Christmas

Really very funny in parts! ( )

Jack Sparrow, a self-made millionaire has decided that rather than spending Christmas in cold, snowy Chicago, he would prefer sunny Hawaii. He sets off in his private plane, sans wife who is ill, but is diverted to Loose Leaf, North Dakota, his home town to see a dying uncle. He gets trapped by a blizzard and is forced to do a good deal of soul searching when he encounters old friends and family.

I listened to the audio version (narrated by the author) who left a lot to be desired in the narration area. I frequently felt as if the battery (there was none) was winding down because his voice just seemed to drag. This made the story to drag. Because of this, I doubt I will read anything else by this author. ( )

Started this book on a road trip to South Dakota which resulted in some Christmas snow. Another good Garrison Keillor story that spins out details, characters, and geography of the upper great plains. ( )

Maybe it's because I've never read Keillor's work. Maybe it's because I haven't exactly had a good Christmas season this year. Maybe it's because I just wasn't in the mood. Or maybe, just maybe, this book was just a wee bit boring. And confusing. And weird in a way I just couldn't get down with.
Was it real? Was it a hallucination? Was it just a waste of time?
I just could not get through this book.

Let me explain it this way: the book is short - 100 or so pages - and it took me over a week to read it. That's bad. I'd read a little bit and clean the house. Read a little more and make cookies. Read a little more and do anything but read another paragraph. It just didn't hold my attention at all.

Sorry Garrison, I don't think we'll be meeting again anytime soon. ( )