out alone looking for adventure, self-reliance, and equality with his fellow human beings.
He eventually ended up in the Alaskan wilderness where he starved to death. I'm not giving anything away by telling that; there's been a lot of publicity.
Sounds grim, doesn't it? Surprisingly, it's not. The book is very well written, and though the ending leaves you sad, you're also somewhat awed by the single-minded resolution of this young man that any of us would have been proud to know.

Scary Title

It caught my eye in the library. A softcover in the "New Books" section with a picture of a pile of brown dirt against a backdrop of blue sky. A hand holding a shovel can be seen throwing dirt skyward, which seems entirely appropriate for a book entitled Gravedigger. It was written by Peter Grandbois, and published in 2006.
It tells the story of a man in a small Spanish village whose inherited job it was to dig graves. The unusual part is that the recently deceased visits him while he is preparing the grave to tell him the story of their life, which he, in turn, passes on to the bereft family for their comfort.
We not only hear the stories from the dead, but also we learn his story, and that of his daughter. It's a well-written book telling an interesting tale.

An Exception --- At last!

I've gone quite a while between postings because although I've been reading a lot, none of the books were anything I cared to write about. They weren't bad, just kind of run-of-the-mill.
Finally, a friend loaned an excellent book.
It's The God of Animals by Aryn (that's a girl) Kyle (2007).
This book tells the story of a young girl/woman growing up on her daddy's horse ranch. The father was a horse trainer whose big dreams got in the way of any practicality. The mother was severely depressed and confined herself to her upstairs bedroom. There was an older sister who had been the darling of the ranch community because of her innate ability to ride, perform and bond with horses.
Then there's Alice, the younger girl. Alice's sister had run away with a young cowboy, leaving Alice and her dad trying get a little financial stability out of their ranch. Eventually, they were desperate enough to offer to board horses for the wealthy young matrons of the community. There's such a contrast between the lives of the characters in this book, and I can't imagine that it would fail to hold the interest of any reader.
This is Aryn Kyle's first novel. Let's hope she writes a whole lot more.

Just Plain "WOW"!

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been reading a really big book (think "Hawaii"). This one was almost 800 pages, and that's in fairly small print. The book is AZTEC, by Gary Jennings (1980). Thanks to a good librarian, this came to my attention.
The story traces the entire lifespan of an Indian native to Mexico prior to and during the Spanish invasion. The narrator, Mixtli, is telling of his life and of his country to a group of priests who have commanded him to do so.
The story is divided into segments as transcribed by the priests to be sent to His Excellency, the Emperor of Spain. The book is so well done that not only do you learn about Mixtli, you also get several chuckles about the priests.
I'm so glad I got to read this book. I feel that it's probably pretty accurate historically, but it's also darn good entertainment.

A lot more than just history

I am not a lover of history --- except sometimes, and on certain subjects. I don't know a lot about the depression except that my parents lived through it, and that I was born near the end of it. And other than seeing The Grapes of Wrath several times over the years, I don't know much about the American Dust Bowl which happened in the same period of time.
But now, thanks to Timothy Egan, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, I know a whole lot more about each of them. His book, The Worst Hard Time (2006), covers both grim subjects in an enjoyable manner.
Are you aware that more land was ruined in Kansas than in Oklahoma? Do you know that the major cause was greed? How about Americans starving to death? Ever hear of a soil temperature of 142? And no matter what your political persuasion, I believe this book will lead you to a lot of admiration for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
I'm sure this review could not make you eager to read the book, but I was very impressed with it. Give the book a try. I bet you'll agree with me.

This was way different...

A close friend loaned another good book to me. It is Solar Storms by Linda Hogan (1995). The book won the Colorado Book Award for Fiction in that year. The narrator is a teen-age Native American almost-woman, who has been separated from her family and raised in foster homes. She bore the facial scars of an early injury, but no knowledge of how she had been hurt, nor of why she had been given away by, or taken away from, her mother. After making a connection with her grandmother, she also found a great-grandmother, her grandfather's first wife, other relatives, and eventually, her mother and a sister.
The three older women and the girl make a long and hazardous journey by canoe through the upper waters of Minnesota.
The book is written in a simple and beautiful manner. I liked it a lot.

More than Memorable

I recognize that I probably sound overly enthusiastic in my book reviews, but I seem to be going through a cycle of only being exposed to excellent, one-of-a-kind books.
My latest love affair is with Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2006). The author's picture on the inside of the book's back cover shows her to be a pretty, young woman -- so how could she possibly portray the old (90 or 93, he's not sure which) man in a retirement home with such bull's-eye accuracy? I hope I'm not infringing on the copyright to quote just a small segment.
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" There's dead silence in the room. I look around. All eyes are trained on me. "What?" I say loudly. "Is that so much to ask? Doesn't anyone else here miss real food? Surely you can't all be happy with this ... this ... pap?" I put my hand on the edge of my plate and give it a shove.
Just a little one.
Really.
My plate shoots across the table and crashes to the floor. "
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Isn't that great! I'm going to drive the library nuts trying to get her other books.
Anyway, the basic story is about a young almost-veterinarian who ends up caring for the animals in a circus train during the depression years. The narrator is the old man who is remembering.
You'd have to be a real pickle-puss not to enjoy this one. Remember her name. Sara Gruen.