Other people's books

It's always an adventure to have access to the books in other people's collections, especially when the people's tastes are different from your own. You can find the nicest surprises... this week has brought me two.  

In addition to housesitting for friends off-island, we're book-sitting for a friend who has left Guam permanently: she couldn't travel easily with heavy boxes of books, and we have plenty of space in our apartment, so we took on a few boxes to hold until she sends back for them. We got the absolute best end of that bargain, because in addition to having books to read, she gave us a couple of pieces of furniture! 

Among those books is a slim little volume called The Book of Small, by Emily Carr. I had never heard of Ms. Carr or the book.  I was in need of reading material, so I picked it up - and was astonished. It is a beautiful and incredibly well written little memoir - or not exactly a memoir, but an embellished and re-imagined series of vignettes about growing up in Victoria, BC, in the early days of that town's existence. It is told from such a pure, childlike perspective that it is really entrancing. I read the whole thing in one gulp. 

The book is available in print on Amazon, and there is an etext version here:

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks04/0400201.txt

though I'm not sure if that website is accessible from the US. 

At the housesitting house, I picked up Because of Winn Dixie, the title of which was vaguely familiar - was it made into a movie? - again because I was in need of something to read and I thought it might be about a dog. Dog stories are always good, right? Though they're always sad, as well. Well, it WAS about a dog, and it was very, very good. It's a children's book but that doesn't mean it isn't excellent. It's a beautiful little story, and I just can't get over how good the writing is. Like Small, it has a pure childlike quality to it that is just wonderful to read. 

Now, the wind is lashing the palm trees and the solid white rain is hiding Guam from view. I had some errands to run this morning, but I don't want to head out in this weather. I guess I'll meander over to the bookshelf and see if there are any other treats there...