ABC Book Challenge F – J

F – Free book                          Luther’s Small Catechism (1943) Concordia Publishing

I actually EARNED this book! I had to learn and recite a lot of Bible verses, several hymns and the Apostles’ Creed. It was presented to me on July 28, 1963 and written in it by the Sunday School Superintendent himself! I was 9 years old and just out of 3^rd grade. When it came time to start Confirmation at age 12, I was SO PROUD that my parents didn’t have to buy a catechism for me. I already had my own! It’s full of all the notes I took during Confirmation classes.

 

G – Ghost story                      Craven Manor (2017) by Darcy Coates

Good supernatural story. Daniel is an average guy who is really struggling in life. No money, no job, living with a loutish cousin. Cousin finds another roommate who can actually pay some rent and Daniel faces being homeless. He gets a mysterious letter offering a job as groundskeeper at the abandoned estate called Craven Manor. He never sees his employer and is given some odd “rules” about living there. He is paid in gold coins. He slowly learns the tragic history of the Myricks family who seem to have all died off, leaving the estate in poor repair.

 

H – Hot country setting           The Marriage Bureau for Rich People (2009) by Farahad Zama

Mr. Ali is a retired Government clerk in India. Being around all the time is driving his wife nuts. So he decides to open a marriage bureau. For a fee, he will do everything he can to find the right spouse for a man or women, be they Christian, Hindu or Muslim. Arranged marriages are the only acceptable way to find a spouse. It is the family of the potential bride or groom that has the responsibility of finding the right person. It was fascinating to read about the various customs that must be observed in an arrange marriage. There is a good description of a Hindu wedding as well as a Muslim wedding. I had to look up a lot of descriptions of various foods. Good story. Happy ending.

 

I – Industrial theme                 The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by  Gordon Dahlquist

I wrote about these novels some time back in one of my regular monthly book reports. Truly a mind-bending saga. Right from the first, I was sucked into these books and only came up for air at the end of the third and last book. An evil Cabal of scientists discover how to record dreams and memories from the minds of people.

 

J – Junior novel                       Ivanhoe (1819) by Sir Walter Scott

Although originally written for adult readers, the edition I have was adapted in 1958 for juvenile readers by Joseph C. Gainsburg, who was a junior high school principal. Very clear to understand. Nice illustrations. My copy is in rough shape, as it was a text book. It gives an explanation of the three main types of people in the story: Saxons, Normans and Jews. It tells about some of the places where the action took place and also had a pronunciation aid. I enjoyed it immensely.