A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry

James Latterly is mourning the death of his wife and decides to spend Christmas in a remote area of Sicily.  There he connects with the proprietor and one of the visitors, a young 14 year old orphan girl who is under the care of an elderly uncle.  The other visitors are not so pleasant and it is soon apparent that there are serious personal issues behind the vainer of civility. All these concerns, however, are dwarfed by the increasingly ominous rumblings coming from a nearby volcano.  When one of the residents is found dead, Latterly realizes that it the volcano may or may not be the most dangerous thing on the island.

I am starting to consider myself an Anne Perry fan.  I have enjoyed the three books by her that I have read in the last few months.  This one has a pretty unconventional plot line.  I wonder if Ms Perry has written so many books, she is running out of ideas.  Still, she makes it work the same way she makes all her books work, with endearing characters put into thrilling circumstances.  I also liked that the developing relationship is a "father/daughter" kind instead of a romance. Anne Perry may just become another of my "I am having a super stressful week and need a fun book to listen to" authors. (157, 2015)

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

The main purpose of this book is to convince people to make judgement of the world based on facts rather than emotions. Rosling starts the book by asking ten questions about the state of humanity, and then explains that in almost every question, people tend to guess that the world is worse off than it actually is.  He then goes through and systematically explains each question, why people get it wrong, and why the correct answer shows that things really are getting better almost everywhere.

I found this book very interesting, enlightening, and engaging.  I am encouraged by his statistics about progress in quality of life, health care, and education (though in a few places, I think his interpretation of statistics is more "rosy" than the statistics themselves warrant).  Still, I have come to recognize, as he states, that people tend to dwell on the the negative, and since I first learned about this book earlier this year, it really has altered my world view. Not only does he give encouraging statistics, but he also coaches the reader to adopt a more "factfull" approach to analyzing new data. I think this is an important skill and I will likely recommend this book a lot both at work and to my friends and family. (342 p. 2018)

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Since her mother's death in a small plane crash, Olivia has lost interest in everything she used to love.  She no longer competes in the chess club or makes any effort to have friends. One day she gets in trouble by defending Coco, the new girl in school. She is expelled from school and escapes into a nearby forest on her bike.  There she sees a woman weeping and trying to throw an old book into the stream.  Olivia snatches the book away and takes it home.  As she reads it, an old story unfolds about a curse, and a powerful evil force.  Little does she know that the book's  "fictional" story will soon become her reality.

Here is a seriously creepy book, just right for Halloween thrills and chills.  My blog readers know that I tend compare scary children's books to Coraline, by Neal Gaiman, because that one, in my opinion, went over the line for acceptable creepiness. This one gets close to the line, doesn't quite cross it.  That said, it is not for the faint of heart.  The zombie scarecrows could haunt a sensitive child's nightmares but the scariness is balanced by the plucky nature of the heroine and her friends. For those kids who love spine tingling suspense, this is one of the best that have come along since The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle.  (2018, 218 p.)

The Noel Stranger by Richard Paul Evans

Maggie grew up in an abusive home, but married a handsome and influential man, and also runs a successful catering business. Her "happily ever after" comes crashing down when her husband is arrested for bigamy.  Publicly humiliated, Maggie withdraws until her best friend and employee urges her to get out and start living again.  She decides to start by buying a Christmas tree, and when she gets to the tree lot she meets its rugged and handsome owner, Andrew Hill.  They both fall into a whirlwind romance that takes them to Cabo San Lucas. They have three perfect days together, but then something happens to make Maggie doubt that Andrew is being completely honest with her.

This is my second Richard Paul Evans "Christmas romance" and probably my last.  Like The Mistletoe Promise, it is just too, too, too cliche.  Andrew is too perfect and their time in Cabo is too perfect and all their "sweet nothing" conversation is too perfect.  I know tons of readers love it because Evans is a really popular writer, but the barefaced "wish fulfillment" style is just not my thing. I actually find it a little offensive. It sets up unrealistic ideals that no man could ever live up to, and assumes that all a woman wants is a man with good looks who will spend lots of money on her.  I am probably taking this too seriously (heavy sigh).  It is what it is, and it isn't what I like. (330 p. 2018)

The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Thirty-five years old, Mma Ramotswe, has survived a bad marriage and her beloved father's death. Now she must find a way to support herself.  She takes her inheritance money and sets up a small detective agency on her hometown of Gabarone, Botswana.  It is a risky undertaking in a country where women are rarely professionals, but with her hard won wisdom and comfortable personality, she soon has a reputation as someone who "knows what's what."  Her clients range for poor grocers to wealthy business owners, and she hardly ever disappoints.

This is a book that was hugely popular when it came out in 2002 and now there are now more than 20 in the series.  I think the charm of the book is Smith's great characterizations, and the authenticity of the setting. As you read the book, you feel that you could walk into a town in Botswana and the people you would meet and the things you would see would be just as Smith describes.  Another appeal, I think, it that there is a strong feminist vibe going on in the book.  Mma is strong and confident, though not a beauty or a super woman.  More than one local man would love to marry her, but she is pretty convinced that men are the inferior sex, and she is better off without them.  I enjoyed the book and I might read another, or might not. (231 p. 2002)

The Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

This is technically #23 in the Hannah Swenson Mysteries series, but this one takes the reader back to the beginning before Hannah has even decided to start a cookie shop.  Hannah's father has died and Hannah has come back to help with the funeral.  Hannah's mother is in a deep depression, and to help her get out of it, her friends ask her to organize a city wide Christmas Ball complete with a Christmas Cake Parade.  Hannah is recruited to be the head baker in the endeavor, which ultimately convinces her to take the leap and buy the Cookie Jar. 

You may wonder, after my summary, where is titular murder?  I was wondering the same thing myself.  The first 3/4 of the book consists largely of accounts of Hannah, her mother, and sisters organizing the Christmas party and feeding their faces with a wide range of rich deserts (all recipes included).  The murder doesn't even happen til the last few chapters, and Hannah doesn't really do much to solve it.  I am wondering if Ms Fluke is just running out of ideas.  After 23 books, who could fault her?

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Elizabeth Sommers is an orphan who lives with an uncaring and lazy aunt and uncle.  She is totally surprised when they tell her she will be going to a posh resort called Winterhouse for Christmas while they go on a separate vacation.  At Winterhouse she soon finds a friend, Freddy, who shares her love for puzzles and word games.  She explores the resort's vast library and finds a book that is more than it seems.  Soon she and Freddy are caught up in a dangerous mystery that promised to shine a light on the past, but that puts everyone and everything at Winterhouse in peril.

This is a fun middle grade thriller to read at Christmas.  Elizabeth and Freddy are charming word nerds and young readers will enjoy the word games the two are forever playing.  The plot is a bit predictable, but the setting is a lot of fun.  This book has a satisfying ending, but is clearly the first in a series. The second came out in October and the last is scheduled to be released on December 31st. I am not sure if I will read more or not.  The summary of the second book sounds pretty much like the same plot as the first book.  The second one is also set over Christmas break, so maybe I will read it next December (2018, 400 p.)