Signature of Leo Tolstoy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I found these three gems within Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch.
This is attributed to John Knowles, “Only Phineas never was afraid, only Phineas never hated anyone.”
This she attributed to her physician father, “Do not look for happiness in life. Life itself is happiness.”
And this is attributed to Tolstoy himself, ”The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.”
Cover of Tricks
Ellen Hopkins writes books aimed at young adults. The books are written in free verse and cover subjects that are important to teenagers. Crank and Glass cover drug use while Tricks is about prostitution. Although written for a teen audience, I am finding the books very informative and enjoyable because of their poetic form.
If you are interested in rescuing children from prostitution here in the US, I recommend this site, www.childrenofthenight.org
Oprah’s Montecito estate, from the window of a small plane; view from SSW; January 6, 2009; own work (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Santa Barbara, California has long been home to the rich and famous. When I moved there in 1965, there was a place for those of us with average incomes. When a water shortage caused a building moratorium in the early 1970s, housing prices started a relentless climb. Then Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980 and his western White House in the mountains west of town cemented the upward climb in housing prices as more people were introduced to Santa Barbara’s year round spring like climate. I lived there and enjoyed 38 years of my life. Upon retirement, my wife and I decided on Saint George, Utah, where the cost of living is much less.
To those who have visited Santa Barbara and would like to know more, I suggest these four authors. Sue Grafton whose “A,” “B,” “C” and other letters of the alphabet detective novels chronicle the fictional detective Kinsey Millhone is a good starting place. T. C. Boyle, who lives in the Santa Barbara suburb of Montecito along with Oprah Winfrey, has written several Southern California novels that are worth reading: The Tortilla Curtain, Riven Rock set in Montecito, A Friend of the Earth set in the Santa Ynez valley and When the Killing’s Done, set in Santa Barbara and the Channel Island of Santa Cruz.
For very early Santa Barbara history, I recommend Richard Henry Dana, Jr. and Two Years Before the Mast. Dana spent several months in Santa Barbara. For a fictional early history of the area, I recommend Kage Baker’s company series, specifically volume 2, Sky Coyote, set around 1700 and about the Chumash Indians who now run a casino just north of Santa Barbara.
Cover via Amazon
Sewing Circles of Herat by Christina Lamb. There is a tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan because they both claim some of the area that lies between them and because some Afghans resent Pakistani interference in their country. These are two examples:
“How can you have a minister for railways?” asked the Pakistani, “you don’t have any trains in Afghanistan.” “You have a Justice Minister,” replied the Afghan.
Afghan commander to Pakistani ISI man, “How do you who have never won a war, dare try and order us who have never lost one?”
Cover of Joshua: A Parable for Today
Joshua: A Parable for Today by Joseph F . Girzone. This easily read in a few hours story is an updated version of the life of Jesus as it might occur in today’s world. Changing the setting from biblical times to the present day gives the story much strength and immediacy. There are several sequels of varying worth. This is the original and the one that I recommend most heartedly. If you enjoy it as I much as I did, you will want to read others, such as Joshua and the Children.
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