All Creatures Great and Small

Hey people,

Gracious it has been a long time since I posted, I apologise for my absence. The book I read this time was All Creatures Great and Small, By James Herriot. It is the true story of a country vet named James Herriot who went to school in the city and then was sent to the Yorkshire Dales to practice his profession. Things are a little bit rough for James at first but he soon falls in love with His partner Siegfried Farnon, Siegfried's crazy brother Tristan, the simple people of the Dales, and the beautiful country around him. It is the story of the troubles that a country vet goes through told in a humorous and entirely relateable fashion. Walking through life in the mind of James, hearing every thought and working through every problem is laugh out loud hysterical. You could call it a documentary, but I prefer to think of it as the life of a poor vet who just can't win. You really have to read them to understand. It is a 4 book series starting with All Creatures Great and Small, then All Things Bright and Beautiful, All things Wise and Wonderful, and finishes with The Lord God Made them All. I just have to say I love them! I don't really like reading about animals, and I don't generally care for documentary type things, but these are different! He is so simple in the way he puts things, I guess you can say he speaks right to the heart of the average Joe. The countryside where he is sounds so beautiful, it makes me want to go to the Dales. Hopefully by know you have all gathered that I highly recommend these books, so please read them and let me know what you think! James Herriot has also written Children's Treasuries which are very good as well, but go for the real thing.

Thanks for listening and happy reading!

$ The Artful Dodge $

5/5 Recommended

Shadow Hawk

Hello all,


Gee, it seems like it has been forever since I posted on something. Well, this time, I read Shadow Hawk by Andre Norton, which was recommended to me by a friend who hated it. Well, I don't know if she hated it, but she didn't really like it either.

Set in Egyptian times, this book follows the adventure of a guy who is the captain of a group of desert scouts. He has no land to call his own, because his evil brother kicked him off of it or something like that. (I skimmed through some of it) :/ The story follows how he rises in the favor of the pharoah, and gradually earns all that he deserves.

That sounds really general, but I'm telling you, that is almost literally all that happened. There are several moments of suspense that either were too short or lasted too long, ruining the whole "suspense" device. Also, several threads of the storyline that started in the beginning were never followed up later, which might have given the story more depth. I guess the best way to put it is that it was boring. Also, it was disappointing because none of the main characters died. That sounds horrid, I know, but seriously, how realistic is it that all of the main characters take part in a battle, and the worst thing that happens is someone got a scratch!? Come on!

One thing that did catch my attention was that the desert scouts were all archers, which definitely produced some cool stuff. I think archery rocks. So yeah, that part of the whole thing was cool. Other than that.... I don't think I'd read it again by choice.

To sum it up, some parts were cool, but as a whole, the book really wasn't that interesting.

~Tony

1/5 Recommended

Pride and Prejudic - An Eaternal Classic

By Jane Austen

I love this comedic Romance - which, of course, is entirely predictable. Every girl loves Pride and Prejudice. It's just so clever and romantic. Most of you know the story, but let us review anyway, shall we?

Elizabeth Bennet and her sister, Jane, are two very likable gals, despite their unfortunate relations. Elizabeth is witty and smart. She does not believe in marrying for money. Living in the era of Regency, in which you were only respected if you were rich/high in rank, this is not a very popular sort of attitude. She is considered the "odd duck" of the family, being sensible. Jane is also a lovely girl, and she is ready to think the best of everyone around her. When two rich young men come into town, (Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley) everyone immediately falls in love with Bingley, he being agreeable, enjoyable, and all-around very likable. Jane takes particular interest in him. Mr. Darcy, however, is twice as rich as Bingley, and ten times as disagreeable. Basically, everyone hates him and thinks he is proud, especially Elizabeth. No one has an any idea of Mr. Darcy's past, however, which is surprising and interesting. In the end, it turns out he is not so bad after all, and Ms. Elizabeth's opinions about him take a turn in the opposite direction ;)

A lot of you have read and enjoyed this as well as many other of Austen's books. They truly are brilliant.
I highly recommend the OLD BBC movie version of P&P (with Jennifer Ehle and Collin Firth.) I like it much better than the new version, but of course, that is only my opinion.

I rate it...um...#4.

Thank you kindly for reading. I am sorry it took to terribly long.

As always,
Lady Arwen

O Captain! My Captain

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

by: Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up -- for you the flag is flung -- for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths -- for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Booklist - 2010

First off - Happy New Year, my fellow DC Geeks! Well, I figured that I would re-post the old booklist, to remind everyone of the books that should be coming up. Nothing is added or changed, because we want to finish this list before we start another. The books will be taken off as they are reviewed. Thanks for your comments and support, and let's hope that 2010 is a great year for Darles' Chickens!

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Little Britches - Ralf Moody
The Spectre Bridegroom - Washington Irving
Two Gentlemen of Verona - William Shakespeare
North to Freedom - Anne Holm
Pinocchio - Carlo Collodi

Thanks again!

~The DC Peeps

Pawn of Prophecy

Hey everyone!

Good news! I'm posting. Just kidding, that wasn't my news. My news is that I think I fixed our stupid Hindu translation problem. (I don't think they're Hindu, but whatever.) So yay! Things will be in English!

So anyway, a while back I read Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. In a word... incredible. I was absolutely hooked. There are five books in all: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's End Game - all of which are equally incredible. I read the whole series in about a week. I can't tell you much of the story because it would seriously ruin it. :( Basically, there are the good guys and the bad guys and they all have different powers and assets, and they end up in an epic battle and so on... if you've read fantasy, you've read that pattern before, I'm sure. This was a really fun book that included many personalities and many relatable characters. When I say relatable, I mean characters that you would want to be similar to. That is always cool. The books really draw you in and make you desperately connected to the adventures and fates of the characters.

If you need an awesome journey into a fantastical world, I would definitely recommend Pawn of Prophecy and the rest! Although these were fairly easy reads, if you are younger, I would have an older sibling read them first and make sure that all of the content is a-okay! I hope you enjoy! I really want everyone to read at least the first book so that I can make sure that I'm not just biased. Thanks!!

~Tony

5/5 Recommended

Benjamin Franklin

By Steven Vincent Benet

Ben Franklin munched a loaf of bread,
While walking down the street,
And all the Philadelphia girls
Tee-heed to see him eat.
A country boy come up to town,
With eyes as big as saucers,
At the ladies in their furbelows,
The gempmun on their horses.

Ben Franklin wrote an almanac,
A smile upon his lip,
It told you when to plant your corn,
And how to cure the pip,
But he salted it and seasoned it,
With proverbs, sly and sage,
And the people read "Poor Richard,"
'Til Poor Richard was the rage.

Ben Franklin made a pretty kite,
And flew it in the air,
To call upon a thunder storm that happened to be there,
And all our humming dynamos and our electric light,
Go back to what Ben Franklin found
The Day he flew his kite.

Ben Franklin was the sort of man,
That people like to see,
For he was very clever, but as human as could be,
He had an eye for pretty girls,
A pallet for good wine,
And all the court of France were glad to ask him into dine.

But it didn't make him stuffy,
And he wasn't spoiled by fame,
But stayed Ben Franklin to the end,
As Yankee as his name.
"He wrenched their might from tyrants,
And its lightning from the sky,"
and oh, when he saw pretty girls he had a taking eye.

The End

I love this poem! It's really cute. Go Ben Franklin!