I haven’t been doing much serious reading lately. I will take down a well
worn, familiar book and read bits out of it without completing the whole
thing. Austen and Dickens are good for that. Or I will start one and lose
interest a few pages in, abandoning it to the pile next to my chair. That’s
where “The Odyssey” is living at the moment. Someday…. However, I must
read before turning out the light at night. It’s a habit I have developed
and one I find difficult to avoid if I want to fall asleep without time
spent brooding.

I took this book off my shelf while looking for something to hold my
interest for the 20 minutes I read before sleeping. The flyleaf is inscribed
with a “Happy Birthday from Mom and Dad, 1978” which means I was a sophomore
in college when I read it the first time. I don’t recall reading it since.

And what a treat it is! The chapters are short enough that I can finish one
quickly and the stories he tells are amusing and sad and vibrant with his
love for the countryside he lived in. I had forgotten the war between
Siegfried and the secretary and the impossible escapades of Tristan. And I
had completely forgotten the character of Tricki Woo, the little Peke dog
who provides James with treats and good things all in appreciation of good
care whenever the dog goes “flop bott.”

It’s a good book to revisit if you are looking for enjoyable stories well
told, something to soothe the mind and quiet the noises of the night.