A Couple of Good Books

President's Week could not have come at a better time!
Thank goodness we limped in as we did...

I took today (Saturday) off and just relaxed around the house,
trying out a few new things, listening to a couple of new cds borrowed from the library and read a couple of new library books:

Noah's Compass by Ann Tyler

Anne Tyler (Author)

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If you've read anything by Ann Tyler before, you've come to expect her quirkey, not-so-perfect characters that harbor jealousies and smallness, but eventually seek out the perfection of family relationships. In this latest book, Ann presents us with a 60 year-old teacher who has never really synced with his family, but now has the luxury of time to do so. After a break-in leaves him with some memory loss, he is fascinated by a person he meets at a neurologist's office. The women who surround the main character continue to baffle him as he moves forward in his life. Ann Tyler is a great writer who makes you care about the people in her books. This was well worth waiting for from the library.

Local Girl Makes History: Exploring Northern California's Kitsch Monuments by Dana Frank

If you have always wondered about The Cats in Los Gatos, The Pulgas Water Temple, The Cave Train in Santa Cruz or Big Basin, this is the book for you. The author (clearly someone who lives up in the Santa Cruz mountains) evidences a real curiosity about life around her and shows her doggedness in research by chasing down information on these four places, dear to the hearts of locals. I was particularly impressed by her treatment of the The Cats statues in Los Gatos and the people that made them. I had passed by them frequently when growing up and always wondered what their story was and how they came to being. I guess I always thought they were like big lion statues that you can buy from garden supply stores, but after reading their story, I have found that they are more than I orginally thought. For one thing, they are not the same! The couple that had them built were famous poets, with a thirty year age difference! Oh, and there's more, but you will just have to read the book! Another library find, well worth taking home for a low-energy weekend.

I hope you are enjoying some restful and/or fun February time!
Love, love, love,

Kellyann