Philip Gulley

Sometimes I look on my reading blog for a book or a series of books that I am sure I have reviewed, and am astonished to find that they are not there. I have enjoyed Philip Gulley's books for many years and maybe even a couple of decades now, but  neglected somehow to record this fact on my reading blog. Time to correct this.

Gulley has written collections of essays called the Porch Talk books, and a fictional series called the Home to Harmony books. He set that fiction series aside a few years ago to write religious nonfiction, but readers apparently clamored for more of his fiction and he has revived and updated the Harmony series. I don't want to spill any plot details, but the book cover below is the beginning of his new story.

Gulley is funny; he is thoughtful; and he has a talent for capturing the foibles of human nature in a way that helps us take ourselves less seriously. Who doesn't need a lesson or two in that? In his Harmony/Hope series, he is a small town preacher in a Quaker church in rural Indiana. If you have had the pleasure of reading the Thrush Green books set in rural England and featuring a small town vicar (Miss Read), or the All Things books by Herriot you will be happily entertained by this American version of village life. 

"I don’t want to spend this last half [of my life] trying to recapture the first half. I want to stretch and grow and do bold things, question what I’ve been taught and generally alarm people with my broad-mindedness." This is the sort of optimistic self-reflection that Gulley gives his fictional character; his lighthearted ruminations are deep enough to stimulate some thought without getting too lost in it. 

Winter is around the corner; the days are already shorter. Either the Gulley essays or the fiction will provide amusement and add a little light to a long winter evening. You can find a comprehensive list of his work here.

 

The Paul Stuart Stories

Treat Yourself!

There are authors and there are authors. Alexander McCall Smith is the best of the lot for several reasons. The first is that he is amazingly prolific, and not because he is farming out the writing to interns who follow a formula and crank out a book that has some vague resemblance to literature. I have honestly lost count of all the series that he writes, and they're all first rate.

Additionally,  McCall Smith's characters are so likable that I am convinced he must love people generally. If ever anyone succeeded in seeing the good in everyone, it is this author. His writing can be trusted to entertain and to provide interesting ideas and musings. Every series, every character, and every plot is pure artistry.

McCall Smith has led an interesting life and his writing is chock full of thought provoking ideas and questions. He has lived and traveled in more places than most of can name, and his writing reflects a kind of world view that is very charitable. 

This new series with Paul Stuart is infused with unparalleled whimsy with a capital W.  There are times when reading is an almost necessary escape, and these two stories will take you away from whatever you're trying to avoid. And sometimes, that's a real necessity!

A Few Weeks in Provence!

If you would love to visit the south of France, but feel that you can’t afford it, you can visit there for a period of a few weeks absolutely free. To accomplish this minor miracle you need only check out a dozen or so books by Peter Mayle from the local library.

Mayle has written several  nonfiction books  about his experiences in the region of Provence in southern France, and he has also written a handful of near farcical novels set in the same region. The net effect is quite similar. The descriptions of food, terrain, local residents, wine, and weather are altogether intoxicating.

His first book about the region was a memoir about his first year as a resident of Provence. This book, A Year in Provence, gained a great deal of attention and he went on to pen several more.  Mayle’s fascination with and love for the area shows up in his work. There is a lighthearted and joyful attitude that permeates all of the stories as well as the guideooks.

Bon Voyage!

Corduroy Mansions

This is yet another series by Alexander McCall Smith. (He is probably most famous for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.) I don't know how he does it, but I'm very appreciative. There are three books in the newest series. This one is set in London in what we might call an apartment building. As usual, there is a motley cast of characters and this new crew is as quirky and charming as all of the others. Smith is well traveled and well educated and his view of human nature is as kind as it could possibly be. Even when his characters are narcissistic or dishonest or just plain annoying, he still treats them gently and allows them to get along in the best way they can. Reading any of his books is a good way to don some rose colored spectacles.

There are so far three books in the series: Corduroy Mansions, The Dog Who Came in From the Cold, and A Conspiracy of Friends. Although this author is so prolific, another in the series might have popped up while I've been typing!

Carl Hiaasen

Hiaasen has been around since the mid eighties and I have no idea why I haven't read any of his books until now. He writes biting, zany, outrageous satire and creates characters who are as bizarre as any in literature. He also gives the occasional speech, and if you google him, you can watch some great comedic performances on Youtube. He is as much fun to listen to as he is to read. If you are squeamish about expletives, you will want to give him a miss, as he rolls out some of the most creative curses ever invented - a kind of folksy, metaphorical spice to the already delicious prose.

Hiaasen's books do not have to be read in order. Some of his characters recur, but there is no thread to lose if you read the more recent books first. This is cynicism at its best, for those of us who cannot get enough of that brand of humor.

Hiaasen also writes nonfiction, children's books and a column for the Miami Herald. In my opinion, he's a genius.

Miss Read

No one deserves a class by herself more than Miss Read, which is a pseudonym for Dora Jesse Saint. Most likely, however, library catalogues list these books under "Read, Miss".This author retired from school teaching in the 1920's or 30's. Around the mid fifties, she began writing a book a year and continued into the late 90's! She wrote two series: one about a school teacher in the English village of Fairacre and one based on the life of a village vicar in the village of Thrush Green. Miss Read's skill with language and her ability to create very loveable and believable characters has made her a public icon. Everyone who reads these wants to move to an English village and stay there. Her portrayal of ordinary people makes readers happy to be among the human race. I understand that somewhere in Michigan they hold a Miss Read festival every year. I have a list of these books (in chronological order, of course), which I happily distribute to any willing recipients.

Books by Miss Read (pseudonym for Dora Jesse Saint)
Born 1913


1955 - Village School
1957 - Village Diary
1959 - Thrush Green
1959 - Storm in the Village
1960 - Fresh in the Village
1962 - Winter in Thrush Green
1963 - Miss Clare Remembers
1964 - Over the Gate
1966 - Village Christmas
1966 - Market Square
1967 - Howard's of Caxley
1968 - Fairacre Festival
1970 - News from Thrush Green
1971 - Emily Davis
1972 - Tyler's Row
1973 - Christmas Mouse
1975 - Farther Afield
1976 - Battles at Thrush Green
1976 - No Holly for Miss Quinn
1977 - Village Affairs
1978 - Return to Thrush Green
1979 - White Robin
1980 - Village Centenary
1981 - Gossip from Thrush Green
1982 - A Fortunate Grandchild
1983 - Affairs at Thrush Green
1985 - At Home in Thrush Green
1987 - School at Thrush Green
1988 - World at Thrush Green
1989 - Mrs. Pringle
1991 - Friends at Thrush Green
1992 - Changes at Fairacre
1982 - Celebrations at Thrush Green
1983 - Farewell to Fairacre
1995 - Tales from a Village School
1997 - A Peaceful Retirement

Time Remembered - 823.914 (Read)

(Some dates are British publications and some are US version, so may not always match exactly - they may be off by one year.)

Humor

Everything by Lewis Grizzard, Andy Rooney, Erma Bombeck and Art Buchwald
These authors were all newspaper columnists who published several collections of humorous essays. Their commentary on life in the twentieth century is both funny and at times poignant.

Books by P. G. Wodehouse, especially the "Jeeves" stories
These have become classics in their own right. Wodehouse was a master of language; and the humor is in a class of its own.

Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes
This light comedy is actually a biography. There was a television show based on this book, called I Remember Mama, which I have never seen. The book is one of the best character sketches ever written and could be enjoyed by readers of any age.