2017 Vintage Books Round-up

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A simple roundup of the vintage books read in 2017, and a few notes…very much overdue. 😉

I read over 40 old books last year, and much could be discussed about each volume, but to keep this a manageable length I’ll just make a few quick observations.

Vintage Fiction

Among my all time fiction favorites in 2017 were most assuredly John Buchan and Wodehouse’s books—-a sheer delight, as always. I read John Buchan’s stirring Salute to Adventures and John Macnab and relished them both. Of Wodehouse I read:

Love Among The Chickens
The Coming of Bill
Jill The Reckless
Carry On Jeeves
Very Good Jeeves (my least favorite on this list—good but not great)
Right Ho Jeeves
Blandings Castle
The Code Of The Woosters

 

{Note on Blandings Castle: in this volume of short stories there is one which stood out as possibly the funniest thing I’ve read by Wodehouse; or at least the funniest short story: the Bobbie Wickham story “Mr. Potter Takes A Rest Cure.”
Do yourself a favor and read it. Then do your family a favor and read it aloud on your next road trip. Its quite short and can be easily read aloud in less than an hour–that is, if you don’t keep stopping because you are laughing too hard.}

It was great fun to re-read two of my old favorites aloud: “The Comings Of Cousin Ann”  and “Bulldog Drummond.”

Other fiction favorites from last year were two of the Anne of Green Gables books, “The Prisoner of Zenda,” “The Screwtape Letters,” and  the hilarious “The Story of the Treasure Seekers.”  I’m still on the fence about “Random Harvest” but I think it should be included in this paragraph for the cunning plot and skillful writing…but I’m not quite sure about it yet…

 

 

Vintage Non-Fiction Favorites

“Ernie Pyle in England” and “They Were Expendable” were both fascinating bits of WWII non-fiction, written with such ease and flow that it’s not even akin to the books most folks call history.

Particularly Ernie Pyle’s book. His writing is superb and he is the most engaging newspaperman I’ve read in my life. Reading his observations makes me want to write. And not just write, but write like a craftsman, with a homey “old fashioned-letter” touch. His lean sentences, eye for beauty, and “sun-tanned” conversational tone are a personal delight of mine. I’ve not met many other readers of his works, but to me they stand out as stellar among their peers. His books (particularly “Here Is Your War”) changed the way I understood war and soldier-hood. And, in turn, the way I understand the old-men-WWII-veterans I talk with.

I’ve never been the same since “meeting” Ernie Pyle. And I’m much indebted to the fellow who read his books aloud to me for a couple of years until I realized what treasures they are, and started reading them myself.

“The Great Escape” (which I’ve been wanting to read ever since I saw the movie), “The Last Chapter,” “The Letters and Recollections of Robert E. Lee,” and “A Heap Of Living” round up the rest of my top 2017 vintage non-fiction.

 

 

Not Recommended

 These are the books on the list below I wouldn’t recommend seeking out or taking the time to read.

  • “Lin McLean” and “Lady Baltimore” by Owen Wister, while I personally enjoyed many aspects of these novels, they had a few serious flaws that I just can’t overlook enough to recommend them to anyone.
  • “The Egg and I,” partly wonderful, partly terrible—I’m glad I read it (and laughed ever so much at times), but wouldn’t recommend it to others.
  • “The Builders” was a sheer waste of time.
  • “Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlett Cloak” (see review).

 

 And I’ll finish up with a complete list of the titles read for those who may be interested:

Chronologically Listed 2017 Vintage Reads

(Links to Reviews Where Applicable)

 

1880 ~ Stepping Heavenward by E. Prentis
1884 ~ Do and Dare Horatio by Horatio Alger Jr.
1886 ~The Prairie Chief by R.M. Ballantyne
1894 ~ The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
1898 ~ Lin McLean by Owen Wister
1899 ~ The Story of The Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit
1904 ~ Recollections and Letters of Robert E. Lee by R. E Lee Jr.
1906 ~ The Builders by Willis George Emerson
1906 ~ Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister
1906 ~ Love Among The Chickens by Wodehouse
1915 ~ Salute to Adventurers by John Buchan
1916 ~ A Heap O’ Living by Edgar A. Guest
1917 ~ Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
1918 ~ The Zeppelin’s Passenger by E. Phillips Oppenheim
1918 ~ Troubled Waters by Wm. Macleod Raine
1919 ~ The Ridin’ Kid From Powder River by H. H Knibbs
1919 ~ Heart Of The West by O. Henry
1919 ~ The Coming Of Bill by Wodehouse
1920 ~ Jill The Reckless by Wodehouse
1920 ~ Bulldog Drummond by Sapper RE-READ
1922 ~ The Black Gang by Sapper
1923 ~ The Inimitable Jeeves by Wodehouse
1923 ~ The Comings Of Cousin Ann by Emma Speed Sampson Re-read
1924 ~ The Eagle’s Wing by B. M. Bower
1925 ~ Carry On Jeeves by Wodehouse
1925 ~ John Macnab by John Buchan
1930 ~ Destry Rides Again by Max Brand
1930 ~ Very Good Jeeves by Wodehouse
1932 ~ Bulldog Drummond Returns by Sapper
1933 ~ The Cowboy From Alamos by Charles H. Snow
1934 ~ Right Ho Jeeves by Wodehouse
1935 ~ Blandings Castle by Wodehouse
1936 ~ Anne Of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
1938 ~ The Code Of The Woosters by Wodehouse
1941 ~ Random Harvest by James Hilton
1941 ~ Ernie Pyle in England by Ernie Pyle
1942 ~ Five Little Pigs (aka Murder in Retrospect) by Agatha Christie
1942 ~ Ginger Rogers and The Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak by Lela Rogers
1942 ~ They Were Expendable by W. L. White
1942 ~ The Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis RE-READ
1945 ~ The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald
1945 ~ Up Front by Bill Mauldin
1946 ~  Last Chapter by Ernie Pyle
1950 ~ The Great Escape  by Paul Brickhill
 1954 ~ God and Country  by MacKinlay Kantor