Thursday, October 28, 2010

Literary Bite: Ah, Sweet Mysteries of Life by Roald Dahl

Usually I don’t read more than one book at a time, but every so often circumstances necessitate that I pick up a book while I’m mid-another book. For example, this weekend I found myself bookless and about to spend 3 hours on public transportation. What’s a girl to do? I went to the closest library and perused their displays, hoping something would jump out at me.

When nothing did, I resorted to one of my go-to authors. Roald Dahl’s books are always good! (Read about Going Solo here.) I picked up the first one I saw, Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life Stories by Roald Dahl – and done, set, I’m good to go!

These stories are all somehow related to Claud, a friend of Dahl’s living in an English village in the late 1940s. Dahl and Claud get involved in all sorts of hyjinks – from backyard dog racing to ratcatching to pheasant poaching. Per usual Dahl’s stories are good-naturedly sinister and wickedly amusing. This collection is seven stories, 180 pages – the perfect sized book to carry in your purse for whenever you need a story.

I have never been disappointed by Dahl - his stories are great, his characters realistic, and overall his books are always a good time!