Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit

P G Wodehouse

1954

246 page, paperback

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit is a delightful, non-rushed read.  A short-story set in London, back in the day (what day, I'm not sure, but butlers and country houses and dart games in clubs were all common at that time).  It was for a long bus ride that Gabe recommended this particular book for Sophie.  I recently asked her what she thought of it and from her description it seemed like a perfect book for this week. It is light-hearted and does not require solving any of the world's problems.  The story takes place in a short time span and introduces characters that are in other books by P G Wodenhouse in the Jeeves series. This book being not the first, or the last, was satisfying just as it was.  Jeeves is the butler and he is smart.  Bertie Wooster is easy enough to like and is in often need of Jeeves help.  Enter in an old Aunt, on-going mustache conversations, a variety of people that are in and out of love and a business deal or two and you have the makings for this story. 

I enjoyed this book for the unusual use of language alone.  The long, interesting descriptive sentences and dialogues from another time charmed me, add several french phrases thrown in for good measure and it held my interest enough to help me get through a migraine, so that was a plus. 

The author, a man from England, moved to NY in 1909 and his writing career flourished.  It helped me to already like British humor and having lived a year in London also made it a fun book for me.  Even though no world problem's were solved, the story did wrap up nicely and although I'm not rushing out to find the next Jeeves book, I will enjoy one when it comes my way.

Here is a little excerpt from page 9 and 10 to show the pacing and interaction of the characters: 

"Something appears to be arresting your attention, Jeeves. Is there a smut on my noes?

His manner continued frosty.  There are moments when he looks just like a governess, one of which was this one. 

"No, sir. It is on the upper lip.  A dark stain like mulligatawny soup."

I gave a careless nod.

"Ah, yes," I said.  "The moustache.  That is what you are alluding to, is it not?  I grew it while you were away. Rather natty, don't you think?"

"No sir, I do not."

And the story goes on from there. If you have time on your hands, this is a good little book to escape into. 

The History of Love

The History of Love

by: Nicole Krauss

2005

hardback 252

The fresh and very unique writing style of Nicole Krauss drew me in and kept me on my toes as i tried to connect the characters to their countries and sought to detect how it was that they interconnected with each other.  I had not read a novel in several months, maybe half a year, so i found the experience again fun as a little escape.  And now that it is over, it feels like guest that have been visiting the past week have moved on from our home.  Sophie got hooked on the novel with a line from page 11, " Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laugher was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."  When she left for Africa, she asked me to return the book to the library as she was not going to be able to finish it and i thought i would go ahead and give it a go.  

Great description was given not just of things but of feelings and thought processes. The two characters i liked best were Leopold, an old man who had escaped Poland when the Nazis invaded and Alma: an almost 15-year-old that was named after the gal in Leopold's book that he loved since he was 10 years old in Poland.   There is a bit of a mystery to solve as the pages give way to the rich development of both Alma and Leo and others they both know.  And you learn a lot of this and that as you read along like a person can starve to death by eating rabbits and that a lamed vovnik is one of 36 super-powered Jews that live at any given time.  (Alma's younger brother, Bird, thought he was one of these).  

In my opinion, the story was not as proportional as it could have been and for all the build up and investment, it ended far to quickly... maybe i just was not ready to be finished reading about these endearing friends and wanted it to go on a bit more.  With the title being "The History of Love" do not expect a very romantic book, or a happy book, yet i did laugh a time or too. It was realistic and sad told of missed opportunities and made me want to live life fully for it ends for some before it is really over.     

and the Shofar Blew

 and the Shofar Blew
by Francine Rivers
441 pages hardback
2003

Recently I was at a missions conference and while talking with a couple of ladies I had just met and the subject turned to good books.  The novel The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers was highly praised.  Excited about getting a good recommendation, I returned back to Houston and looked for it at the church library; it was not there so I chose and the Shofar Blew instead. 

Before I got through the first chapter I felt like I had read the book before (there is not too many stories out there that have a zealous Christian leader named Paul whose son was Timothy and Timothy's mom's name was Euny (short for Eunice) and Lois as a grandmother).  As the ending did not stand out to me, I filped to the back of the book, read a few pages and decided that I never finished it.  A few more chapters of reading made me guess why.  It is not a very happy story.  Actually, for most of the pages it is down-right discouraging.  But as timing would have it, I started a migraine (sometimes if the headache subside a bit, reading helps to pass the time, especially through the nights when the pain is too great for sleep to come), anyway, I worked my way through about 15 painful years of what happens to a life of a family and community when a pastor looses sight of growing God's church and grows his own power-hungry ego instead. 

To her credit, Francine Rivers' characters are authentic and consistent throughout the story and as always in her books, redemption's theme rings true.  For that I'm grateful.  But it does not make me any too excited to be a pastor's wife.  But then again, my husband is not Paul and I do not play the piano, so if that is what God wants of me, I pray I have ears to hear and a heart to obey.

This is probably not going to be the first book would recommend, yet I do hope to get the chance to read The Atonement Child someday.  I have read several books by Francine Rivers through the years (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure as the Dawn, Leota's Garden, Redeeming Love, The Last Sin Eater) and each of these stories, with wide range of settings and plots, captivated me immensely.  If you have not read a Francine Rivers novel, pick one up, but be fore-warned they are not for the faint of heart.

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief is a story of a quest. A quest that spans the east to west coasts of the USA as well as includes a visit to Hades across the River Styx. Percy, a young half-blood, discovers who his dad is along the way. What would it be like to have a god for a dad? Greek mythology mixes with modern-day life and the use of teen-age slang keeps the pages turning...or at least that is what happened to Allie my eighth grade niece. I read on facebook that she was excited about a book she was reading so i decided i would check it out from our school library, not knowing anything about it. Well, my anticipation built as the book was on hold for several students before me! here is what Allie has to say,
"its just like a really good book and its one of those books at least for me that i didn't want to put down.. and it was a story i could like put my self into and like see what was happening its just like an over all really good book :)"
Honestly, I would have never chosen this genre on my own, so thanks Allie for stretching me! My favorite quote from the book took place in a diner in Denver when Percy and his friends first met  very mean and arrogant Ares who had a little side-quest for them to do. Percy asked the question, "why does he need us?" and Annabelle answered, "Maybe it's a problem that requires brains. Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."  That quote later helps Percy toward the end of his quest. If you liked The Lightning Thief, good news...there are at least 4 more books in the series.

The Lightning Thief
author: Rick Riordan
hardback; 375 pages
2005