Book Review: Memorable Christmas Stories

Memorable Christmas Stories, Compiled by Leon R. Hartshorn, Deseret Book, Salt Lake CIty, Utah, 1974.

I love short stories, I love Christmas stories, and so here we have both.  This book is one to treassure.  I read a story from here for our Christmas Sing-a-long this year.  It seems like every story brings tears to you eyes.  These stories express the true meaning of Christmas, with selfless acts of services through out.  I will continue to treasure this book.  On story I really like "Trouble at the Inn."  It gives greater meaning to the spirit of Christmas.

Book Review: Jack London: Five great Short Stories

Five great Short Stories, by Jack London, Dover Publications, New York, 1992.
These stories are well titled, they are great.  They are taken from some of Jack London's books, Tales of the far North, South Sea tales and The Night-born.  It shows London was a much broader writer than just the Klondike north, although that is were he produced his best work.  The characters in these stories are fascinating.  He writes of the South Pacific, and he writes of the Mexican Revolution, as well as the far North.  He tells the story of a Native, whose wife is stolen and spends his life trying to find her, and when he does, she does not want him back, of two men who are bound to kill each other, of the death of another man on the winter trail, of the guiding of a boat which is on fire, and lastly of a young revolutionary.  I was drawn into to each of the stories and enjoyed them.

Book Review: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Treasury for Kids

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Treasury for Kids, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap, Health Communications, Deerfield Beach FL, 2002.
Here is an excellent book for the Christmas Spirit.  I used it this year so that spirit would linger a bit more with me.  It is designed as a story-a-day starting December 1 through December 25.  the stories are excellent.  Many deal with finding the spirit of Christmas and giving.  Some deal with pets, some with death, police officers etc.  They all leave a warm feeling, some a smile, and some tears in the corners of your eyes.  They are all designed to be short, two to three pages is all.  Excellent read for Christmas or any time.  The stories are written by children, adults and adults telling stories of their childhoods.  This is a great Christmas addition.

Story Review: Gift of the Magi

This is a classic O' Henry story.  This story was first published in 1905 in The New York Sunday World.  It was published in book form in 1906 as part of an anthology of O'Henry stories.  It tells the classic tell of a couple struggling to by their new spouse the perfect Christmas gift on very little money.  The ending is a classic comedic irony, and is well known to most.  This story has been made into several movies and plays.  He gives her combs for her hair, which he purchased by pawning his watch.  At the same time she buys him a nice chain for his watch, by selling her hair.  That they take it so well is what makes this story a classic.

Movie Review: Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories (2006)

Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories (2006)  This is a made for TV movie.  Bierce (Campbell Scott) has gone AWOL from his newspaper job with the Examiner, and is tracked down by the owner, William Randolph Hearst (Nathan Darrow) and friend, fellow author, Gertrude Atherton (Vivian Schilling).  He is compelled to read a few stories from his recent novel, and in this way there are three  of his Civil War stories presented.  First is “One Kind of Officer.”  The captain is belittled by his general, and made to acknowledge that he will follow his general’s orders specifically.  The lieutenant is part of this.  “Repel anyone who attacks your position.”  The attack takes place in the fog, and when it turns out to be another division coming to reinforce rather than attack, it doesn’t matter to the Captain.  The lieutenant asks him to stop; but he will not disobey an order.  They repel the attack with a savage artillery assault. 

The next thing, as things unwind from the battle, everyone realized they were defending against their own troops.  The commanding general confronts the captain, who says the general will vogue for his orders; but the general is dead, and the lieutenant turns on the captain because of the needless slaughter. 

“The Story of Conscience” is a story about people who happen to run into each other again.  The first is a spy, and the other is now a captain, having worked his way up from private.  As a private, he had been assigned to guard the spy, and fell asleep.  Instead of running away, the spy woke him up; very likely saving his life.  Now, as a result of their meeting again, he must do his duty, but not without paying back that original debt.   

The final story, one that I reviewed before from an older version, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”  This version adds a twist, indicating the gentleman was tricked into sabotage by a member of the Union forces.  The camera work is very good in this, in the lights being drawn out and giving a surreal feel to our escaping civilian, who has fallen into the water when he was hung.

Book Review: The Pastures of Heaven

The Pastures of Heaven
John Steinbeck offers a description of this valley, which is so positive I have been trying to find exactly where it is located and I want to go see it for myself.  Pastures of heaven, must be very nice.
This book is a series of twelve short stories about the people of pastures of heaven.  This is an earlier book of John Steinbeck, published in 1932.  I love short stories, and I love John Steinbeck, so this is the perfect book for me. 
The first story told is that of Bert Munroe, a father with wife and one child, who come to the valley to change their bad luck.  He has had several business ventures which have fallen through.  Often they looked like they would bring success, but in the end did not.  He takes up the farm which is supposed to be cursed.  Past residents have fallen on bad luck with a past family being subject to epilepsy and crazy fits, and they all die in the end.  The next family to be on the place just disappeared mysteriously.   Bert says it’s funny about the place because maybe his bad luck and the places bad luck will cancel each other out, and it does.  He becomes a prominent member of the community and is well liked and accepted.
Edward “Shark” Wicks is believed to be wealthy with many investments.  However his investments are just pretend, but he lets others believe he is doing well.  He is cursed, or blessed with a beautiful daughter.  He protects her chastity jealously.  When he goes away on a trip, comes back and discovers she was kissed by a guy, he ends up with a gun headed towards the boy’s property, even though he really doesn’t want to do anything.  Before he can back down, he is confronted by the police and arrested.  Bond is set, and the whole town comes to realize he has nothing.  His wife is the person with all the power of healing.  He is a broken man, but she lets him know they can go away, and he can have his shot for real.
Junius Maltby comes to the valley for his health.  He was a successful clerk in San Francisco.  He rents a room, but when the widowed proprietor worries about what others might say, He marries her.  She has two sons.  They die from the flu, and the black death takes her, but before she dies, she gives him a son.  He knows nothing of parenting or farming.  The farm turns to weed and they are poor.  He hires a German to run the farm, who knows less than he.  They live in bliss, until the county makes the son go to school.  Father sends him in rags, and the community feels they need to do something about it.  However he is a leader among the boys, and well liked.  They imitate his clothes.  His father and farm hand join in the games.  However, at the annual School Board visiting the school day, a wife of the school board presents him with new clothes.  This causes his father to realize what others think of him, and he leaves the valley, going back to San Francisco to work at a job he knows.

Movie Review: ***^ O'Henry's Full House

This is a movie which present five short stories of O'Henry and is narrated by John Steinbeck.  Some of the stories were familiar to me.  The first is "The Cop and the Anthem."  This is the basis for a Red Skelton sketch.  Briefly, the story is of a "bum" who is down on his luck.  Winter is coming on, so he determines three months in jail would be nice and warm.  However he finds it difficult to get arrested.  He throws a rock through a window, and they chase someone else; he eats a fine meal with no means to pay, and gets thrown out.  Nothing seems to work.  He finds himself in a church, and his heart is pricked and he decides he should get a job and start a new life.  However he is arrested for vagrancy, and thrown in jail for three months, he gets what he wants, the second he doesn't want it.

The Clarion Call is a police story which pits a detective against his old friend he grew up with.  His friend turned out to be a criminal, who has just killed a man in a burglary.  However he holds a mark over the detective, a $1000 mark of money he loaned the detective.  He knows the detective cannot repay, and cannot turn him in as long as he is in his debt.  The detective gets out of the bind by getting the reward money offered by a paper for his arrest, and giving this to the criminal.

The third is "The Last Leaf,"  I recently reviewed the BYU version of this movie.  This version is more a period piece.  It does not have such a close relationship between the painter and the girls, but mostly one of acquaintance.  However the sacrifice of the painter is just as real as he paints his masterpiece.

The Ransom of Red Chief is well done and very funny.  It is about a kidnapping.  The con men have an old car which is humorous all to itself.  I am pretty sure there is a Don Knots movie of the same theme (No Deposit No Return.)  This movie is very funny, as the family enjoys a couple days without their terror of a son, and the kidnappers are forced ts pay him parents to take him back. 

The last movie is "The Gift of the Magi."  There is a similar movie with Marie Osmond.  This version is very well done as well.  It does not show what their pride and joys are, but shows the anguish at getting money to but Christmas.  There is no bonus this year, but she has the barber cut her hair for a wig, and she is able to but a chain for his watch.  He sells his watch so as to get combs for her hair.  They know they love each other after they have given their most priced possession for the other.

This movie is worthy of watching.  It was enoyable and is good family fair.