So. I promised to review the books I took on holiday …
Uncle Fred in the Springtime, by P.G. Wodehouse. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – you can’t go wrong with P.G. Wodehouse. Unless, of course, you are not enamored with British humor; in which case, you will want to back slowly away – pity. P.G. Wodehouse is most known for his Jeeves and Wooster stories, as well as those of Blandings Castle and Uncle Fred. Uncle Fred in the Sprintime combines characters from all three – making it especially fun for Wodehouse fans. It’s a light, easy read – perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.
Here’s the story: Pongo Twistleon and his Uncle Fred pay a visit to Blandings Castle as Sir Roderick Glossip and his secretary. Polly Pott – daughter to private investigator Mustard Pott – joins them in the role of Sir Roderick’s daughter. Their lofty goal is to prevent the Duke of Dunstable from stealing the Empress of Blandings – Lord Emsworth’s prize pig – and right the wrongs of young lovers. Love lost, mistaken identities, Persian Monarchs, mickeys-slipped-in-drinks, egg-throwing, and whistling of The Bonny Bonny Banks of Lock Lomand add to the mayhem – and the hilarity. You have only to sit back and see how Uncle Fred proves, “there are no limits, literally none, to what I can achieve in the sprintime.”
Ilium, by Dan Simmons. Yeah, I’ve got nothin’ for ya. But don’t hold it against Dan Simmons. This was all me. Most of the time available to read was in Gothenburg. Our hotel was on the water. We’d open the window and settle in for a long evening’s read. And there lies the rub – I would start to read the book, then I would hear the water lapping against the pier, the seagulls, and all I could think was Hornblower. As in, Horatio Hornblower. It was the PERFECT setting to re-read a book from the series. Why, oh why, didn’t I bring one? I was actually a bit pouty about the whole scenario. Pitiful, but there it is. I will say that the few pages I managed to read seemed well written. But that would be the height of my review. At this time.