The Rider of the Ruby Hills, by Louis L’Amour

These four stories were great fun. They are early work, published in pulp magazines as magazine novels. Louis L'Amour consented to their being reprinted in this format because his fans pressured him to see more of his writing. All four of these magazine novels were later edited and expanded into full length novels.  

Showdown Trail became The Tall Stranger. 

A Man Called Trent became The Mountain Valley War.

The Rider of the Ruby Hills became Where the Long Grass Blows.

The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon became Son of a Wanted Man.

Rider of the Ruby Hills was my favorite. Bill Canavan is one of the strongest characters I've met, and Louis L'Amour has a lot of strong characters. Canavan will not be cowed or walked on, despite the all-consuming presence of the cattle lords in his chosen town.

Showdown Trail was a close second; the coincidence of Rock Bannon being who he is and then ending up in that particular wagon caravan was just fun. 

A Man Called Trent didn't sit quite right in my mouth, and Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon was a bit juvenile. Even though L'Amour's greenness shows in these early works, one is still impressed with his ingenuity and story-telling ability.

I have a great appreciation for the fact that L'Amour doesn't write about sex. I can pick up any of his novels and know they will be clean. There are plenty of men wanting a woman for a wife (or the bad guy wanting the same woman for pleasure) but gritty details are avoided.

I love that L'Amour focuses so strongly on right and wrong. What is the code of the good man? The code of his enemy? When can an outlaw be the good guy? What does it mean to thirst? Fear? Be hunted? Find solace? Enjoy peace? The discussion of motives, backgrounds, and intentions draws one closer to God. It's good reading.

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

I read this as a child and have gobbled it up again. Tolkien’s incredible scenery descriptions leave distinct impressions in one’s mind without being drawn out or boring. I was struck by the number of smooth-talking trickeries there are – people tangling others up in their words. Is that an admirable trait if one uses it for good? It’s definitely not when it’s used for ill.

The many characters and places are fun to think back on, each as unlikely as the next, yet all fitting comfortably within the story. Hague's illustrations were a delightful inclusion.

I must admit that it was less than I remembered it being as a child – less suspense, less hunger, less time and travel and want and waste (I think this is due to me reading it more slowly as a child, and thus drawing out each situation in a more realistic time frame) – and yet the adventure was as great. I must admit I was disappointed in Thorin’s inflexibility at the end. Truly he did not owe the people for damages caused by the dragon – the dragon was not his responsibility. It seems Thorin’s character held tightly to the stereotypes dwarfs are set with (greed over friendship, unfortunately), and could not see the forest for the trees. While he was tasked with the almost impossible job of protecting the treasure (formerly protected by a dragon, and he had only a dozen dwarfs!), he also could have handled it better.

From my reading as a child I remembered the goblins, good elves, dragon, and dwarf’s cave. I had forgotten the great bear, spiders, Elves of the Wood, and the people of the lake-town of Esgaroth. The clever escape from the Elves of the Wood was my favorite portion of the book, made all the better (in my view) by Bilbo’s forgetting to plan a way to save himself!

It was interesting to watch Bilbo grow and become so much more than what he had been, then on the return journey within sight of his home, Gandalf says “Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were,” making it sound as if the changes were not for the better. (Wink, wink.) And of course, “He had lost his reputation,” for no decent hobbit goes on adventures. And so we see that in becoming well traveled, versed in many other cultures, and having solved problems of every sort, he has become less of a person in his home town.  His adventures lead to the adventures of his nephew, Frodo, in which the entire Shire (hobbit-land) is saved; thus Frodo “looses” his reputation also. 

Who can see with true vision? He is despised, tho he saveth us all.

Matched and Crossed, by Ally Condie

     

I finished Matched feeling as if it were a cross of the Hunger Games and 1984, with a little of Brave New World mixed in, but not as compelling as any of them. I think part of the reason I didn’t enjoy this book as much was because I chose one guy for the main character, and she picked another. I kept waiting for Cassia to come around and get it, but in the end, I had to come around. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for me.

The pacing didn’t particularly suit me, but the story line was interesting. The way the society uses the things people love to break their citizens was cruel. (For example, Cassia’s father loves books, but his job is to destroy any from the old society that are found.) Ally Condie conveys her love of poetry, art, and the written word throughout the novel. The way this society suppresses the written word (and thus elevates its importance in our eyes) is food for thought.

The three pills (green for calming, blue for nutritional sustenance, and red for only-the-society-knows-what) don’t add up – I thought the author hadn’t thought those through completely. Not so, but you have to read the other books. 

That I didn’t find much compelling in this book made it a loss for me.

I wanted to give the series a second chance because there were so many good reviews of the second novel, Crossed. I really enjoyed it – I found many philosophical questions that drove me to deeper thinking and that will make for good discussion with others who have read the book or enjoy dystopian discussions: the pros and cons of believing or not believing in the power of resistance. The choice between trying to change everything or just making the most of whatever time we have. The question “Is it worth it… to have no choice but to [get incredible, life-changing benefits]?” The problems that come with allowing those we love to make choices for themselves. And then the ultimate choice for Cassia: being able to do the things she always thought she would, or being able to do things she never thought she could.

I’m looking forward to the third novel in the series, which is slated to come out in November.

Just David, by Eleanor H. Porter

 

David is a boy of 10 who has spent the last six years on the top of a mountain with his father, meeting only the milk boy and occasionally someone in the distant town. His sheltered life has allowed his father to train him up in his own way: David’s father himself says that David “knows only that which is good and beautiful. He knows nothing of sin nor evil.” David and his father are both violinists of the highest caliber. “Always, when [David] was moved, he turned to his violin. Always in its quivering strings he found the means to say that which his tongue could not express.”

And so it is that once David is under the care of another man who has sent him to gather wood, David gets distracted by the faces of pansies and is found some minutes later “playing” the pansies on his violin, with the wood box empty. David’s journey from innocence about life to understanding of work and pain is one that readers will treasure. With child-like thoughts and wording we learn with David about the beauty of the world around us. We can see it too, if only we will take the time to be still and see.

This book was recommended to me by ChocolateOnMyCranium@blogspot.com. Go to the blog and search for “Just David” to see her own reviews and experiences with the book.

Kitchen Daughter, by Jael McHenry



I thought the 'f' words were completely unnecessary. Two espisodes, unrelated, and any other words could have been chosen. C'mon.

On the other hand, the references to warmth and heat throughout the book, and the power it has to transform, were a delightful parellel to the storyline - the power of adversity to make people into something better.

Ginny, the oldest of two girls, has Asperberger's. Her parents have cared for and protected her for her whole life, and overnight they are gone. This book is about her struggle to overcome her condition, her sister's idea of what her life should be, and her own idea of what her life will be.

I loved learning about Asperberger's from the point of view of someone with the syndrome. Learning about the family relationships and the parenting techniques was interesting, and wathcing the friendship of the two sisters develope was valuable.

All the cooking info tickled my senses, and the references to voices having the qualities of food was delightful. The author is skilled at drawing the reader in and causing one to feel for the characters and their circumstances.

The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour, Volume One



Although it wsa obvious that some stories were written earlier in his career than others, most of the writing is masterful. One of the reasons I enjoy short stories is because I'm not kept till the wee hours of the morning reading through the suspenseful, action-packed core of a novel. No such luck with L'Amour- I craved his writing. I drank it up night after night, and it filled me with warmth and pleasure.

L'Amour's knowledge of Indians, locations, and the frontier life never ceased to amaze me. The lack of sex and infusion of morals and stories of great men delighted me. Here's an excerpt of Caprock Rancher:

      The money we important for reasons beyond what it could buy. Pa was always holding on about the value of a good nname, and for the first time I was faced up to what it could mean. Pa was a respected man, but if we showed up without that money a lot of folks were going to remember that I'd been swaggering it around town with Doc Sites, Kid reese, and that outfit. Some of them were going to say things about us loosing that money, and Pa would take the blame as well as me.
      We Tuckers never had much  but an honest reputation... This herd we had just sold in Kansas was... the first thing Pa had to show for twenty years of hard work . . . and the first many of our neighbors had to show. If we'd got through to the ranch with that money we'd have had an edge on the future.
      I guess it was my fault.

The coming-of-age story of this young Tucker was a delight to read. Trap of Gold made me more nervous than any reading I've done in a long time - several times I had to pause to still my nerves. The Listening Hills made me cry. The Gift of Cochise made my heart swell with joy at the goodness of men and women, white and Indian, who lived the codes they chose to live by.

After reading this collection I feel delighted and strengthened.

The Devil in the White City

As the cover says, "Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America." I highly recommend reading this with breath mints on hand - otherwise the bile in your throat might overcome you. The creepy sick-minded murderer info is broken up by parallel stories in the city that will surprise, delight, and intrigue the reader.

I loved the format of this book and truly enjoyed all the history and knowledge about the process of building and maintaining the fair and its attendance. The things in popular culture today that stem from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1892 were startling to me. The fact that I see architecture in my city every day that was designed or heavily influenced by the lead architect of the fair was a revelation to me. I realized that I have read about Daniel Burnham before without being able to appreciate him or tie his name to anything specific. Now I know.

Education of a Wandering Man

What a guy! So often we put people into a compartment: "Louis L'Amour was a famous Western writer." Well, guess what? He was also a soldier, professional boxer, lumberjack, miner, sailor, world traveler, and among many other things, a voracious reader. Of nonfiction and fiction alike. He may have the most well-rounded knowledge of any person I've ever heard of. It was simply amazing to read his life story, as told by himself: an amazing storyteller on a mission to educate the world about what education should look like. "Our libraries are not cloisters for an elite. They are for the people, and if they are not used, the fault belongs to those who do not take advantage of their wealth. If one does not move on from what merely amuses to what interests, the fault lies in the reader, for everything is there."

He may have convinced me to start reading more than one book at a time, which would be a big change for me. I certainly wish that I had read one of his novels parallel to my reading of this memoir. I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering reading this, and I suggest The Walking Drum, L'Amour's 12th century historical novel. (Other hardcover bestsellers: The Lonesome Gods, Jubal Sackett, Last of the Breed, The Haunted Mesa, and of course, Education of a Wandering Man : ) Hondo is his first published novel, and his short stories are much talked about in this memoir. I would like to read a collection of them.)

He doesn't think everyone should learn the way he did: on the move, reading here and there whatever he could get his hands on. After sharing about one of his jobs in a sawmill, he says: "It has been years since I have been in a sawmill, and it is probably all done by machinery now, as are most of the jobs I used to do. I feel very sorry indeed for any young man without an education in these days, for there is literally nowhere to go." They certainly can't follow his own footsteps, working around the globe, footloose, and hope to get much of anywhere. While there are some places for such people to go, I think L'Amour regrets the end of the labor force as he knew it, and the end of the lessons he was able to learn while in it.

L'Amour does think that every person should have a broader and a deeper education. "I think the greatest gift anyone can give to another is the desire to know, to understand. Life is not for simply watching spectator sports, or for taking part in them; it is not for simply living from one working day to the next. Life is for delving, discovering, learning."

I think one of his purposes in writing this book was to clear up his intent in writing Western novels. Entertain, yes. But teach too! Record what has been for the generations to come who will never see it again, and may never have known what it was like otherwise. Speaking of his own written works he says: "Woven into their lines is much about how men have lived, fought, and survived." He recognizes a lack of this type of information in the histories of the world and has done his part to record it for the American frontier.

My younger sister is an aspiring author, and it was interesting to me that he targets this audience in his book - he shares a lot of insight and knowledge about the process of becoming a writer. If you fall into that category, you'd learn quite a bit from this read. One bit of wisdom: "Gustave Flaubert said once that "Talent is nothing but long patience."" L'Amour goes on to tell of other aspiring writers he knew who would write things "so brilliant that I envied them their facility with words and ideas..." Yet of those he knew, only one was able to 'make it' and he didn't make it incredibly far. L'Amour suggests that they were "unable or unwilling to take the rejection, and obviously incapable of that long patience of which Flaubert speaks."

"Knowledge is like money: To be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value. ... Upon the shelves of our libraries, the world's greatest teachers await our questions."

L'Amour laments the knowledge that dies each time a person dies. We each have so much inside us and lack motivation to record and share it. "A parent or a teacher has only his lifetime; a good book can teach forever." His own personal library contained over 17,000 books, many of them rare.

I'm calling up my father to learn more about how L'Amour's avid readership viewed him. Happy reading!

Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer

Foremost: Eww! There is way too much detail about the former sex lives of Oskar's grandparents. That said, it can be easily avoided by not reading the chapters that are their letters. Just skip those letters from the grandparents and you'll get a clean story - of Oskar.

I found Oskar's part of the story engaging and educational. He makes a lot of thought provoking friends and is a very observant child. The most interesting moments of the story for me where when someone else was talking to Oskar about death. His father died before the story begins, and Oskar is on the hunt for a message or clue from his dad. Death and talk of death is sprinkled meaningfully throughout the narrative. It is interesting to think about it from Oskar's point of view, then incorporate the comments into one's own point of view.

I'm labeling this one as "not recommended" because of the sex, but if you skip those chapters that are letters from the grandparents, it's clean.

The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig

I'm in a bit of a state of awe over this book. The way it captures such meaning, and the essence of where education has been and where it's headed, was a real treat for me to enjoy. I felt that the book was about schools, schooling, students, teachers, parents, and community - as much or more than I felt it was about the story of Paul's family and the season of life they were in. What can I say? I'm a teacher.

That said, the story line is intriguing and well thought out. The syntax is a bit over-worked, but lavish and meaningful. The crossing of four such bright minds in a rural dry-farming community in the middle of (nowhere) Montana is something to enjoy - the wit and spectacle keeps the reader hopping and hoping.
My favorite passage comes as the main character, Paul, remembers drawing water from the well in his schoolyard back when he was a child.

    Out beyond the play area, there were round rims of shadow on the patch of prairie where the horses we rode to school had eaten the grass down in circles around their picket stakes. Perhaps that pattern drew my eye to what I had viewed every day of my school life but never until then truly registered: the trails in the grass that radiated in as many directions as there were homesteads with children, all converging to that schoolyard spot where I stood unnaturally alone.
    Forever and a day could go by, and that feeling will never leave me. Of knowing, in that instant, the central power of that country school in all our lives. It reached beyond those of us answering [the teacher's] role call that first day... Everyone I could think of had something at stake in the school... The mothers dispatched their hearts and souls out the door every morning as they sent waist-high children to saddle up and ride miles to school. We all answered, with some part of our lives, to the pull of this small knoll of prospect, this isolate square of schoolground.
    There at the waiting pump I could not sort out such matters totally, but even then, I am convinced, began in me some understanding of how much was recorded on that prairie, in those trails leading to the school. How their pattern held together a neighborhood measured in square miles and chimneys as far apart as smoke signals. I would say, if I were asked now, that the mounted troupes of schoolchildren taking their bearing on that schoolhouse on its prairie high spot traveled as trusting and true in their aim as the first makers of roads sighted onto a distant cathedral spire.

Paul attended school in that one-room building and loves what it stands for. Now grown, he has become the head of all the schools in the state and is asked to close all the one-room schoolhouses in favor of bigger, supposedly better schools for the children. This book is his memories of one year of his schooling and the impact that visiting the area, with his childhood home and schoolhouse, has on the decision he will present to the board.

I taught in a fairly rural community, with many students who could have ridden horseback to school if they'd chosen to. I read this book in one day, almost in one sitting. I wolfed it down and will spend a long time digesting it. It was good, healthy food for my teacher's soul.