Title: Best Short Stories of O. Henry
Author: O. Henry
Publisher (level): IBC Publishing (2)
Summary:
There are six short stories in this book. The first story is “Witches’ Loaves,” written about a little love romance. The owner of a bakery, a woman sells loaves that were baked the day before at cheap price. For several weeks, a man comes to the bakery in the morning, and always buys a fresh loaves and old one. One day, the owner found that his sleeves were stained some paints. She thought he would be an artist, and then, that he would be poor. She wanted to make kindness of him, so she put a pat of butter secretly in the old loaf that the man bought. However, this her kindness did spoil their relation like as fleeting loves. Because he hadn’t eaten old loaves, but used those as erasers when he drafted the blueprint of a new city hall building. When he used the loaf with butter as usual, he could not erase error lines but got the paper dirty to recover impossibly. The architectural draftsman really got angry and abused her. Then, the romance went cool.
Other stories are “ Hearts and Hands,” “ By Courier,” “ The Defeat of the City,” “The Lost Blend” and “ Springtime a' la Carte.” These are really smart titles. Don’t you think so? Most of these stories have happy endings, but “ Hearts and Hands” is not only happy but also lonely story. If you read this, you will feel the longing of a man to a woman deeply.
Evaluation: 4stars
Short stories of this book are almost written about romances. Nonetheless, these are not only romances but also human dramas. Thus, we don’t feel stories as old-fashioned but as stirring, even though those were written some decades ago. Especially, “ Springtime a' la Carte” is the story I like very much. In the story, the typewriter is used as really effective tool, and made the story more romantic.
2009年12月20日日曜日
2009年12月3日木曜日
Book 2 "The Black Cat"
Title: The Black Cat
Author: John Milne
Publisher (level): Macmillan readers (3)
Summary:
The story begins with the murder of an archeologist at Nile Hotel. A man was killed by knife and there seemed that something was stolen. In that room, some notes were left. Notes indicated a map of “Ankuten tomb” and a little information about “ Black Cat.” A friend of the killed archeologist, Slahadin gets up to catch the culprit and recover “Black Cat.” He went Beirut from Cairo by airplane, and there he could get information that a gang killed the person to stole “Black Cat.” Some gang members wanted to get more benefits by sharing it with fewer members than all members. So, they conflicted with each member and fought over “Black Cat” at Alexandria, Beirut, Athens and Venice! The detective, Salahadin is on the go pursing the culprit at one place after another. Finally, he could get back “Black Cat” and picked up the last member of the gang. The “Black Cat”, which is archaeologically really important discovery, was recovered to its proper position.
Evaluation: 3 stars
I was excited with speedy developing story of this book. At first, you will face the murder at hotel, and soon see the murderer arrested. But, the murderer didn’t have a stolen article, so, the detective had to continue his chase. And soon he flew to Athens to catch up the real culprit and there he went on ship, because the culprit seemed to be there. On the ship, he face really danger, but he could defeat the culprit by a hair’s breadth. I was relieved to read the good ending.
Author: John Milne
Publisher (level): Macmillan readers (3)
Summary:
The story begins with the murder of an archeologist at Nile Hotel. A man was killed by knife and there seemed that something was stolen. In that room, some notes were left. Notes indicated a map of “Ankuten tomb” and a little information about “ Black Cat.” A friend of the killed archeologist, Slahadin gets up to catch the culprit and recover “Black Cat.” He went Beirut from Cairo by airplane, and there he could get information that a gang killed the person to stole “Black Cat.” Some gang members wanted to get more benefits by sharing it with fewer members than all members. So, they conflicted with each member and fought over “Black Cat” at Alexandria, Beirut, Athens and Venice! The detective, Salahadin is on the go pursing the culprit at one place after another. Finally, he could get back “Black Cat” and picked up the last member of the gang. The “Black Cat”, which is archaeologically really important discovery, was recovered to its proper position.
Evaluation: 3 stars
I was excited with speedy developing story of this book. At first, you will face the murder at hotel, and soon see the murderer arrested. But, the murderer didn’t have a stolen article, so, the detective had to continue his chase. And soon he flew to Athens to catch up the real culprit and there he went on ship, because the culprit seemed to be there. On the ship, he face really danger, but he could defeat the culprit by a hair’s breadth. I was relieved to read the good ending.
Book 1 "George Washington's Mother"
Title: George Washington’s Mother
Author: Jean Fritz
Publisher (level): Grosset & Dunlap (1.6)
Summary:
Have you ever heard about George Washington? With the person, “George Washington”, what will you think of about him? In my case, his famous childhood story is recalled. He cut down a cherry blossom tree in the garden, and he told it to his father honestly. To the surprise, his father didn’t scold him, because he thought his honest confession was a good act. However, this story is said an only legend because it seems that there were no cherry blossoms in America at that time. But, once you read this book, you will see how he grew up and became a president of America. Behind his many legendary stories, there was a big mother, “Mary Ball.” She was born in 1708, at the farm in Virginia. Her parents were dead before she got married, but she lived by herself, farming something left by her parents. She wouldn’t marry anybody because she had a mind of her own. Nonetheless, one day she met a great man, Augustine Washington in her age if twenty-two. So, he is a father of George. They had a good time with six children, and they moved to Ferry Farm because water of the well was so delicious and there were no neighbors near the farm, when George was seven years old. The boy soon grew up to the man, like often said that ‘ Time flies like an arrow.’ He joined the army and went some wars, such as French-Indian war. During wars, his mother was on edge, expecting his danger. But he finally came back in 1758, and promised his mother that he would never go to war again. After that, she lived peacefully at her farm before she died in 1789, at the age of eighty-one.
Evaluation: 3 stars
When you think of your own mother, perhaps, you will call up the great tenderness of her. The mother of George Washington, Mary is also a person who loved her children at heart. Her behavior during wars was strange from a lot of worries and loneliness to her son. She wrote letters to all acquaintances and relatives as if she were “in want”, even though she had enough food to live. However, from such description, you can feel the depth of mother’s love.
Author: Jean Fritz
Publisher (level): Grosset & Dunlap (1.6)
Summary:
Have you ever heard about George Washington? With the person, “George Washington”, what will you think of about him? In my case, his famous childhood story is recalled. He cut down a cherry blossom tree in the garden, and he told it to his father honestly. To the surprise, his father didn’t scold him, because he thought his honest confession was a good act. However, this story is said an only legend because it seems that there were no cherry blossoms in America at that time. But, once you read this book, you will see how he grew up and became a president of America. Behind his many legendary stories, there was a big mother, “Mary Ball.” She was born in 1708, at the farm in Virginia. Her parents were dead before she got married, but she lived by herself, farming something left by her parents. She wouldn’t marry anybody because she had a mind of her own. Nonetheless, one day she met a great man, Augustine Washington in her age if twenty-two. So, he is a father of George. They had a good time with six children, and they moved to Ferry Farm because water of the well was so delicious and there were no neighbors near the farm, when George was seven years old. The boy soon grew up to the man, like often said that ‘ Time flies like an arrow.’ He joined the army and went some wars, such as French-Indian war. During wars, his mother was on edge, expecting his danger. But he finally came back in 1758, and promised his mother that he would never go to war again. After that, she lived peacefully at her farm before she died in 1789, at the age of eighty-one.
Evaluation: 3 stars
When you think of your own mother, perhaps, you will call up the great tenderness of her. The mother of George Washington, Mary is also a person who loved her children at heart. Her behavior during wars was strange from a lot of worries and loneliness to her son. She wrote letters to all acquaintances and relatives as if she were “in want”, even though she had enough food to live. However, from such description, you can feel the depth of mother’s love.
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