Three Books

One Hard, One unusual, One delightful

The hard one is "Professor Borges, a Course on English Literature", by Jorge Luis Borges. I'll admit prejudice - Borges is one of my favorite writers; "The Library of Babel" is a touchstone piece for me. (It can be found in "Ficciones.") He gave a series of lectures on English literature in 1966. Students recorded and transcribed them - this is the basis of the book. He was brilliant, but the material is dense, and is translated from Spanish. Reading commentary on major works of English literature that was originally in Spanish give an extra layer of complexity and a unique point of view. I will admit I skipped the first several pieces, since I have never read Beowulf and other early material. By the time he got to Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake, I was hooked. I recommend this for deep study, not a casual read. I still haven't finished it, but I will keep dipping into it for a long time.

"The Ride of Her Life", by Elizabeth Letts is unusual. In 1954 Annie Wilkins set out from a farm in Maine. She was 63, and in poor health, but wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. With a horse to ride, and a dog as her only other companion, she left in November 1954. She got to Los Angeles, California in March 1956. She traveled a convoluted route, in all kinds of weather, helped by a wide assortment of people. It was a time of change for the United States - soon after, riding a horse many places she went would have been impossible. This book is semi auto-biographical, assembled from her journals and letters and interviews. It is a unique view of America as it was changing in the mid-1950's.

"The Spell Shop" by Sarah Beth Durst was delightful. If you liked "Legends and Lattes", you will probably like this. The hero is a librarian, fleeing for her life, with as many books as she could grab. Her only companion is sentient spider plant, and they steal a boat to travel to her childhood home, far away. There is a bakery, and raspberries, and magic, and mermaids. If I say any more, I might spoil the plot.