I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12082997 ( )

really funny stories ( )

Read from September 22 to December 16, 2013

5 stars. All Creatures Great and Small is a fantastic read. It's educational -- who knew being a vet in the late-30s was so harsh -- it's hilarious -- seriously, laugh out loud funny -- and absolutely timeless. I can't wait to watch the TV show (it's currently available on Netflix!) to see just how beautiful it is. I feel my Googling just hasn't done the area justice.

4.5 stars. All Things Bright and Beautiful didn't move along as quickly as the first book. The timeline threw me off a bit, but despite that I still loved the people, the place, and the stories. You can just tell how much the author loved this place.

3.5 stars. All Things Wise and Wonderful is the choppiest of these three books. While the first two were clearly essays about being a country vet, in this one Herriot does that weird flashback/reminiscing thing. For example, in this book he is in the RAF training to be a pilot and somehow everything he experiences keeps reminding him of home and being a vet. I could have done without that and just had the wacky, hilarious, and sometimes sad stories of being a vet before antibiotics.

All of these are great, easy reading though. It's so easy to just fall back into these stories after time away. And it must be pretty clear that I love them because I just spent 2000+ pages in Yorkshire with Jim, Tristan, Tricky Woo, Cedric the Farting Boxer, Siegfried, and all of the farmers and animals in Yorkshire.

09/29/13 - Ebook omnibus editions are brutal. I've finished with the first book and LOVED it, but there's still a thousand pages to go. The other books on my shelves are quietly judging me. Do I read something else before I go on or do I dive right into the next book? I'm not sure that I'm ready to leave Yorkshire just yet. Of course, there's also the problem that the ebook is going to expire in 3 days and I can't possibly finish the final 60% in that amount of time. Hopefully there are no holds...

10/11/13 - Finished with book two! I am going to give it a little break before I move on to the third book in the omnibus, but only because I have a book club book waiting for me.

12/16/13 - And done with the omnibus! On to Book 4!

Reading Progress
09/23/2013 6.0% "I just read about having to push a cow's uterus back inside her. I am traumatized right along with the poor fellow that had to help the vet."
09/27/2013 21.0% "Educational and funny! Can't wait to hunt down the TV series."
09/28/2013 25.0% "This brake-less car chapter really turned my tickle box. Laughing so hard I have tears."
09/29/2013 35.0% "I've never been to the Dales, but I love them."
10/07/2013 54.0% "The second book doesn't move as quickly as the first, but still lovely little stories."
10/11/2013 65.0% "Second book finished! Not as smooth as the first one, but still so good."
11/27/2013 66.0% "On to the third book!"
12/08/2013 84.0%
12/16/2013 100.0% ( )

I decided to revisit these books on a trip to England in August of 2013. My son had been accepted to Newcastle University in northern England, and we headed out there to do a site visit. I thought these books would be a combination of appropriate for the setting and not too complex for travel. I was right! I had read these before and loved the stories, but this time it was fun to see reference to various small towns that I was passing through. I usually read most books only once for a variety of reasons, but it was no problem revisiting these charming stories, most likely because I was living in the setting for the stories. The people I met in northern England did remind me of the characters in the book, which gave me a greater appreciation for Herriott's ability to tell a good story. I read that there is a James Herroitt museum in Thirsk (the actual setting of the veterinary practice), and so in one of my upcoming visits to Newcastle, I'll stop by for a tour.

In the work we do at the Green Garage in Detroit, we incubate a number of local up-and-coming businesses. One of them is a pet companion therapy business, and so often while reading these stories I was educated in the natural approach to understanding the animal species. I think there is much more to these stories than meets the eye. Thank goodness for a veterinarian who had such a sensitivity to his work, and one who could write well about it. ( )