January was a good month for reading books. A very good month.

Farmer Gary and I enjoyed a couple of overnights with grandson Cameron, who was delighted to write up the following after he and I finished reading Stuart Little together:

Bonus Book: Stuart Little by E. B. White

A mouse of adventures, Stuart Little is a brave mouse, always thinking of ideas, and has cool adventures. One weird thing is that he was born by a family of humans instead of mice, how weird is that?! But one day, he leaves his house to find his feathered friend without leaving a note. Will he find his true love, Margalo the wren, or will he get stuck by a mouse trap? – Cameron Werne, 9 years old

Week 1: Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Put on the kettle for tea and settle in for another intriguing mystery.

The Leonides family home is full of three generations of quaint and curious sorts. By the end of the book, we know who inherited what from patriarch Aristide – and it’s more than just money and property.

Agatha Christie stated that of her 80 books, this one was a favorite and all but wrote itself.

Week 2: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

After piecing together the story of this photo, I read Twelfth Night and wrote this post about Mom’s experience playing a bearded Duke in college.

Week 3: A Reluctant Hero by Rick Kelsheimer

Walter Sommers is a remarkable human being. From experiencing Kristallnacht to escaping with his family from Nazi Germany, his determination and fearless behavior are awe inspiring.

This new book hints at Walter, now 101, as a Forrest Gumpian character, as he meets both actress Betty Hutton (he’s her driver one day) and war correspondent Ernie Pyle (just a few hours before Pyle’s death) while serving in the U.S. Army.

After settling in Terre Haute, Indiana, Walter saw injustice and fought to correct it. Gary and I heard him speak a few years ago and were so impressed.

A Reluctant Hero is available for purchase online from the CANDLES Museum gift shop.

Week 4: A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr

This novel is a treasure. The protagonist is a WWI veteran suffering from what we today would call PTSD. He is hired to restore a medieval painting in a little country church.

As Tom Birkin carefully removes layer after layer of whitewash from the mural, so does the pain he suffered as a soldier begin to slowly fade.

I already look forward to reading this again.

Bonus Books:

The Plums of P. G. Wodehouse

My dear father posthumously introduced me to the wit of P.G. Wodehouse. I’d not heard of this English-born humorist before, but will certainly read more of his books.

“Plum” was Wodehouse’s nickname and so the “plums” in this title are a variety of tales from his previously-published farcical stories about ridiculously behaving characters. Sort of a “best of” album.

There are no pits in these Plums.

The Quiet American by Graham Greene

This time, Graham Greene takes us to Vietnam in the mid-1950s. His main character – like himself – is a British reporter, covering the increasingly troubled region. The middle-aged Fowler makes a point of not having opinions, not getting involved.

When young Pyle, the titular American, enters the scene and initiates a love triangle with Fowler’s local girlfriend, the allegory becomes all-too clear.

And at some point, Fowler finds not taking a side is nearly impossible.

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

I’d not heard of Josephine Tey, either. The Franchise Affair brings forth a mystery story that snuggles in comfortably between the styles of Christie and Greene.

Another postwar setting, in which a quiet lawyer stretches well outside his comfort zone when a middle-aged woman calls for help. It seems Scotland Yard is at the door and she needs immediate advice.

With “book bans” in the news again, February will begin with a re-read of Orwell’s 1984 followed by The Color Purple by Alice Walker. To quote Isaac Asimov, “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.”

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