I had 8 books out of 286 that received 5 stars this year. I will admit a couple of these probably received 5 stars because I was thrilled to read something good after a few dry spells. I did the Read Harder Challenge at the beginning of the year and while I enjoyed it I did not enjoy some of the books. I can't pick a favorite.
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Winterhouse by Ben Guterson - Elizabeth lives with her hateful uncle and
aunt. When they go on a Christmas vacation without her it seems like
the last straw. She's sent to a hotel called Winterhouse and she expects
the worst. Instead, she finds new friends and people who appreciate her
intelligence. And then she finds a mysterious book and becomes obsessed
with discovering the secrets of Winterhouse. This is a middle-school
book and it really reminded me of a book I read as a child that
influenced my love of mysteries. *Magic is portrayed as real and there
is evil magic as well as a rather macabre scene.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - ten people are lured by
various means to a luxury home on an island and then stranded there.
After a recording accuses all of them of being responsible for the death
of someone they start being murdered one by one. All according to the
methods in an eerie poem hanging in each of the bedrooms. I had read
this before but forgot all the important elements so enjoyed it probably
more than the first time. It's so enjoyable to go back to a master of
the craft.
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielson - 12 yo Gerta wakes one day to
see a barbed wire fence dividing east Berlin from the west. And her
father and brother are on the other side. Her family has already been
under scrutiny because of her father's activities. There doesn't seem to
be any hope her family will ever be together again. But one day she
sees her father dancing on one of the viewing towers in the west. He is
acting out one of their favorite children's songs and she just knows
he's sending a message. Do she and the rest of her family dare to act?
This is a middle grade book but it certainly didn't seem childish to me.
I found it quite exciting at the end. The only quibble I have is the
precocity of Gerta but I think her circumstances certainly contributed
to that.
Tomorrow by Damian Dibben - the last thing his master said to Tomorrow
was to meet him on the steps of the cathedral if they became separated.
And he has been faithfully waiting - for 127 years. Tomorrow is a dog
belonging to a man who has somehow become immortal and he's made his dog
immortal too. They spend the centuries traveling as his master tries to
find a purpose. But they're always on the lookout for a man who has
become their enemy. Told from the viewpoint of the dog, this was
beautifully written. His immortality seems to have made Tomorrow very
wise and eloquent. I could tell from the cover that I would cry at some
point and I was right. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
Relic by Alan Dean Foster - Ruslan is the last known human survivor in
the universe. Found on the planet Seraboth by the Myssari, he is now
both their guest and scientific subject. They are determined to
resurrect the human race. Ruslan agrees to help and in exchange they
will search for Earth, the original home planet. Loved the writing,
loved the story.
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager - fifteen years ago Emma Davis, the
youngest girl in a cabin of four, wakes to find that her cabin mates
have disappeared. In spite of a massive search, they are not found and
Camp Nightingale has closed down. Now a successful artist, Emma is asked
by the owner of the camp to come back as an instructor as she reopens
the camp. Emma has reasons of her own to want to return. Boy, did this
have twists and turns. The story from fifteen years ago is gradually
revealed and things in the present get scarier and scarier. The twists
keep going until the very end. Some language, I suppose it's the way
girls talk to each other now.
The Velveteen Daughter: A Novel by Laurel Davis Huber - a fictionalized
account, very much researched, of Margery Williams Bianco and her
daughter Pamela. Margery was the author of The Velveteen Rabbit, but
before that Pamela was a child prodigy artist. Pablo Picasso was
impressed by her and she became the darling of Europe and the USA. But
it came at quite a cost to her mental health. The story is told from the
viewpoint of both women. I very much liked the writing style even
though it usually irritates me.
Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce - in 1940 London, Emmy Lake has just been
hired as a Junior at a newspaper company and her head is full of
becoming a Woman War Correspondent and Doing Brave Things. But in a
comedy of errors it seems she's really been hired to be a secretary to
Mrs. Bird, an advice columnist for a not very popular woman's magazine. I
loved everything about this book. Partly because I've always admired
the British people during the Blitz. I really enjoyed the humor and the
author's Use of Capitals. A second book is being written and I really
hope it's about these characters.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Feb 18 - 24. 2018
November's Past by A.E.Howe - Larry Macklin seems to be a lackadaisical investigator for the sheriff's dept. but his digging into the facts of a murder of an unknown man suggest otherwise. Yes, it is a problem that his dad is the sheriff and seems to believe in tough love. And his budding romance is cut short because of his job. This was an ok intro to a new to me series, there are 9 books so far. Something for when you don't want to have to think too much.
3 stars
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The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer - 1348, brothers John and William are traveling home and get the bubonic plague. John prays for more time to do a good deed and a voice tells him he can have 6 days. All at once, going home to his wife and children and exposing them to the plague. Or, one at a time, every 99 years. He and his brother opt for the 99 years and the next morning finds them in 1447. Their clothes are wrong, their money is wrong, and even their thinking is wrong. What's still the same is war and oppression of the poor. One day isn't enough to acclimate before they wake 99 years later. And so it goes. Each time is described in detail but John doesn't have enough time to do a good deed before the day is over. An interesting premise that didn't fulfill it's potential for me. And I don't think anyone would have actually been able to understand John and William after a few centuries. Written by a historian.
3 stars
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Winterhouse by Ben Guterson - Elizabeth lives with her hateful uncle and aunt. When they go on a Christmas vacation without her it seems like the last straw. She's sent to a hotel called Winterhouse and she expects the worst. Instead, she finds new friends and people who appreciate her intelligence. And then she finds a mysterious book and becomes obsessed with discovering the secrets of Winterhouse. This is a middle-school book and it really reminded me of a book I read as a child that influenced my love of mysteries. *Magic is portrayed as real and there is evil magic as well as a rather macabre scene. Partly because of warm fuzzies and I really did enjoy it...
5 stars
*RHC - a new book in a series for YA or middle-school
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Cinemaps:An Atlas of 35 Great Movies by Andrew DeGraff/A.D. Jameson - DeGraff is a mapmaker, but not of the real world. He makes maps of the movies. Based on the sets, plots, and his imagination, he painstakingly draws the map and illustrates the character's movements. His maps are accompanied by a short text by Jameson. I got the book for the maps but liked the text better. I felt the book probably doesn't do justice to the maps, the medium he works in didn't seem to work well when photographed. Also, I couldn't follow the lines for each character and had trouble seeing where they started and ended. The text seemed to be more about the philosophy of the movie's maker rather than the maps. The book is coffee-table sized, it may have worked better as dining table sized. Still, I will probably read his book of literature maps, Plotted: A Literary Atlas.
3 stars
3 stars
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The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer - 1348, brothers John and William are traveling home and get the bubonic plague. John prays for more time to do a good deed and a voice tells him he can have 6 days. All at once, going home to his wife and children and exposing them to the plague. Or, one at a time, every 99 years. He and his brother opt for the 99 years and the next morning finds them in 1447. Their clothes are wrong, their money is wrong, and even their thinking is wrong. What's still the same is war and oppression of the poor. One day isn't enough to acclimate before they wake 99 years later. And so it goes. Each time is described in detail but John doesn't have enough time to do a good deed before the day is over. An interesting premise that didn't fulfill it's potential for me. And I don't think anyone would have actually been able to understand John and William after a few centuries. Written by a historian.
3 stars
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Winterhouse by Ben Guterson - Elizabeth lives with her hateful uncle and aunt. When they go on a Christmas vacation without her it seems like the last straw. She's sent to a hotel called Winterhouse and she expects the worst. Instead, she finds new friends and people who appreciate her intelligence. And then she finds a mysterious book and becomes obsessed with discovering the secrets of Winterhouse. This is a middle-school book and it really reminded me of a book I read as a child that influenced my love of mysteries. *Magic is portrayed as real and there is evil magic as well as a rather macabre scene. Partly because of warm fuzzies and I really did enjoy it...
5 stars
*RHC - a new book in a series for YA or middle-school
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Cinemaps:An Atlas of 35 Great Movies by Andrew DeGraff/A.D. Jameson - DeGraff is a mapmaker, but not of the real world. He makes maps of the movies. Based on the sets, plots, and his imagination, he painstakingly draws the map and illustrates the character's movements. His maps are accompanied by a short text by Jameson. I got the book for the maps but liked the text better. I felt the book probably doesn't do justice to the maps, the medium he works in didn't seem to work well when photographed. Also, I couldn't follow the lines for each character and had trouble seeing where they started and ended. The text seemed to be more about the philosophy of the movie's maker rather than the maps. The book is coffee-table sized, it may have worked better as dining table sized. Still, I will probably read his book of literature maps, Plotted: A Literary Atlas.
3 stars
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Dec 23 -29, 2018
Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie - a young wife is shocked to discover that her newly purchased home was somewhere she briefly lived as a very young child. She is even more shocked to suddenly remember a murder there. But Miss Marple is there to help Gwenda and her husband discover the truth. This is billed as the last Miss Marple but was written during WWII and published much later.
3.5 stars
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Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot is asked by Ariadne Oliver to go back 20 years and discover the truth of a murder/suicide. It seems impossible for him to accomplish but of course he does.
3 stars
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The Day of the Dead by Nikki French - the 8th and final book in the Frieda Klein series. Frieda is in hiding to protect the lives of her loved ones. Psychopath Dean Reeve is still on the loose and still obsessed with her. Now she's determined to finally bring things to a close. But now she has another young girl hiding with her who also needs her protection. Frankly, I would have been glad to get rid of Dean a few books ago. It seems the author had trouble coming up with a new villain and had to resort to rehashing.
3 stars
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The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin - when the victim of kidnapping and torture escapes, she identifies the home of attorney Alex Mason as the place she was kept. This story intertwines with Robin Lockwood, new associate of Regina Barrister who is hired to represent Mason. Robin is worried about the mental status of Regina and how it will affect the trial. I figured out what was really going on pretty quickly.
2 stars
3.5 stars
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Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot is asked by Ariadne Oliver to go back 20 years and discover the truth of a murder/suicide. It seems impossible for him to accomplish but of course he does.
3 stars
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The Day of the Dead by Nikki French - the 8th and final book in the Frieda Klein series. Frieda is in hiding to protect the lives of her loved ones. Psychopath Dean Reeve is still on the loose and still obsessed with her. Now she's determined to finally bring things to a close. But now she has another young girl hiding with her who also needs her protection. Frankly, I would have been glad to get rid of Dean a few books ago. It seems the author had trouble coming up with a new villain and had to resort to rehashing.
3 stars
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The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin - when the victim of kidnapping and torture escapes, she identifies the home of attorney Alex Mason as the place she was kept. This story intertwines with Robin Lockwood, new associate of Regina Barrister who is hired to represent Mason. Robin is worried about the mental status of Regina and how it will affect the trial. I figured out what was really going on pretty quickly.
2 stars
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Dec 16 - 22, 2018
Field of Bones by J.A. Jance - in the 18th book of the series Sheriff Joanna Brady has just won her third election and just delivered her third child a few weeks early. She's settled down determined to take all of her maternity leave when her team uncovers what look like a serial killer. This book is a little different, with Joanna more in the background providing assistance to her team in the form of getting specialists and interviewing relatives. There are also multiple POVs and a couple of in depth back stories. Not one of my favorites but okay.
3 stars
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Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie - the last book AG wrote and it should have remained unwritten. Featuring Tommy and Tuppence (my least favorite characters and even more irritating in old age than they were in their youth), this is a confusing tale of maybe spies, hidden clues, and half remembered stories in a badly constructed timeline. I'm still not sure what the story was about. I only finished it so I could check it off my list.
1 star
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Robin by Dave Itzkoff - a very thorough biography of Robin Williams. The author was obviously a fan and presents a fairly sympathetic viewpoint. (Which is fine with me, I don't care for vitriolic bios.) The chapter leading up to Robin's last days was heart wrenching.
3 stars
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A Deadly Wind:The 1962 Columbus Day Storm by John Dodge - a rather dry telling of the storm and the conditions leading up to it. I only found this interesting because I was in it when I was 11. We didn't realize how bad it was until it was over. This book had a little too much meteorological info for me and a little too much back story for some of the people. The oddest story was a boy who was mauled by a lion who escaped during the storm.
2 stars
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Curtain by Agatha Christie - Poirot and Hastings return to Styles, the setting of their first mystery together. Things have changed a lot over the years. Poirot is in a wheelchair due to arthritis and Hastings is a widower with a grown daughter who is also one of the guests at Styles. Poirot wants Hastings to be his eyes and ears. He believes there is a very clever murderer among the guests who is about to strike again. Poor Hastings, still not quite clever enough. This is the last Poirot novel, Christie wrote it during WWII but it was not published until 1975.
3.5 stars
3 stars
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Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie - the last book AG wrote and it should have remained unwritten. Featuring Tommy and Tuppence (my least favorite characters and even more irritating in old age than they were in their youth), this is a confusing tale of maybe spies, hidden clues, and half remembered stories in a badly constructed timeline. I'm still not sure what the story was about. I only finished it so I could check it off my list.
1 star
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Robin by Dave Itzkoff - a very thorough biography of Robin Williams. The author was obviously a fan and presents a fairly sympathetic viewpoint. (Which is fine with me, I don't care for vitriolic bios.) The chapter leading up to Robin's last days was heart wrenching.
3 stars
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A Deadly Wind:The 1962 Columbus Day Storm by John Dodge - a rather dry telling of the storm and the conditions leading up to it. I only found this interesting because I was in it when I was 11. We didn't realize how bad it was until it was over. This book had a little too much meteorological info for me and a little too much back story for some of the people. The oddest story was a boy who was mauled by a lion who escaped during the storm.
2 stars
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Curtain by Agatha Christie - Poirot and Hastings return to Styles, the setting of their first mystery together. Things have changed a lot over the years. Poirot is in a wheelchair due to arthritis and Hastings is a widower with a grown daughter who is also one of the guests at Styles. Poirot wants Hastings to be his eyes and ears. He believes there is a very clever murderer among the guests who is about to strike again. Poor Hastings, still not quite clever enough. This is the last Poirot novel, Christie wrote it during WWII but it was not published until 1975.
3.5 stars
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Dec 9 - 15, 2018
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor - in 1986 a group of young boys discover a body in the woods. They were led there by a series of chalk drawings, drawings they had been using for a secret code. Thirty years later this same group, now middle-aged men, each receive a letter with the same chalk man. Soon, one of them is found dead. Every character in this book was unlikable and I found the narrator downright creepy even as he tries to find the murderer from so long ago.
3.5 stars
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Go to My Grave by Catriona McPherson - eight family members arrive at Donna Weaver's new bed and breakfast, The Breakers. Much to their surprise they realize they've been here before. When a 16th birthday party went horribly wrong. Now a secret they swore to keep may be revealed. Very atmospheric. There are flashbacks to the night of the party and you learn that this dysfunctional family was as much a mess then as now.
3.5 stars
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Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny - Armand Gamache is on suspension as a result of actions in the last book so when he receives a letter asking to come to a stranger's house he thinks why not. Upon arriving, he's joined by Myra, a friend from his village, and a young stranger. There, the three are informed they have been named executors of a stranger's will. This begins a search for truth among many lies and leads to murder. A side story is the search for the drugs that were lost in the previous book. This was a little disjointed for me. Lots of backtracking a few hours or days from the present. Also, my book omitted about 40 pages and repeated the same amount. I'm tired of Gamache always being in trouble with the politics of the Surete. I hope her next book is a straight forward mystery.
3.5 stars
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Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd - Kellen Adams has a gunshot wound on her head, a year missing from her memories, and that's not really her name. She's taken a job as assistant manager of an upscale resort on the Washington coast to get away from things. As soon as the owners of the resort go on vacation, a body is found. The body of the former asst manager. It seems the resort may be the center of antiquities smuggling. Lots of plot holes and ludicrous happenings in this book and I don't think the author is very familiar with the Wa. coast. I'm also pretty sure if you've been in a coma for a year you don't jump out of bed, escape from the hospital, and join the first armed services you see. The mystery part was okay.
2 stars
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The Christmas Train by David Baldacci - shmaltzy, cliched, and banal. But it's a Christmas story at Christmas time so I finished it. A man with anger management issues has to take the train across country and meets passengers and train employees all the while whining about the one true love he lost.
1 star
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A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie - unlikeable businessman Rex Fortescue dies after drinking tea at his office. He's been poisoned but it turns out the poison was in something he had at breakfast. And in one pocket there is a handful of rye. Just when it seems the much younger wife must have done it she is murdered. And one more death brings Miss Marple to the household to avenge the death of her former housemaid. A clever book with a clever murderer.
3 stars
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Nemesis by Agatha Christie - Miss Marple is asked to meet with the lawyers of very wealthy Mr. Rafiel who has recently died. There she receives a letter asking her to take on a task where she is given no clues as to what she is exactly to do. If she can figure out the task she will receive $20,000 pounds. When Miss Marple agrees she is sent on a garden tour with several strangers. She's sure she will find something to her advantage. There's quite a bit of repetition here. However, it's always amazing how much information Miss Marple can winkle out of someone just by twittering and acting vague.
3 stars
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Into the Night by Sarah Bailey - Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is living and working in Melbourne after the events of the previous book. She doesn't seem to fit in with her colleagues and really doesn't like her partner. But when they're assigned the high profile case of the murder of a much loved celebrity they begin to pull together. There are a couple of mysteries threaded together and one was quite easy to figure out. But the main ending was quite a surprise and exciting too. Gemma is still unlikeable but there is a ray of hope at the end.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
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Go to My Grave by Catriona McPherson - eight family members arrive at Donna Weaver's new bed and breakfast, The Breakers. Much to their surprise they realize they've been here before. When a 16th birthday party went horribly wrong. Now a secret they swore to keep may be revealed. Very atmospheric. There are flashbacks to the night of the party and you learn that this dysfunctional family was as much a mess then as now.
3.5 stars
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Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny - Armand Gamache is on suspension as a result of actions in the last book so when he receives a letter asking to come to a stranger's house he thinks why not. Upon arriving, he's joined by Myra, a friend from his village, and a young stranger. There, the three are informed they have been named executors of a stranger's will. This begins a search for truth among many lies and leads to murder. A side story is the search for the drugs that were lost in the previous book. This was a little disjointed for me. Lots of backtracking a few hours or days from the present. Also, my book omitted about 40 pages and repeated the same amount. I'm tired of Gamache always being in trouble with the politics of the Surete. I hope her next book is a straight forward mystery.
3.5 stars
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Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd - Kellen Adams has a gunshot wound on her head, a year missing from her memories, and that's not really her name. She's taken a job as assistant manager of an upscale resort on the Washington coast to get away from things. As soon as the owners of the resort go on vacation, a body is found. The body of the former asst manager. It seems the resort may be the center of antiquities smuggling. Lots of plot holes and ludicrous happenings in this book and I don't think the author is very familiar with the Wa. coast. I'm also pretty sure if you've been in a coma for a year you don't jump out of bed, escape from the hospital, and join the first armed services you see. The mystery part was okay.
2 stars
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The Christmas Train by David Baldacci - shmaltzy, cliched, and banal. But it's a Christmas story at Christmas time so I finished it. A man with anger management issues has to take the train across country and meets passengers and train employees all the while whining about the one true love he lost.
1 star
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A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie - unlikeable businessman Rex Fortescue dies after drinking tea at his office. He's been poisoned but it turns out the poison was in something he had at breakfast. And in one pocket there is a handful of rye. Just when it seems the much younger wife must have done it she is murdered. And one more death brings Miss Marple to the household to avenge the death of her former housemaid. A clever book with a clever murderer.
3 stars
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Nemesis by Agatha Christie - Miss Marple is asked to meet with the lawyers of very wealthy Mr. Rafiel who has recently died. There she receives a letter asking her to take on a task where she is given no clues as to what she is exactly to do. If she can figure out the task she will receive $20,000 pounds. When Miss Marple agrees she is sent on a garden tour with several strangers. She's sure she will find something to her advantage. There's quite a bit of repetition here. However, it's always amazing how much information Miss Marple can winkle out of someone just by twittering and acting vague.
3 stars
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Into the Night by Sarah Bailey - Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is living and working in Melbourne after the events of the previous book. She doesn't seem to fit in with her colleagues and really doesn't like her partner. But when they're assigned the high profile case of the murder of a much loved celebrity they begin to pull together. There are a couple of mysteries threaded together and one was quite easy to figure out. But the main ending was quite a surprise and exciting too. Gemma is still unlikeable but there is a ray of hope at the end.
3.5 stars
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Dec 2 - 8, 2019
An Act of Villainy by Ashley Weaver - in the fifth book of the series, Amory Ames and her husband Milo are approached by an old acquaintance. He's producing a play and his leading lady is getting threatening anonymous letters. She also happens to be his mistress, a fact which distresses Amory as she had always thought his marriage was a very romantic one. The Ames are asked to see if they can discover the letter writer but before they make much headway there is a murder. These books are cozies in the old tradition. Even though they take place in the '30's there is wealth and glamour. Also lots of witty repartee.
3 stars
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The Fix by David Baldacci - Amos Decker, the man who can forget nothing, witnesses a murder/suicide in front of the Hoover building. His team is put on the case and soon discover the man may have been a spy. But why did he kill the woman? And that question and others are asked over and over and over. There's a little bit of action, a small clue, and then more going over the same questions. I only kept reading because I was concerned one of the "good guys" may turn out to be a bad guy.
2 stars
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There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey - Bobby Barnes is the town of Mattingly's disreputable drunk. Everyone, including him, expect him to die in a terrible accident. And when he does, his last thought is that there will be stars when he wakes up. And there are. Bobby has woken on the day of his accident and must live that day again. He meets five other people also reliving that day but he doesn't believe it's heaven like they do. I just couldn't wrap my head around this.
2 stars
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Arthur and Sherlock:Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes by Michael Sims - this is not a biography but a detailed story of the authors and people who influenced Doyle and led to the creation of Holmes. There is some family history because Doyle was affected by his father's alcoholism and subsequent incarceration in various mental institutions. The book ends right when Doyle is becoming successful.
3 stars
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Bow Wow by Spencer Quinn - the 3rd book in the Bowser and Birdie series for children. A bull shark has been spotted in the bayou and the fishermen are in a frenzy to catch it and claim 10,000 dollars in prize money. At the same time, Snoozy, the employee of Birdie's grandmother, has gone missing and Birdie is the only one concerned. She and Bowser have lots of adventures, all of them narrated by Bowser. It's cute the way Bowser adores Birdie, she's the best at everything in his doggy eyes.
3 stars
3 stars
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The Fix by David Baldacci - Amos Decker, the man who can forget nothing, witnesses a murder/suicide in front of the Hoover building. His team is put on the case and soon discover the man may have been a spy. But why did he kill the woman? And that question and others are asked over and over and over. There's a little bit of action, a small clue, and then more going over the same questions. I only kept reading because I was concerned one of the "good guys" may turn out to be a bad guy.
2 stars
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There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey - Bobby Barnes is the town of Mattingly's disreputable drunk. Everyone, including him, expect him to die in a terrible accident. And when he does, his last thought is that there will be stars when he wakes up. And there are. Bobby has woken on the day of his accident and must live that day again. He meets five other people also reliving that day but he doesn't believe it's heaven like they do. I just couldn't wrap my head around this.
2 stars
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Arthur and Sherlock:Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes by Michael Sims - this is not a biography but a detailed story of the authors and people who influenced Doyle and led to the creation of Holmes. There is some family history because Doyle was affected by his father's alcoholism and subsequent incarceration in various mental institutions. The book ends right when Doyle is becoming successful.
3 stars
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Bow Wow by Spencer Quinn - the 3rd book in the Bowser and Birdie series for children. A bull shark has been spotted in the bayou and the fishermen are in a frenzy to catch it and claim 10,000 dollars in prize money. At the same time, Snoozy, the employee of Birdie's grandmother, has gone missing and Birdie is the only one concerned. She and Bowser have lots of adventures, all of them narrated by Bowser. It's cute the way Bowser adores Birdie, she's the best at everything in his doggy eyes.
3 stars
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Nov 25 - Dec 1, 2018
Vigilante by Kerry Wilkinson - someone is ridding the streets of the bad guys and Jessica Daniels new boss seems almost glad someone is doing the job of the police. But forensics show the killer is a man already in prison. While I enjoyed the plot the writing left something to be desired and the editing was atrocious. Enough to influence how the book flowed. And the conclusion was absurd.
2 stars
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Saffire by Sigmund Brouwer - James Holt has been asked to travel to the Panama Zone where the canal is under construction. He is wanted to do a special job for the man in charge but he doesn't know what that is. He becomes acquainted with a girl his daughter's age and is concerned about her well being. I found the book confusing and boring. I never understood exactly what Holt was expected to do anymore than he did.
1 star
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The Velveteen Daughter: A Novel by Laurel Davis Huber - a fictionalized account, very much researched, of Margery Williams Bianco and her daughter Pamela. Margery was the author of The Velveteen Rabbit, but before that Pamela was a child prodigy artist. Pablo Picasso was impressed by her and she became the darling of Europe and the USA. But it came at quite a cost to her mental health. The story is told from the viewpoint of both women. I very much liked the writing style even though it usually irritates me.
5 stars
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Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie - this starts off very promising. A somewhat jaded diplomat is approached in the airport by a young woman who says she needs his passport to get to London or she may be killed. His complying leads him into a situation where he's not sure what's going on. And neither do we. The rest of the book turns into a repetitive discourse on the woes of the world. On and on with not much else going on. IMO, Christie's spy novels are not her best and this one is just plain awful. Her editor needed to take a much firmer hand. She was 80 when she wrote this.
1 star
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The Child by Fiona Barton - when the body of an infant is found at a building site, Angela is sure it's her baby who was stolen from the maternity ward many years ago. Kate, a reporter, is interested in the story as a human interest story. And Emma and Jude are interested for their own reasons as well. Told from all four viewpoints. There is a twist near the end I should have seen coming but didn't.
3 stars
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Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie - a spy thriller written 25 years before Passenger to Frankfurt and somewhat of a precursor to that novel. Scientists around the globe are disappearing and it's unknown whether they are going knowingly or not. A despondent woman is recruited to impersonate one of the scientist's wives in the hope she can discover what's happening. At least there is a plot to this although it was rather dry.
2 stars
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The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce - Frank owns a record shop in a rundown part of town. He has the uncanny ability to look at people and know what kind of music they need, even if they don't. There's a set of quirky characters living and working on his same street and they make a strange community. And the Ilsa Brauchmann appears and throws everything into a tizzy. An exploration of music and how it makes us feel. I have a lot of listening to do now. I like books that make me look things up. If not for the occasional language, which I found jarring in an otherwise lyrical book, this would have been 5 stars.
4.5 stars
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Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell and Craig Sanborn - this memoir covers the 10 years following Bruce's first book. It includes some of his flops as well as Burn Notice and Ash vs Evil Dead. I didn't find it as witty as the previous book but there are some interesting stories about producing a movie in a foreign country.
2 stars
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Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce - in 1940 London, Emmy Lake has just been hired as a Junior at a newspaper company and her head is full of becoming a Woman War Correspondent and Doing Brave Things. But in a comedy of errors it seems she's really been hired to be a secretary to Mrs. Bird, an advice columnist for a not very popular woman's magazine. I loved everything about this book. Partly because I've always admired the British people during the Blitz. I really enjoyed the humor and the author's Use of Capitals. A second book is being written and I really hope it's about these characters.
5 stars
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Silent Rain by Karin Salvalaggio - a prominent author and his artistic wife are dead in an arson fire that devastated their home, full of expensive artwork, in college town Bolton, Montana. State detective Macy Greeley is called to investigate and finds that quite a few people had reason to wish the man dead. And one of them is Grace, former victim and trying to keep her life private. I found this one blah.
2 stars
2 stars
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Saffire by Sigmund Brouwer - James Holt has been asked to travel to the Panama Zone where the canal is under construction. He is wanted to do a special job for the man in charge but he doesn't know what that is. He becomes acquainted with a girl his daughter's age and is concerned about her well being. I found the book confusing and boring. I never understood exactly what Holt was expected to do anymore than he did.
1 star
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The Velveteen Daughter: A Novel by Laurel Davis Huber - a fictionalized account, very much researched, of Margery Williams Bianco and her daughter Pamela. Margery was the author of The Velveteen Rabbit, but before that Pamela was a child prodigy artist. Pablo Picasso was impressed by her and she became the darling of Europe and the USA. But it came at quite a cost to her mental health. The story is told from the viewpoint of both women. I very much liked the writing style even though it usually irritates me.
5 stars
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Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie - this starts off very promising. A somewhat jaded diplomat is approached in the airport by a young woman who says she needs his passport to get to London or she may be killed. His complying leads him into a situation where he's not sure what's going on. And neither do we. The rest of the book turns into a repetitive discourse on the woes of the world. On and on with not much else going on. IMO, Christie's spy novels are not her best and this one is just plain awful. Her editor needed to take a much firmer hand. She was 80 when she wrote this.
1 star
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The Child by Fiona Barton - when the body of an infant is found at a building site, Angela is sure it's her baby who was stolen from the maternity ward many years ago. Kate, a reporter, is interested in the story as a human interest story. And Emma and Jude are interested for their own reasons as well. Told from all four viewpoints. There is a twist near the end I should have seen coming but didn't.
3 stars
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Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie - a spy thriller written 25 years before Passenger to Frankfurt and somewhat of a precursor to that novel. Scientists around the globe are disappearing and it's unknown whether they are going knowingly or not. A despondent woman is recruited to impersonate one of the scientist's wives in the hope she can discover what's happening. At least there is a plot to this although it was rather dry.
2 stars
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The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce - Frank owns a record shop in a rundown part of town. He has the uncanny ability to look at people and know what kind of music they need, even if they don't. There's a set of quirky characters living and working on his same street and they make a strange community. And the Ilsa Brauchmann appears and throws everything into a tizzy. An exploration of music and how it makes us feel. I have a lot of listening to do now. I like books that make me look things up. If not for the occasional language, which I found jarring in an otherwise lyrical book, this would have been 5 stars.
4.5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell and Craig Sanborn - this memoir covers the 10 years following Bruce's first book. It includes some of his flops as well as Burn Notice and Ash vs Evil Dead. I didn't find it as witty as the previous book but there are some interesting stories about producing a movie in a foreign country.
2 stars
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Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce - in 1940 London, Emmy Lake has just been hired as a Junior at a newspaper company and her head is full of becoming a Woman War Correspondent and Doing Brave Things. But in a comedy of errors it seems she's really been hired to be a secretary to Mrs. Bird, an advice columnist for a not very popular woman's magazine. I loved everything about this book. Partly because I've always admired the British people during the Blitz. I really enjoyed the humor and the author's Use of Capitals. A second book is being written and I really hope it's about these characters.
5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silent Rain by Karin Salvalaggio - a prominent author and his artistic wife are dead in an arson fire that devastated their home, full of expensive artwork, in college town Bolton, Montana. State detective Macy Greeley is called to investigate and finds that quite a few people had reason to wish the man dead. And one of them is Grace, former victim and trying to keep her life private. I found this one blah.
2 stars
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