Books

A trip to the Chas Cty Library on Sat., 03/06 resulted in a few good finds.

Sandra Brown's Rainwater was a really good book. Ms. Brown is well known for numerous bestsellers, but this was not her typical story. The storyline about autism in the 1930s was of particular interest to me.I was quickly drawn into the story,the characters, and loved the unexpected ending. I finished this one in about three hours and was sorry I did not savor it. I recommended it to Gene. He read it last week and also gave it a good rating. 5 stars!

I then pulled Barbara Delinsky's Not My Daughter from my stack. It was a good Sunday read. An interesting story about a teen pregnancy pact. I recommend it as a good library pick, but probably wouldn't buy it except in paperback. 3 stars.

The Overnight Socialite by Bridie Clark was another find in my stack. I was sort of surprised that I really enjoyed it, but I think of reading as TV or movies for the mind. This was Ms. Clark's second novel. I am going to check out her first, Because She Can, during my next library trip. I probably wouldn't buy it, but recommend it as a library pick. 3 stars.

I tackled Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin as the week wound down. I loved the interwoven tales of the Class of '34 and the Class of '55 at Mt. St. Gabriel's in the mountains of North Carolina. The story bogged down in several places so it was easy to put down and pick up the next day. Ms. Godwin is a good writer, but this is not her best work in my opinion. It is definitely a library selection. 3 and a half stars.

I started The Farmer's Daughter by Jim Harrison on Sunday afternoon and was quickly hooked by the first story, The Farmer's Daughter, in this collection of three novellas. The other two, Brown Dog Redux and Games of Night were interesting, but not up to The Farmer's Daughter. Mr. Harrison wrote Legends of the Fall and is a favorite of mine. 3 and a half stars.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I have pulled out a favorite edition of poetry by William Butler Yeats. This poem may have been inspired by a Greek folk song, but remains my favorite Irish poem.

The Song of Wandering Aengus

I went out to the hazel wood
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread,
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire aflame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name;
It had become a glittering girl
With apple blossum in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded throught the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.