Book Recommendations
And Speaking of Pet Therapy....
Perhaps You Have Never Read This Wonderful Series.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060QM0AG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
It came to mind that an appropriate follow-up to the previous post about the power of a beloved pet to enrich a life would be to mention James Herriot's wonderful books about his years as a practicing veterinarian.
It has already been said that neither animals or pets are a passion of mine. But one of my favorite non-fiction series of all times are these books.
They came to publication years ago but they are timeless. James Herriot was the pen name for Alfred Wight, whose career spanned several decades in the mid-twentieth century in rural Britain. He took a few liberties with the time line and the stories themselves in order to protect the privacy of his clients, but according to his son they didn't veer too far from the actual events.
Some of my biggest giggles have come from reading about Herriot's dealing with his country clients, his partners, and the eccentric owners of some of his canine patients. How could anyone read about Cedric and keep a straight face? The life of this compassionate country vet reveals a side of life - with all of its positives and its hardships - that is now gone forever.
This series has a special place in my heart too, because my dad loved them. Papa was a slow reader and didn't take the time to do much of it until his later years - but he read these. Farming was in his genes, and he had a gift for dealing with animals. He re-read them again after his health began to fail. We had some fun conversations and shared laughter talking about our favorites stories.
I could not find any big discounts on these books, but if you are not inclined to make the investment any library worth its salt has them or can get them through their library system.
I love this series! My old vet recommended them to me back in the 1980s, and I bought all of them in print. The ebooks do occasionally go on sale, and, with patience, I've also acquired most of the series in digital format, too . . . because these are classics I will always enjoy reading. Having them in my portable library means I'm sure of something good to read anywhere in the world, as long as I have my Kindle and some battery life.
ReplyDeletePoor Cedric! And Trickie-Woo.
I loved this series as well. It is a fun series. In January it is going to be on PBS Masterpiece. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/all-creatures-great-and-small/
ReplyDeleteI forgot about the BBC series! I used to watch it on A&E in the late '80s and early '90s and was sad when it was sent to "Rerun Heaven" as A&E said in reply to a query from me. I bought DVDs of one or two seasons several years ago, to watch with one of my nephews.
DeleteIt is an excellent series, absolutely true to the original stories and the actors are perfectly matched to the characters. It is definitely worth watching.
If this is the same one, I agree with your take, Carole. It is well worth watching
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The subject of re-makes of older television series and movies just came up this week. Too many
ReplyDeleteof these wonderful stories that were put to the screen with good casts and scripts that stuck close to the story lines have been redone with modern morality and culture updates. It is a shame. We will have to see if PBS has avoided this pit fall.
I had just assumed PBS was going to air the existing series produced by the BBC, but I decided to check and I'm glad I did. I was wrong. This is an all-new production, so we can't know yet whether it's going to be a hit or a miss. If the former, great. If the latter, look out the old series on disc. I think I bought mine from Vision Video.
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