"If Jonathan Livingston Seagull needed a doctor, James Herriot would be the one he'd choose..." - taken from the back cover of the book.

I chose "Other" as the genre for this book, quite simply because non-fiction sounds too serious.

There are not many books that I will read and reread a second time. Here, in Brazil, I reread books when I run out of reading matter. James Herriot's books don't wait for me to run out of reading matter. I reread them because I want to. I have just dragged my very tattered and worn copy of this book out of the 'for donation' box. The cover has long since been lost and replaced by a home-made version. The pages fall out as you read. I still consider it a treasure.

James Herriot starts his veterinary career as apprentice to Mr Farnon of Darrowby in the Yorkshire Dales. Freshly qualified, he has visions of a nice, clean veterinary practice, but instead is faced with long treks into the Dales at ungodly hours to wrestle cows in dark, draughty, and often, not very clean, barns. The book is strewn with laugh-out-loud humour, old fashioned common sense. Every character, be it man or beast, is painted with intricate detail without being wordy.

I wanted to quote a portion of the book to illustrate the writing style, but each time I got to a juicy piece, I'd start reading all over again. In short, finding a quote was an impossible task. I'd have to quote the whole book. I guarantee, though, that if you start reading the book, you'd best make sure you have no other plans and plenty of snacks on hand, as you won't want to put it down in a hurry. If you love books with humour, vivid characters, charm and enough animals to keep even Dr Doolittle happy, you'll love this book.

"All creatures great and small', published in 1972, is the first of James Herriot's books based on his career as a country vet. I have read most of them, but sadly only have one here. Many books lose their appeal after too many sequels, but James Herriot's books retain their appeal with each book. My advice... don't just get this one. Get them all!

As many of you know, my dear friend has just come out of hospital after a biopsy on her brain tumour. I wanted to give her some flowers in her favourite colour to welcome her home.

What I liked about this florest is that they have so many categories. You can choose between occasion, type of flower, colour, price, gourmet, and plants. I could bring my choice down to a combination of her favourite colour, the occasion and keep it within my price range.

The thing that impressed me about this company is their flexibility with payments. It is rare to find a florest that accepts Paypal. I made a mistake with the billing and delivery addresses. I e-mailed them and got a reply virtually immediately. Their response time is refreshingly quick, friendly, and helpful. The flowers arrived and my friend is enchanted with them.

If you ever need to send flowers in Alaska, I highly recommend this florist! I don't know if they have partners elsewhere in the country, but I intend finding out.

Edit: They do serve other parts of the USA. Simply visit their site or call them at: (800) 838-8853

It's also published under the name "North to Freedom", a title which appealed to me. I've read the book before, as a school reader, I think from Std 6 (Grade 8). It made a huge impression on me then, though now that I'm reading it as an adult, I'm noticing different parts that I either didn't notice then or can't remember (probably the latter). I highly recommend this book if you want to see the world through new eyes.

David is a boy who is helped to escape a concentration camp. He leaves that grey, dead, troublesome world and for the first time in his life, sees flowers and trees. He has to learn all about 'normal' life, but clings to the lessons learnt in the camp, as they mean his survival. He has to learn who he can trust, though is often held back by his mistrust of people and his fears. Through it all, he holds on to who he is, not who the world wants him to be. "I am David. Accept me as I am. I will not change to suit you." His belief in who he is, despite not knowing his identity is vital to his life and his freedom.

One of my favourite passages... David had, since his escape, been travelling at night and sleeping during the day. His first day awake in his freedom brought new discoveries...

"For a long time David continued to sit and gaze upon the lovely scenery that lay before him. He knew he had much to do, but just then he was too preoccupied to think about it; his resolve to go on living seemed to have pushed everything else out of his mind. And he could not take his eyes off what he was looking at... Surely this was what one had eyes for - not for the ugly dark gray, oppressive buildings of the camp or the endless flat, bare ground that stretched away, dull brown and empty, as far as the eye could reach... One had eyes to gaze on beauty, and David looked again upon the blueness of the sea, upon the coastline curving along its shore. He saw the bright colors of the landscape, its variegated greens intermingled with gold and read, fade into one another toward the horizon until everything melted into the blue of the sea and sky far away over the mountains."