Mojo Book Review (and a Giveaway!): The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour

Jun 22, 2012 | 11 comments

Nutcracker Not Included.

I love Louis L’Amour. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, this isn’t a surprise. But if you’re new, let me just state the obvious:

I love Louis L’Amour.

I named my newest Nutcracker after him. I collect Nutcrackers, and every holiday season my Mom lets me pick one for my Christmas gift. It’s been a tradition for about ten years now. Last year I couldn’t find any that I really wanted. Then suddenly one day, at the local Kohl’s Department Store and looking for something completely unrelated, I turned around and there he was. Rocking right at me.

There was no question. He was The One. Thankfully, Mom let me have him before Christmas, so I could enjoy his company. As you can see, Little Louis sits high on his ridge, overlooking the beautiful front vista of my little Bedford Manor.

So. Let me state again:

I love Louis L’Amour.

I love his style of writing. The infusion of history, environment, and emotion. His descriptions and dialogue are like no other. Which explains how the man could have written over 100 books in his lifetime and been the first novelist to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award in the United States, and is awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States.

Although L’Amour died in 1988, his stories and legend live on. Living in the civilized desert of Southern California, I’m struck by its beauty when I read his stories. I find myself lifting my eyes from the pages to look into the distant horizon. Could that be such a location I’ve been reading about? How many Cochise or Navajo or outlaws have walked across my yard, before it was my yard? Did my ancient Joshua Tree provide shelter and fruit for any struggling stranger? What did my area look like before it was a tame town?

I’ve been reading The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories. My mom, the avid reader that you’ve read about, picked up the book for herself last summer. When I “glanced” at it on her coffee table, I couldn’t put it down. So she lovingly bought me my own copy. I know: awwww! She’s cool like that, my mom is.

And while I haven’t finished reading; in fact, I put it aside through the winter… well, I just picked it up again and have made it my goal to finish by the end of June. I’m not a speed reader like my mom is, but I do certainly love the activity. Especially when it adds so much to my world.

The Creosote bush I photographed last week means more to me now. Almost every story has an amazing quote in it.

I want you to see more in the world around you. To discover the history of America’s wild west past.

So if you’d like your own copy of The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories, here’s how you enter to win a copy.

1. MANDATORY ENTRY: Leave a comment on this post: Who is your favorite author? This entry is mandatory. If you don’t answer this question, all other entries are void. [Canadian entries only: Since I’m opening this giveaway to my Canadian friends as well, if you live in Canada your rules state you must answer a skills test in order to enter. So if you live in Canada and want to enter, you must correctly answer this question in your mandatory comment/entry: If I start the day with five apples and eat two, then later buy nine at the store, and the next day eat three more, how many apples do I have at the end of the second day?]

2. ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: You can earn up to four additional entries (for five entries total) by doing each of the following then leaving a comment here telling me you’ve done so. If you already do any of these things, that counts as an entry only if you post it in the comments. (Additional entries will be verified):
a. Follow me on Facebook and share this giveaway.
b. Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
c. Follow me on Pinterest and pin this giveaway.
d. Share this giveaway on your own blog and leave the link in the comments below.

Here’s the fine print:

MOJO BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY RULES FOR The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories:

1. This giveaway is solely through Molly Jo and the blog Frankly, My Dear…. There are no corporate sponsors and is in no way endorsed by any other person, business or entity.
2. Only legal citizens of the United States and Canada aged 18 years and older are eligible to win.
3. This giveaway begins at 5:30 a.m. PST on Friday, June 22, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, June 29, 2012.
4. Winner will be selected from all eligible comments on Saturday, June 30, 2012 through Random.org.
5. One prize consisting of a new edition of The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories will be given. No substitutions or transfers allowed.
6. Molly Jo and Frankly, My Dear… are not responsible for any damages that may occur during shipping.
7. You may comment as much as you like, but any comment/commenter that does not meet the requirements will be disqualified from this Giveaway.
8. By leaving your comment on this post, you agree to be bound by the rules of this giveaway in their entirety.

So there you are. Have fun, and good luck!

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share:

Mojo Book Review and a GIVEAWAY: “Carmen of the Golden Coast” by Madeline Brandeis

Mar 16, 2012

This is another children’s book from long ago. The copy I have was printed in 1935 and belonged to my mother.

I love this book. It centers on a little girl who discovers history and adventure as she travels the West Coast. The inside covers show a hand-drawn map that indicates the important locations from the book. Actual photographs of places and actors posing as the book’s characters give credence to Carmen’s journey.

This is one in a series of books by Brandeis called “Children of All Lands” wherein Brandeis delivers wonderful writing detailing the heritage of a particular nation that includes personalities, environment, difficulties commonly faced… these books were known in their time to be some of the best reading material available for children.

Madeline’s preface begins
“This is the story of two little girls,
Each of them living in different worlds,
One in the old world, and one in the new,
One like your great-grand’ma,
One just like you.

“This, also, is the story of ‘three big states.’ “

Those states, as we journey with Carmen and her father, are California, Oregon, and Washington. We learn some Spanish words like “Tia” (“Aunt”). We discover how some cultures have become Americanized (Carmen’s last name is Stevens, but her eldest living relative’s is Estevan). The story begins with Carmen waking on her birthday to receive a present from her father. Tia Carmencita has sent a package to Carmen: a written account of Carmencita’s journey years ago along the same roads Carmen is about to travel. It’s bound in hide, and they affectionately call it their Cow-Book. And there’s something more: a letter promising that the book also contains a great mystery.

It’s through Carmencita’s story and Carmen’s travels that we discover great places like Olvera Street in Los Angeles, Crater Lake in Oregon, and Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington. There are evil-doers and friends, lessons learned and marvels observed.

And in the end… Oh, please. You know I can’t give that away!

But what I am giving away is your very own copy. That’s right, you can receive your very own book and take the adventures with Carmen and her Tia for yourself! I ordered a great quality copy through Amazon and I’m looking at it right now. It’s in near-perfect condition. The pages are slightly yellowed with age, and the front and back covers indicate the tiniest bit of wear, but for a book that’s 77 years old, it’s in extremely good quality. The photos included in this blogpost are from the very book one lucky winner will receive! This particular copy will be a great addition to anyone’s home library.

Why am I doing this? Because this book needs to be shared. The history, the writing style, the characters. It’s important to encourage children (anyone!) to keep reading, to learn not only literacy with letters and numbers, but to also learn history. This book incorporates all of that in such a way as to make it more than enjoyable.

So, do you want to win? Awesome! Here’s how to enter:

1. MANDATORY ENTRY: Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite childhood book was and why. You’ll have to sign up with Disqus to leave a comment, but it’s a great way to track all your blog comments so it’s worth it! (If you’re reading this post through email, you have to click through to the actual blog to leave a comment. Email replies will not be counted.)

2. ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: You can earn up to four additional entries (for five entries total) by doing each of the following then leaving a comment here telling me you’ve done so. If you already do any of these things, that counts as an entry only if you post it in the comments. Remember that you must complete the mandatory entry or additional entries won’t count. (Additional entries will be verified):
a. Follow me on Facebook and share this giveaway.
b. Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
c. Follow me on Pinterest and pin this giveaway.
d. Share this giveaway on your own blog and leave the link in the comments below.

Here’s the fine print:

MOJO BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY RULES FOR “CARMEN OF THE GOLDEN COAST” BY MADELINE BRANDEIS, MARCH 16, 2012:

1. This giveaway is solely through Molly Jo and the blog Frankly, My Dear…. There are no corporate sponsors and is in no way endorsed by Amazon or any other person, business or entity.
2. Only legal citizens of the United States aged 18 years and older are eligible to win. [Sorry to my international readers, but I’m only set up right now for American rules.]
3. This giveaway begins at 5:30 a.m. PST on Friday, March 16, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, March 23, 2012.
4. Winner will be selected from all eligible comments on Saturday, March 24, 2012 through Random.org.
5. One prize consisting of a used edition of “Carmen of the Golden Coast” will be given. No substitutions or transfers allowed.
6. Molly Jo and Frankly, My Dear… are not responsible for any damages that may occur during shipping.
7. You may comment as much as you like, but any comment/commenter that does not meet the requirements will be disqualified from this Giveaway.
8. By leaving your comment on this post, you agree to be bound by the rules of this giveaway in their entirety.

So there you are. Have fun, and good luck!

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share: