Why am I passionate about this?
As a lifelong weirdo, I’m intrigued by nonstandard choices. When I was eleven, slightly precocious (and slightly obnoxious), I dropped out of school—with the support of my parents, and against the advice of everyone else. After a year of homeschooling, I started attending university. This was the first in a sequence of unusual decisions. Some worked out better than others! I continue to wonder what motivates a person to step off the well-trodden, well-lit path. When is conventional advice likely to lead to fulfillment, and when should it be modified or ignored outright? I love a story (like these five) where someone tries something completely different.
Norah's book list on taking on a new adventure
Why Norah loves this book
A few years back, my husband and I were forced to do some impromptu, middle-of-the-night sheep obstetrics.
We never would have had the nerve if we hadn’t spent the previous winter curled up reading everything James Herriot ever wrote. Which, in turn, we wouldn’t have done if his writing wasn’t so appealing!
I loved the various and variable characters (human and animal) that populate his memoir about working as a country vet in Yorkshire, and I learned a lot, vicariously, about pre-antibiotic veterinary practices.
Comfort reading at its best. (Both ewe and lamb survived.)
10 authors picked All Creatures Great and Small as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.
A tie-in to the PBS Masterpiece series and Christmas special, available on streaming and home video.
All Creatures Great and Small is first volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series. Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.
For fifty years, generations of readers have flocked to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike…
