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We'd like to know what you are reading; Because others of us might want to read it as well please include in your review:

Author
Title
Rating
Synopsis
Why you liked/disliked the book

I just finished Becoming by Michelle Obama, and loved it! Now I’m on to Circe by Madeline Miller.

Well, I'm still trying to catch up from our month "on-the-road" and other interruptions. But I'll post in the new year's thread even though I read these back in November!



The Constant Princess – Philippa Gregory – 4****
Book six in her Plantagenet and Tudor series focuses on Catalina, Infanta of Spain, daughter of Queen Isabela and King Ferdinand, and known in English history as Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. This was one fierce lady; intelligent, mentally and emotionally strong, an astute observer and able to plot and plan with the best of them. I was caught up in the novel at the beginning, but I found that the story seemed to bog down in details.
LINK to my review

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Angels at the Table – Debbie Macomber – 2.5***
This is a typical schmaltzy Christmas romance with more than a little humor thrown in. Some of the situations are downright ridiculous, and the angels, for all their good intentions, seem mostly inept. But it’s a fun read and everything turns out okay in the end.
LINK to my review

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson

★ ★ ★ ★

Laugh-out-loud funny....

Allan Karlsson is the guest of honor at his 100th Birthday Party, but being the adventurous sort , he decides he'd rather not be present and so climbs out the window, walks to the bus station.

At the bus station he meets up w/ a Never Again gang member, "Bucket". Bucket needs to use the bathroom & asks Allan to watch his suitcase.

Allan's bus arrives and he decides to take the suitcase (filled w/ drug money) with him... thus embarking on a journey like no other... except for Allan, his entire life has been a journey like no other>

Allan has met, dined, and been of service to: Franco, Stalin, Harry Truman, Madame Chiang-Kai Shek, Chairman Mao Zedong, Kim Il Jong, a Shah of Iran, Winston Churchill, & Charles de Gaulle to name a few.

I enjoyed the historical references, as they explained quite a bit about world history; but I much preferred Allan's current adventures after climbing out the window of the old folks' home.

I also enjoyed the characters and being able to laugh throughout most all of the book.

It was absurd in places & a bit long, so I cut it down 1 star....

Book Concierge wrote: "Well, I'm still trying to catch up from our month "on-the-road" and other interruptions. But I'll post in the new year's thread even though I read these back in November!


[bookcover:The Constant ..."

"schmaltzy" ♥

The Cat Who Saw Red – Lillian Jackson Braun – 3***
This is book four in a delightful cozy mystery series starring newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese - Koko and Yum Yum. This is an entertaining series with a very likeable main character who is appropriately nosy, given his journalism background. His relationship with his cats is nicely portrayed without being overly saccharine.
LINK to my review

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The Ides of March – Thornton Wilder – 2**
In this work of historical fiction, Wilder uses a combination of letters, diary entries and official documents to tell the story of the last year of Julius Caesar’s life. Now, I appreciate Wilder’s writing, and there were times in the book that I was completely engaged in the story. I was fascinated to read of the intrigue and espionage, the role of Cleopatra, etc. But on the whole … well I think I had more “fun” translating Cicero’s oration against Cataline when I studied Latin in high school (and I hated that).
LINK to my review

Kimberly wrote: "
.."

I read this a couple of months ago. Really enjoyed it. It was a HOOT!

A Poisoned Season, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★ ★

This is the 2nd book in the series that I have read (but I haven't read #1 yet, I put it down & now can not find it), so this makes me once again a "ROO"

It is the early 1900's in Victorian England, a myriad of balls & parties when an American man shows up claiming to be the great-grandson of Marie Antoinette (soon to be the new King of France). Of course the society matrons decide he must be an eligible bachelor so out of spite & jealousy one of the jealous mothers sets up a campaign to discredit Lady Emily Ashton to keep her from marrying & keeping her shut-out of society.

At the same time; a Cat Burglar is about, many treasured items that once belonged to Marie Antoinette have begun to disappear, and a man who owned a famous Pink Diamond, snuffbox & letters of the dead queen is found poisoned along with his valet.

Lady Emily is called upon to help solve the murders and in doing so becomes the love interest of the burglar.

This book was much better than it sounds in my review: Lady Emily's fiancée, Colin Hargreaves works for the crown and is caught up in the intrigue to put the self-claimed future king on the throne; there are the mysterious Greek love letters from the Cat Burglar; Lady Emily's interest in discovering the actual heir to the throne; and the friends & family surrounding Lady Emily.

I liked the story, I like the historical tidbits (because I always learn something new), and I like the characters.... I do wish however, when the author describes Lady Emily's gowns by Worth there were watercolour illustrations.

A Fatal Waltz, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★

Lady Emily Ashton is invited by a most odious & powerful man to a weekend shooting party where insiders from Parliament are working on a political intrigue regarding Germany.

Papers are stolen, Emily is set up as the perpetrator, and the odious politician is found with a bullet hole in his head during one of the shoots; his former protégé & husband of Emily's friend, Ivy, is arrested for the murder.

Emily & her friend Cecile travel to Austria searching for clues to clear Ivy's husband, where political intrigue abounds: the prince (great-grandson of Victoria) and his fiancée are murdered at Mayerling (this was an actual historical event); Colin's former lover taunts Lady Emily the entire time but finally deigns to help Emily; Emily meets the Klimt brothers & other artists; the man responsible for stealing the political papers & setting Lady Emily up is following her continually threatening her; and Emily becomes unwittingly involved w/ a group of Anarchists.

The mystery & story were good, albeit long & somewhat tedious; because Lady Emily was thick (not taking action against & being careless about her nemesis); and too many of the characters were odious ugly people, I marked this down a star.

The Search for Joyful – Benedict and Nancy Freedman – 4****
A sequel to the popular Mrs Mike , this work of historical fiction is set primarily during World War II, and follows the career of a young Cree woman – Kathy (a/k/a/ Oh-Be-Joyful’s Daughter) – as she becomes an Army nurse and finds love and her place in the world. The authors are not First Nation people, and there’s little information about how they came to write this story. I’m skeptical about the truth of what they write, and still I’m drawn into the novel. I really liked Kathy Forquet as a heroine. It’s an inspiring and hopeful story.
LINK to my review

Christmas Camp – Karen Schaler – 3***
As I read this, I kept thinking it was remarkably like a Hallmark TV movie I had seen last week. No matter, really. The movies are still fun to watch, and the schmaltzy Christmas romance books are fun to read.
LINK to my review

And Only to Deceive, Tasha Alexander

★ ★

....and so begins my descent into cynicism:

Fortunately, I was unable to find this book when I was looking to read it. I had hoped to read it before the two others I finished reviewing, yesterday. Had I read this before the other two, I would have put down the series and returned the other two to the Library unread.

Lady Emily Ashton had been left a widow too soon after her wedding. Her husband Philip left her to go on a hunting excursion in Africa soon after their wedding and had the unfortunate experience of becoming ill & dying.

This book takes place approximately 1.5 years towards the end of her official period of mourning.

As Emily only married Philip to escape her harridan of a mother, she never got to know him, nor did she want to. Once she began spending time in the British Museum learning of his love for antiquities & ancient Greek history, she began to fall in love with him, albeit a tad too late.

The intrigue begins in Paris where she meets an art forger and learns that pieces in the museum are not what the are suppose to be & that Philip had been secretly purchasing the originals from the black market & sent them all to his country estate.

While learning more about her late husband, drinking port w/ her friends, & studying Greek she meets up w/ Andrew Palmer, who was with Philip on his fatal trip to Africa. She also meets Colin Hargreaves. Andrew pursues Emily in a manner most uncomfortable for her and Colin turns up at odd moments making her suspicious of him... and Emily's interest in the forgery of antiquities takes on a consuming desire to uncover the men behind the fakes.

Andrew somehow convinces Emily that Philip is still alive (Dr. Livingstone, I presume) and wandering around Africa in a befuddled state and offers to take her out to find him, which Emily paying for it all.

So here we go: Emily, who believes her self to be quite right smart, is in reality quite stupid when it comes to judging the true character of the people surrounding her.

Emily's mother is an odious harridan, completely disrespecting the fact that Emily is now a widow & free to live her life as she pleases.

Emily's friend, Ivy, is a repressed & tiresome married woman, continually spouting the mores of society & the wonders of being a married woman sitting atop a pedestal w/ no thoughts of her own.

Emily has two society friends both looking for a husband; one is nastily rude/cutting to others and the other is a simpering idiot.

Fortunately, Emily has two strong female friends; Margaret a scholar from the u.s. and the French Society matron, Cecile who both endeavor to help Emily uncover the mysteries she is investigating.

So, although I liked the story, I disliked the characters (thus the ★ ★) and that usually cuts it for me. In subsequent books of the series, Emily brightens up and becomes likable....

One glaring thing: according to the book (this is the Victorian era), Emily as an unmarried woman was allowed to have breakfast in bed but as a married woman had her breakfast downstairs.... Which is the direct opposite of what I have read elsewhere. In fact the point was belabored in Downton Abbey, as the spinster sister was still eating breakfast downstairs, while her mother & married sister had their breakfast in their rooms.

The Christmas Scrapbook – Philip Gulley – 3***
This little novella is book 5.5 in the Harmony series featuring Quaker minister Sam Gardner, his wife Barbara, and the Friends of the Harmony meeting house. I love the gentle stories of one man’s efforts to make a difference in his community. The results of his efforts are predictably hilarious. But also impart a lesson about faith, tolerance, love and the spirit of Christmas.
LINK to my review

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A Deal to Die For – Josie Belle – 2.5**
Book two in the Good Buy Girls cozy mystery series has Maggie opening a new resale shop in her Virginia community. This has all the elements of a successful cozy series, but the juvenile rivalry between Maggie and her nemesis Summer, just irritates me no end, and lowers the rating by half a star. Otherwise a fast, fun read.
LINK to my review

Two Little Girls in Blue – Mary Higgins Clark – 3***
This is a fast-paced thriller with a building sense of suspense. The reader is always in on the crime, knowing the identity of the kidnappers and even the “secretive” Pied Piper long before the characters catch on. But the changing points of view, keeps the novel moving forward and helps maintain that sense of suspense.
LINK to my review

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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers – 1*
A huge disappointment. I’d read another book by Eggers and enjoyed it. It’s clear that Eggers is intelligent. Obviously, the circumstances that resulted in his guardianship of his baby brother were tragic, and every older sibling’s nightmare. But I found Eggers self-absorbed, immature, irresponsible and totally lacking in any insight. The most entertaining part was the preface, copyright and acknowledgements.
LINK to my review

Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell – 3.5***
Oh, the teenage angst of young adulthood! Been there, done that … don’t want to relive it. And yet, I found myself really engaged in this story. There were times when I thought Rowell had thrown too many wrenches into the mix. Still, Rowell kept the story moving forward, and gave us a heroine to root for.
LINK to my review

Delicious! – Ruth Reichl – 3.5***
I’ve read several of Reichl’s memoirs and really enjoyed them. Now she’s taken a turn at writing a novel. This is part romance, part coming-of-age, part mystery. I enjoyed the story and was caught up in the intrigue. Reichl really shines when she is writing about food. I can practically taste the cheeses, smell the spices, and feel the warmth of steam rising from a simmering pot. All-in-all, I found it enjoyable and entertaining. A great beach read.
LINK to my review

The Snow Queen, Mercedes Lackey

★ ★ 1/2

As I do choose books by the cover, had I seen this cover I'd most likely not have read the book... too modern for my idea of the actual time frame....

The book does tell the story of Kay & Gerda, but from the view point of the Snow Queen, Aleskia, who in reality is a Godmother (human w/ the ability to preform magic)... Her job is to teach callous, selfish, & uncaring people a lesson.

All the while there is something else going on.... someone is using the name of "Snow Queen" to do terrible things to the Sammi people, freezing entire villages to death, thus giving Aleskia a very bad name. So Aleskia goes out to put a stop to the evil one by doing so with the help of two Sammi Wise Women.

The book was too long and the beginning was quite boring... where the two stories of the Sammi & Snow Queen came together was where my interest was peaked....

Because I didn't like the beginning, I'm cutting this down to 2.5 ★

Tears of Pearl, Tasha Alexander

★ ★

Lady Emily has married her late husband's best friend, Colin Hargreaves. As the embark on their honeymoon to Constantinople via the Orient Express they meet Sir William, a British diplomat who lost his wife(murdered) & 5 year old daughter (kidnapped) to bandits on an archaeological expedition. While in the dining car w/ Colin and Emily he nearly succumbs to an overdose of chloral hydrate.

Both Colin & Emily, along w/ Sir William are invited by the Sultan to attend a Verdi opera w/ a G&S ending . Afterwards while strolling through the Palace Gardens they come across a screaming concubine and the body of another, that turns out to be the lost daughter of Sir William.

Things are kind of a mish-mash after that. Emily is allowed inside the harem to question the concubines and the two Valide Sultans (Mother of Sultan). Both Valides make things difficult for Emily & hamper her investigation. Also making things difficult for Emily, is the concubine Roxelana, a christian, who convinces Emily to help her escape.

I really didn't warm to any of the characters, I had no empathy for any of them and I figured out who the bad guy was near the beginning.

Although I usually like Lady Emily, I find Alexander's writing uneven and unstable from one adventure to the next.... This book had so much possibility & I found it fell short.

Dangerous to Know, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★

From Goodreads: "Set in the lush countryside of Normandy, France, this new novel of suspense featuring Lady Emily Hargreaves is filled with intrigue, romance, mysterious deaths, and madness.
Returning from her honeymoon with Colin Hargreaves and a near brush with death in Constantinople, Lady Emily convalesces at her mother-in-law's beautiful estate in Normandy. But the calm she so desperately seeks is shattered when, out riding a horse, she comes upon the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. The girl's wounds are identical to those inflicted on the victims of Jack the Ripper, who has wreaked havoc across the channel in London. Emily feels a connection to the young woman and is determined to bring the killer to justice.

Pursuing a trail of clues and victims to the beautiful medieval city of Rouen and a crumbling château in the country, Emily begins to worry about her own sanity: she hears the cries of a little girl she cannot find and discovers blue ribbons left in the child's wake. As Emily is forced to match wits with a brilliant and manipulative killer, only her courage, keen instincts and formidable will to win can help her escape becoming his next victim."

This held my interest and with the exception of Emily's mother-in-law, who was rude & condescending, and two young people of the victim's family (both more than obnoxious), I liked the characters (even the bad guy).

This was certainly better than the previous one I read..... This author just isn't an even writer, maybe if she took more time between books rather than writing to meet deadlines her work would be more copacetic. I am not giving up yet.

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, Twiss (Oliver)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ♥


Marlon Bundo is actually Mike Pence's family rabbit & there are books written about the bunny by the Pence family

But this book, published & released just weeks before the Pence' book was due to be released is so very much superior.

I ♥ this book as it is everything that Pence is against... It is about friendship, acceptance, unconditional love (no matter gender)... you know the supposed to be meaning of "christianity", that Pence denies.

Marlon Bundo, the bunny, lives w/ Grandpa Pence in the hose of the v.p. Marlon is lonely and wants a special non-human friend of his own. Marlon meets and falls in love w/ Wesley, another male bunny, they plan their wedding much to the delight of all the other animals with the exception of "Stinkbug" (who looks remarkably like Pence).

It is an excellent read for children as it teaches the ethics of humanitarianism. For adults it is funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5mFx...

Manhattan's Babe, Frederic Beigbeder

★

Well, this was certainly a waste of time... The author calls the book "Faction" a combination of fact & fiction, but in comparison to the "Swans of Fifth Avenue" (many same personages involved), "Babe" pales considerably.

This piece of writing centers around Oona O'Neill, her father Eugene O'Neill, JD Salinger, & Charlie Chaplin.... Ill fated romances, dysfunctional families/relationships, and Oona's married life with Chaplin.

I would have liked it more had it had not included personal philosophical & psychological interjections by the author... It was if he was lecturing in a classroom, and his need to insert his own 21st Century narrative & illustrations not only detracted from the story but ruined the continuity of it as well.

Also, interrupting the flow of the story are the watercolor illustrations....

The book, just does not have what it takes to be a good piece of fiction.

My suggestion: Forget-About-It!

Crimson Warning, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★ ★

Lady Emily & her husband Colin are back in London from their travels. During a ball at Lady Londonderry's, Colin gets word that a highly respected businessman has been burned to death in his office. The dead man's Fiancée, begins to receive threatening notes requesting that she hand over that which he supposedly gave her. When she is unable to produce the item(s), she is kidnapped and eventually found dead.

At the same time: society people are finding their doors & porches painted red by a mysterious person and their dirty secrets revealed to society; Emily attends a group of politically minded society mavens who are working to secure the vote for women; a judgmental gossip monger delights in racking up the muck; and an eccentric society maven is also kidnapped.

Together Colin, Emily, Jeremy, & Emily's close friend Ivy work to solve the crimes and exposing fraud in high-up places.

This book was better written than several previous ones. There were not as many distasteful characters and thankfully Emily's mother was mostly absent. The idea of ciphers via book & museum catalogs was interesting, as was the idea of housing within factories for the poor & handicapped.

What I didn't care for was the use of Ivy's journal entries, I found those boring; one or two would have been enough, but they continued through until the end when Ivy admitted her guilty secret.

Death in the Floating City, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★ ★

2019: My how my taste has changed:

Well dang: I knew this was familiar.... I recognized a good portion of the story, but I'm not sorry that I read it again.

When I originally read it in 2013 I gave it ★ LOL!

Lady Emily & Colin are called to Venice by an childhood enemy of Emily's to help solve the murder of her father-in-law & find her missing husband.

There is a tale of forbidden unrequited love and an ancient family feud, along with the story of ancient manuscripts that have been written over.

I liked the story, but needless to say, I didn't like Emily's childhood enemy or the fact that Emily was helpful to her when the woman continued to be a btch to Emily....

Love Potion Number 10 – Betsy Woodman – 3***
Book two in the Jana Bibi Adventures series. Jana and Mr Ganguly’s fame grows, making him the target of a bird-napping plot. Woodman populates the fictional hill town with an array of colorful characters, and really gives one a flavor of the 1960s culture of India. Just charming.
LINK to my review

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Eats, Shoots & Leaves – Lynne Truss – 4****
Well this was the perfect work for me to satisfy a challenge to read a “geek-reed” book. There were more than a few moments when I felt Truss was channeling the good Sisters at Ursuline Academy who first tried to drum those rules into my head. Truss writes with a delightfully irreverent style, and yet still conveys the seriousness of her purpose. It was a fast, enjoyable read, and I think I learned (or re-learned) a few things.
LINK to my review

Mayflower: A story of Courage, Community and War
by Nathaniel Philbrick 5*

Wonderful history of what brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth, MA from England by way of the Netherlands. Those on board the ship, those that survived the trip. The hardships they encountered once they arrived, their religion and the war that nearly wiped out the indigenous people. Great and fascinating book.

Duplicate Death, Georgette Heyer

★ ★ ★

Up until chapter Seven I actually hated the book, I didn't care a fig about the people or their doings or goings-on..... It was more than boring and I didn't see any mystery what-so-ever...

Then came chapter Seven and we finally get a murder. Then we're introduced to Chief Inspector Hawthorn & Inspector Grant and things become interesting:

Mrs. Haddington & her impossible temper-tantrum daughter have for some obscure reason been introduced to Society by Mrs. Nest. Mrs. Nest even sponsored the girl's coming-out.

Mrs Haddingon's smart-mouthed secretary, Beulah, has a guilty secret, but Terrible Timothy, who helped solve a case w/ Inspector Hawthorne when he was a lad, is madly in love w/ Beulah and refuses to accept her denial of him.

On the night Mrs. Haddington has her grand bridge party, her confidant Dan Seaton-Carew, takes a private telephone call in the boudoir only to be found strangled to death by a length of picture hanging wire...

Days later, Mrs Haddington is found murdered in a "duplicate" manner after a series of three questionable visitors....

The plot & story lines were quite good, but the majority of the characters, and chapters One-Six almost ruined it for me, thus the - ★.

I will be reading more of Heyer's mysteries.

The Dog Who Knew Too Much – Spencer Quinn – 3.5***
Book four in the Chet and Bernie mystery series. I find looking at the mystery and the events that unfold through Chet’s eyes simply delightful and fun. Quinn has managed to give him a personality that befits a dog. He’s easily distracted by food or squirrels, given to taking things too literally (still looking for that wild goose they’re supposed to be chasing), loyal to a fault, and courageous.
LINK to my review

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Christmas At Little Beach Street Bakery – Jenny Cogan – 3***
This is a fun chick-lit romance with some over-the-top coincidences and new-adult drama. Not much of a spoiler to say that it all works out with a fairytale HEA ending. I didn’t realize it was a series when I picked it up, and I don’t really feel that I was missing all that much for not having begun with book one. Have to say I really appreciated the recipes at the end – especially the hot chocolate!
LINK to my review

Death in the Stocks, Georgette Heyer

★

I don't know about this author: other than the police most of her characters are ghastly & loathsome and what's worse is their dialog is outrageously affected and totally phony!

Another thing, is Heyer tends to make not-so-subtle jabs at Agatha Christie, which would be fine, except Heyer isn't 1/10 as good of a mystery writer as Dame Agatha....

Plot: A rich man, Arthur, is found stabbed to death in the local town's stocks. His 1/2 sister & brother are totally inappropriate about his murder going on about how they didn't like him, how each of them might have done it, playing games w/ the police. The 1/2 sister, Antonia (Tony) is engaged to the man who was embezzling from Arthur (the two men having a loud quarrel prior to the murder) and the 1/2 brother, Kenneth, is engaged to a Gold-Digger who knew Arthur. Everyone is thrilled that Kenneth is heir and will soon be rich, until.....

Enter the long lost full brother of Arthur, Roger, who turns up dead as well; murder made to look like suicide.

There were a few clues scattered about to tell who-done-it; which I actually picked up on.

★ only because I liked the police.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman

★

OMG!

Eleanor works in an office, she is more than competent, but very strange, lost inside herself and the people she works with are mean to her, as if they are still in H.S. mean.

Eleanor's life is a struggle, she is just getting by and seems to be lost within herself.

Eleanor talks to her mother every Wednesday, her mother is a nasty piece of work.

Eleanor makes friends w/ Raymond in IT and it is partially his support that helps her through her illness & therapy.

No, just no..... I didn't like this.. Harsh Realistic Fiction with a semi-happy ending.

But don't judge the book by my review, it is not my type of story, and I just didn't feel anything for Eleanor.

Behind the Shattered Glass, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★ ★

There are two intertwining stories to this book:

Lady Emily & Colin Hargreaves have refused an invitation to the neighboring Estate's festivities, preferring to stay home in the peace & quite of their drawing room.... When all of a sudden the owner of the neighboring estate staggers in through their glass terrace doors with his head bashed in and dies.

The neighbor & his cousin (who inherited everything expect the title & the family estate) have long had an understanding that she would live in his country estate and he would live in her London townhouse, that is until now... She is about to be removed as he is/was engaged to an American Heiress, who has/had plans for the estate.

As it turns out the dead man had a hidden dubious past of cheating & seduction and was not the "gentleman" his cousin & neighbors believed him to be.

The 2nd story is that of a maid, Lily, who has caught the eye of the Hargreaves house guest, an honorable gentleman who encourages her to educate herself in art. However she has a very jealous rival who will stop at almost nothing to destroy Lily's happiness.

As Emily & Colin investigate both problems there is intrigue & lies everywhere they turn...

Absent are Colin's mother, Ivy, Margaret, & Cecile.... Emily's mother is present, but thankfully not as much as in other books and Colin seems to be handle her in a marvelous manner.

It was an interesting story, it not only held my interest, but I liked most of the characters.

The Counterfeit Heiress, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★

Well this one was definitely weird and boring so I skimmed most of it, until I got 2/3's way through.

Lady Emily; her husband, Colin; and Cecile go to a fancy dress masquerade ball given by the Duchess of Devonshire. There a woman, dressed similar to Lady Emily, introduces herself as world traveler Estella Lamar, but Cecile faces the woman and declares the woman a fraud; stating that Estella Lamar is a friend of hers, with brilliant green eyes, and much shorter than the woman impersonator.

The woman flees but is later found dead having been stabbed in the neck by a red-haired assailant. The dead woman turns out to be a unsuccessful actress, but successful midwife.

All the above events begin a chain of intrigue & investigation... Although Cecile has received letters from her friend for years, she has never seen her... Estella, however has kept her three houses fully staffed and her servants paid. Her solicitor, pays the bills upon demand from Estella....

In alternating chapters we learn about Estella, being an odd child with a penchant for hiding in a dark cupboard in her room, with her dolls, telling them stories. When her parents both die, they leave Estella the majority of their fortune. Estella then meets a man like she has never met before and agrees to help him with his Miracle Cure business, which soon falls through. He then kidnaps Estella and in exchange for her freedom she agrees to help him pay his creditors. While in captivity, Estella reads the books brings her and thus turns the tables on her captor, making the decision that they will begin a life of traveling to far away & exotic places...

As soon as Cecile, Emily, Colin, & Jeremy begin to get close to the whereabout of Estella, she sends a letter to Cecile telling her to stop looking for her, as she does not want to see her. This of course only spurs the group on, placing all in danger form the red-haired man....

There was a huge twist to the ending... which made the last 1/3 of the book much more interesting than the rest.

Other Voices, Other Rooms – Truman Capote – 3.5***
Capote’s debut novel is a semiautobiographical coming-of-age story. It’s a classic Southern Gothic novel, full of ghosts, haints, superstitions, secrets and closed off rooms. Joel is isolated not only by the remote location, but by the lack of connection with these people. He is confused and cautious, and his loneliness and despair are palpable. Capote’s writing is wonderfully atmospheric. Still, at times, much like Joel, I felt lost in unfamiliar surroundings.
LINK to my review

A Terrible Beauty, Tasha Alexander

★

Lady Emily, Colin, Margaret, & Jeremy are on their way to her home in Greece (Santorini) in order to distract Jeremy from his ill fated engagement.

As of late lady Emily keeps seeing a man who looks like, Philip Ashton, her previous (now dead) husband.

When they arrive at her Santorini home; Philip is already there (it was originally his home) and things become tense and dangerous...

There are doubts about Philip being who he claims to be, his stories, of love & friendship, while being true, seem to be lacking. Also someone is after Philip for a piece of bronze he has stolen from a dig.

Not only was this story far-fetched, I thought the back-from-the-dead Philip not a particularly endearing character and selfish. Although adventurous, I found most of the archaeological references boring

Alexander is either hit-or-miss with her writing... maybe she should take more time between books!

Death in St Petersburg, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★

I do believe I'm growing tired of this series... so I might have to give it a rest for a bit.

Lady Emily, Colin, & Cecile are in St. Petersburg. He's on Crown business, she & Cecile are visiting w/ royalty, taking in the sights, going to balls, & the ballet.

On the night of Swan Lake during the 2nd interval, the main ballerina, Iruskya goes out the stage door (as her usual habit) but does not return. When she is found stabbed to death, laying atop a Fabergé Egg, her best friend & understudy Katenkya takes her place. Iruskya's secret paramour asks Lady Emily to investigate the murder.

Caught in the intrigue is: Katenkya; her brother Lev, Iruskya's first love; Mitya, Katenka's love interest; & Sonya another friend & ballerina. All with the exception of Iruskya are working for, to different degrees, political change.

After Iruskya's murder on more than one occasion, a ghostly dancer is seen outdoors dancing in a swan tutu waving a red silk sash.

The book has alternating chapters of the childhood - adult, & professional friendship of Iruskya & Katenkya; but here's the thing.... Even though those parts were narrated by Katenkya, that is not the name that was used for her, nor was the name Iruskya used.

What I found highly confusing & annoying was that book switched between different names for the girls from chapter to chapter and this not being the first time the author has done this.

I also found a bit of this quite boring and other than the two ballerinas felt the other characters to be rather weak.

Thankfully Lady Emily's mother was absent from this installment.... If I never read of her again, I will be delighted.

Just back into this one.Some books came in at library and had to put this one down to read those by return date.This is my first Somerset Maugham book and I like his style of writing! It is a nicely paced story,easy to put down and pick up again or keep going. I will review when done!

Book Concierge wrote: "

The Christmas Scrapbook
– Philip Gulley – 3***
This little novella is book 5.5 in the Harmony series featuring Quaker minister Sam Gardner, his wife ..." I loved the Scrapbook! That one book got me reading Phillip Gulley's Harmony series! Dale Hinshaw reminded me of my step dad, in a nice funny way,not bad!

The Deadly Dance, M.C. Beaton

★ ★ ★

Actually I'm quite surprised that I liked this book, not so much Aggie, but the other characters and the story.

Agatha Raisin is a grouchy cantankerous 50 year old woman, who is divorced & has gone through a series of men.

After she is mugged in France (the police doing nothing) Agatha decides to open a detective agency...

Agatha hires her neighbor, Emma, as her secretary then investigator; Emma soon falls in love w/ Sir Charles Firth, a very good friend of Agatha... and then problems of jealousy, stalking, insanity, & murderous intentions begin.

Agatha is also hired to protect the daughter of a snobbish rich woman, the daughter has received a death threat.. at the dinner party announcing the girl's engagement, Agatha spies the flash of a gun in an upstairs bedroom, pushes the woman & her daughter into the pool for safety & runs up to the room.... The room is empty, but there is a lone cartridge shell under the window...

There are other stories intertwined, which all held my interest.... the end was tied a little too conveniently, but in the end all the bad guys got their just rewards.

The Unwilling Vestal, Edward Lucas White

★ ★ ★ ★

What a wonderful story, and to think it has been on my TBR for well over 12+ years! I was really tired of everything modern I've been reading, so I chose something different.

Brinnaria, is her father's favorite child. She intelligent, articulate, impetuous, & high spirited beyond her 10 years of age. In the first chapter her father begins his talk to her of marriage and she acknowledges him with the response that she plans on marrying her best friend Almo, upon which her father informs her that she will marry her nemesis, Calavaster.

When Brinnaria refuses, her father takes her to the Temple of Vesta and petitions for her acceptance. As there are only ever six Vestal Priestesses at any given time and for her to be accepted one must either die or leave after her time served, Brinnaria is comforted, but not for long... as one of the six immediately dies leaving an opening & space for Brinnaria.

As time progresses, Brinnaria becomes friends w/ Emperor Aurelius.. She often acts out, thus causing consternation throughout Rome, but she is always able to defend herself w/ her complete knowledge of Roman law & Vestal regulations.

Her love for Almo undergoes many a test and Calavaster spends no small amount of time attempting to undermine her and her position.

This book was well written and definitely held my interest. The Vestals had more freedom than any other woman and most everyone else in Rome save the Emperor, and we learn quite a bit of their duties and manner of life.

I am taking off 1 ★ due to the fact that the ending was a bit overdone.

Uneasy Lies the Crown, Tasha Alexander

★ ★ ★

Upon her death bed, Queen Victoria calls for Colin Hargreaves & hands him a cryptic message, which is the first "Clue" of a Royal scavenger hunt ....

While searching for clues he is called to the Tower to investigate a murder; the victim staged to look like murdered king Henry VI. Then a second murder is staged to resemble that of Edward II's violent death. Upon visiting the costume shop, it is learned that the murderer has purchased two more costumes with the plans of setting the next murders to reenact those of Richard II & King Harold.

As Colin & Lady Emily, with the help of Jeremy, follow the clues; they find that each cryptic note leads to another and they begin to think the murders have something to do with a planned assassination of the the new King Edward, however, the victims all are connected to the East End and a group of thugs called "The King's Boys", with no relation to King Edward.

The parallel story is that of Cecily, her husband William Hargrave, & King Henry IV's attack on France for the French Crown, which eventually ties into the "Clues".

My consternation in this book was the author's use of "Beefeater" when referring to the Yeomen Warders... Rather disconcerting to use a modern term as such.....

Shadow of the Hangman, Edward Marston

★ ★

England 1815: Paul & Peter Skillen, Private Detectives, are twins both working for the Home Secretary. Their rivals, Yeomans & his group of ruffians, with criminal tendencies, also working for the Home Secretary. Both groups are always trying to best each other the former w/ class & intelligence, the latter w/ little regard for the law & brute force.

When the uprising at a local prison involving American POWs demanding better treatment, ends in a massacre... the leader O'Gara & his black friend Bass escape, making their way to London seeking asylum & carrying a truthful version of the peaceful uprising.

In London O'Gara finds a scribe who sends a letter on O'Gara's behalf describing the abuse of prisoners & the truth of the uprising to the Home Secretary, which causes a stir & prompts a formal investigation on behalf of the POWs... Unfortunately O'Gara threatens the Home Secretary in the letter thus making himself & Bass wanted men.

Both the of the Skillens and Yeomans & his group are hired to find O'Gara & Bass, which turns into a fiasco of attempted revenge against the Skillens by Yeomans & crew.

In a side plot, the office charwoman goes missing, when another is hired to take her place, confidential papers also begin to go missing.

I like the Skillen brothers, Marston has them as completely different individuals. Peter is a gentleman, married to a clever woman who chose Peter over Paul. Paul is robust, a gambler, drinker, womanizer who has fallen in love for the 2nd time and is grappling with his feelings.

Yeomans & his group are not only unintelligent & coarse, they are unlikable men and their underhanded schemes, leaning toward violence against the twins & others put me off.

I also liked O'Gara & Bass, I admired their sense of duty to their compatriots.... but I didn't like how they were handled by those in power.

I will attempt to read one more in this series.... If I do not like it any better, I'll drop it not continue

Carnegie’s Maid – Marie Benedict – 3***
Irish immigrant Clara Kelly comes to America in hopes of finding employment so that she can send money home to her impoverished family. She winds up as a lady’s maid in the Carnegie family’s Pittsburgh mansion. I was intrigued by the story and quickly caught up in the tale of this intelligent, resourceful, determined and diligent young lady. I did think it was somewhat repetitious, but still enjoyed this historical fiction that takes a few facts and weaves a compelling story to help explain them.
LINK to my review

The Hamilton Affair – Elizabeth Cobbs – 4****
Cobbs is an historian, who also occasionally writes a work of historical fiction. The story unfolds in alternating perspectives: Alexander and Eliza each get a turn at relating events. In this way we get some insight into each character’s background, guiding principles, joys, sorrows and desires. While Cobbs’ sympathies were clearly with Hamilton, she did not shy away from pointing out his faults. I really appreciated how she developed Eliza’s strong character. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end.
LINK to my review

Bones Behind the Wheel, E.J. Copperman

★ ★ 1/2

Me thinks the author is running out of ideas: The premise of the book was good, but how it all unfolds was lackluster

Allison Runs a "Haunted guest-house" on the Jersey Shore. Due to a cosh on the head she is able to see, hear, & communicate w/ ghosts (as does her mother & 11 yr. old daughter Melissa). There are three ghosts that happen to be living in her guest-house: Maxie, who was murdered; Paul, a Private Detective, hired by Maxie, who was also murdered; & Everett, Maxie's husband, the three perform for the guests twice daily insuring that the guests get their fill of "haunting"... and there is Alison's father, who is also a ghost & visits when her mother does.

Paul has a connection to the ghostly plane and ghosts seem to find their way to him asking for help finding their murderers and then moving on.

In this book, the plot is different; the beach behind the guest-house is being regraded and sand moved to rebuild the shore. An excavation crew is somehow directed to dig for treasure behind Alison's and find a 1977 Lincoln Continental w/ a skeleton inside.

As the plot moves along the car disappears then reappears the following day...

The ghosts that are related to the murder do not come around until near the conclusion of the book, which made this less interesting than usual...

The Hostess With the Ghostess, E.J. Copperman

★

Once again Alison, her ghosts, & family:

Paul (the PI Ghost) has left; after their last case, Paul promised Alison there would be no more investigations and that she could spend her time & energy on the guests of her Haunted Guesthouse; while Paul would travel....

That was all fine & good until Paul's brother, Richard (a defense attorney) was murdered while investigating the case against his client. The client, a young woman, is accused of drowning her step-father in a bathtub.

As Richard insists on working with Paul, Alison is pressured into locating Paul. Alison places an ad in the local paper, knowing Paul is most likely still in the habit of reading it.

Paul show up and together Paul, Alison, Maxie, & Richard work on the case. Eventually the ghost of the stepfather shows up and does his best to undermine the entire investigation.

The story was totally preposterous... the characters, including Richard (who is an imperious bully) were pretty much fugly rude people and the conclusion takes place in front of all the guests who believe that it is the night's entertainment.

I didn't enjoy the book at all.... IMO, the author needs to rethink her series.

Love Potion Number 10, Betsy Woodman

★ ★ ★

It's not that I did not like this.... but I was expecting more "feeling", more excitement and definitely more magical happenings around LPN 10.

This was a "nice" story... the pace & characters rather reminded me of Mma Precious Ramotswe.

Jana Bibi was once married to a missionary, he died and the man who took his place attempted to sway Jana into marriage... She gave up her pension & ran away w/ her helper Mary to the family home, The Jolly Grant House, in India.

In India she tells fortunes with the help of a fortune telling parrot...

Someone wants to steal the parrot, her rich friends want to take over the local hotel and completely modernize making it into a tourist trap. The local school teacher falls in love, The local newspaper editor yearns to make amends w/ his family who shunned him after his marriage to a lower caste woman...

Ok, it is a nice book w/ a nice story.... I was hoping for more feeling and I found that lacking, so I dropped a star.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Mark Manson

★

Really? Well let me tell you that after the first 10 pages or less, he had me: I just didn't give a f*ck.....

Redundancy after redundancy... over & over.... over analyzed, over done, over use of f*ck.... It kept getting worse. It was as if he "discovered" something new & amazing to behold. He didn't, just the same thing therapists have been saying for years. The only differences are the vocabulary & the age of the person saying it and the age group of those fawning over the book. But I guess millennials need their gurus as well as the rest of us....

The best advice from the first page was : "Don't Try"

My advice is about the same: "All you can do, Is all you can do; Let Go" "Don't Bother"

The trick is "to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away and know when to run...." --Kenny Rogers

As for this thoughts on using affirmations, I disagree completely: They do not highlight what we do not have what we are not.... It is a form of retraining our thought patterns, moving to another belief pattern...

Very similar to the redundancy of the book: "On Bullshit".... Just so very much one can digest before screaming aloud & chucking the book across the room!

Carrying Albert Home – Homer Hickam – 3***
Subtitle: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator. I loved listening to the stories my father, mother, aunts and uncles would tell of “the old days” and adventures they had had. So, I was predisposed to like this tale of the author’s parents and a great adventure they embarked upon without any plan other than to “carry Albert home.” I found it fun and enjoyable, but gosh, Elsie got on my nerves.
LINK to my review

Points of Danger, Edward Marston

★ ★ ★ ★

I throughly enjoy Inspector Colbeck... I'm glad that Superintendent Tallis has had his comeuppance and Sergeant Leeming is finally whining less, he was bordering on intolerable.

Superintendent Tallis has quite literally lost his mind after his kidnapping and is sent to the country to heal...

Meanwhile Colbeck & Leeming are investigating the murder of a member of Parliament who was working to unify the incompetency & unreliability of the four Railroad Companies of East Anglia.

At first the murder looks like a robbery gone bad but as the investigation continues and more clues are discovered the murder moves closer to home.

There are several promising suspects and several of them work for the East Central Railway that the victim was working with, including a former London policeman with a shady past.

In London, Colbeck's wife, Madeline, is approached by a brazenly forward Mr Fairbank, who offers her £200 for a painting of a Great Western Railway train. Her father, who worked for London and North Western Railway, loathing all other Railways, interferes in her business dealing... we learn through Madeline's investigations that Mr. Fairbank is a champion of women artists, but his support of them seems dodgy.

The book was interesting and the plot was well mapped out w/ many a twist.

Sergeant Leeming is becoming a better & stronger detective and his skills of reasoning are sharper than before. I still dislike Madeline's father for his closed mindedness and disrespectful interfering actions. As for Superintendent Tallis, it seems as if he may be mellowing in his dealings w/ others, so we can only hope this is actually so.

Book Concierge wrote: "

Carrying Albert Home
– Homer Hickam – 3***
Subtitle: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator. I loved listening to the stories my..."

Sounds fun, I'll try it!

Winter Solstice – Rosamunde Pilcher – 3***
Five very different people, ranging in age from teen-aged to mid-sixties, converge on a Scottish cottage just before Christmas. The novel changes perspective with each chapter so the reader gets to know the characters slowly, learning what is important to each as they go about their lives. It’s a charmingly told story, and I grew to love these characters. It reminds me of Maeve Binchy’s books. This is the first book by Pilcher that I’ve read; it won’t be the last.
LINK to my review