I write a post each month about recent books, movies and articles I’ve come across. It’s meant to be an encouragement/recommendation to those who follow this blog. Usually, the things I include are of the “serious” variety, but this month I thought I’d highlight a few non-serious titles, too.
The kids and I started some fun books over the Thanksgiving break. They include some classics: Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune, Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat, and The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. (We just finished reading The Hobbit together.)
One of the highlights of Thanksgiving week for me was trekking with my two oldest to the Used Book Emporium in Longmont, Colo., my favorite used bookstore. Each of the kids got to choose a book to take home, which we paid for with credit from the literally dozens of bags of unwanted books that we traded in this summer!
On the “serious” side of things, here are some of the books I’ve picked up recently:
- The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts by Graham Robb — I’m intrigued by all things Celtic, and as a bonus, this book makes tantalizing references to The Lord of the Rings, mentioned above, and other contemporary stories.
- For the Time Being by Annie Dillard — What can you say about Dillard’s books that hasn’t already been said? She has a unique and unusual voice and sees what most of us miss.
- The Story and Its Writer by Ann Charters — On the nuts and bolts of stories.