The Whistling Season

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This story transports the reader to another time (1910) and place (Montana). It’s Ingalls, MacLachlan, and Stegner all rolled into one. The reader is immersed in the world of the homesteader, the one-room schoolhouse, and the life of a family of a widower raising his three sons. He responds to an ad for a woman housekeeper, and gets much, much more. The narrator, the oldest son, is a genius and child prodigy who tells the story in beautiful, almost poetic language. The book is full of wonderful characters and delightful humor. I read it because someone suggested Doig’s writing reminded them of Wallace Stegner’s. The writing style is wonderful and I will definitely want to read more by this author. As an aside, I loved learning more about the Latin language and Halley’s comet. I would give the book five stars, but the ending troubled me a bit. I can’t say more without giving it away.



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Two Old Women

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I just reread this book- one of my favorites- for our book club. It is a powerful affirmation of the strength of the human spirit, the value of the elderly, and the survival instinct. It prompted a gratitude-filled book club discussion on these things and made us all want to learn more about our ancestors and pass on their legends.



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35 Weeks and Still Counting!!!

This poor blog has turned into a book review blog.  It's really hard to blog from an ipad, so I wait until I'm home. I'm home for a few days now.  Shonna is at week 35 in her pregnancy and still doing fine.  Baby Girl Cameron is showing signs of wanting to come, but, so far, so good.  It's been an interesting few months of living in two places and trying to keep both homes up and running.  I am just so grateful that I am in a position that I can help.  I see how the Lord has blessed that little family.  I've loved getting closer to my precious grandchildren.   They are cute and funny and, I'll admit, exasperating at times.  What kids aren't?  But I love them and miss them when I'm home.  Let me see if I can capture the highlights of the last few weeks/ months?  I don't know- however long it's been.

 On Wednesday,  the 9th, Joan came for a nice visit. She left Boise at about 7am.  We met up at the Logan cemetery and decorated my parents graves after the kids got out of Joy School at 11:30am.

Lily, watching for the return of the scary lawnmower.  

  It is such a lovely cemetery.  A young girl was driving a huge ride- on lawnmower while we were there, which frightened little Lily to death.  So I had a barnacle attached to me the whole time we were there.  It was a sweet little barnacle, though. . . and very kissable.  I tell her when I kiss her that I’m leaving a “grandma mark” so now she says it.  “You left a  Grandma mark on me, Grandma.”  She’s impossible to resist.

 Shonna came along for the ride.  I’m afraid it caused contractions that afternoon.  She had been having a lot before, too, so maybe that’s just what her body is doing.  But I felt bad. I just wanted her to have a little outing.  Anyway, Joan followed us to Shonna’s house after, and we had taco salad, quesadillas, strawberries and the traditional scotcharoos for lunch.  Joan is now on the BYU alumni board.  She was on her way to her first meeting in Provo and had to be there by 4:30.  So she left Logan about 2:15.  It was so fun to spend a few minutes with her.  Caleb and Lily loved her.  Ever since, Lily has been pretending she is Aunt Joan and Caleb pretends he is silly Uncle Tom. 

During this bed rest, the Camerons have been finishing their basement, so we've had workers in and out.  It  is all but done. It is just beautiful.  They have set up a fun play room down there that Caleb especially loves.  One afternoon, Caleb was down there a LONG time, so I went to check on him.  He was hiding his little, colorful pom poms and then finding them again- like an easter egg hunt.  I taught the FHE lesson on Monday evening where we did an Easter egg hunt.  He remembered that.  So he was hiding them himself and then finding them.  . . makes for a high success rate in finding them!  So I played a few rounds with him.  He is so cute and loves his play room- especially if he can lock the door and have it to himself.  He is really into door locking, and it’s caused some tense moments.  I’ve become quite proficient at lock picking. . . and I didn’t even have to go to prison to acquire the skill!  Just had to hang with Caleb for awhile!!  Boys like girls with skills.

  He and I had a fun “Grandma date” to the library one afternoon.  He had a fun time, but was so worried that Lily didn’t get to go (she was napping.)  “I wish Lily was here cuz this is fun.” He’d say.   I joked with them a lot about “Grabbing a hamburger and then heading to St. George” whenever we’d get in the car.  Lily was all for the adventure, but Caleb always protested loudly that he didn’t want to go to St. George.  I think he understood better what leaving his parents would be.  The day I left, Lily was all for sneaking in my car and going with me.  She’d come up to me and tell me she wanted to sneak.  She even told Shonna goodbye.  “But I’ll really miss you.”  “I’ll come back tomorrow!”  She teased. One day, when I was buckling her in her car seat, she told me "I'm in heaven."  "Oh, really?  How did you get there?"  "I went to Sam's Club and then to China, and then I got to heaven."  So, there you have it!  You now know how to get to heaven.  

The Litigators

The Litigators by John Grisham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist, David was moral, likable, and even kind of heroic, but a “real” and average guy. I think it not an accident that his name is David as the theme of the book was “David versus Goliath.” I won’t tell you who wins, but if you like Grisham, you’ll probably like this one. The premise of the book, the colorful ensemble of characters, the humor, and limitless supply of ideas for law suits would make a great weekly television series. “Finley and Figg” would make a great title for the series. You’d need a younger Ed Asner -type to play Finley and a younger Danny Levito- type to play Figg. I was picturing it throughout. Remember, you heard it here first!



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Recovering Charles

Recovering Charles by Jason F. Wright

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I listened to this book, read by the author. With Luke, son of an alcoholic, I traveled to New Orleans to search for Luke’s missing alcoholic father in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. I learned much about that horrible disaster and what it was like there then. I liked the characters Luke meets – his father’s friends- and appreciated all Luke learned about forgiveness, love, and the importance of family. I thought it was a well-written and powerful book.



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Chasing Redbird

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Though it took a while for me to “get into” this book, once in, it soon became an “Is it really 1:30am? I’ve got to go to sleep, but I’ve got to find out what happens” book. The theme is beautifully subtle, but by the end you want to give it to a youth who is struggling with the death of a loved one. . . or to someone who is dealing with a youth who is struggling with the death of a loved one. Everyone deals with grief differently, and Zinny’s way is certainly unique. She is prickly, determined and stubborn, but somehow loveable, too. I sort of miss her now I’m not living with her day to day!



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The Spectator Bird

The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have started this review no less than ten times. As in the other three Stegner books I have read, I feel consummately inadequate to review such a fine author. It’s difficult to put into words the poignant emotional journey I take when I read his books. His writing is processed not just with the mind, but with the heart and soul. The Spectator Bird is the story of an old codger who at first seems unlikable, but who I really liked, and his reflections on his life. He reminded me a little of my Dad. The book brought back poignant memories of a talk I had with my Dad in the last year of his life- as he reflected on his life.
I think the timeline of the story is only about three days, but much of the book is flashback (through the reading of a journal) to a trip to Denmark he and his wife took many years before. The book is about aging and life, in general. And, as is true of all of the Stegner books I have read, it is a study of marriage and love, fidelity and devotion. . . and forgiveness. I have read Angle of Repose, Crossing to Safety, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, and now this one. This may be my favorite of all, though I think I have said that about each one. I can say equivocally that Stegner is one of my favorite authors of all time.




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Raising Up a Family to the Lord

Raising Up a Family to the Lord by Gene R Cook

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I’m kind of cheating saying I’ve read this book because I didn’t really read the whole thing. We read it for our family book club, so I thoroughly read my two assigned chapters and reported on them and I read or skim- read the rest. Elder Cook gives lots of good ideas and examples- practical advice. Since he raised his family (as did I) a while ago, some of the examples are outdated, but the principles still apply. The book generated a great discussion for our book club. I didn’t agree with some of the book- especially the chapter on teaching children about work and finances. I guess that illustrates that there is more than one right way to raise a family. Advice: Skip (or skim) Chapter 1. It may discourage you from reading the rest.



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