“Eureka!” says Mom the other day, coming home from the library. With both arms full of books. And then some.
I have no idea why Mom says this. But she says it a lot. Especially when she’s lugging home another truck load of “books” from The Book Place.
Have you seen the list of Books Everyone Should Read that floated around Facebook awhile back? Her Momness and I read that list. Someone musta forgot to eat their Wheaties says The Old Curmudgeon after reading that list. (You know Mom, right?)
So we put paw and hand together and came up with our own list. We’re callin’ it Books to Grow By.
Classic, contemporary, and just for fun titles are included, plus some surprises.
Note: With apologies to high school English teachers everywhere, neither of us can abide ‘stream of consciousness’ prose a la Faulkner. That’s one reason The Sound and the Fury isn’t included. Ditto Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby. And no, you won’t find The Most Over-Rated Book in the English Language on our list either. Hint: Catcher in the Rye. Gag me with Meow Mix!
You will find evidence of our conviction that some of the finest literature ever written can be found in the Children’s Section. Selections appear in alpha order by title.
How many of these have you read? What are YOUR favorites?
One other thing: This list originally appeared in 2018. What would you add?
Well bow-wow and pass the bacon! Cuz we’ve got a real treat for your today! Yes siree, Lassie! Our favoritest park ranger, Ranger Rose the Pawsome, is bringing you a guest post about her experience with animal rescues. So I’d listen up ‘fize you.
Ready? Set? Take it away, Ranger Rose!
… One of us felt obliged to finish every book she started. Or accepted for review. (Hi, Mom.)
Not anymore.
Life’s too short to waste valuable time on lousy books. Snoozefests. Garbage runs. Stuff you wouldn’t feed your pet rock. Especially when there are so many other worthy reads from which to choose. These days we’ll typically give a book three to five chapters to hook us and reel us in. Or about 50-60-ish pages. Kinda depends. But one thing we don’t have time for anymore is, “Wait till it gets better.” Like another 100-ish pages.
Not playing that game anymore. We just don’t have that kind of time to burn.
So we Did Not Finish (DNF) at will these days.
You can play, too. In fact, here are a few titles we recently sampled and gagged on. So you won’t have to. Cuz your time’s valuable, too. You’re welcome:
Stressed out? Worn out? Bummed out? Feeling fearful or frustrated? Uncertain or overcome? Helpless?
What if there’s help?
What’s if there’s someone to walk with you? Guide you. Shoulder the load. So you don’t have to go it alone. What if this help was sent from above? Not someone who, like us, is prone to getting worn out, stressed out or bummed out. But a “heavenly helper” who’s ever strong and powerful. Never tires. Is always near. Unhindered by what hinders us.
Interested?
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We didn’t think our favorite ranger, Ranger Rose the PAWsome, could top her last book, Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger. Which we like, totally love-ified. (See our brilliant review: Outdoor Memoir Delights in Trip Tales.)
Just shows you what we know.
Cuz Ranger Rose is back! With as much insight, info. and entertainment as ever! In fact, her latest book, Tales From a Rogue Ranger, Totally Rocks. In fact again, Her Momness almost dropped it in the sink. Reading while teeth-brushing. Cuz Mom couldn’t put it down!
Silly Mom. (Like that’s new. Insert Kimber eye roll here.)
Anyway, here’s the scoop on Ranger Roses’s latest magnum opus:
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“We save dogs, Roz, that’s what we do.”
This is the story of a woman who loves dogs. So far, so good. Here’s the main book blurb:
You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, heaven – ?!
Okay, okay. So we stole that from Rod Serling. But it applies pretty well to this short little tome by Mitch Albom entitled the five people you meet in heaven.
Q: What’s the first thing that jumps out at you from the title?
“Batter up!”
In case ya missed it the first 6,897 times, She Who Must Be Obeyed is what ya might call a Baseball Nut. Once the season starts, it’s Dodgers Girl from here to kingdom (or Series) come! (Don’t tell her I said that, okay?).
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Baseball book. Anyway, when we heard about this cute little book narrated by a talking baseball named Bennie – I’m not makin’ this up – one of us stepped right up to the batter’s box and started swingin’. Like this:
‘What?’
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Her Momness: Kimber, what are you doing?
Kimber: Don’t interrupt now, Mom! I’m practicing my pedaling.
Her Momness: You’re what?
Kimber: You know, pedaling. Like that book we just read. About those two hoomans who travel all over creation on their buy-shekels. (No idea what that means. Sounds expensive.) You can fill peeps in while I keep pedalling…
Pages & Paws 