FARMER BOY (Laura Ingalls Wilder) - August 1/11

Much like Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy comes off as an affable, readable book that is, for the most part, bogged down in the day-to-day minutia of life on a farm. Wilder goes insane in describing just how certain operations are achieved, and it does become difficult not to glaze over while reading some of her overly descriptive passages. But Almanzo is certainly a compelling character and there are a few surprisingly entertaining stretches, with the book's final 20 pages far more engrossing than I might've expected. (From Almanzo attempting to return the wallet to Almanzo deciding he wants to be a farmer, it was just compelling stuff.) **1/2 out of ****