American Fiction

Posted by Melissa Howard

Time Magazine pays tribute to Twain as a humorist and crusader in its annual Making of America Issue. The articles include "The Seriously Funny Man," "Mark Twain: Our Original Superstar," and "Man of the World. " The on-line version of Time includes a series of fourteen portraits of Twain through the years that are thoroughly enjoyable.

Posted by Melissa Howard

"A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight." Robertson Davies

If Davies' analysis of what makes a truly great book is correct, then the subject matter must be safe enough for children and be conveyed with simple plot and plain language. However, the characters and the psychological underpinnings should be sophisticated enough to hold an adult reader's attention. Are there books that fit this description? I would suggest that if adults would consent to reread books from their childhood that they think of as children's books, they might find it is true.

Some American books that I think meet this criteria are the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) by Mark Twain.

Posted by Melissa Howard

Book Reviews

Certain Women

A House LIke a Lotus

The Other Side of the Sun

A Severed Wasp

Posted by Melissa Howard

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s fictionalized account of her childhood as presented in the series of books known as Little House on The Prairie and the television show inspired by the books is an icon of American history and literature. Every year in Walnut Grove, Minnesota the community gathers to celebrate the television series (which supposedly takes place in Walnut Grove), the books, and the life of one of America’s most famous pioneers, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The location of the dugout described in the book On The Banks of Plum Creek can still be visited. A museum that celebrates both the books and the television series is located in Walnut Grove. It features historical buildings, some items from Laura’s life, and memorabilia from the stars of the television series. Every year the Wilder Pageant is celebrated in Walnut Grove. During the extravaganza there are performances of pageant that reflects Laura’s life in Walnut Grove.

If you have young children who love the stories or if you yourself love these timeless classics, pen the pageant in on your calendar: July 11-12, 18-19, 25-26, 2008; Performances at 9:00 pm. Call for tickets 888-859-3102

Posted by Melissa Howard

Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have a desk like this in my parlor and white walls and a clean green blotter every Saturday night and a row of shining yellow pencils always sharpened for writing and a golden-brown bowl with a flower or some leaves or berries always in it and books . . . books . . . books. . . .Betty Smith

Reading is a wonderful escape. An escape so delicious that people imagine special rooms or situations for escaping into.

I love the idea of a roaring fire, in a cozy room lined with shelves, and with over-stuffed furniture pulled into a semi-circle in front of the fire with a large-low table with stacks of books at center-stage. A large glass of iced-tea would be leaving pools of condensation on whatever coaster I place it on and I would have a lap blanket for days when I want to feel cozy.

Mostly I read at the kitchen counter with a large glass of iced-tea leaving wet-spots all over the counter. The kind of spots that I forget to wipe up, which later soak into the mail that I throw on the counter or the recipe that I am experimenting with.

Like Jo, we all find our way to enjoy our books even if our dreams never come true.

This was Jo's favorite refuge, and here she loved to retire with half a dozen russets and a nice book, to enjoy the quiet and the society of a pet rat who lived near by and didn't mind her a particle. Louisa May Alcott

Posted by Melissa Howard

Reviews of Novels

Little Women

Reviews of Short Story Collections

The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story

Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury: The Complete Christmas Collection

Check back to find more reviews as this list grows.

Posted by Melissa Howard

“A good bookshop is just a genteel black hole that knows how to read." Terry Pratchet

My husband and father are both deeply enthralled with a certain fantasy writer (not the one whose quote you see). As a result, every time my Dad visits, they make a run to Uncle Hugo’s and eccentric and truly wonderful bookstore near us that specalizes in science fiction/fantasy books.

“Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?" Henry Ward Beecher

My parents visited on Memorial Day weekend and so they took a run to Hugo’s on Saturday. When they returned Dad disappeared. My Mom asked my husband if he was hiding how much he had spent. My husband happily reported that my father had only spent forty dollars this time. My father was deeply dissapointed in my husband for undermining his position.

"book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. it is not a hobby. those who do it must do it. those who do not do it, think of it as a cousin of stamp collecting, a sister of the trophy cabinet, bastard of a sound bank account and a weak mind." Jeanette Winterson

Bookstores are a tantalizing temptation for a book lover. Every book can be justified if you are a book lover. Books have inherent value and therefore buying them is an acceptable expenditure, if you are a book lover. As a result, bibliophiles can justify buying books that they know they will never read simply because...

If you love a bibliophile, you might be wise to do as my husband does. He drags me away from bookstores.

Posted by Melissa Howard

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

Everyone has their favorite beverage. Mine happens to be iced tea so Lewis’ quote resonates with me even though I know he was referring to the good old British cup of hot tea. However, it got me to thinking, what do other people drink while they read a good book?

I know that many people like to mix coffee and books, it is not uncommon to see a person in the corner of the coffee shop with their coffee and a book sitting there for all the world to see but completely unaware of those around them. The presence of coffee shops in bookstores also indicates that this is a popular combination.

My local library has added a coffee vending machine at the request of its patrons. It seems odd to me but if people are more willing to the library when coffee is available, then so be it.

I wonder if there are people who like to grab a Samuel Adams when they sit down to read or perhaps there is someone who likes to imbibe Glenlivet while consuming their favorite mystery author’s latest book.

It would be cool to go to a bar and see people curled up on couches in front of a roaring fire devouring a good book instead of ogling the opposite sex. It doesn’t seem entirely improbable either since bars are frequently the location for poetry readings.

It is fascinating, isn’t it? I wonder if you could use reading and drinking combinations to create a personality profile. Hm. Maybe I am onto something.

Posted by Melissa Howard

Some people reserve reading for a special time or place. Some like to read on a bench at the park, others like to read with a cup of coffee at a table at their favorite bookstore, some snuggle up with a book on the couch, and still others like to read themselves to sleep. No matter where you read, it is an act of solitude. What location changes is whether the solitude is only mental or if it is physical as well.

Do you read in a busy location, knowing that someone could break into the solitude and destroy the moment or do you read in physical isolation so that your experience in a book is complete?

Leave a comment or take the poll. Share with others what your ideal reading experience looks like.

Posted by Melissa Howard

You started the book because it was a classic or because it seemed interesting when you picked it off the shelf at the library. After twenty-five pages, you put it down. Several days later you pick it up again and read ten more pages. You keep picking it up because it haunts you.

The haunting by this book isn't because it is so compelling. It isn't. You've already decided it is the stupidest book you've ever read but you keep picking it up. Leaving a book unfinished is like leaving food on your plate. Some starving child in Africa wants your food and some illiterate child in the ghetto wants your book. You must finish.

In steps Sarah Nelson, she writes "Allowing yourself to stop reading a book - at page 25, 50, or even, less frequently, a few chapters from the end - is a rite of passage in a reader's life, the literary equivalent of a bar mitzvah or a communion, the moment at which you look at yourself and announce: Today I am an adult. I can make my own decisions."

Alleluia!!