Summer is winding down and so is my summer reading, though I won't be starting school (teaching online as well as homeschooling) until after Labor Day. I think I can still squeeze a few more titles in. Here's the most recent line-up:
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien~~A re-read. I'm embarrassed and sorry to say that I did not read The Lord of the Rings trilogy until I was in my 30's . . .ahem . . . mid-30's. For shame. But I think I'm making up for lost time by re-visiting these wonderful stories every few years. Is it okay that I'm listening to them instead of reading them? I love Rob Inglis' narration. My favorite character from the trilogy and maybe from all of literature is Samwise Gamgee. "Frodo wouldn't have gotten very far without his Sam." As heroic as so many of the characters are, I contend that Sam is the real hero of the story. Tolkien's love of the common man shines through in his sympathetic portrayal of the noble Sam. There is much to be learned~~absorbed, really~~through these stories, and like the true classics they are, no matter how many times I return to them, there is more treasure to be found.
Through the Kitchen Window by Susan Hill~~This book, published in 1988, kept appearing on my favorite homemaking blogs, so I bought a copy for myself and I'm glad I did! I knew the minute I saw the cover that I would like it. The illustrations alone are warm and enticing enough to lure me in, but the glimpses of life in England and English recipes to boot . . . ! Well, what can I say? I only wish it were longer. I want to live in this book! I'm sure it is one I will read over and over when I want something fun and cozy. It's what I call a "Sunday afternoon book"~~something comforting to read on quiet, lazy days.
Morning Tide by Neil Gunn~~I had a hard time making myself finish this book. (Maybe that's why my reading list isn't very long this time~~that and all that time I spent quilting!). Neil Gunn certainly has the skill to string words together to write evocative sentences, but I could never find a discernible plot. The book consists of vignettes of life in a Scottish fishing village about, oh, eighty years ago. That alone could make for a good read, but I didn't get the point of the vignettes, either. I was sorry because I really wanted to like this book. Maybe I'm not grown up enough yet to appreciate it.
There are a couple more books I haven't finished yet but expect to soon. I'll tell you about those when I do.
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