Two more thrift shop finds: A couple of years ago, I gave my sister this book: A Girl From Yamhill for Christmas. It's a memoir written by Beverly Cleary- author of the Ramona books, Henry Huggins books, etc.-about her childhood. I also gave my sister its sequel- My Own Two Feet- which details Cleary's college years, meeting her husband, and writing her first book. I nobly refrained from reading them before I gave them as a gift... I may have peeked a little... so was glad to find a copy of A Girl From Yamhill. I'm looking forward to reading it. If it's good, I'll borrow the sequel from my sister. If it's really good, I'll buy a copy. Incidentally, Beverly Cleary is still alive and is 102 years old. Her husband, to whom she was married for 64 years, died in 2004. I was excited to find a copy of the 1934 novel Good-bye Mr. Chips and Other Stories. It tells the story of Mr. Chipping, who arrives to teach at Brookfield School (a British boarding school) in 1870 at the age of 22. He eventually becomes headmaster and ends up staying at the school for the rest of his life, retiring to a small house on the school property in 1933 at the age of 85. The book follows his life as he goes from being a stern and rather overly-earnest young teacher, to being mellowed by falling in love and experiencing grief and loss. He becomes a beloved institution at the school, teaching generations of some families, able to squelch students- good humouredly- with tales of their grandfather's behaviour (or misbehaviour) years before. I haven't yet read the book, but I have seen the 1939 film of it, which I quite enjoyed.
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About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
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