Happy Halloween from Sam...
...And from Secret Asian Girl!Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Dewey Readmore Books: Read It And Weep
I am a sucker for animal books. I always hesitate starting one because I know how it's going to end: Me, wide awake at 2:00 am, swollen and puffy, going through an entire box of tissues and vowing never to read another book about a beloved pet. Dewey, The Small-Town Cat Who Touched The World is definitely a five-hanky read. I knew that when I opened the first page but how could I resist a cat who lived in a library and touched the hearts of so many? Dewey Readmore Books (his full name) was found, on a bitter, cold morning in Iowa, stuffed in the bookdrop of a local library, unwanted and clinging to life. The staff nursed him to health and gave him not only a home in the library but probably the world's most perfect name for a library cat. Dewey became more than a mascot; he was an ambassador of friendship between the library (which, at the time was suffering low circulation stats) and its patrons. Even after he became an international star, Dewey was first and foremost a beloved friend to all, but mainly to the library director and author, Vicki Myron. "The most important thing is having someone there to scoop you up," she writes, "to hold you tight and tell you everything is all right. For years, I thought I had done that for Dewey...the real truth is, that for all those years....Dewey was holding me." *sniff* *sob* For anyone who has ever been lucky (and privileged) enough to be a recipient of the unconditional, boundless love and devotion of a wonderful animal friend...get out the tissues, this book is for you.
Friday, October 10, 2008
No Such Thing As A Perfect Storm
Imagine if Hurricane Ike had hit Galveston with NO warning and no safety measures in place to protect you? The tragic aftermath of such a scenario, which actually took place in Galveston in 1900, is the subject of "Hurricane," by Janice Thompson. After living through our recent storm, I was curious about its more famous predecessor, which still carries the unenviable title, "Most Catastrophic Natural Disaster in U.S. History," having taken over 6000 lives and virtually laid barren the gulf island. This book probably wouldn't be my first choice if I wanted to know more about this storm but it sort of fell into my hands while shelving and I took an hour this morning to read it. The story is mostly from the viewpoints of fictional characters, culled from actual individuals or collective memories of several people. The event itself is not described as horrifically as in "Isaac's Storm," by Erik Larson but is a more emotional memoir of the aftermath and reconstruction of the city of Galveston. The author, largely known for Christian fiction, writes a version of hope and faith, which I'm not sure survivors of such a monster from nature would be feeling after their city was decimated. While I'm impressed by the resiliency of Galveston residents after Ike, I haven't heard too many Ike survivors regaling the wonder of nature in spite of adversity. And this, with the technological advantages of Super Doppler radar. But life was different a hundred years ago and perhaps optimism was easier to come by. After all, they had the post-storm comfort of Clara Barton....we got Geraldo Rivera.
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