#69 - Santa Paws - Ellen Emerson White

Title:  Santa Paws

Author:  Ellen Emerson White

Illustrations by:  Robert J. Blake

Genre:   Kid Picture Book

Publisher/Date:   Scholastic, Inc./2003

Dates read:   11/10/17

IBSN:  0-439-324836-6

The inside cover says to get your hankie ready for this story.  I didn’t think much about this as granddaughter and I got ready to take turns reading this book out loud.  In the first a couple paragraphs, sure enough, I was weeping and granddaughter was comforting me.  White grabbed me with her words, as any good author does effectively.  “It was almost Christmas, and the dog was alone.  He lived by himself on the streets, so he had no warm place to sleep, and no food to eat.  But, more than anything, he wanted to have a family of his very own to love.  And, if he was lucky, maybe they would love him, too!”

Granddaughter asked me to read aloud first and, with quavering voice I plunged forward.  Through the dog’s daily efforts he humbly and quite innocently becomes the hero.  It’s a great piece to read during the upcoming Christmas season because the theme is about prevailing love.  I must start encouraging granddaughter’s take on these books so they may be recorded here.

This is volume one of six in the Santa Paws series White has written under the pen name, Nicholas Edwards.

#68 - Juneteenth - Ralph Ellison

Title:   Juneteenth

Author:  Ralph Ellison

Genre:   Fiction

Read by:  Joe Morton

Originally Published:   1999

Publisher/Date:  Random House, Inc./2011

Dates listened to:   10/25/17 – 11/10/17

CDs/Hours: 11/14

IBSN:  978-0-307-93945-6

You hardly know that the name of the senator from New England is Adam Sunraider given that when he was a baby Daddy Hickman named him Bliss, because “that’s what ignorance is”.  When the Senator gets shot and is hospitalized he calls for Daddy Hickman to come.  What follows is a stream of consciousness on Hickman’s part that tells the story of the two men.  At first I wasn’t sure I could continue with the story but held my ground and persevered.  And I found it worthwhile because it told a story about dedication on Hickman’s part in saving Bliss from a life of what might have been, and about the Senator’s confronting how deeply estranged he had become from his true identity.  

What is so amazing is the length of time it took Ellison to write this book.  Forty years is a long while and even before the novel was published (posthumously) the author was looking for even more ways to expand his territory.  With the aid of Fanny, Ellison’s widow, it, therefore, became the objective of editor, John Callahan, to paw through a ton of Ellison’s notes and ideas before completing the story to a satisfactory end.

#67 - Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey

Title:   Dragonquest

Author:  Anne McCaffrey

Genre:   Science Fiction

Read by:  Dick Hill

Originally Published:   1971

Publisher/Date:  Brilliance Audio/1993

Dates listened to:   10/7/17 – 11/2/17

CDs/Hours: 19/12

IBSN:  978-1-59600-983-1

Thread, a destroyer of the lovely planet of Pern, are about to get their come-uppance.  Don’t you know that grubs are their nemesis and the riders and weyr-folk are about to figure this out.  Now that I’m into the series I’m liking it better.  This time, too, I got the book and was able to read along to some extent while listening to the second in the series.

Also, introduced are the Fire Lizards, smaller versions of dragons, yet from which the species of dragons evolved.  Cute little critters that nestle in the crook of your arm.

At the back of the book is a Dragondex of all sorts of helpful things such as The Weyrs in order of founding.  There are seven of them.  The oldest hold is Fort Hold of Fort Weyr.  The major Holds as bound to the Weyrs, also seven in number. It makes sense that Southern Hold is part of Southern Weyr.   An example of The Principal Lords (and their holds) is Asgenar of Lemos Hold, Benden Weyr.  In the Craftmasters and Mastercraftsmen list is the name of the Crafter, Rank/Craft and Location.  Thus, Fandarel is a Mastersmith from Smithcraft Hall, Telgar Hold.  Owners of Fire Lizards comes next and we find Brekke owner of the bronze Berd.

Some terms of interest are helpful in understanding things like time.  An Interval is the period of time between passes, generally 200 Turns.  A Turn is a Pernese year.  Sevenday is the equivalent of a week on Pern.  A Pass is a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern.

As we leave book two we find that the Weyr folk have decided to send a dragon and rider to the Red Star to investigate more closely the source of Thread.  It ought to be as exciting if not more so than books one and two.