You know how Mom and I love history, write? (That’s not a typo.) So when we saw William C. Davis’ An Honorable Defeat: The Last Days of the Confederate Government at a library book sale recently, we snapped it up right quick. Thought we’d chew on it awhile. After all, it smelled like a good idea!
By John Bruning
Via’ Library
Genre: Narrative Non-Fiction/Military History
Pages: 436 + Epilogue, Final Note, Their Legacy, Appendix, Bibliographic Essay, Notes, and Index
Note: We’re posting this review today because November 10 is a very important day in our household. Dad was a Marine. And November 10 is the Marine Corps Birthday. In honor of The Few. The Proud, we thought we’d look back at a historic battle in a long line of historic USMC battles via this book. From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli…
Hi, Dad!
“Looks like you made a friend,” his Marine Corps buddy quipped of the short-legged, floppy-eared stray dog who wandered into the USMC compound in Afghanistan.
But what author Craig Grossi heard was, “Looks like a Fred.” The name stuck. What unfolds next is one of the most touching, heartwarming and remarkable true animal stories we’ve ever read.
Even Kimber Her Royal Magnificence was impressed: “Fred is my new best bud! He’s like, Totally PAWsome!”
“Kimmi, you say that about everyone,” chirpeth Her Momness.
“So?”
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ever gingerly opened a book, unsure where it may head, or how?
Stable Weight was one of those books. When Mom and I sat down to read it, she let me in on a secret. I’ll explain at the end of this review. So stay tuned. And don’t tell Mom. Let’s just keep this our little secret, okay? Meanwhile, on to the review:
Mom and I are humungous C.S. Lewis fans. Far as we’re concerned, if C.S. Lewis books were an Olympic sport, they’d bring home the gold. Both fiction and non-fiction.
You gonna eat that?
Now, you may know Lewis from The Chronicles of Narnia. Probably his best-known and most beloved work. But he wrote like, a ton of other stuff, too. Some of our other faves include Mere Christianity. The Great Divorce. The Problem of Pain. The Screwtape Letters. Surprised by Joy. And his autobiography, Till We Have Faces. Lewis notes that altho Till We was not a commercial success, it’s his favorite work.
Indeed, we’ve read pretty much everything “Jack” ever published. Except this here puppy. Missed this one. But we found it the other day in the Book Place. Sitting on a shelf. Calling our name. Diving in, this book actually surprised us. Here’s why:
In his life, Lewis received thousands of letters from young fans who were eager for more of his bestselling Narnia books and their author. This book is a collection of many of his responses to those letters, in which he shares his feelings about writing, school, animals, and of course, Narnia. Lewis writes to the children – as he wrote for them – with understanding and respect, proving why he remains one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time.
Letters to Children offers a rare, luminous glimpse into the heart and mind of a remarkably eloquent and equally gracious genius. There’s so much wit and warmth in Lewis’s letters to young readers. In fact, Lewis carried on a loquacious correspondence with many of his young correspondents for years, even into their adulthood. The sheer volume of his correspondence is astounding. Ditto the amount of wit and whimsy in each letter. It’s remarkable.
Lithe and limber, Lewis’s letters brim with warmth and vitality. They’re perhaps as surprising as they are charming.
Offering advice to a young correspondent, Lewis writes:
There’s more. But our personal favorite on Lewis’s list is:
Write on, dude.
C.S. Lewis also writes about his health issues, the weather, gardens, and so on. He reads and responds to every letter received personally – in long hand. (Note to young whipper-snappers: That’s called “pen and ink.” Before computers.) Lewis’s responses are soaked in kindness and encouragement. He shows an unflagging interest in each of his young correspondents’ lives, their families, schools, and writing endeavors, often offering encouragement per the last.
When his correspondents ask for more Narnia a stories, Lewis gently explains, “I’m afraid the Narnian series has come to an end.” He urges them to write their own stories.
We love that!
“It is a funny thing that all the children who have written to me see at once who Aslan is, and grown-ups never do” writes Lewis in the final letter in this tome, typed the day before he died in 1963.
Kimber: Good thing we’re not grown-ups, huh Mom?
“I love, love, LOVE Karen Linamen books!” gushed She Who Shall Remain Nameless. “They’re funny. Warm and relatable. Down to earth and practical.” She paused. “But…”
Her Momness raised an eyebrow. Cocked her head (looks a lot cuter when I do it. Nobody’s perfect). “But what?” chirpeth Mom.
We’ll get to the “But what?” part in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, Cupcake. Cuz we’re gonna take a look at two more Linamen books today. First….
“They weren’t just nine guys in a boat; they were a crew.”
Two unassuming signs announce the entrance and egress to the City of Sequim in Clallam County, Washington State. Perched on the shoulder of U.S. 101, they’re almost impossible to read as you drive by at 60-ish mph. But Mom caught ‘em. Or at least, a few words: Welcome to Squim, Home of Olympic Champions…” Or maybe it was “Gold Medalists…”
We went by too fast to read the rest. But we’re willing to bet the name Joe Rantz, one of the boys in the boat, is on it.
It’s all about the moola in this intense and gripping thriller by the Grande Dame of True Crime, Ann Rule.
Scarlett O’Hara Wannabe Pat Taylor Allanson is whatcha might call a “Georgia peach.” Strikingly beautiful with enough Southern charm to knock a mint julep off its feet a mile away, Pat dreams of a Tara-like plantation where she and new hubby Tom can raise horses, grow roses, and float around the highest echelons of Atlanta society. Pat even costumes herself and Tom as Scarlett and Rhett Butler for their wedding photos. Less than two months later, their dream explodes in terror and murder: their beautiful home is mysteriously burned to the ground and Tom’s convicted of the brutal slaying of his mother and father.
And that’s not all.
In The World According to Her Momness, the Four Basic Food Groups are:
Who’s got a fork?
Remembering Mom’s penchant for all things chocolatey and chuckle-worthy, someone recently suggested we check into author Karen Scalf Linamen. Linamen published several popular faith-flavored books in the 1990s and early 2000s “offering unique insights and humor.”
So we scoured the shelves of our local library. Zip. Zero. Nada. Not to fret. We ordered a coupla Linamen titles via Interlibrary Loan. It took a while. But they finally arrived. Both recommended titles are “best sellers.” They are… drum roll please:
So there I was. Minding my own business. Snoozing away. When Her Royal Momness comes bouncing down the stairs with a Royal Stroke of Genuis:
“Kimmi! I have a great idea! You know those last six books we read? The True Crime thing, the post-apocalyptic thing, the second True Crime thing, the “self-help” motivational thing, and the other two True Crime thingies? All pretty diff, huh? Let’s do a combo post on all six!”
So that’s how I wound up here. With William Oldfield’s Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society, J. W. Rawles’ Founders, Gregg Olsen’s If You Tell, John Glatt’sTangled Vines. and Climbing Your Personal Mount Everest: A Journey of Self Discovery and Leadership, by Mitch Lewis. And that Other Thingy by Ann Rule, Green River Running Red.
The things I do for Mom. Sheesh.
Well. As long as we’re here, let’s dive in to six of the most unusual books we’ve read so far this year. They’re “unusual” cuz they’re genres we don’t typically select.
One other thing. With the exception of the last title, all of the books below are 3.5s. In case you’re wondering. No extra charge:
Pages & Paws 