August was Rainbow of Reading Month for me. I read three “colorful” books that month in celebration.
The White Deer by James Thurber
Grade: B
The White Deer is a fairytale about a deer who turns into a princess. She sets each of three princes on a different quest. The one to return soonest is the one she will marry.
The White Deer is cute and clever, but it’s not nearly as cute or clever as I have come to expect from Thurber. I have two copies of this book: one an old softcover and one an even older hardcover. Certainly the book isn’t good enough to justify having two copies, so the softcover goes to the Chopping Block. The hardcover, because it is a first edition by one of my favorite authors, will have a place of honor in my library.
Wasn’t the Grass Greener? Thirty-Three Reasons Why Life Isn’t as Good as It Used to Be by Barbara Holland
Grade: A+
Barbara Holland was a great essayist. I am just old enough to remember the things that she talks about in these essays. The subjects, all but gone in today’s society, are things like radiators and clotheslines and childhood freedom and pianos. Oh, but she makes me ache for simpler times! Barbara Holland’s other collections of essays will go on my list of books to read someday (even Endangered Pleasures, which I already read).
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
Grade: A-
This is the third sequel to what was arguably a gimmicky premise. The book ought to be bad, but somehow it’s not. It’s simplistic, predictable, and even at times unbelievable, but I still identified with the girls and their problems. I remember similar times in my own life. Call Forever in Blue a guilty pleasure if you please, but I like it.
There is one thing I have to add, though. One of the rules regarding the pants is that they’re never supposed to be washed. After four years of being worn repeatedly and by multiple people and in all sorts of conditions, they must be pretty darned disgusting by now. Ew!!!!!