Library Loot ~ June 20-26

Nop's Trials ~ by Donald McCaig, 1984, fiction (Virginia), 9/10

"Early Christmas morning ... On account of the holiday, Lewis would feed the stock special this morning.  Instead of fine orchard grass, he would feed the thick-stemmed green alfalfa, normally reserved for she-woollies with nursing lambs and for he-woollies before they were turned out to breed." (p. 3).

"The cows usually ate silage augered directly into troughs from the silo, but this was a holiday and today they were to have alfalfa as well" (p. 9).

What is it about us, that we do this sort of thing for our animals?  I gave Kiki a bird feeder for her birthday, so she could watch birds fluttering outside our bedroom window, but I also fed her salmon that day, because it was her favorite food.  On the day before she died, I went to the store specifically to buy salmon for her.  It was her last meal, eaten — or rather, tasted and nibbled at, since she was not well — on her last night.  Later, I was so glad I had made the effort to provide her that special food, even though I didn't realize we were into her last few hours.

Actually, I read my own copy of the book, but borrowed the book from the library to get these page numbers.  Notice I have already given the book a rating of 9 out of 10.  Here's a synopsis of the novel:

It’s Christmas Day when we meet Lewis Burkholder, a West Virginia livestock farmer and sheepdog trainer, and his ­talented young border collie, Nop.  The usually happy holiday is shattered when Nop is stolen from his owner.  Nop’s Trials is the story of Nop’s fate, the abuse and brutality he suffers, and his incredible resiliency.  It’s a touching tale of a border collie’s undying desire to do his job and serve his master, and it explores the depth of love and devotion that a dog and a human can feel toward each other.

Beekeeper's Apprentice: On the Segregation of the Queen ~ by Laurie R. King, 1994, mystery (England)

Long retired, Sherlock Holmes quietly pursues his study of honeybee behavior on the Sussex Downs.  He never imagines he would encounter anyone whose intellect matched his own, much less an audacious teenage girl with a penchant for detection.  Miss Mary Russell becomes Holmes' pupil and quickly hones her talent for deduction, disguises and danger.   But when an elusive villain enters the picture, their partnership is put to a real test.

For All Time: A Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History ~ by Charley Kempthorne, 1996, writing

Synopsis:  This practical and accessible guide details the many forms of family history writing.  With writing topics throughout the book, you will have the opportunity to write several sketches that can be used as a beginning to writing your family's history.

When I flipped it open and read the short first chapter, I was suprised to find two mentions of Manhattan, Kansas.  It's a small town and the only place I visited the one time I went to Kansas, so that surprised me.  And then I read on the back cover that the author lives in Manhattan, Kansas.  It's a small world, don't you think?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire @ The Captive Reader and Marg @ The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share titles of books they’ve checked out of the library. To participate, just add your post to their Mister Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries this week.