book reviews

Tomorrow, I promise, something more substantive! For today, catching up a bit on what I read while on vacation:

Jean Webster, Daddy Long-Legs. This is a really nice little book. Good story, told interestingly through letters, sweet little plot, and the picture of the main character as this girl finding herself through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor is a vivid one.

Hugh Pentecost, Random Killer. Not a bad entry, but not his best. The plot was a bit far-fetched, I thought, and while I liked that the action actually left not only the hotel but the city, for once, there wasn't a lot of point to it. Most of what was learned on the trip could have been learned in phone calls.

Betty MacDonald, The Egg & I. This was my book group's most recent selection. Interestingly, I liked it a lot more than the rest of the group, which is not the norm! While I wasn't overwhelmed by the author, as apparently many have been, I thought it was a good solid book, interesting, vividly written, and amusing.

Albert Jerome Dickson, Covered Wagon Days. This was a very readable, detail-filled memoir of a boy's trip west during the westward migration. He relates clothing styles, food, incidents on the trail, and backs up his work with quotations from elsewhere. Really good read, very informative.