The Lord God Made Them All, James Herriot

Title:		The Lord God Made Them All
Author:		James Herriot
Rating:

Another James Herriot... light but fun reading. This one was mostly new to me, and I enjoyed it. I find these books uplifting and warm without being too sweet. Others, I know, feel differently, but I like them.

This one includes a few stories from trips Herriot took after the war. These glimpses of life beyond the Yorkshire dales were just as interesting to me as the animal stories for which he was justly famous.

If you haven't read this series and are in the mood for something pleasant without being challenging, they are recommended.

James Herriot's Cat Stories, James Herriot

Title:		James Herriot's Cat Stories
Author:		James Herriot
Rating:

A short review for a short volume. These are extracts from his earlier works, specifically about cats. They're nice, and I like his introduction - which was new with the volume - but overall I found the dog stories book a bit better, and the original books better yet. Still, these are warm, enjoyable stories. Don't hesitate to read them if you come across the book, but I don't think it has anything in it that you won't find in his longer works, except the introduction.

All Things Wise and Wonderful, James Herriot

Title:		All Things Wise and Wonderful
Author:		James Herriot
Rating:

I finished All Things Wise and Wonderful some weeks back, but I've been too busy with winter preparation and getting ready to go back to work to write up even a simple review. Things are finally settling down, though. I go back to work on Monday, and since it's started raining and will continue to do so for some time, those projects are coming to a close. As a result, I finally get to write this up.

I greatly enjoyed All Things Wise and Wonderful, as I have enjoyed the other books in the series. Herriot - a pseudonym, I know - writes with obvious love of his home, family, and job. Most of the stories have are positive in nature, but a few are sad. I know some don't like his works but I find them quite nice.

This book details some of the author's war experience. He trained as a pilot for the RAF but just as his training finished it was then found he had a medical condition and he wasn't allowed to fly. I can relate to his tales of the bureaucracy in several ways now that I'm in a volunteer fire department and going back to work. Somehow, red tape is in our blood.

If you're looking for some light reading that will leave you feeling good about people, any of the books by James Herriot will do the trick. You can read a chapter or two at a time or consume an entire book in a few hours. Either way you won't do yourself any wrong. Recommended.

All Creatures Great And Small, James Herriot

Title:		All Creatures Great And Small
Author:		James Herriot
Rating:

Call me a sentimental old fool, but I love this book. All Creatures Great And Small was the first book by James Herriot. It's a memoir of his first couple of years working as a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire. It's also wonderful reading, plain and simple.

It's easy to look up James Herriot and find out that it was the pen name of James Alfred (Alf) Wight. You can find out a lot about his life and times if you spend even a moment or two looking. The Wikipedia entry seems pretty good, http://www.jamesherriot.org/ is available, and there are probably many other places to look as well.

But the real wonder here is the book itself. These short tales - some sad, some happy, some touching - grab the reader and simply will not let go. I last read this book over twenty years ago and it turns out I remembered far more of it than I thought possible. The author's love of the countryside, his patients, partners, and clients shines through. Every fifth page makes me laugh, cry, or giggle out loud, so for me, reading this alone is probably best.

If I ever manage to take up writing in a more serious way, I hope whatever I produce results in even one tenth of the reaction I have to All Creatures Great And Small.

If you need a reason to smile, or a refresher on some of the good things in life, pick up a copy of this book. You won't be sorry you did.

James Herriot's Dog Stories, James Herriot

Title:		James Herriot's Dog Stories
Author:		James Herriot
Rating:

James Herriot's Dog Stories is a reread, but one that I honestly didn't remember I'd read before I started in on it. I got this copy via paperbackswap.com from Ren, another member of Doug's forum. Thanks much Ren!

I needed a break from H. G. Wells, and grabbed this book from the shelf without looking at the cover. (My TBR pile is stacked rather haphazardly at the moment, and I could only see the bottom of the top book on the pile as I picked it up.) I was pleased when I realized I'd grabbed a book of short stories because it allowed me to read a bit and then go do other things. Alas, I quickly got sucked in and devoured it despite many other commitments I should have been handling.

I'm a soft hearted person - particularly about dogs - and these stories are wonderful. Some are sad, others happy, but all show the author's love of dogs, a love that clearly matches my own. I had to wipe the tears away many times as I read.

For the curious, you can learn more about James Herriot (which is actually the pen name of James Alfred Wright) from the Wikipedia entry or from this tribute site, among others.

The stories in this book are all very close to home of late. For those who haven't heard, we had to have one of our dogs put down about a month ago. Nikki had started on the age related downhill slide some time back, but it had accelerated over several recent months. In the end we did what we had to do, but it was very, very tough. The following month with only one dog was hard on us, but necessary given our schedule. Integrating a new dog into the house had to wait until after a few things happened.

We finally got it all to come together a week ago, when we went to the pound and brought home a new Siberian Husky we've named Danno. He's a 2 year old boy with lots of personality and a need for some training. He has that classic wolf appearance; a very pretty boy. He's good with people, kids, and other dogs too, as far as we can tell. All in all, he's a great addition to the household after his first week here.

He and Leah seem to be getting along well so far. I'd say they were getting along perfectly except that Danno wants to play a bit more roughly than Leah is willing to handle just yet. They'll work it out given time, I am sure.

Reading this book while going through the tumult of adding a new dog to our pack only made it that much more poignant and pleasant.

If you're not familiar with James Herriot's work, you should be. Go get All Creatures Great And Small and prepare to read something uplifting. From there, other works await. Enjoy them all. I can tell from rereading this book that I have to go out and get the whole set again.