A giant, a queen, and a starling
As 2025 ends, the books of December are a mix of fable and fact.
The first – a special treat – was read to me entirely by grandson Cam. He used a variety of excellent character voices, which never failed to delight me.
He’s shares his thoughts in Book 1, below.
Book 1: The BFG by Roald Dahl
The BFG by Roald Dahl, in my opinion, is a great book to read. The story has Sophie, the main protagonist, and the other main protagonist, the Big Friendly Giant.
After Sophie sees the BFG in her house, an orphanage, she gets taken away to Giant Country, where the BFG resides.
The BFG is friendly instead of bloodthirsty, like his other peers. The plot I shall not say for spoilers (obviously), that’s for you to figure out. So a solid 10/10 for me, and in my opinion, better than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, another book the author has made.
Toodles!
– Cam W.
Book 2: The Speckled People by Hugo Hamilton
It’s not an easy childhood when your mother is from Germany and your father is hard-core Irish in post-war Europe. But it makes for a compelling memoir.
When your father demands everyone speak only Irish at home, there’s not a whole lot of room for joy. The Speckled People reminds me of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. It aches with the voice of a child and the worries of an adult.
Book 3: The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Mary Engelbreit’s illustrations are stunning!
If I’ve ever read this children’s classic before, it was very long ago. What I do remember specifically, though, was catching The Snow Queen on TV back in the 1960s. We didn’t get TV Guide, so I’m not sure how we happened upon it, but Mom and I were immediately enthralled. For the next several years, we watched for it to be listed in the newspaper, and caught it a few more times.
Over the years, Mom sent me different editions of the book as a fond remembrance of our shared viewing. I’m glad I finally read this one!
Book 4: Unforgettable by Scott Simon
National Public Radio’s Scott Simon has always been a favorite of mine. There’s a certain gentleness about his voice, never more so than in this book about his mother’s final days.
Each chapter starts and ends with a tweet he posted while in his mother’s hospital room as she increasingly struggled to breathe. Normally, this would make me roll my eyes. But Simon’s choices in the quips he shared so publicly bookmark each new story about growing up in Chicago with his remarkable mother. They are carefully hand-selected and – dare I say – unforgettable.
Book 5: Mozart’s Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Did you know Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had a pet starling?
He did. And so did the author of this book.
Although I learned a lot more about keeping a pet bird in your house (and how to clean its poop out of your hair) than expected, this was a worthwhile read.
Especially interesting: When the author visits Vienna to see not only Mozart’s grave – but his pet starling’s as well.
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