Book Around the States ChallengeI bought a full set of the Little House on the Prairie books back when I was still in high school. I'm ashamed to say they have sat on the shelf ever since. Maybe my daughter read them, but I never did. The books would be in pristine condition if the pages weren't so yellowed. Luckily, this is one of the few books I can find that is set in South Dakota. So I finally read one of the books, not even the first one. It took me two tries to even get started. It didn't grab my attention so I set it aside looking for another South Dakota book. There were just biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder and it seemed silly to pass up basically the same thing that I already owned. So I gave the Ingalls family one more try. And I'm glad I did. The description of the vast prairies without a tree in sight (How did they stand it?) were so vivid. I finished the book with an even greater appreciation for those pioneers who braved the dangers and discomfort of moving west, not just Indians (The only one in this story helps the Ingalls immensely) but wolves, shady men, mosquitos, rough railroad workers, and the cold, cold blizzardous conditions of winter. The black and white illustrations just added to the charm. I'm thinking I may do this challenge again in a couple of years and read the whole set. There's at least four states involved in those eight books.
Rating: 4
I like Silver Lake a lot but the best one in the series is The Long Winter, which is also South Dakota. I'm thinking of doing this challenge next year.
ReplyDeleteI live in South Dakota so I really should read these as an adult. Fortunately I live in Western SD which is much less barren and harsh.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Blogger. I just noticed your blog list on the sidebar said I posted 2 days ago. I actually posted 6 or 7 hours ago. It doesn't seem to keep us up to date very well. Come to think of it - it didn't update my list that you had posted the Tess Gerritsen review either. I've been aware that it hasn't updated me on some of Candleman's but I thought that might be because we use the same internet. Hmmmmm...something's weird.
ReplyDeleteI have read the whole set of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books over and over and over again - I never tire of them. My copies are dog eared and well used poor things - but I will keep them until I depart this mortal coil - if I could take them with me I would :)
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