I have come to the conclusion that I like books that have animals in them. And by "animals in them" I mean the animals become principal characters.I'm thinking of, for instance, Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
Or his more recent work, Beatrice & Virgil.
Alissa York's Effigy, or Sara Gruen's Water For Elephants.
The White Bone, by Barbara Gowdy.
Philip Pullman's trilogy would not be the same without Iorek the polar bear. And well... all the daemons!
Perhaps you feel the same way? Or... similar?
I received an email today from the fine folks at Random House -- a listing of soon-to-be-released material, and two of the books immediately caught my interest.
Fauna, by Alissa York.
And Ape House, by Sara Gruen.
I WANT TO READ THESE!THEY HAVE ANIMALS IN THEM!
Reading an animal book from time to time is such a terrific reprieve from reading about the goings-on of humans.
Do you agree?
Of course, humans are animals, too. But they are way less........ animally.
After all, what makes The Wind In The Willows such a classic piece of literature?
Toad. Moley. Ratty. Badger. Otter...
What if Dr. Suess wrote The Human Being in the Hat?
What good would Tigger be, if stripped down, he was just some guy in a tiger suit?
Who would care at all about Winnie The Police Officer?
Or.... Paddington Human!
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I love books that feature animals as a main focus or character. I read a lot of them. I already had Ape House on my list but now I'm adding Fauna too, thanks to you!
ReplyDeleteWow, Jeane!
ReplyDeleteYou are NOT KIDDING around!
I just visited your site and you have been reading a LOT of animal books.
Aren't animals just....... grand?
I love 'em.
For the past couple months -- daily I have been thinking of the ones affected by the BP oil spill. I cannot focus on it or I will get depressed....!
I had actually forgotten about Ape House - I need to add that to my wish list.
ReplyDeleteYeah; it's always been a favorite subject of mine but I really seem to be on a roll right now!
ReplyDeleteYou should read Traveller by Richard Adams or even Shardik by the same author. You would love those if you like animally type books.
ReplyDeleteC.
I suggest Richard Scarry. I still love (and quote) them. Also, they teach you something (things' names, alphabet letters...)
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