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)

The Third Wife of Faraday House by B.R. Meyers

 Emeline's guardians are hoping to find a suitable match for her from among the social elite.  Emeline, however, is in love with handsome Lieutenant Fletcher.  She dreams of the day when he will return from his tour of duty and sweep her off her feet. When he does return, things don't go as planned, and she finds herself in terrible scandal.  To escape getting shipped off to a nunnery, she accepts an offer to marry a reclusive widowed sea captain on a creepy island in Halifax. When she arrives, she discovered that his current wife, (wife #2) though very ill, has not actually died yet.  The mansion on the island is full of dark secrets and it is hard to tell friend from foe.  Emeline decides her best hope is to try to keep the sick wife alive long enough for her beloved Lieutenant to come and save her, but to do that she needs to uncover the dark secrets of Faraday House.

This is a very gothic historical mystery. I must admit is was almost too scary for me. I had to stop and take a break from it a couple of times while I was listening to it.  I had to keep telling myself that it was likely to turn out alright in the end. The characters are well written and the author does a great job of giving clues without giving away the solution.  One interesting element is that through most of the book the reader doesn't know if something supernatural is going on or if it is a trick someone is playing on Emeline. It is also unclear until nearly the end if this character or that character is the bad guy. For those who like gothic novels, it is a pretty good choice. (2024, 352 p.)

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

 April has been in the foster care system for years, but in her heart she knows she is not an orphan.  Her mother dropped her off with the promise that she would return, and a key shaped necklace as a token of the promise. April is surprised to find the same emblem from her necklace in a new museum display about the tragic Winterborne family. Her efforts to find out more about the emblem leads to a fire, and then to her being becoming a ward of the Winterborne family.  Four other children at the Winterborne mansion as well, and so they discover that all of them have ties to the ancient ill-fated family.  As they join together to try to find answers it becomes clear that there are some secrets that don't want to be discovered.

I enjoyed that Stuart Gibbs book so much I jumped right into another middle grade mystery. It did not disappoint.  The children each have distinct but likable personalities, despite their tragic histories.  The setting is appropriately gothic, and there is just the right amount of action and peril. I was impressed that I didn't know who were the good guys and the bad guys for sure until pretty near the end.  Of course, the children are smart, and end up outwitting the bad guy. but the story ends with some questions unanswered, urging the reader to check out the second book in the series. (336 p. 2020)

Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs

 Ben Ripley is getting called into action again, but this time officially.  A Chinese billionaire, whom CIA suspects is a mega criminal,  is bringing his teenage daughter to Vail Colorado to learn to ski. Ben has been asked to befriend her and try to figure out her father's evil plot. Erika is coming too, as are some other of Ben's schoolmates.  It's going to be a cool ski vacation, right?  It starts out that way.  Ben quickly makes friends with Jessica Shang, but a mission is never as easy as it seems. It isn't long before the kids are in deep snow with bullets whizzing around their heads. 

I was ready for a lighthearted middle-grade and this fit the bill. The plot for each of the books in this series is basically the same, but the characters are fun and there are exciting and/or funny action sequences. The narrator is also good, doing different voices for all the characters.  I really like Stuart Gibbs in general and this series in particular so I put the next in the series on hold as soon as I was finished with this one.  There is a 12 month wait, so I guess I am not the only one who likes them. (2016, 368)

Great Courses: Epigenetics by Dr. Charlotte Mykura

Epigenetics are a complex set up chemicals that surround a gene and tell it when to express itself or go dormant. In this 12-part lecture series, Dr Mykura explores the science and controversy of epigenetics study. She discusses how epigenetics applies to the formation of a fetus, how it responds to external and internal environment.  She explains the importance of the gut biome and how epigenetics play out in autoimmune diseases.  She ends the series by tackling the question as to whether epigenetic states can be passed from parent to child. 

Dr. Mykura presents this fairly technical topic with the charisma and energy of a TED talker. She is fond of enthusiastic hyperbole, like "This is the most amazing process in the history of human biology". This makes her lectures very engaging despite the density of scientific terminology.  Throughout the lectures I kept reminding myself, that, of course, things like exercise, stress, and diet change our body's makeup.  I just had never thought about how that worked before, and now I feel like I have a better sense of what that process looks like. I enjoyed her creative metaphors to describe difficult concepts, like how a methylated chromosome looks like a tangled ball of string.  My favorite fact from the series is that, since a woman's eggs are formed while she is a fetus in her mother's womb, parts of us have been around much longer than we think. That means part of me was first formed in 1935!  (6 hours, 2023)

Facing the Enemy by Paige Edwards

 Elise Henderson is both a Scottish aristocrat, and an elite MI6 operative--or at least she was until she was severely injured in a crash that killed her partner.  Now her only goal is to get her body back into shape so she can return to active duty. Harry Benson is also a MI6 operative, who was a college sweetheart with Elise. After they broke up, he rebounded and married a girl who was meek, and sweet, and unfaithful.  Now they are divorced, and Harry has the custody of his seven-year-old son Sammy. Fate brings Elise and Harry back into contact when Harry is assigned to investigate a smuggling ring in Scotland, and he asks Elise if she can take care of Sammy just until he can find a daycare provider. Forces combine to pull Elise into Harry's investigation, and Sammy into Elise's heart. With those kind of forces at work, how long can Harry and Elise stubbornly stay apart?

From the cover of the book I was expecting this to be a historical mystery romance, and even through the first chapter that is what I thought it was. Then suddenly Harry is using a cell phone. It was a little bit of a whiplash. Still, I ended up liking the book alright. Elise is a charming character with both toughness and a hidden feminine side. Harry is the dashing "James Bond" character whose bravado is hiding a broken heart. Even Sammy is a fun character, at times brave and at other times authentically distractable. I will have to try more from this author. (2022 288 p.)

Lady Emma's Campaign by Jennifer Moore

 Like many a girl in history, Emma has a crush on her big brother's friend.  Sidney has known Emma his whole life, and she is like a sister to him.  He doesn't give her much thought when he goes away to fight in a war with Spain.  Emma, however, can't stop thinking about Sidney. All though she is the bell of her first and second London season, she turns down one offer after another, pining after her own Captain Sydney Fletcher. Then one day her brother receives the terrible news that he has been captured by the French. Whe he boards his merchant vessel to sail to Cadiz to try to negotiate his release, Emma stows away on board. Once in Cadiz she naively marches into the enemy prison and demands Sydney's release.  Bad decision.  Soon she, Sydney and others are running for their lives in the midst of a pitched battle.  Can pampered little naive Emma survive the 50 mile hike to safety?  More importantly, will Sydney ever see that Emma is no longer a child, but a woman who loves him.

I have read several books by Jennifer Moore that I have liked, particularly, The Slow March of Light. I didn't like this one as well as that, but it was fine.  Emma really does start out as a wining pampered teenager, but Moore does a good job showing how her difficulties and experiences open her eyes to the world and help her mature. I also liked the fact that Emma found that one of the best things she could offer her band was emotional support.  In so many modern books, the woman have awesome battle skills, or amazing mental abilities.  It was nice to read a book where the main super power the heroine has is kindness. (2014, 2024 p.)

Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

 Hannah Swenson has just baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes when she finds the body of the town's irascible police sheriff in a dumpster. Much to Hannah's surprise, her brother-in-law, who had been running against Sheriff Grant in the election, is seen as one of the prime suspects.  Hannah is on the case trying to clear Bill's name in support of her sister who is expecting.  It doesn't take long for Hannah to find plenty of people who may have wanted Sheriff Grant dead, but which one did it?  Hannah's wonderful baking smooths the path into the community's confidence much more effectively than the police investigation. As she gets closer to the truth, the danger gets closer to her. 

After reading the previous two titles, I was ready for an intensity break.  I haven't read a baking themed cozy mystery in a while.  Even though they are all alike, and I don't even end up trying any of the recipes, this book was just the right thing for this week. It is just entertaining enough to distract me from my stressors, but not so intense as to add to them. I was a tiny bit put off by Hannah's hypocrisy. At one point she is all mad at her policeman boyfriend for flirting with the new secretary, but that very day she ends up kissing both him and her dentist love/friend interest
.  She doesn't even register the moral disconnect.  I guess that is the wish fulfillment part of the story. (2011, 320 p.)

Murderbot books 2 and 3 by Martha Wells

 Artificial Condition: Murderbot has left the crew of his last mission to discover more about his past.  He boards an unmanned shuttle, but discovers that its onboard computer is more sentient than average.  The two of them team up to discover what really happened on the day Murderbot went crazy and killed a whole colony. (2018, 160 p)

Rogue Protocol: Having discovered the truth about his worst malfunction, Murderbot doesn't really know what to do with himself. Then he sees a news feed about Dr. Menseh who is trying to prove that the mega-corporation GrayCris is crooked. Murderbot.  He meets up with some idealistic scientists whose research was stolen and hires on as their security guard to get passage onto planet terraforming station where he thinks he can get evidence against GrayCris. Of course, the megacorporation does not want their secrets revealed and sends will stop at nothing to stop the group. (2018, 160 p)

I think these books are starting to be a guilty pleasure.  I am not sure what makes them appealing to a 60 year old woman.  I know I am not their target audience.  I like the insecurity mixed with confidence of the Murderbot, and his willingness to help people, even at his own peril.  Reader should beware that there is some rough language in the book, and violence, so these aren't for kids. Still, I will probably read more of them. 

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

 Amy is a personal body guard for the rich and famous.  She loves danger and excitement. Her father-in-law, Steve, is a widowed ex-London detective, and is enjoying the quiet life in a small village, surrounded by friends and a cat called Trouble. When Amy becomes the target of a ruthless international money launderer, the only one she can trust to help her is Steve.  He gets pulled out of his armchair, and into a high stakes multi-national chase to find the killers before they find Amy. 

This is a new series by the author of the Thursday Murder Club.  It had some of the same elements of that series; unlikely vigilantes, senior citizens going out of their comfort zones, high action, and a well crafted mystery. I think a lot of people will enjoy it but I didn't think it had the interest and heart of the Thursday Murder Club. There are poignant moments and touching relationships in this book, but not like the wonderful ones you find in the earlier series.  It is very possible that I like the Thursday Murder Club better because I am in the senior citizen demographic and that younger people would like this one better. (400 p. 2024)
 

Nora and the Sacred Stones by Laura Hatch Rupper

 Nora and her broth brother are desperate to find help for their little sister who has been crippled from birth.  Nora has a special skill with stone magic, so they decide to break into the palace and use one of the sacred stones there to brew a cure. Their plan doesn't go well, and soon they are hiding from the royal guard. Prince Kyn is determined to find the intruder, but not just to prove himself to his father, the king.  He believes there may be more to Nora than even she knows, and he doesn't want her amazing power fall into the hand of their enemy. Nora knows she should run from Prince Kyn but the ancient stones seems to be telling her to run to him instead.

This is an entertaining little book, almost a novella, for middle grade readers.  The plot is fairly simple, but Rupper manages to create interesting and sympathetic characters.  I was surprised that it ended so soon.  It really felt more like the first half of a book instead of a whole book.  I looked online to see if there was a second in the series, but there doesn't appear to be.  If there had been I would have been willing to read it. This author usually writes historical fiction/clean romance.  It makes me wonder if this was a bedtime story she made up for her kids and then decided to put into print. (114 p. 2021)

Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright

 N.T. Wright is a bishop in the Episcopal Church in England and a foremost contemporary Christian theologian.  In this book he makes a case for the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and sees it as the foundation for Christian hope.  He also asserts that the common Christian idea that after this life we can look forward to returning to be with God and living with him in Heaven, is incorrect.  Instead, he claims, in the end times Christ will return to Earth, bringing with him his kingdom, the Earth will be renewed, and become the dwelling place of the faithful.  He concludes that this knowledge of the resurrection and the renewal of the Earth is the basis on which we can place our hopes and focus our Christian service. It is the job of Christians to help with this renewal by following our own Christian vocation and reflecting God's image in righteousness and love. 

I checked out this book because one of the religious podcasters I listen to recommended it. It was interesting and different from anything I have listened to before.  Of course, I have listened to hundreds of hours of lectures on Christian theology, but they have mostly been by people of my same religion. It was interesting to see many of the same topics explored extensively by someone from a different Christian sect. I thought a lot of what he said was insightful and thought provoking.  He has come to some of the same theological conclusions that my religion holds which is validating. The way that he is different from speakers I have heard in my religion is that is openly criticizes other ministers in his faith because they fail to understand and teach about the resurrection that way that he sees it. I had never thought about it before, but the leaders of my church never openly criticize other church leaders, nor do they often criticize the beliefs of other sects.  They might point out how they are different than our beliefs but they do it in a very respectful way.  N.T. Wright's criticisms were mostly couched in polite language, but there was often an edge of derision underneath the words.  He is clearly brilliant, and has thought a lot about the topic and believes he is right, but he is not very humble about it. I am glad I listened to the book, and I gained new understanding from it, but I don't know if I will recommend it to many people. (2018, 352 p)

Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

 Jake's father is the head of a nature preserve for dragons.  There are only a few hundred true dragons left on the earth, and they all live in one of three preserves.  Though the rangers of the preserve know dragons live there, they are illusive and rarely seen.  On the day that Jake is to have his first solo overnight excursing in the preserve, he happens upon a dying female dragons who has just given birth to babies. Only one baby has survived, and Jake impulsively decides to try to save it.  Thus begins a long journey in which Jake learns about parenthood, love, and the the circle of life. 

I checked this out because I am a big fan of Robin McKinley.  She usually writes high fantasy, but this one is different. I was really impressed with how authentically she captured a 15 year old teenage voice in the character of Jake. The book is written to sound like his own journal/memoir, and his language is delightfully colloquial and at places a little snarky. McKinley shows how sacrificing for the dragonling creates an unbreakable bond between Jake and his dragon, and between him and all dragons.  In some ways the book has a strong environmental theme.  I am sure Jane Goodall felt about her chimpanzees many of the same things McKinley has Jake feel for the dragons. On the other hand, it has a "wish fulfillment" appeal for anyone who ever wanted to make friends with a real dragon. I really enjoyed the book.  It was one of my favorites in a long time, but it did ramble a little.  I think it would have been a better book if she had edited out about 1/4 of it. Still, I think a lot of people, both teens and adults, would enjoy it. (2007, 275 p.)

Heir to Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

By now many clean romance readers know the story of Marianne Davenport's and Sir Philip of Edenbrooke's awkward yet charming courtship, but in this book the reader gets a glimpse into what was going on in Philip's head coming up to the faithful night when both Miss Davenport and he had carriage crashes on the road outside Edenbrooke. This short novelette answers the questions of why Sir Philip was initially so rude to Marianne, and why he was so much more interested in Marianne than in her more polished twin, Cecily.  

I checked out this little novelette because I was going on a short road trip and I always like to have a text based book to read when I travel.  It turned out to be just the right length and emotional weight for the trip.  It had been a while since I read Edenbrooke and I couldn't quite remember that plot, but I still enjoyed this little prequel. Granted, Donaldson does not quite write as convincing male voice as she does a female, but it was still a fun read.  (46 p. 2015) 

P.S. I think this is only available through Kindle.

The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

 In the late 1800's, Amalie is one of a growing group of women trying to support themselves independently. She works for her aunt who owns a matchmaking service and romance advice newspaper. She has a crush on a wealthy aristocrat, Harold Radcliffe, and is surprised to find he is one of her aunt's clients. While overseeing a meeting with Radcliffe and a possible match, Amalie bumps into a police investigator, Michael Baker, who is observing Radcliffe for quite a different reason.  He suspects Radcliffe of murdering his first wife. Amalie and Inspector Baker team up to probe Radcliffe's past, but for different reasons. As they learn more about his past, their startling discovers put them in increasingly greater peril.

This is the first in the series that I accidently skipped over when I read To Capture His Heart. It was actually a little bit fun to read them in this order, because Ms Allen does a good job of foreshadowing elements of Book 2 in this book. Both books have similar plots--the modern female surprises the rugged detective with her wit and willingness to dive into a gruesome murder mystery case.  One thing I like about these books is that the romance between the main characters progresses without major stupid misunderstandings by either party. Yes, they have to overcome reluctance to enter into a serious relationship, but they don't add to the difficulties by being dumb.  I will almost assuredly read more in the series and I have added Ms Allen to my coveted Clean Romance Writer's lists. (336 p. 2021)

Great Courses: A Historian Goes to the Movies by Greg Aldrete

 In this 6-hour Great Courses series, a professor of Roman history critiques some of the most famous "Sword and Toga" movies ever made.  He discusses their history, success, and impact, and also critiques how closely they adhered to actual historical facts. Some of the movies he critiques are Ben Hur, Spartacus, Gladiator, Cleopatra (with Liz Taylor) and even The Life of Brian.  

I had read so many similar books in a row, I was in the mood for something different.  I wanted a nonfiction, but nothing too heavy and this series fit the bill.  Dr. Aldrete not only is a professor of Roman History, but must also be a movie buff.  He had certainly done his research on each of the movies he talked about.  I found his lectures fun and interesting.  I kept sharing factoids I learned with my family and friends.  I especially liked the lecture about Liz Taylor's Cleopatra movie.  It is amazing what lengths the movie makers went to to produce it. Movies are still really expensive to make, but with the advent of CGI I don't think they will ever use the lavish sets and casts of thousands they did back then.  (2020, 12 lectures)

Murder at Everham Hall by Benedict Brown

 Marius Quin has spent all the money from his first successful novel and is now being pressured by his publisher and his creditors to submit another.  Unfortunately he is suffering from writer's block.  Then, right before Christmas, his childhood sweetheart, Lady Isabelle Montague,  walks back into his life and invites him to a New Year's Eve party at the lavish home of a famous movie actor. He can't believe his luck, until he finds their host lying on the floor with three bullets in his head. Because of a heavy snowfall, the local police are not able to come to the mansion, so the other guests recruit Marius and Bella to try to solve the murder.  They soon discover that almost all the guests at the party had a motive to kill the eccentric and out-of-control actor. As they start to interview the suspects, Marius learns one thing for sure, he wants to have Bella in his life again.  There is only one thing in his way, her boyfriend, who is one of the prime suspects.

Some of the reviews for this book compared it to the mysteries of Agatha Christie.  The setting was similar to some of Christie's novels, but it didn't have the charm or insight into human nature that makes Christie novels such classics. That being said, it wasn't a bad mystery.  The author threw out plenty of red herrings and misdirection so that the solution isn't clear until the end.  He did wimp out a bit by making the actual culprit confess everything at the end instead of having the investigators show a air-tight case. The setting of the book is interesting, and the author adds a note at the end stating the house in the book was based on an actual building. The author is also really interested in England in the late 1920's and includes a bunch of interesting details.  Unlike the previous book I reviewed, the focus of this book is more on the mystery and less on the romance.  It is the first in a series and I presume the relationship between the two main characters will grow as the series progresses. (278 p. 2023)

To Capture His Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

 Eva Caldwell is an independent photographer in late 1800's London.  She sometimes works with the local police in photographing crime scenes.  Nathan Winston works as a detective, and has long admired the spunky photographer.  When Nathan's mother invites him to a matchmaking house party, Nathan asks Eva to come an play the role of his love interest to keep the other women at the party at bay.  As their charade begins to feel real, their flirtations are hampered when a criminal from Nathan's past begins to threaten the party guests. Will this new threat bring them together, or pull them apart?

It wasn't long after I started this book that I realized it was the second in a series.  In the end, it didn't matter that much. Although there are allusions to the other story, this one stands on its own just fine. Nancy Campbell does a good job of creating appealing characters and settings.  The mystery elements of the story are pretty good, but the focus of the story is the growing closeness between the two main characters.  I liked that fact that the main obstacle in their relationship was the worry about the stalking criminal, and not stupid behavior like the couple not communicating with each other.  I wouldn't say this is the best book I have read this year, but I liked it enough I went ahead and put the first book on hold. (2022, 248 p)

For Elise by Sarah M. Eden

 Since Miles and Elise were childhood friends, life has taken them in very different directions.  Miles unexpectedly inherited a distant uncle's title and fortune.  Elise mysteriously disappeared and ended up poor widow of a young soldier from a working class family.  When Miles stumbles across Elise and her daughter Anne after ten years of separation, he can hardly believe the transformation.  She dresses and even talks like a commoner. That does not stop him from wanting to take care of her and help her regain her rightful place in society. She resists his attempts to aid and protect her, showing open distrust and animosity toward him.  What happened in the past to make her so fearful of him, and how can he ever convince her to trust him again?

I think Sarah Eden is one of the best LDS historical romance writers.  Even though this is one of her earlier books, it has complex characters with complicated relationships. Eden doesn't shy away from some difficult situations, but keeps the narrative clean. I did find one aspect of the story a little unrealistic.  Eden has Miles and Elise fall into the habit of holding each other's hands and physically comforting each other with hugs and snuggles like they did as children, even though they are now in their 20's.  They do this for several weeks in the story without Miles realizing that it could seem inappropriate, and without it stirring romantic feelings between them.  I don't think any man in his twenties could touch a woman he cared about that much without some sexual arousal. The book was obviously written by a woman rather than a man, and if Ms Eden had asked her husband he probably could have pointed out the problem. (2008, 236 p)

The Childbury Lady's Choir by Jennifer Ryan

 In Chilbury England the men have gone off the war, and the vicar has canceled the church choir practices.  You obviously can't have a choir without a bass and tenor section, right?  Don't tell that to Primrose Trent.  She takes charge and organizes the women of Chilbury into a choir that becomes the heart of their community, and a second family for its members.  It is a family with secrets and challenges--a widow who is sending her son off to war, a debutant who is out of her depth in a relationship, a teenage girl with a hopeless crush, and an unethical midwife whose dark deeds are catching up with her. Their challenges bring them together, and their music brings their whole community together. 

After reading The Kitchen Front, I put this earlier book by the same author on hold.  It is in format, premise and flavor very much like the later book, but that was alright with me.  Ryan has a way of drawing believable characters who seem hopelessly flawed in the beginning of the book, but as the book progresses become more relatable and human. She also shows how the women heal by getting to know each other and offering each other a bit of grace. This is really wonderful stuff, a bit sentimental, but positive and heartwarming messages.  This recording is done with a full cast, which I enjoyed. I will be recommending this and The Kitchen Front a lot. (2017, 384 p.)

Think Again by Adam Grant

Adam Grant here discusses at length the virtues of not getting stuck in a particular train of thought or course in life. Different chapters talk about questioning your long-held beliefs, teaching children to think critically, and avoiding confirmation bias.  He also talks about applying these principles to organizations and relationships with others. Much like his other books, he recounts interesting true stories to illustrate each of his chapters.

I found this book interesting, and particularly applicable to my life right now as I am anticipating a career change.  That being said, it seemed like he didn't have very many different concepts.  He basically said the same thing in different ways for 7 hours.  I also thought his main premise wasn't that remarkable.  To me it was like, "of course, you should try to reexamine your assumptions and think critically." 
 Factfulness by Hans Rosling covered a lot of the same ideas, but was more impactful.  I didn't dislike the Think Again, but I certainly wouldn't say it was life-changing. (2021, 320 p)

Stitches and Witches by Nancy Warren

 In this second in the Vampire Knitting Club series, Lucy is having tea in the shop next to her, that is owned by two spinster sisters that are long time family friends, when a man suddenly dies of poisoning. Lucy is pulled into the investigation when police find a piece of incriminating evidence in her purse. What's more, the two owners of the shop are having a monumental disagreement about one of the sister's old flames that has returned to town. Was the man who died the real target of the poisoning, or did the inept waitress deliver the poisoned tea to the wrong gentleman.  Could Lucy's neighbor been trying to kill her sister's beau?  Lucy recruits the vampire knitting clubs to use their connections and skills to try to find out.

This book was a bit of candy after the heavy dinner of the Kitchen Front.  It isn't very long, and the characters and mysteries are pretty well written.  Lucy is attracted to one of the vampires, and a police constable, but is is a slow burn and not the main theme of the book. Still, it adds a little bit of fun.  I am sure I will be reading more of the series. (2018, 252 p)

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

Four women's lives lie in tatters two years after the start of WWII.  One is a mother with three boys whose husband has been killed in the war.  A second is a woman with a cruel and abusive husband. The third is an unwed mother working in a food factory, and the last is a kitchen maid who grew up in an orphanage. All four women learn of a cooking competition, the winner of which will become a radio cooking show cohost.  All see winning the competition as the ticket out of their predicaments, and all see the other competitors as the enemy...at first.  Then life throws them together, things happen, and they begin to see that they are much stronger as friends than enemies. 

This book is the total embodiment of the term "heartwarming." The four women each struggle, and are not always very nice to each other.  There are no Pollyannas here, but when push comes to shove, compassion wins out over grief and greed. Near the end, the author does get a little sentimental, but by that point in the story, that is exactly what the reader wants. From a bigger view, each woman represents a different kind of toll that war takes on women. The author also shows how the trials of war made women redefine their traditional roles and gain more independence. This is a good choice for readers who liked The Opera Sisters  or the WWII books of Roseanna White. Also a good choice for those who liked Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame because of the interesting war-time cooking facts and techniques. (2022, 432 p)

The Bungelow Mystery by Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew is traveling by boat with a friend, Helen, to visit a friend in a resort town across the lake from her home when she gets caught in a storm. Her boat is about to sink when they are saved by another young woman, Laura.  Nancy finds out that Laura, who is 17, is a recent orphan and is in town to meet her new guardians, but her guardians don't seem to be the caring family friends she was expecting.  At the same time Nancy's father is investigating some stocks and bonds missing from the local bank.  Could Laura's new guardians be mixed up in the bank crime?  Nancy is determined to find out.

How long has it been since you read a Nancy Drew?  I didn't read a lot as a child, and I had only read the first two as an adult, maybe 20 years ago.  There is something comforting and charming in their simplicity and predictability.  The recording I listened to has cheesy background music between chapters, and melodramatic musical inserts at tense moments in the plot.  It almost made me laugh out loud. The book was first written in 1930, and it is interesting how many times I thought to myself that the biggest difference between now and then is the advent of cellphones and instant communication. (192 p, 1930)

Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers, Bill Myers

 Crown Princess Delia knows she must marry strategically to secure the future of her planet, but at 18 she still dreams of finding true love. In a moment of panic before her princely suitors arrive, Delia takes a spaceship to get away from it all.  She is surprised to find a young man, Aiden, the body guard of one of the visiting princes, also hiding out in the spaceship. Their attempt to get away fails, but it sparks an unexpected friendship.  Soon they are sneaking away and having adventures with pirates and traitors with each experience drawing them closer together.  Aiden becomes increasingly protective of the princess, especially when he suspects a plot to overthrow the kingdom. Can the two young lovers save the kingdom, and their hearts against unimaginable odds?

This is a swashbuckling sci-fi retelling of Cinderella with a little Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel mixed in.  The target audience is teens, and there is a lot of hormones and teen wish fulfillment going on here. The plot is interesting, with an unexpected twist, but the world building/magic system is weak.  Whenever the author gets into a plot bind, she just invents a miraculous technological save from a mysterious long-gone scientist. That being said, I enjoyed the book and I think those
who like Cinder by Merissa Meyer, and The Selection series by Kiera Cass would like it, too. Aiden is a charming mix of suave and insecure, and Delia is both an awesome maiden warrior and a teen who is being manipulated by her mother. I read this because I liked A Dreadful Splendor by the same author, and I just put her other book, The Third Wife of Faraday House on hold. (2020, 304 p)

Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

 Ben didn't mean to blow up the principal's office, but on the first day of Fall semester, he manages to do just that. He is abruptly expelled and has to face going back to his old middle school.  He isn't there long before he is approached by a SPYDER agent who wants to recruit him to their own spy school. He doesn't want to become a criminal, but what if, somehow, the CIA arranged his expulsion just so he could go undercover and discover SPYDER's next evil plot? Does Ben have what it takes to become a double agent?

Stuart Gibbs is so clever.  I really have enjoyed everything of his that I have read.  The plots are intelligent and he has a really good balance between humor and adventure. Ben's two SPYDER school class mates are interesting and multi-dimensional characters. The reader, like Ben, doesn't know whether they are supposed to like them. It is also fun to see Ben on his own, without Erica there to back him up all the time. He flounders and struggles, not knowing what is going on, until suddenly he does. (2016, 352 p.)

A Dreadful Splendor by B. R. Myers

 Genny Timmons' mother was a spiritualist who taught her to use seances to relieve attendants of both their grieving hearts and their valuables. Since her mother's death, Genny has struggled to save enough so she can leave London and make a new start, one that doesn't include theft, outside of London.  Her last "job" goes awry and she finds herself facing a hangman's noose. She is recued by the solicitor of a wealthy gentleman who is mourning the untimely death of his bride. Genny agrees to go to the gentleman's estate, but there she finds that not everything is as it seams. Was the bride really murdered? Is the handsome Lord Pemberton looking for solace, justice or revenge? Most importantly, will Genny be able to find the murderers before they find her?

This is a Victorian mystery/romance from an author I haven't tried before.  It turned out to be delightfully gothic, with a well crafted plot and complex and interesting characters. It reminded me a bit of the books by Michelle Griep.  Myers scatters enough clues that the ending is believable, but throws out enough red herrings that it isn't obvious.  I won't had Ms Myers to my "clean romance writer's" list yet, but I definitely want to try something else by her.  (2022, 416 p)

Another Shot by Brooke St. James

 Rae and her mother-in-law, Laura, are grieving the death of Laura's husband and two sons in a terrible accident. To compound issues, Laura find's out that her husband's business was not as solvent as she had thought, and he has to leave her home and return to New York to live with relatives. Rae is very close to her mother-in-law and begs to go with her. When the two women arrive in New York, they are welcomed by a big boisterous Italian family who get them set up in an apartment, and even find Rae a job. Her new boss is a cousin of her mother-in-law, and seems unusually attentive to Rae. Rae begins to feel attracted to him, but at the same time has to deal with feelings of guilt toward Laura and her first husband. 

This is a short novella by an author I haven't tried before.  As you can probably tell from the intro, it is a straight up retelling of the Ruth and Naomi story.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.  It is simple, and sweet without a lot of drama. Everyone is nice to each other and no one really gets angry at anyone.  I know that in stories there is supposed to be a major conflict the main character works through, but I wasn't at all in the mood for angst. This salve-to-my-
soul book was just the right thing this week, and I probably try other books by St. James in the future. (140 p. 2015)

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

 Michael Rosario doesn't understand why the adults around him aren't preparing for the Y2K crisis that is looming in a couple of months. He is secretly stockpiling canned food, filched from the local grocery store, under his bed. His mother works three jobs, and he has a crush on his 16 year old babysitter, Gibby.  One day a strange teen-age boy shows up on the bench outside of his apartment building. Ridge is wearing strange clothing, and seems fascinated by pretty normal every-day things, like a microwave, or a CD player. Michael and Gibby discover he has traveled from the future, and he is both excited to learn about the 1990's and terrified about what his presence in the past will do to his world in the future. Ridge had a book with the general outline of events during the next ten years, and Michael is desperate to read it and discover if Y2K is going to be as bad as he fears. Can he betray his new friend and risk the future of the world to allay his own anxieties?

This is the Newbery book for this year.  It is a well deserved award, and I think a lot of people, both kids and adults would enjoy reading this book.  There is a lot in here about family and the importance of relationships.  There is also a major theme about how to calm anxieties about the future. Kelly conveys the idea that, although bad things happen, in the end we will get through them, without monologuing or feeling preachy.  Michael and Gibby are authentic and sympathetic characters, and even Ridge comes across as a normal kid in a complicated situation. The overall tone of the book is hopeful--a message kids really need right now. (272, 2024)

A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer

 Laurel Millard is looking for a way to keep her commitment to take care of her mother without giving up her dream for marriage and family. Brenden Rochester is looking for a beautiful young woman who will be a docile wife. Willie Sharp is looking for a way to earn enough money to send his father to a rehabilitation center to get over the effects of his stroke. They all end up working at the Cotton Exposition in post bellum Atlanta GA.  At first Rochester and and Laurel look for the answer to their quests in each other, but as Laurel gets to know Rochester she sees glimpses of his racial prejudice and general disregard for the feelings of others.  Willie Sharp, on the other hand, is as morally straight as they come, but also as poor as a church mouse. Is taking care of her mother so important that it is worth selling her soul?

This book is as overwrought and melodramatic as it sounds, but that isn't its main problem. It is the narrator.  I know I have complained about her before, but I keep forgetting.  Note to self, don't listen to anything narrated by Pilar Witherspoon ever again. Her habit of ending each sentence with a rising inflection, as if it were a question instead of a statement, drives me crazy. Plus her cadences are off. She often sounds like she is ending a sentence and then tacks on another word or two, as if she had come to a line in the text and failed to look ahead to the next line. I need to add her name to may list of authors to avoid.  I am doing it right now.....Ok, done.  Now I feel better. 

Then why, you may ask, did you listen to all 12 hours of it?  Good question.  I was desperate for something clean and wholesome which the story is.  I was even looking for something with a strong Christian vibe, which it has. If you are reading (instead of listening) I can recommend the book. (2019, 352 p)

Seekers of the Fox by Kevin Sands

 In this second installment of the "Thieves of Shadow" series Callan is the only one that sees the Chaos magic growing within his friend, Lachlan.  He knows that if he doesn't heal his friend, the Chaos will eventually take over and cheerful, child like Lachlan will turn into something much darker and more powerful. The only way he knows to help his friend is to seek the Dragon's Teeth, another magical artifact.  With the help of his new team, Callan goes to the depths, literally, to unravel a millennium-old secret and face their most powerful opponents yet.

I enjoyed the first in this series so much I put the next on hold right away.  This one was also a fun read.  I can tell the writer had a great time imagining the different exotic settings. As in the first book, the magic system is a little weak,  and the reader can't help but ask themself if five kids could really solve a mystery that had been unsolvable for 1000 years in just two days?  The warm comradery between the main characters makes up for the other shortcomings and I will look forward to reading more in the series. (416 p. 2023)

The Spare by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 This is a tell-all autobiography of the second son of King Charles and Lady Diana.  It follows Harry's life from the time that his mother was killed in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi until the time of his grandmother's death in 2022.  He speaks candidly about his struggles in school, his rivalry with William, and the constant harassment he and later Meghan received from the press. 

This book was hugely popular when it came out two years ago.  I am not usually interested in celebrity biographies, but when I found it available on Libby, and because it was so popular, I decided to give it a try.  It is read by Prince Harry himself, and is very interesting.  It made me look at the royal family in a totally different way.  It does come off a little whiny, but I appreciated that it seems the whole book is written to defend his wife.  The first part tells how Harry sunk gradually into depression and anxiety because of his mother's death and into PTS after his service in Afghanistan. Then it shows how Meghan's love and strength pulled him out of his emotional pit and sets him on the track to become a responsible husband and father. The book makes me wonder how long England will keep the monarchy.  They do a lot of good through their different charities, but it is also really expensive to support the royal family. It is also a lot to ask of a family to endure such public scrutiny and media intrusion. I don't know how any family could have healthy relationships under that kind of pressure. (416, p. 2023)

The Thief of Blackfriars Lane My Michelle Griep

 Constable Jackson Forge is so excited to start his first day as an officer on the streets of London.  On his way to work bumps into a young woman, Kit, who tricks him into handing over so cash to help a young street urchin. Later they find that they have a common interest in finding a cabby that has gone missing.  As the cop and the con start working together, their mutual attraction is undeniable.  Soon they find that the mystery they are seeking to solve runs deep into the underside and the upper-crust of London, and both sides don't want them to find out the truth.

I have read several books by Griep and I enjoy her Dickensian twist on the period romance. These are not the ladies in mansions, but the lower classes trudging through sewers.  Of course, Griep manages to fit in a ballroom scene with a beautiful dress, but can we blame her? If you have a beautiful heroine, you have to figure out how to get her into a lovey dress as some point. The characters are fun and the descriptions of the shadier side of Victorian England are interesting.  I am sure I will be revisiting Griep again in the future. (2021, 320 p.)

Children of the Fox by Kevin Sands

 Callan was trained by a master con man. Then one day his master disappeared and ever since he had been planning and carrying out his own little gaffs, trying to save enough money to give him a hope of a respectable life. One day he receives an invitation he can't resist--pull off one job, and be paid more money than he had ever imagined.  He recognizes it for what it is, a trick, but he still can't resist looking into it. His benefactor teams him up with other young teens and tasks them to steel a magical item from the head magician himself. Little do they know that by succeeding they might lose everything.

I put this book on hold after reading the last Blackthorn Key book. I was not disappointed.  This is an exciting and intriguing story with interesting characters. The setting and the magic system are a little fuzzy but I don't think most readers will be too disturbed by that. You can tell that the author is well established, because the book ends on a cliffhanger. They never let new authors do that, but here it works. I put the second book on hold right away, and it is already waiting in my cue. (416 p. 2021)

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

The SecUnit likes the small team of scientists it has been tasked with protecting as they investigate the possible assets of an uninhabited planet. The SecUnit, which calls itself, MurderBot, has secretly disabled its management program, and has downloads hours of action sitcoms to review while in stasis between its daily patrols and other responsibilities. It doesn't feel comfortable around the humans and always keeps its visor down around them.  Then one day something goes wrong. There is an attack on a base, and the team begins to wonder if there is more to it than the undocumented large fauna which injured one of the crewmen.  It is up to MurderBot to keep its unit safe as they investigate the unknown.

I can't remember who recommended this book to me but I really enjoyed it. The MurderBot has an interesting personality, both interaction-averse and highly protective of the scientists. It is querky in a kind of Asperger's way that is endearing. There is some language, but the book is otherwise clean for a YA SciFi. It is also really short and I think it would be a good choice for a teen reluctant reader. I enjoyed it enough I put the second on hold right away. (2017, 160 p)

P.S. As I was looking up the page count and publication date, I discovered it won a boatload of awards the year it came out. 

The Call of the Wraith by Kevin Sands

 In this forth book in the Blackthorn Key series, Christopher Rowe wakes up in a peasant's shed not knowing who he is or how he got there. The kind farmer tells him the was washed ashore after a shipwreck. As he starts to search for clues about his identity, he meets Tom and Sally, but even though they recognize him, he doesn't recognize them. They team up to try to figure out what happened, but also to solve a mystery.  Children in the village have been disappearing, and locals blame it on a ghost called the White Lady. As they investigate Christopher's past and the mystery of the missing children, Christopher's memories slowly return. 

When I was looking for what to read next, I found this book. I felt like I had read it before, but I didn't have it on my blog.  I started to listen to it, and realized I had listened to it before. It had been long enough that I didn't really remember the plot and I enjoyed listening to it again. I have really enjoyed all of the Blackthorn Key series. The characters are well drawn and the plots are clever.  I don't know how authentic the setting is, but the author does address a real middle-ages issue with each book.  This book deals with the problem of the Barbary Pirates.  I read book 3 in 2018, and I don't know why I waited so long to continue the series, but it won't be as long before I read the next book. (2018, 512 p)

Great Courses: Identity in the Age of Ancestral DNA by Anita Foeman

 Many people base a lot of their personal identity on their race and family narrative. What happens, then, if you take a DNA Ancestry test and discover that your race or family narrative is not what you thought it was? This is the guiding question of this 12-part Great Courses Lecture Series.  The presenter has spent 18 years doing research on this topic.  She finds volunteers that are interested in doing a DNA test, interviews them, and then gives them the test. When the results come back she interviews them again. She spends the beginning of the lectures talking about different ways people can deal with the results emotionally.  Then she does a couple of lectures talking about ethical issues surrounds DNA results, especially related to medical issues that might arise. Finally she talks philosophically about the different elements of personal identity and their importance in our lives.  

Sometimes when I finish a book and don't know what to listen to next, but I don't want to spend a lot of time selecting a new book, I just look at what Great Courses are available.  I don't know why I chose this one this week. It didn't turn out to be what I expected. I thought they would go into more of the science of how ancestral DNA tests determine where someone's ancestors are from, but this course dealt with that only tangentially. Instead it mostly dealt with how people feel when they get unexpected results.  It was a little amazing to me that the lecturer could find enough to fill six hours of lectures on this topic. After listening to it, though, I realized that because I am from a religion that encourages members to know their genealogy, I know much more about my ancestry than the common American. When I did an Ancestry DNA test it was no surprise at all that 97% of my ancestors came from the British Isles. Listening to these lectures opened my eyes to the plight of mixed racial people who might not know if their great grandparents were white, African, middle eastern, or American indigenous. I guess it could be a little disorienting if you have always identified as African American and then your Ancestry DNA test shows that you are only 1/4 African, 1/2 Asian and 1/4 white.  Do you then stop seeing yourself as African American and instead start identifying as Asian?  Or what if you do the test and find out that your parents used a sperm donor, and you have a dozen people who are your biological half siblings? It ended up being an interesting topic, though one I probably won't have occasion to apply to my personal life. (6 hrs, 2022)

The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren

 Lucy Swift is still smarting from a nasty breakup with her toad of a boyfriend.  She is going to Oxford to visit her grandmother who owns a knitting shop in the historic part of town.  However, when she arrives she finds the shop boarded up.  Neighbors tell her that her grandmother had passed away three weeks before. Lucy is devastated, and then overwhelmed when she finds out that she has inherited the knitting shop. Things get even more complicated when Lucy starts meeting strange people with ageless looks and cold hands who turn out to be the local vampires.  Lucy learns that her Grandmother has become a vampire, too, and though undead, seems almost like she was in life.  It turns out that her Grandmother was murdered and Lucy's life is also at risk unless she can discover who the murder is and what he was after. 

This book was recommended to me by one of my young adult patrons at the library.  It is relatively short and a very fun to read. Even though Lucy is 27, this book is appropriate for the 14-18 crowd and will appeal to teens who liked Twilight. This is more of a mystery than a romance, but there is a rather cute, single, police officer that keeps showing up at just the right time. The mystery elements are pretty good, though it wasn't super hard to guess the culprit.  Though the magic system is a bit fuzzy, there is a host of charming characters and a fair dose of humor. I just looked it up and it is the first in a series.  I just put the second on hold. (260 p. 2018)

Penny For Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber

In this third installment in the Verity Kent series, Verity and Sydney Kent are pulled into murder mystery when Verity's friend, Ada, is accused of killing her unaffectionate aristocratic husband. A few days later they are asked to investigate another murder, this time the sister of one of Verity's spy buddies. As Verity and Sydney follow clues they continue to work on their relationship and deal with the ghosts of their past. 

This is a pretty fun series. There is a lot of chemistry between Verity and Sydney and their on again/off again passion leads to good sexual tension. That being said, all their marital exploits are completely off screen. The mystery elements are well crafted, and the portrayal of the roaring twenties in post war Europe is interesting. I only wish they had a different reader narrating the book. I don't know why they chose her.  Her accent and character voices are ok, but she totally doesn't understand phrasing. Oh well.  I am more tolerant of bad readers than some people so I will probably end up listening to more in the series. (2019, 336p)

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland: A Full-Cast Radio Play

 Alice is bored reading outside with her sister. The warm sun lulls her to sleep but she is awakened by a white rabbit with a waistcoat and a pocket watch.  She follows the rabbit down the well, where she finds of world of strange and of

ten rather rude characters.  In her attempts to follow the White Rabbit, she ends up growing very large, and very small.  She attends an "unbirthday" tea potter with the Mad Hatter and March Hare. Finally she ends at the Queen of Heart's garden party where she nearly has her head chopped off. Unflappable Alice is not afraid, and simply tips over the Queen's Soldiers, who are, after all, just a deck of playing cards.

I listened to this in preparations for an Alice themed library event we will be having a week and a half from now.  It had been a while since I had read Alice in Wonderland, but it is still as frightening and "trippy" as I remembered. This time through, however, I recognized that there are also some very clever puns and witty satire going on.  It is one of those books that people think were written for children, but which were really for adults. The recording is pretty good, with all of quite a large cast doing their parts pretty well. (2018, 2 hrs)

And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran

 When Lusseyran was eight years old an accident left him blind.  As an active child in Paris, he didn't let his disability slow him down for long.  He recruited other boys to help him run and play and by the time he was 17 he was something of a leader among the young men. Then Germany invaded France, and Lusseyran knew he had to find some way to resist. He organized his friends and other young men in Paris to produce and deliver allied newsletters.  After many months of success, he was betrayed and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. There he experienced terrible conditions, and many of the young men from his group died, but in prison his disability was a blessing because it meant he wasn't sent out in the work groups.  Instead he worked as a translator and went through the camp encouraging others. 

One of my friends at work recommended this to me and I really enjoyed it.  It is the autobiography that was the inspiration for All The Light We Cannot See which I also enjoyed. Lusseyran's writing is very uplifting.  He describes how he continued to "see" the world by tuning into his other senses, and how it felt like all the world was filled with light, even when he couldn't see. His upbeat and positive attitude is an inspiration, as is his courage, not only during the war, but also as he grew up and lived an active life as a young teen. Also touching was he stories of the boys who befriended him and became very loyal to him. This is a great choice for those who like WWII history. (2014, 304p)