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Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Short Stories by Truman Capote

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: The Modern Library
Publication Date: This edition 1994 (originally published 1958)
Pages: 161
Source: Library

The Short Version:
The novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s and three short stories are combined in this volume and showcase some of the variety of Capote’s work

Why I Read It:
When I read Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society the first book for the book group was Breakfast at Tiffany’s which reminded me that I had never seen the movie nor read the book.

The Book:
In Breakfast at Tiffany’s the narrator looks back and tells of meeting and getting to know his neighbor in a New York Brownstone in the mid 1940’s. Holly Golightly is young, carefree and attractive. She doesn’t have a job and seems to live off the wealthy men she meets. He gradually gets to know her and at the same time realize just how much he doesn’t know her,

House of Flowers takes place in Haiti and tells the story of a prostitute named Ottilie who falls in love and turns down a wealthy client to run away and marry her local boy. Her life with him is complicated by his grandmother who lives with them and hates Ottilie.

A Diamond Guitar takes place in a prison. An older man serving a life sentence befriends a new inmate. Their relationship is tested when the younger man proposes an escape plan.

A Christmas Memory is a look back at the last Christmas that a young boy and an elderly woman who is a distant relative. They make fruitcakes to send to people and give each other Christmas gifts. The memory is one that remains a significant one for the young boy for all of his life.

My Thoughts:
I have never seen the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The only thing I know about it is photos of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly. I found that as I read this I both pictured Audrey Hepburn as Holly and had a hard time picturing Holly as Audrey Hepburn.

Holly is part naïve sex kitten and part conniving liar. I really didn’t like her much at all. While I appreciated Capote’s excellent writing I had a hard time with the novella because I didn’t like the character who was the focal point of the story. Nevertheless I liked the way that the story told how this girl deeply affected the people who lived on the periphery of her existence and social gallivanting.

The short stories were varied. I didn’t like House of Flowers all that much. I thought The Diamond Guitar was quite good. A Christmas Memory was actually quite touching.

It was nice to read more of Capote’s work but I need to re-read In Cold Blood to decide which style of Capote’s writing that I like best.

Rating 3.5/5

Since my last update:
I’m still reading Under the Dome by Stephen King. I’m close to being where I need to be to keep up with the Readalong. I’m enjoying this one. The cast of usual suspects is there for King and in some ways the characters have me trying to match them up with characters from The Stand and a few other King stories. It’s been fun to return to reading King after a long break.

I did finish By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder for the Little House Readalong. I’m not sure the readalong is still a thing but I’m continuing with the series. I checked out The Long Winter from the library and it’ll be my next treadmill book.

I haven’t picked up a new graphic novel yet. I’ve got several out from the library and need to get to them before they’re due.

On audio I finished listening to Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson. It’s the third in the Walt Longmire series and I really enjoyed it. We’ve started watching the first season of the TV series based on these books. We’re only two episodes in but it’s very good and well done. It’s true to the characters in the book without being a direct rehash of the books.

Last week The Hubster and listened to most of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. We’ll be finishing that up this on this weekend’s driving time. It’s read by Sissy Spacek and they could not have found a better narrator for this book. She is absolutely perfect as the voice of Scout. This is the second time I’ve re-experienced this book since high school and I’m once again amazed at how good it is.

Other than books and reading:
We’re off on another weekend getaway. All seven cousins on my Mom’s side of the family are getting together for the first time in many many years. We’re in South Lake Tahoe for the weekend and I’ll hopefully have photos to share next weekend.

In the meantime here are a few photos from this past week.

I really enjoy my morning walks on the Bear Creek Trail when we're in Southern Oregon

I've always had a thing for noticing interesting shadows created by nature.



And then when I got home I had my "office assistant" who loves the printer. As soon as she hears the first click she comes running from wherever she is in the house.

Hope you’re having a great weekend!

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

Genre: Mystery
Series: #3 in the Walt Longmire series
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: 2007 Recorded Books (Book originally published 2007)
Length: 8 hours, 42 minutes
Read by: George Guidall
Source: Library

The Short Version:
The Sheriff Walt Longmire series shifts location from Wyoming to downtown Philadelphia when Walt and his friend Henry take a trip that does not go as planned.

Why I Read It:
It’s all because of Jen at Jen’s Book Thoughts that I even started this series and she certainly didn’t steer me wrong. Because of her I went with the audio format over the print and that has been an excellent decision and why I’ll continue with audio.

The Book:
Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear head out on a road trip to Philadelphia. Henry is involved with an exhibit of Native American photographs for the Philadelphia Art Museum. Walt is tagging along so that he can visit his daughter Cady.

When Cady ends up in the hospital in serious condition, Walt is soon involved in the investigation and hunt for her assailant.

From the author’s website:

With Henry, Deputy Victoria Moretti, the entire Moretti clan of Philadelphia police officers, and Dog as backup, Sheriff Longmire intends to introduce a little western justice from his saddlebag of tricks to the City of Brotherly Love, where no act of kindness goes unpunished.

My Thoughts:
The location of Absaroka County Wyoming is a key part of the Walt Longmire series. Taking a series in which place is so crucial out of it is a risky thing. Craig Johnson makes it work.

The fact that Philadelphia was already an important location to more than one character helps. Longmire’s daughter lives and works there and Deputy Vic Moretti is from there and her family still live there. What seems a bit out of place in this one is the element of the trip is Henry’s and his exhibit at the Art Museum in Philadelphia was the element that felt like a stretch to me. The rest worked just fine, although I will be glad to see Walt and the rest of the characters back in Wyoming.

The mystery of why Cady was hurt and who is responsible is a good one. I liked how the investigation involved some of the Moretti family yet they were not the primary investigators. Walt working with the Philly cops reminded me a bit of the old TV series McCloud with Dennis Weaver playing a New Mexico Marshall in New York. The difference in this book was that for Walt Longmire this was personal.

I enjoyed how the change of venue for the series allowed for the introduction and addition to the backstory of Vic’s family and her relationships with them.

The story moves along quickly with a mix of police investigation, a father’s fear for his daughter, a little romance, a lot of action and occasional bits of humor to break the tension.

I like Walt and I love the way George Guidall tells the story from his viewpoint. His delivery fits Walt’s character and his voice characterizations for the other characters work well.

I highly recommend this series and definitely recommend the audio format. We have just started watching the first season of the TV series Longmire and so far I like it a lot. It’s a well done compliment to the books. The stories have some similarities but they definitely veer off from the books and become complimentary rather than annoying because of the differences. It’s easy to enjoy both the books and the TV series.

Rating 4.5/5 for the book

Rating 4.5/5 for the narration



SoundBytes is a weekly roundup of audio book reviews hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books.

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Fables Vol 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham et al.

Genre: Fantasy (Graphic Novel)
Series: #4 in the Fables series
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 240
Source: Library

The Short Version:
The Fairytale characters in exile find themselves under attack and battling for their survival.

Why I Read It:
This series just gets better and better with every volume and now that The Hubster is recovered from his eye surgery he’s back to reading it along with me.

The Book:
This volume 3 is a compilation of issues 19-24 and 27-31 plus the one shot The Last Castle of the comic series.

From the back of the book:

To The Barricades! For centuries the Fables have watched the gateways between our mundane world and their lost magical homelands, ever on guard for signs of invasion. Now, after decades of quiet, it seems that someone has finally escaped the Adversary's oppression and made it to sanctuary. But appearances, as always, can be deceiving, and there's plenty about this refugee's story that smells wrong to the right noses. In fact, things are even worse than they suspect - plans are already under way for the complete destruction of Fabletown, and every one of its citizens is about to get a refresher course in the unforgiving lessons of war.

My Thoughts:
I am so glad that The Hubster is recovered from his eye surgery and can read graphic novels again. I try to get this series from the library when he can read it shortly after I do before I have to return them. It’s been a few months and I’m glad to be back to this series.

This volume opens with a one shot section that actually gives some good background. Since most of the story so far has taken place after the Fables have been exiled from the Homelands it was good to hear Little Boy Blue’s story of the last days of the battle against the Adversary and how the last Fables to get out got away.

The rest of this volume is a multipart story that begins with the first new arrival in Fabletown in centuries. Naturally Bigby Wolf is suspicious but he seems to be the only one. When some creepy guys show up in town who look a little like Pinocchio meets Men in Black you just know it can’t be good. It sets up for a battle for Fabletown. It’s exciting and scary and sad. When it’s over it’s not over. The instigator is still around and has met her match from an unexpected place.

Along the way there is plenty of other story. Prince Charming continues to be a source of amusement for me. He’s got plans and he’s always scheming but somehow he still makes me laugh.

Bigby Wolf is still my favorite character. His relationship with Snow White is at a crucial point at the end of this one. I clearly need to get to the next volume soon.

I absolutely recommend this series but please start at the beginning with Fables: Legends in Exile. The stories are interesting, the artwork is wonderful and the familiar characters are cleverly re-imagined yet recognizable.

This is my favorite so far but I know I have many more volumes to read and that make me very very happy. I love this series and I’m glad to have much more to look forward to.

Rating 4.5/5