101 Essays that will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

 As the title suggests, this book contains 101 short essays about life, love, and emotional wellbeing.  Ms Wiest is influenced by Zen Buddhism, but this isn't a Buddhist text.  Instead it is just a collection of wise thoughts and aphorisms.  In keeping with the Buddhist tradition, almost all of the essays contain a list of "truths" or "instructions" on different topics.  Some of these lists are short, only 5 or 10 items, but some are fairly lengthy, like 50, or 100 aphorisms. Her main ideas are that we are responsible for our own lives, thoughts, and emotions, that every aspect of our lives are impermanent so we should embrace change, and that simplicity is more likely to bring contentment than amassing possessions or glory.

This book was very popular when it was first released, and has gone on to be translated into many languages.  I looked up Ms Wiest's bio, and she doesn't seem to have any specific training to produce this kind of a treatise. Her bachelor's degree was in literature and she doesn't have an advanced degree.  The nature of the book makes me think that maybe it is a compellation of blog posts? They are fairly repetitive, and the reader could get as much out of the book reading half of it as in reading the whole thing.  That being said, her ideas, if not definitively true, are at least thought provoking. I took the opportunity while listening to the book to stop a couple of times and do some self-examination, so in that respect, I found the book enlightening. (448 p. 2018)

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

 Mila Pavlichenko is a student, library researcher, and single mother when she decides to take a riflery course.  She finds she has a talent for sharp-shooting so when Russia enters WWII, she enlists to defend her country from the German invaders. She becomes a very effective sniper and rises through the ranks in the Russian military.  Although conflicted about her nickname of Lady Death and in her relationships with her ex-husband, her shooting partner, and her commanding officer, her main focus is in defeating the invaders who have caused so much death and destruction in her beloved Russia. 

Here is another book that I just chose while browsing the available titles.  I figured that I enjoy  WWII historical fiction and I ultimately liked The Rose Code written by Quinn. This turned out to be an interesting book.  It is based on a real person and many of the events in the book are taken from Pavlichenko's own memoir.  I think the author was trying to address the question, "how can a woman kill over 300 men and not lose her soul or her sanity?" The answer the book puts forward is that being a sniper is just one other way to "do your bit" during wartime. Mila seems to rather successfully separate herself from the job she needs to do, though the terrible things she experiences as her battalion is forced back on two different fronts give her PTSD for the rest of her life.  A fascinating part of the story, also based on history, is that after serving as a sniper, Pavlichenko is chosen to be part of an diplomatic envoy to the United States and becomes friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. The author adds some elements to the book, like various romances and the attempt on President Roosevelt's life, which are not part of the historical record, but she weaves them into the historical elements pretty well, and they give the story a thrilling and satisfying ending. (2022, 448 p)

Spy School Goes South by Stuart Gibbs

 In this episode of Spy School, Murry Hill convinces the CIA that he has turned over a new leaf and wants to lead Ben and his friends to the SPYDER lair. Enroute they are double crossed and end up crash landing in the jungle on the Baja Peninsula. Erica is determined to not only find the SPYDER base, but also thwart their latest evil plot. Nothing is as easy and straight forward as they thought, and once again Ben finds himself fighting for his own life and for the safety of millions of others. 

This was a fun installment of the Spy School series. Ben is considering diverting his romantic interest from Erica to Zoey. There are some fun chase scenes and funny plot twists. Gibbs manages to slip in historical and geographical information as well.  I kid could do worse than get stuck on this series. (2018, 352 p) 

Crochet and Cauldrons by Nancy Warren

 In this next installment in the "Vampire Knitting Club" series, Lucy's parents unexpectedly show up, fresh from an archeological dig. Her mother is acting strange when she hands Lucy a mirror that looks to be from ancient Egypt. The mirror turns out to be magic, and when Lucy picks it up it unleashes a series of events that put Lucy and the rest of the magical world at great peril.  Lucy knows that she is out of her depth, and this time her vampire friends are not much help.  She turns to a powerful witch for advice, but the that advice comes at a terrible cost. Now she has both the enchanted mirror and the consequences of the witch's help to deal with, all while trying to entertain her parents who think she should give up the knitting shop and settle down with a certain handsome police officer.  What is a girl to do?

This book departs from the pattern in the first two in the series, in that it doesn't start with a murder.  Warren introduces a lot of new mystical elements that pushes the book from the genre of magical realism into full-out fantasy.  Some reviewers on Goodreads were put off by the shift, but I didn't mind.  It is all so silly anyway, why not jump into the magical deep end?  The series is starting to feel like episodes from one of the after school sit-coms from my childhood, like "I Dream of Genie" or "Bewitched". It is all in good fun and was never intended to be serious. I will probably read more in the series when the mood for something ultralight hits me. (2018, 236 p)

Great Courses: Shocking Psychological Studies and the Lessons They Teach by Thad Polk

 In this short Great Courses offering Dr. Polk explores some of the most notorious psychological studies of the past and what impact they had both on the science of psychology, and on the code of ethics that now protects study subjects from similar abuse.  He discusses how studies of the past preyed on the most vulnerable populations, like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, that ultimately prevented poor black participants from receiving syphilis treatments.  Others crossed boundaries of treating subjects with respect, like the Stanford Prison Experiment that allowed some students to physically and mentally abuse other students for days before outside observers put a stop to it. Others he discusses are not as clearly unethical and he invites the listener to judge for themselves the ethics of the cases. He winds up the series by discussing what the current best practices are for those who design medical or psychological studies. 

This is one I chose on a whim one day when I was tired of my normal fare of clean romances. It was very interesting.  I had heard about several of the studies he discussed, but gained more information and insight about them.  For example, I had heard about the famous Milgram study where one student was told to give another student an electric shock when they couldn't remember a series of numbers. I hadn't realized that that study was conducted by a Jewish researcher in response to the Nuremburg Trials when so many Germans used as their defense that they were "just following orders."  Readers should beware that this lecture series contains adult content, particularly a discussion about a study of men who meet up in restrooms for homosexual intercourse. It is handled clinically, and didn't offend me much, but I can see how it might be offensive to many readers. (2020, 3 hrs.)

In Honor's Defense by Karen Witemeyer

 Damaris Baxter, as the 8th child of a well off family, was most often overlooked. Not particularly handsome, everyone expected her to stay and take care of her aging aunt and uncle. When her favorite brother's wife died, Damaris helped take care of their grieving son, Nathaniel, until father and son move to Texas to start a new life. Years later, Damaris hears of her brother's death and discovers she has been named as guardian of Nathaniel. Much to everyone's surprise she rushes off to Texas, excited to have a greater purpose in life than needlepoint and reading.  Dealing with the now teenaged boy proves more difficult than she expected. He is defiant and regularly sneaks out at night to do she knows not what. Meanwhile, the last of the unwed horsemen, Luke Davenport, takes a job investigating cattle rustling in the town where Damaris lives, and is surprised to discover that a 14 year old boy is the prime suspect.  As he goes to investigate the boy, he meets Damaris and, after hearing their story decides Nathaniel has been wrongly accused.  As he tries to find the real rustlers, he soon suspects that the man who hired him might not be a victim after all.  Someone doesn't want Luke to solve the mystery, and is willing to kill to keep the secret hidden.

I am a little sad to come to the end of this series.  Yes, they are a bit silly and over the top, but they are just the right kind of book to read when other things in my life are stressing me out.  This is a fun and fitting end to the series. I liked that fact that Damaris isn't particularly pretty, brave, or clever, but that Luke still likes her because of her loyalty and big heart. I also like the fact that Karen gives a nod to all the other previous stories in the series and let's the reader know how all those earlier romances were working out.  So hooray, the end of a good series.  I wonder what else Witemeyer wrote that I might enjoy. (2022, 376 p)

Charlie Thorne and the Royal Society by Stuart Gibbs

 Charlie Thorne, her half brother and his girlfriend just barely escaped from their last adventure with their lives.  The CIA think they are traitor and they are keeping a low profile. They have received a clue about one last secret left by one of the world's greatest's minds, Sir Isaac Newton. They don't know what it is, but have heard that it could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.  Sir Isaac Newton was a little bit of a recluse, and spent most of his adult life in Cambridge, so that is where Charlie hopes to solve the mystery.  Of course, other's have heard rumors about the secret, powerful people who would stop at nothing to find it and exploit it for their own gain.  None of them, however, is as brilliant as Charlie, and they soon figure out if they want to win this race, they need to take care of Charlie Thorne first. 

This is the last of the Charlie Thorne series. For some reason this series hasn't been as popular as Gibbs' Spy School series, and never came out in audio, so I have waited to read it as a vacation book.  Like the Spy School series, this series has a lot of action and humor.  The author includes historical facts about the places Charlie visits and the historical figures she investigates, and, admittedly, that slows down the plot a little.  Maybe that is why they aren't as popular?  I like all the extra historical trivia, but I am a 60 year old humanities buff.  It does make this book good supplementary reading if you are a homeschooler and are studying Newton.  (432 p. 2025)

Murder at Farrington Hall by Ann Sutton

 Lady Dorothea Dorchester is a fashion plate and trend setter in 1920's London. When she and her equally stylish sister are invited to attend a house party at the home of an old family friend, they are only too happy to accept. When they arrive, however, they find some of their old friends have changed for the worse. Some are drinking and others have large gambling debts.  Then someone is murdered.  When the police come, Lady Dorothea volunteers to help work with the chief inspector to find the villain.  But who could it be?  The staff are ruled out so the only suspects are all Dorothea's friends.  Could one of her friends really be a killer?

I picked up this book to read on my flight from Utah to Virginia to visit my daughter.  It was the perfect vacation read. The plot is interesting and the author does a good job giving each of the house party guests motives and incriminating evidence.  The author also pulls in fun details about the time period and setting. The pre-depression 1920's clung to the old class distinctions,  but the war had opened the door to more social equity and acceptance. It was a time of decadence and indulgence, and Lady Dorothea straddles the old and new age nicely. (2020, 170 p) 

P.S. fun story

I happened on this book while I was working at my Friends of the Library Used Book Sale.  We had thousands of books that we were setting out for the sale. One of the Friends volunteers picked it up and said, "Look, a copy of my book!"  I had no idea she was an author. I went to see, and it looked like the kind of book I would like, so I bought it for $.50 and had Ann sign it for me.  

Spy School Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs

In this fifth of the Spy School series, Ben gets called on his first solo mission.  This time he is going into White House and try to thwart plans to assassinate the president. His cover is that he is supposed to be friends with the President's son, but soon finds that the First Son is a bit of a jerk. Undeterred, he continues to look for clues and patterns, trying to figure our who the assassin is.  When the attempt is made, Ben finds himself the primary suspect. With help from Erika, and ultimately from the whole Spy School gang, he discovers that the plot is much more complex and dangerous than anyone had thought. 

 Here is another Spy School novel.  It really is the same as all the rest, but they are all fun.  I guess they are a little like the old Hardy Boys; formulaic, but with enough action, humor, and appealing characters, that they are fun anyway (plus, they have a great graphic designer do their covers!). There are eight total in the series and I will probably eventually read them all. (352 p, 2017)

The Heart's Charge by Karen Witemeyer

As two of the famous Hanger Horseman, Mark Wallace and Jonah Brooks thought they could face anything, until they happen upon a crazed woman who was about to give birth. Delivering babies was not in their cavalry training. They rise to the challenge, then deliver the baby to a nearby foundling home and the mother into the gentle hands of the "church ladies."  The director of the foundling home just happens to be a woman that Mark had been engaged to years before.  Katherine Palmer had escaped the censure of her family after refusing Mark's proposal, and  found her calling caring for unwanted children.  She and Eliza Southerland planned to live their lives together, two single women running a group home, but then rumors begin flying around that someone is snatching children. They don't know how they can keep their children safe while tracking down the bad guys. Suddenly, having two trained warriors around doesn't sound like such a bad idea, and Mark and Jonah are more than happy to volunteer.   

I had gotten burned out on the historical romance genre and I enjoyed my foray back into intermediate fiction and biography.  This, week, however, I was in the mood for Karen Witemeyer. She is overtly Christian, and her character relational drama isn't based on the character's stupid decisions, but on overcoming outside forces that would keep the couples apart. The stories are a bit over the top, with desperados, corrupt politicians, and women hiding pistols in their garters, but they are entertaining, and I don't ever feel like I need to brush and floss my brain after reading them to get out the negativity and bad words. I wouldn't be happy just reading this genre, but I like having it as an option when I am in the mood for something uplifting and squeaky clean. (2021, 384 p.)

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller

 Freya Lockwood has been estranged from her mentor/father figure, Arthur Crockleford, since a disastrous incident in Cairo Egypt 20 years earlier. Now in her 40's, Freya is drawn back into a world of complex emotions when she finds out that Arthur has been murdered, but left clues for her and her flamboyant aunt Carol to find his murderer.  Their search leads the two women into the world of the illegal antiquities market and they must use all their wit and charm to expose the villains without becoming victims themselves. 

Here is a new flavor of cozy mystery.  There are the cooking mysteries, and the knitting club mysteries, and now antique hunter mysteries.  It is the author's first novel, and there were a few writing elements that were a little amateurish.  Still, the plot is well constructed, with a lot of interesting suspects and clues.  I ended up enjoying it and will probably at some point read the sequel.  I personally am not really into antiques, and if someone was, they would especially enjoy this novel.  The author is the daughter of a host of one of these famous antique shows on TV, and really seems to know her stuff. (2024 304p.)

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D, Vance

 J.D Vance was raised by grandparents who were Kentucky hillbillies.  His mother moved in and out of relationships with a variety of men, and suffered from alcohol and drug addiction, so Vance relied on the stability provided by his grandmother and grandfather to get him through his teenage years, and provide the motivation and support to go to college. This memoir that launched Vance's political career looks at both the failings and the resilaincy of the working class white culture from the south, plagued with unemployment, teenage pregnancy, and drug addiction. He posits that those who make it out of the destructive cycle are those who have people in their life that keep them in line and point--or even shove-- them toward a better life. 

This book was incredibly popular when it came out in 2016.  It was published before Vance became a senator, or a the Vice President.  It shows a segment of American culture that I have not personally had much experience with.  It was interesting to me to see a portrayal of how the working poor live. Vance doesn't shy away from the messiness of their lives.  He resists showing them as merely the victims of oppression and openly admits that many of their social challenges are the result of their own poor choices.  Some critics of the book claim that Vance is, himself, guilty of stereotyping in the book, but be that as it may, I still found the book interesting and enlightening.  The reader should beware that the book is full of harsh language and behavioral elements, but I believe they are authentic and it would have been impossible to tell an accurate story without them.  (2016, 272 p)