The Oprah Book Club Selection #3 - The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle

Oprah’s Book Club Selection – My Personal Project

If you are a regular reader of All Trails Lead Home, you know that I have set a personal goal for the next year – Read and report on one book from Oprah’s Book Club each month until April, 2011.

The book I chose for June is The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.   566 pages. 2008. Harper Collins/Ecco

I will begin with the ending and get the controversial part out of the way. If you Google this book, almost every discussion or review will spend a great portion of the space lamenting the ending of the book. Most people absolutely hate the ending. They detest it. They abhor it. It disturbs them, it bothers them, it colors their view of the entire book.  One person went so far as to say this...."If you want to be furious at a book, read this one!"

C’mon, now….I don’t mind the ending, and I don’t think one should read this book with the dread of eventually meeting up with the ending. Not every story has a happy ending, not every person and dog lives happily ever after. Some do, some don’t. Some do in this book, some don’t. And face it - how many classic books involving dogs end happily? So, jack up your courage and get ready to read a warm, wonderful, beautiful story. It’ll be ok….I promise.

This book is a re-telling of Hamlet, which should tell you something if you know the great Shakespeare play. Set in the late fifties or early sixties, the story revolves around the Sawtelle family who, for generations, have bred and trained a special, fictional breed of dog called the Sawtelle Dog. These dogs are bred for their intelligence, intuition and special ability to problem-solve. The main character is, of course, Edgar Sawtelle, a boy who was born mute. He connects intuitively to the dogs and compares himself to The Jungle Book’s Mowgli.

Edgar’s first memory is of his best friend, Almondine, (Shakespeare would call her Ophelia) the family dog that is his protector and constant companion throughout the book. It’s impossible to read this book and not fall in love with Almondine. Wroblewski even cleverly devotes chapters to Almondine and her thoughts.

Edgar’s parents, Gar and Trudy (Shakespeare would call her Gertrude) are close, loving parents who are totally devoted to Edgar and the dog business. Set in rural Wisconsin, Wroblewski’s lush and sweeping descriptions of country life and the countryside makes a person want to pick up and move there. Edgar’s life is ideal until his father’s mysterious brother, Claude (Shakespeare would call him Claudious) moves in with the family. Things go downhill quickly and the pace of the book picks up considerably.

The book is at once emotional, haunting, colorful, imaginative, mystical and human. The characters are well-drawn, although I would have liked to know more about the motives of some of them. It’s difficult to believe that this is Wroblewski’s first novel. Whether you love dogs or not, you will be mesmerized by this book.

The ending is fast, frenetic, crazy and gut-wrenching. You will be spent at the end of this book, and you will want more.

I loved this book. Knowing Shakespeare’s Hamlet helped me to not be shocked at the ending. If you love the book but hate the ending, maybe you should blame Shakespeare. I hope you will read this terrific book and be as enthralled as I was. I’d love to see your take on it – please comment and let us know what you think of The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle.

Out of 5 stars, I give The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle….
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The Monday Recipe Blog

Hello....I'm lovin' Mondays today!  Why?  It's time for another summer grilling recipe!

When you think "grill", potato chips usually don't spring to mind.  However, grilled potato chips are, in a word, terrific.  Try them the next time you fire up the old Weber.....You won't be sorry.....

Grilled Potato Chips With Salt and Vinegar:

Ingredients:

Four medium potatoes - Yukon Gold are best for this recipe.  Scrub them well.
Malt Vinegar
Canola Oil
Sea Salt, finely ground
Black pepper and salt

Cook potatoes whole in a pot of water with a tablespoon of salt.  Cook them until just tender, this will be about 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, cool them, then slice into 1/4 inch slices.

Brush the canola oil over the chips and add some salt and pepper.

Grill on medium heat until they are golden brown on both sides, about 8 to 9 minutes.  Remove and place in one layer on a platter.  Drizzle the chips with vinegar. 

Sprinkle the sea salt over the chips to taste.

This recipe serves about 4 people.  200 calories per serving (not bad!!).  No cholesterol, 15 grams carbs and 14 grams fat.

Taking A Vacation By Car? Don't Forget These Things....

So, you're almost ready for vacation.  Finally!  If you're going by car, here are a few things to remember....

Map out your route on the GPS BEFORE you leave.  Have it tuned and ready to go when you pull out of your driveway. 

Take your proof of insurance, both auto and health insurance.

Take along your extra set of keys.  Give them to your partner so that either one of you can get into the car without having to ask for the keys.

Wipe a coat of Rain-X over your windshield, and get the oil changed and tire pressure checked.

Take a set of maps, in case the GPS does you wrong.

Take along a couple gallons of fresh water to drink, and in case the car overheats.

A well-stocked ice chest can keep you from having to stop along the way so much, and can cut down on the cost of the vacation.

If you wear glasses, take a spare pair.

Don't forget your medicines and over-the-counter pain relievers.

Spray the front of the car with PAM cooking spray and bug bodies will slide off easily.

Put some Shout Wipes or something similar in the car for stains.

A pair of binoculars may come in handy on your trip.

So, there you go.  Be prepared and you'll be a happier traveler.  And have fun on your vacation!

The Friday Dog Blog

It's Friday again, TGIF!

Tery and Barb's Max is here again, guarding the toy with his life.  He may be sleeping on the job just a little....

Volunteer In A Community Garden

I came across an article in the local newspaper the other day about the growing popularity of community gardens.  Community gardens are usually located in or near cities and often benefit charities such as food banks, as well as the community.

In Oklahoma City, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has an Urban Harvest program to grow healthy vegetables for those in need.  It has helped develop at least 40 community gardens all over Oklahoma in the hopes that these gardens will donate left-over veggies to charity. 

All it takes to start a community garden is a little bit of vacant land and, well, a community.  And, of course, volunteers willing to get their hands dirty once a week or so in return for fresh vegetables and better health. 

I wonder why more churches don't have community gardens?  Most of them have at least a little land and plenty of people who probably would be willing to pitch in.  What the community didn't use could be donated to their local food pantry, or even sold at the Farmers' Market to raise money for the church.

And what school doesn't have land that would be perfect for a community garden.  And lots of little farmers that would love to get their hands dirty and learn to grow healthy, vitamin-filled food?  How happy would a kid be to bring home a basket of tomatoes that he had helped to grow and harvest?

There are lots of opportunities out there going to waste.  If you would like to know more about starting a community garden, you can visit http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/Programs/Urban-Harvest

That's definitely not the only place with information on community gardening.  Resources are abundant on the internet - just Google "community gardening".

If you have experience in community gardening, please comment and let us know.

The Monday Recipe Blog

Howdy from Oklahoma!

If it’s Monday, it must be a recipe, and this summer we are featuring grilling recipes. Today we will talk about flavored butter. If you grill a lot of meat, you should have rounds of flavored butter in your refrigerator or freezer. Placing rounds of flavored butter on the steaks or chops right before you serve them will add a great taste sensation to the meat.


Flavored Butter:

Soften at least one stick of butter, more if you want to freeze it for later.

Simmer some finely-chopped shallots or onion in red wine or butter.

Take your favorite herbs (fresh herbs are better) and mix them into the softened butter. Use as little or as much as you like, depending on how strong you want the butter to be flavored.

Stir in the shallots/onions and mix everything well.

Roll the mixture into a little log, on parchment paper. Wrap the parchment paper tightly around the log and squeeze each end to compact the log. Twist each end tightly.

Now you have your flavored butter. You can store it in the fridge or in the freezer. When it’s time, trim off one end of the log and slice off little rounds from that end. Pull off the paper and top each steak with a little round of butter immediately before serving.

Now, aren’t you ready to barbeque yet????

Taking A Vacation? Here Are Some Things To Do Before You Go...

It's summer, and for some people it's vacation time!  Before you pack up the car and head out, be sure that the home you leave behind is safe and secure.  Here are a few things to do before you head out....

How would you know if your freezer shut off for a few days during the vacation, then came back on, refreezing the meat and other foods?  Here's how....Take an frozen ice pop and prop it, standing up, against a rack inside the freezer.  If you come home and the pop is lying down or draped over the rack, you will know that it thawed during your vacation and re-froze.

Put some of your lights on an automatic timer.

Put a hold on the newspaper and mail.

Store your valuables somewhere besides the freezer, lingerie drawer or jewelry box.

Turn off and unplug your small electrical appliances.

To keep your plants watered, sit them in the tub in about an inch of water, assuming they have a drainage hole in the bottom of the planter.  Let them absorb the water, which will be enough to last a week or so.

Give a spare key to your trusted neighbor, along with your cell phone numbers.

Now, take off and have a great time on vacation!



Photo by Anna Cervova