Summer Reading 2022: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

 

This summer has flown by so fast my head is spinning. Now it's August, and I did finally manage to finish a book! I spent yesterday cleaning my house, which I haven't done in some time. That involved gathering all the piles of books I have sitting around and putting them all in one spot. Now instead of a lot of small piles, I have just one big pile by my living room bookcase. Cleaning felt good, and helped me reset a bit. It's been a very busy work summer, and I'm definitely feeling low energy. Finishing this book, which has been on my TBR list for a long time, also helped reset my mental "can do" attitude. 

I read this book now because I was invited to be on a podcast with a local library. They discuss books with librarians from area libraries each month, and I picked West with Giraffes. When I say I enjoyed this book so so much, I'm not understating it. I even decided to add it to our library collection as a book club kit because it is such a wonderful book, and must be shared. 

WWG takes place over a two week period in September, 1938. It also bounces to 2025, where the main character Woody Nickel (yes that's his name) is 105 years old and nearing the end of his life. Woody realizes he doesn't have much time left, and he still has a story to tell. It's a story he must tell, because he's the only one left to tell it, and he can't stand the thought of the story dying with him. So Woody starts writing in notebooks in his room at the care center; feverishly writing it all down. 

The story starts out with Woody surviving the Hurricane of 1938 that hit New Jersey and killed hundreds of people. Woody is there, and survives through sheer luck. He's traveled from Texas to work with the only remaining relative he has: a third cousin who doesn't survive the hurricane. Woody is seventeen, broke, and alone. And to his amazement, he sees two giraffes on a boat that have miracularly survived the hurricane. He finds out they are to travel across country to the San Diego Zoo, their new home. Woody wants to get to "Californy" to start over--after all, it's the land of milk and honey. 

Old man is tasked with hiring a driver to take the giraffes to California. Woody, through some sheer ingenuity and luck, gets to drive the truck. He's formed a connection with the two giraffes he calls Boy and Girl. And so the adventure begins, filled with bad men, good people, danger, and a whole lot of amazing moments. 

Woody, Old Man, and Red, the beautiful photographer who follows the truck across the U.S. capturing all the special moments of the journey, are three characters that grew on me so much so that it was painful to end the journey. Each has a back story that is slowly revealed as they connect over their love for the giraffes. 

I still find myself thinking about this novel and the characters days after I finished it. It was quite unlike anything I've read this year, and exactly what I needed to read this summer. I think it would make an excellent movie on any of the streaming services. It's definitely a hidden gem that I will be sharing with everyone who asks me "what should I read next?"

Rating: 5/6 for a sneaky novel: it begins interestingly enough, but somehow grabs you by the heartstrings and doesn't let go. Characters reveal themselves and their hidden secrets and form unbreakable bonds. And the giraffes are just unforgettable. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Summer Reading 2022: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective by Nancy Atherton

This is what I love about books:  you can circle around, look at, and think about reading a book, and it patiently waits until that magical day when you decide to pick it up and read it.  When I worked at my bookstore, I shelved so many copies of Aunt Dimity novels in the mystery section that I've lost count.  I was always curious why there was a rabbit on the front of something about an Aunt being a paranormal detective.  But I never went any farther in my curiosity, and kept shelving those novels.  

I finally decided to give Aunt Dimity a try, and checked this out of the library.  It is the first two Aunt Dimity novels together:  Aunt Dimity's Death, and Aunt Dimity and the Duke.  We are introduced to major characters in the world of Aunt Dimity, and introduced to Aunt Dimity herself--but only through letters, stories, and photographs.  Aunt Dimity remains a bit of a mystery herself, and I believe all 20 or so novels keep her that way.  It's an interesting concept, but it works.  Aunt Dimity is a bit of a magical characters, always putting the right people together, working in mysterious ways, and lends a bit of the paranormal to her stories.  The mysteries are barely there; I read somewhere that the Aunt Dimity mysteries are "the coziest of the cozies" and I have to agree.  These stories beg to be read with a cup of tea, a roaring fire, and a hand knitted blanket.  

Aunt Dimity's Death does begin with Lori, a down on her luck woman living in Boston.  Her mother recently died, and Lori is alone in the world.  She's broke, and at the end of her rope.  A letter from a legal firm in Boston requests her presence pronto, and she discovers that all the stories her mom told her when she was a child about Aunt Dimity were actually based on a real Aunt Dimity.  She was the best and closest friend of Lori's mom, and Aunt Dimity has died.  She's left a request for Lori: travel to England, stay at a cottage in the tiny village of Finch, and write an introduction for a soon to be published compilation of Aunt Dimity stories.  

But, there is a bit of a mystery:  Aunt Dimity and Lori's mom wrote heaps of letters over the years, and they are all together, waiting for Lori to read through them.  Her mom leaves her a personal letter, asking her to solve a mystery concerning Aunt Dimity and a photo taken in the 1940's from an unknown place that was dear to Aunt Dimity.  With the help of Bill, a partner in the law firm, she travels to England and begins her tasks.  And there she finds some odd things...could Aunt Dimity's spirit haunt the cottage?  

Aunt Dimity and the Duke is the second in the series, but is told before we meet Lori and Bill.  It is the story of Emma and Derek, who become good friends with Lori and Bill in the first story.  This story involves a castle, a local legend, gardening, and the death of a rock star.  I enjoyed it just as much as the first story.

What can I say?  I'm hooked on this series.  I'm happy to say there are around 20 novels, and Nancy Atherton keeps writing more.  These are enjoyable, cozy, British, and undeniably gentle mysteries.  There is no horrible violence, swearing, or grizzly murders.  Perfect for those who just want something fun to read, and full of characters that become friends.  I'm going to read every one of these books and that makes me very happy.  

Rating:  7/10 for a mystery series that doesn't have much mystery, but enchanted me nonetheless.  Lovely cozy British mysteries to take on vacation or read in front of the fire.  You'll get the rabbit symbol when you read the first in the series.  

This version is available in trade paperback and e book.  All of the mysteries are available in mass market paperback, and e book.  They are available at your local bookstore and library.  

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective by Nancy Atherton