Book Review - Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast

Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson is just what I would expect a B&B on an island between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland would be; secluded, serene, charming, quaint, comfortable, intelligent and personal.

The Bed and Breakfast is operated by fraternal twins, Hector and Virgil. Compatible, convivial twins, yet different as night and day, the brothers share the story telling load with several of their guests. Thus the story is eclectic as one would expect an old house in a isolated rural place might be. A mix of bookish book reviews, hometown memorabilia, hilarious poetry, odd ball antics and warm hearth side musings, this sweet read was charming from cover to cover.

I have stayed in B&B's around the Northwest and British Columbia. They have a B&B tradition up there. The standards are high for such establishments in the region. All are special delight! If the Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast were an actual establishment, I'd have been booked to stay there before I laid the book down! I imagine it, in my mind, in a setting like my favorite, San Juan Island; pastoral, peaceful, slow and cozy.

For a Summer when I couldn't go away as I am wont, this was the perfect read. I expect when I get nostalgic for such quiet adventures, I'll likely pick it up and read it again.

I'll leave you with a delightful tidbit:

A Poem by Solomon Solomon, just one of Richardson's carefully crafted, delightful characters:

The Tiger Says Grace

Dear God who cares for tigers,
I have much to thank you for.
My stripes and leafy jungle home,
My throaty purr, my roar.
I thank you for the blazing sun,
And for the cooling shower,
And for the tasty hunter
I'm preparing to devour.
Dear God you have been generous
To send this meaty one,
Encumbered by nearsightedness
And by a faulty gun.
Oh, he was easy prey to stalk!
A most unequal match!
I leapt on him with claws unsheathed
And slew with quick dispatch.
So now he lies before me
With his dim, unseeing eyes,
His face bedecked with nothing
But a look of slight surprise.
And do I feel remorse's pull?
No. Not a guilty tug.
It's better he should be my lunch
Than I should be his rug.
So, God who cares for tigers
And who made us burning bright,
Thank you for your kindness,
I'll sleep happily tonight.

Maybe I won't leave you with this after all. I was in Jones Hole camping by my self for a week. I found lion tracks outside my tent one morning. That night as I was trailing back to camp in the dark, after a satisfying afternoon of fishing, I wondered if I might be ambushed by my unseen feline consort. While I was loathe to be eaten, I did imagine that being slain by a lion merited certain lofty bragging rights upon my arrival in the great beyond. I've always loved an especially good story. I expect I still will - over there.

Now, I'm off to read Dean Koontz's Frankenstein Book Three - Dead and Alive! I've waited for this for a long long time Dean. I'm glad it's right here, right now!

Four Stars