Review: Death at La Fenice

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ah, Venice. City of canals. City of murder. But Commissario Brunetti will get his man in the end.

I like stand-up, moral guys who do the right thing, and Brunetti is the Italian version of my favorite lawman, Walt Longmire. Lawful good is my jam, folks. He solves the crime despite his superiors, red herrings, and roadblocks. I was way off on my assumptions, and I liked the resolution. Well plotted and I enjoyed the details.

New series for me. I like Commissario Brunetti and will definitely continue solving crimes with him.

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Review: Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels. I love Poirot. I love trains. I love books where I think I have figured out the mystery and I am wrong, wrong again, and then wrong a third time. This book is great.

First of all, we have the esteemed Hercule Poirot, so you know it will be good.  Second, the entire mystery is set on a train, adding to the intrigue.  Train travel is awesome.  And third, like all of Agatha Christie's novels, you can't guess the culprit, but once she lays it out in the end, you can't help but nod your head in agreement.  She really was the master of mystery.  I love her.  4 1/2 stars and a wink for Poirot, because he is awesome.


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Review: The Peril and the Prince

The Peril and the Prince by Barbara Cartland
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Dame Barbara veers off of her typical path and adds some spy intrigue to her game. You go, girl!

Now, since it's my old friend Barbara you still get the heroine with the stilted, ridiculous speech and fluttering eyelids. The woman can't write any other way. And the love interest is bossy and overbearing, but makes our heroine's virgin heart go pitter-pat regardless. We get the exotic settings of castles and trains in Hungary and Russia, and some undercover spy work that will never be confused with James Bond, but is still fun.

Barbara cranked them out and I keep reading them. I have no one to blame but myself. 2 1/2 stars.

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Review: Frankenstein: Or The Modern Prometheus

Frankenstein: Or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to love it, but I just liked it. Maybe it was the audio, but I think it would be three stars either way.

I'm sure you know the basic story, because duh, it's a classic. Victor Frankenstein cobbles together a creature from body parts, and brings it to life with what I assume was electricity (the book was a bit vague here, so use your imagination). The monster just wants to be loved and accepted, like everyone. But he isn't, and he is fueled by anger and seeks revenge on Victor. The story winds from Geneva to the Arctic Circle, and runs the gamut of emotions. I personally think Victor brought all of this on himself, and made so many ridiculous missteps that he reaped what he sowed.

A classic everyone should read at some point. Three stars.

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Review: Slay-Ride

Slay-Ride by Dick Francis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Classic Dick Francis. This time we travel to Norway. I'm cold just reading this book.

We get a great Francis "everyman" in David Cleveland. Jockey Club investigator and all-around smart, nice guy. He gets in danger (as you would expect), barely escapes with his life (naturally) and saves the day.

Plus, this book is as old as I am, and it is still a fun read. One of my favorite authors of all time.

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Review: Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was a lot like the movie, at least what I remember. It was a long time ago.

Con man stories are fun, and it is outrageous to me what he was able to get away with at such a young age. Airline pilot, doctor, lawyer. It's ridiculous. But a couple of things really struck me. First of all, there was an utter lack of remorse. He's smug and proud of what he accomplished. A complete sociopath. He said he felt bad in a few places, but I don't believe him. And the ending was abrupt. It just ended on one of his escapades. I would have rather heard about his punishment through his eyes. It was a strange choice to me.

Overall it was entertaining. Three stars.



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The Storyteller

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm a little bit wrecked right now. Excuse me while I gather my emotions to write this review...

Ahem. Yes, this book is wonderful. You bounce between the past and the present. We get to see the awful events of the Holocaust through two different sides, and we learn about them both with Sage as she struggles with acceptance and forgiveness. Forgiveness for herself, and for the past of others. And along the way is a beautiful fairy tale, an allegory of love and guilt, that ties the entire book up with a bow.

This book was great. I'm a big Jodi Picoult fan, and this one did not disappoint. At all.



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Love in the Highlands

02 Love in the Highlands by Barbara Cartland

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


More eye-rolling nonsense from Dame Barbara, this time with a battle royale between a Prince and a Marquis. Oh, calamity! Suspend your disbelief for a moment and imagine a plot where Queen Victoria (the Queen with a capital "Q") sets up a marriage with English lady and a Balkan Prince. And Lady Lavina thinks this is ridiculous, so she sets up a fake relationship with a Marquis. Hilarity ensures, because Dame Barbara is the master at contrivance and fake relationships that turn real.

And they all lived happily ever after, except the Prince, because he was a bad person who really needed a bath. The end.



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The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A beautifully written, heartbreaking piece of historical fiction. Set in World War II France during the Nazi occupation, we follow the lives of two sisters who both deal with the war in very different ways. Young, impulsive Isabelle rushes headlong into the Resistance, while her older sister Vianne is just trying to keep her daughter alive until her husband returns from the Front.

This book will leave you emotionally shredded, for sure. So much sadness and senseless death. War is never an easy read and especially when it involves the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII, but Hannah does a wonderful job weaving the lives and stories together in a way that might just leave you curled up in a ball crying. It's that good. Do yourself a favor and read it while you are alone so you can absorb yourself in the storyline and then take a little time to decompress. I suggest having something light-hearted on hand to immediately read as a tonic afterwards.



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Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet [New Folger edition] by William Shakespeare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I haven't read this since high school. I remember enjoying it, but found I enjoyed it a bit more this time. The first blush of young infatuation. Love at first sight. Family feuds. And death. The play that spawned a thousand movies and has set an unrealistic, strangely morbid bar for teens everywhere. I would blame Leonardo DiCaprio but I know this obsession was there long before our pal Leo caused millions of ladies to swoon. The family conflicts are so outdated in this day and age, but the insanity of pubescent hormones are alive and well even now. Read it, debate it, perform it--it's a classic for a reason.



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A Natural History of Dragons (Memoir by Lady Trent #1)

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I don't know what I was expecting with this book. I had a hard time getting into the writing style, then fell in love with her modern ideas in a victorian setting. I do think I expected more dragons. But I did enjoy her adventures and I rather think I would feel as out of time as she did had I lived in that age. Overall an enjoyable read, but I don't know that I will continue the series.



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All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


World War II. Occupied France. Two young lives in different places, both impacted by the conflict. They come together in this unique, well-written work of historical fiction. The writing is both beautiful and sad. My heart broke into a million pieces several times while reading.

I fell in love with Marie Laure, her father, and Entienne. Marie Laure was an unusual heroine who filled me with hope. And I felt sympathy for Werner, who grew up fighting for the Nazis. In war, there are no winners, only survivors. Marie Laure and Werner both found a way to survive despite the world around them.

Read it. You just might, like me, find yourself leaving a piece of your heart in Saint Malo.



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The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land

The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land by Ferenc Máté

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ah, Tuscany! I love you so. I have armchair traveled there many times, and will visit in person someday.

I loved reading about how one couple relocated to a small village in Tuscany and learned to live among the locals. I read with jealousy how they simplified their lives and settled into the slower routine. I would love to be able to do something similar someday. Whenever I read about Tuscany, something pulls at my soul. Having no Italian blood in my heritage, I find it odd, so it must be my soul was there in a previous iteration of life. Hunting truffles, gathering the grape harvest, sharing food and drink with friends. Tending my garden and reading books. This sounds like the perfect life. Obviously the author has a different financial and family situation than I do, so I will patiently save up for a trip while he jet-sets around the globe. Jealous. Good for you, sir, good for you.



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The Name of the Rose

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It took me a while to get into the story, but in the end I enjoyed it.

You might find yourself bogged down with Eco's need to show you how much he knows about monks, religious rites, and history. Descriptions are everywhere--you practically drown in them. But wade through it all and you will find Brother William, a Medieval-era Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Adso. William notices details that others overlook. He comes to the monastery as they have just discovered a suicide. Several deaths follow as William and Adso work together to figure out what is happening. The monks are quite naughty, and the mystery is solid.

It wasn't a quick read due to the tremendous amount of details Eco adds, but it is a good book. Now off to watch the movie!



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The Diary of a Young Girl

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I can't believe I had never read this before. Heartbreaking to read about what happened to all of them after their discovery and capture.

I was surprised by this book. I expected more thoughts around being discovered, but in a way it is nice to see that she really was a young girl with hopes for the future. She was annoyed by her perfect older sister and her mom drove her crazy. It could apply to any girl at any time period.

I would be absolutely stir-crazy in the Annex. It's a miracle they didn't get caught sooner. Bad food, no food, no entertainment, strict schedules. You couldn't use the bathroom when you wanted.
I realize those in the concentration camps had it much worse, and it seems Anne did, too. For a young girl, she didn't complain too terribly much about being stuck there. She knew she was fortunate in a lot of ways.

I thought it was interesting to see how she matured during their time in the Annex. Deep down inside, she was just a regular teenaged girl, the same world-over. She really could have been a talented writer. What a shame.




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The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to be honest. I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading it. I assumed it was about a dollhouse and that was about all I knew.

Petronella is a young bride, starting her life with her new husband, his sister, and their servants in Amsterdam. Her husband gives her a dollhouse--a replica of their home--and tells her to fill it. She contracts a miniaturist to makes pieces for the cabinet, and unasked-for pieces soon arrive, showing a glimpse into their private lives that no one else should know. Who is the miniaturist? How do they know the intimate details of the Brandt home? Petronella works to understand the miniaturist while adapting to an entirely new life with her family.

I found myself intrigued with the story, the mystery around the miniatures, and the lifestyle and culture in Amsterdam in the late 1600s. The ending left some things unsaid, and I would have liked to have known more about Nella's fate, but overall it was an enjoyable read.



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Valkyrie Rising (Valkyrie #1)

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Elsa, Warrior Princess, finds herself in Norway. Who doesn't love a Norse mythology book? Apparently me.

You are looking at an average teen drama. Romance, eye-rolling dialogue, angst and self-doubt. Elsa is spending the summer with her kick-ass grandmother in Norway. Conveniently, her crush is tagging along by way of her big brother. Can you feel the tension? I know I could. When she arrives she begins to discover the power within her. Elsa is a Valkyrie, and a pretty powerful one, just like her grandmother. When the town is in trouble, she and her grandmother team up to save the world. Lots of potential here to tell an interesting story but it got lost in the teen angst. A pity, because I saw glimpses of a good story along the way. But Ellie's character was too whiny and meek for me, and her transformation fell flat. Loki and her grandmother were interesting, but the rest just missed the mark.

In the end, it was just ok. 2 stars.



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13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope #1)

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fun, if unrealistic, adventure. Non-existent parents and teens running around the globe. What's not to like? Ginny's aunt sends her on a globetrotting quest across Europe. A coming of age book that will make people like my daughter want to run off and have adventures. Hell, it makes me want to run away to Europe too.

It's a cute book--I didn't hate it. If I find the next one cheap or free I will read it too.



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The Danger

The Danger by Dick Francis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dick Francis stays true to form in The Danger.

Andrew Douglas is a kidnap and ransom expert. He's called to Italy to assist with a missing young jockey and quickly finds himself embroiled in a web of interconnected cases which take him back to the UK and ending in the US.

This one is what you expect from a Francis novel: crime, romance, and horse racing. A solid read.



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Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I first read this book when I was growing up, and it was part of what sparked a life-long wanderlust in me. Imagine dashing around the world, speeding through countries on all modes of transport: trains, boats, elephants, and even a sled. Meeting people from different cultures, seeing others' traditions, and all the while taking on daring feats of heroism. That's what this book is for me. I listened to it on audiobook this time around, and Jim Dale is the very best choice for any English setting. If you didn't fall in love with his narration from the Harry Potter books, you are missing out. He adds an extra layer of special to this book.

In case you haven't read it, eccentric English millionaire Phileas Fogg takes a bet with his fellow chaps at London's Reform Club that he (or really anyone with the time and means) can travel around the world in 80 days.
Oh, you silly Reform Club members with nothing better to do than play Whist and make exorbitant bets with each other. Your life must be very different from mine. Fogg wagers 20,000 pounds that he will return by 8:45pm on Saturday, December 21, 1872. Fogg runs home, grabs his newly hired manservant Passeportout, and rushes off on his quest. Unbeknownst to them, a bank robber matching Fogg's description has robbed the Bank of England, and Detective Fix thinks he has his man in Fogg. He follows them on the trip around the world, deceiving both Passeportout and Fogg and causing delays along the way while he awaits his arrest warrant on British soil.

While racing across India, Passeportout and Fogg save a widowed princess names Mrs. Aouda from a ritual sacrifice and she joins them on the rest of their journey. Spoiler alert! They fall in love as they travel, and are married by the end. This part is the best, and part of my deep, abiding love for this book. Yes, I'm a sap. Obstacles abound, and both manmade and natural delays happen to take them off of their timetable. You will be on the edge of your seat as the party moves across the globe on a race against the clock. It's so good! I especially love the final chapter--such a satisfying ending.

Two things to keep in mind: This book was first published in 1873, and a lot has changed in nearly 150 years. Verne's portrayal of other cultures was quite normal for the time period. As with any classic literature, you need to set aside how society functions now while reading. It's an interesting glimpse into how things have changed, and a great reminder that travel is one of the best ways to expand your mind and thinking. The more you are exposed to people and new cultures, the more you realize how very similar we are at our cores, and learn to celebrate our differences. Travel, explore, learn. Expand your horizons and your perspective. Also, never, ever watch this movie. It is terrible, and a travesty to one of my favorite books.



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