Still in the A section

The Country Cousin by Louis Auchincloss is the latest book from the library. I'd heard of him, but hadn't a clue what kind of writer he was. Turns out it was a good story and I would probably read more of his books. It is set in the mid-thirties and could have been any of those old movies with any of those players in the 30's movies. I especially liked the idea of Bette Davis or Maureen o'Sullivan playing Amy the main character. Couldn't figure out the gentlemen, but maybe Dick Powell, Leslie Howard & Franchot Tone as the main men. Joan Crawford would have to be in there too as the alter-ego to Amy.


Now how to cast the movie with current actresses! What a problem... could they even make it like a 30s movie? It was so typical of all those high society movies with all the great clothes and living areas. And the snobbishness and pettiness of some individuals. Set in New York where Amy is given a hand up by her older cousin who makes her a paid companion. The rest of the family looks down on her, but Amy escapes into her romantic fantasies of finding a true love, the consequences of which lead her into much subterfusion and uncertainty.    

Further on the Library "A" aisle

Latest book was Mary Kay Andrews" Summer Rental. This book screams CHICK-LIT!!! Doesn't matter cuz I liked it anyway. Three women friends in their 30s vacation in a run-down cottage on the shores of North Carolina. The landlord lives over the garage. He is a hunk, of course. He doesn't reveal his true relationship to the cottage until one of the women gets involved with him. And then it's by accident. Perfect summer reading.

Ever onward Library A to Z

The two latest books are A Twist in the Tale by Jeffrey Archer and In a Pickle by Jerry Apps. The Jeffrey Archer book is a bunch of short stories each of which has an unexpected ending, a twist in the tale. Fun to read although I'm not apt to read a book of short stories, but Jeffrey Archer is a highly respected mystery writer so I thought I'd give it a go. Not disappointed. Jerry Apps' book, In a Pickle, is entertaining and is rather unusual in it's use of cucumber farming as it's main theme. It's set in the year 1955 in a small Wisconsin farming town that is highly dependent on its pickle crops. This was the end of the era of small family farms that were passed down from generation to generation, where towns were identified by the small one room schoolhouses the children went to, and families could depend on their livelihood to support them. The story is simply told by Mr. Apps that includes a lot of information about what one could expect to find on a farm and in a small town at this time. I enjoyed the book and found out things I was not aware of that happened back in that era.