Can you believe I am reading Chaucer when I don’t have to? My daughter and I were at the library looking at the classics section. She remarked, “I heard Chaucer is really good.” I don’t remember reading The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I didn’t even know he was a poet! One of the best […]
Roald Dahl is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. My daughter is a huge fan of Roald Dahl. She has several of his books, not the whole collection. I actually think some of his themes, especially the short stories for adults, are a little twisted. If you […]
I liked this Mary Russell book much more than the last one I read. Warning: Spoiler ahead. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie King has some deep thoughts on believing in God. Mary is a scholar of theology but did not believe in a miracle even when she saw it with her own eyes. […]
I borrowed another Mary Russell book from Kimberly, and it took me awhile to read it. O Jerusalem by Laurie King was intriguing, but it wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down. In fact, I put it down so many times that I couldn’t quite follow the plot. King depicts Sherlock Holmes and his partner […]
I wrote my first book review for RadiantLit.com Here is my review of the Christian fiction MisMatch, by Erynn Mangum. I don’t usually read Christian fiction. The last one I read was a Father Tim series in January, 2007. Since I get a free book in payment for writing a review for RadiantLit, I choose […]
Another Sherlock Holmes book not by Conan Doyle. This one is The Seven Percent Solution by Nicholas Meyer. Holmes’ cocaine addiction is so unpopular. This is the second book I’ve read that talks about Holmes quitting the habit. I agree that we don’t like the idea of our hero as a drug addict. The Seven […]
I did not like her other book, but this one was really good! Laurie King has a series of Sherlock Holmes books where King creates a new partner for Holmes. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is the first in the series. The other book I read earlier, The Game, made more sense now that I read this […]
Instead of reading my usual genre of mystery books, I read a different type of mystery. I am sorry to say, I don’t like it. Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook didn’t receive any awards nor on the Best Seller’s list. I can see why. I don’t like his style of writing, the characters are not […]
Warning: Spoiler ahead. This is the weirdest rendition of Sherlock Holmes I’ve read. I thought Holmes having a female partner and then marrying her was off the wall. In this book, Exit Sherlock Holmes by Robert Lee Hall, everything about Holmes’ mysterious background is explained. Where did he acquire his many skills as an actor, […]
What do you read after you’ve read all the tales of Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle? You can read Sherlock Holmes written by other authors. Unlike the Mary Russell series, the adventures of Holmes and Watson in Murder, My Dear Watson contains a series of short stories that stay true to the original character of […]
I picked up this book randomly at the library. I needed some encouragement and some perspective – as Ego says in Ratatouille The Joy of Failure by Wayne Root is light enjoyable reading. He tells lots of illustrative stories, emphasizes good values of putting God and family first, and gives encouragement to never give up. […]
I am rereading this book of short mysteries by the famous dame Agatha Christie. I’ve forgotten who the murderers were. They are never who you think they are. Hercule Poirot is still my favorite detective. I love the way he talks: “…I am sorry to hurry you, but I am keeping a taxi – in […]
Since I’ve read all the Agatha Christie books and am even rereading some of them, Rex Stout is probably my next choice of mystery writers. In And Four To Go, Nero Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin solves 4 murders. The last one – Murder in No Joke – is the best. The other three […]
The Game is the first book I’ve read by Laurie King. What drew me to this book was the crime fighting couple – Sherlock Holmes and his wife and partner Mary Russell. Yes, Sherlock Holmes is married! I guess Sherlock Holmes is a public domain figure now. Mary Russell is the first person narrator in […]
Thanks to EK, I read this Agatha Christie book without having to check it out from the library. I read it on www.Scribd.com. I’ve read 4.50 From Paddington a long time ago and didn’t remember the story. As I was rereading it this time, I knew what to look for and who the possible murder […]
The state of Maine has 10 million uninhabited acres of trees. Altogether, just 2% of the United States is classified as built up. I read that in A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. It was written in 1998 but I wouldn’t think the figures now are too far off. The book by Bryson […]
Written in 1923, The Dark Frigate by Charles B. Hawes chronicles the adventures of young Philip Marsham. Phil was taught by his father to love the sea, so rather than staying with his studies, he left the safe life behind and joined the crew on board the Rose of Devon. Phil’s journeys took him to […]
Another tragic tale about women that I should not have read. Sad novels put me in a depressed mood for a week. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is a story of two women in China who went through many trying circumstances, most of them merely for being born a woman. I […]
I don’t like facing reality. I read to escape from reality. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is a well-written book with an engaging story set in Afghanistan during the wars. But I couldn’t stand reading about the lives torn apart by atrocities of war, the sufferings of women in that culture, and the […]
Yes, I did! I read the ending of the book first! It was too exciting and I don’t like too many sad surprises. I had to know who dies and who doesn’t. But it didn’t spoil the story for me. I am not a huge Harry Potter fan although I do enjoy the books. I […]