1. All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot, Rating: 4.4
I read this as a teenager - it (and the rest of the series) is one of
my mother's favorite books. Herriot was a vet in rural England beginning in the 1930s and continuing well into the 1970s. His stories focus on the early years, getting to know the countryside, his clients (4-legged and otherwise), setting up a practice, and starting a family. He's the archetypal "glass half full" man - every moment, if sometimes a bit trying, is still a joy. I really enjoyed this reread (probably my third or fourth time) simply for his wonderful attitude.2. The United States of Arugula, David Kamp, Rating: 4.0
Great books on food are few and far between, but this is absolutely at the top of the class. The text follows the last 60 years of food in America, but it's not your average non-fiction work. Kamp has a gift for writing about facts in an incredibly dishy, gossipy way. It feels like you're really getting the inside scoop. He's quite persuasive - I actually went out and bought grass-fed steaks while I was reading it.
3. Catherine the Great, Virginia Rounding, Rating: 3.5
This author is less adept. The book is interesting - Catherine the Great was a very intriguing woman - but occasionally lapses into slow cataloging of facts. I'd only recommend it if you really want to know a lot about her, or the start of the Hermitage Museum.
4. One of Ours, Willa Cather, Rating: 3.0
I'm making an effort to read fewer new releases. One of Ours is a Pulitzer Prize winner; unfortunately it's not Cather's best work. There's nothing really wrong with it - I enjoyed seeing WWII through the eyes of someone writing immediately following it - but it's slightly flat and slow moving.
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