The Protégé - Charlotte Armstrong

Last up from my Christmas stash is this little gem. I'm somewhat sad to be out of gothics, but all good things come to an end. And honestly, I need my TBR pile to get smaller. It's a goal of mine for this year.

Mrs. Moffat is approached at church one Sunday by a grown up Simon Warren. He's the young man who used to live next door, and he seems to be going through something. The older woman is feeling a little lonely, and she wants to help the young man. Unfortunately, the young man has more secrets than she expects.

This book was a little different than the usual gothic. It wasn't a brooding man in a tower, and it wasn't a romance needing a bit of help. It was a couple of souls that were lost. One ended up finding family, and the other didn't. I really liked the change, and I was happy to see this book is actually available in Kindle form.

If you're looking for the spooky, ghostly gothic book, this one isn't going to scratch that particular itch. If you're into something a little different, maybe something that approaches the genre more from a tense, what's really going on here? kind of mystery, this might be worth checking out. I enjoyed it for sure. Good Book!

Berserk #14 - Kentaro Miura (and thoughts up to this point)

I vowed I would finish this up today, and I kept my word!

Casca's memories are restored, but she's not ready to be close to Guts. It's heartbreaking for me. After everything I've gone through! Does no one care how I feel?!

Griffith is still spreading his Griffithness all over the place and making his kingdom larger.

Okay, so it's clear this was not meant to be the end. I know the author passed away before he was able to finish it, and his friends debated whether or not to continue the story with their knowledge of the author's intentions. From what I'm seeing, they're pushing forward, carefully stepping only where they know the author wanted the story to go.

Theoretically, I'd be all for keeping my tomes the same, but this is going to be an exception. These deluxe volumes are really nice, but so far there's only two of the newer volumes and only one in English. The deluxe versions I currently have include three volumes, so it would be quite some time before a deluxe would exist, and I am just not willing to wait around that long.

The things that really stood out to me with this manga are the characters. Guts especially. He started out with nothing and no one. He really gathered quite the little family around him as time went by. And I was rooting for Casca for so long, I thought I would end up throwing one of these tomes across the room. Another thing that really struck me was the art. Some of the full page panels I would just sit and stare at and wonder how long it took to create. I'd see little fine details that had to take forever to draw in, and I'm sure I missed a lot more.

There was also a lot of gore and moments I probably blushed over, but they didn't bother me. Some of the monsters were really creative, and I actually liked the character design of a couple of the monsters. I also won't claim I understood all the panels, especially during fights.

This manga has been a really interesting ride. I didn't like where it ended, and I appreciate what I read about the friends of the author trying to stay true to the intended story. I've ordered volume 42, the newest and first episode of the new guard. I really want to know what happens next. Great Manga!

Berserk #13 - Kentaro Miura

Finally! I waited so long to get this volume! I decided to be patient and put off getting it in November, because I was going to use my Christmas money to purchase it. Then, horror of horrors, it was out of stock (because my Christmas money is an Amazon gift card). I was finally able to get my grubby little hands on it Tuesday night and spent yesterday reading it. 

We have two storylines going on simultaneously. Guts and crew finally make it to Elfhelm, and Rickert finally makes it to Falconia where he confronts Griffith. 

Casca begins her journey to regaining her memories.

I think this is one of my favorite ones. It wasn't nonstop fighting, but it has a lot of character development. It has some flashbacks, especially while they're gathering Casca's memories, but I liked the art style and the way the characters were interacting with each other. Especially the guys. The whole thing just worked for me.

While I was wallowing in my misery of not having volume 13, I snatched up volume 14 for a good price. We're in the middle of healing Casca's mind, and I'm definitely making volume 14 a priority. Good Book!

A Holiday for Murder - Agatha Christie

My daughter picked up this paperback while thrifting and let me borrow it. Unfortunately, I didn't know she hadn't read it yet, so I might have let out a spoiler or two after I'd finished. Oh well.

Simeon Lee has gathered around his entire family to mend wounds and have a lovely Christmas. Actually, he's brought them together to tell them they're all useless, and he hates them. He isn't a pleasant person, so when he's murdered, no one seems really upset. It's more the manner in which he's murdered that sets everyone on edge. That scream!

I saw Hercule Poirot's Christmas starring David Suchet, so I remembered some of the details, but I didn't remember the ending, so it was still a mystery for me. As usual, the writing is engaging, and the story is top notch. If you've never read an Agatha Christie and you like mysteries, this is a great one to start with. It has very little to do with Christmas, so I wouldn't even say you should wait for the holidays to read it. It might even be depressing to read it around that time. Good Book!

Patrol - Philip MacDonald

I was interested to read this after watching the movie Sahara. That movie was inspired by this book, so I wanted to see how closely it stuck to the source material.

The lieutenant is dead. He kept putting off telling the rest of the patrol know where they were going and what they were supposed to be doing, and now they're adrift in an ocean of sand. The sergeant has to get them to safety and come up with a plan to regroup with friendlies. The problem is, there are Arabs out there, and they're picking off the soldiers one by one.

This book was intense. You can't help but get wrapped up in the hopelessness of the situation. At first, you're wondering how they can get out of the situation. As the book goes on, you start to wonder if anyone will make it away from there alive.

I don't recommend this book if you need something uplifting to read. This isn't one of those inspirational books with a happy ending. It has the kind of ending that I expected, and I appreciated the reality it presented. I think if you're ready to be faced with this kind of book, I highly recommend it. Good Book!

(And the movie barely took any inspiration from this book.)

The Third Spectre - Dan Ross

Another one of my epic Christmas gothic novels. This one had me excited. The summary on the back was really intriguing. "WELCOME TO TERROR..."

Nancy's husband, Ralph, has exonerated a woman accused of murder. Jean is a beautiful woman who told Nancy she was in love with Ralph, and now Nancy has to deal with Jean living in the same house. And since Jean's being a caregiver to her hateful mother-in-law, Nancy has a double beam of hate headed her way. When a ghost starts popping up, and Nancy starts becoming the target of a poisoner, it's clear that someone wants her dead.

When I think about old school gothics, this is the kind of thing I'm talking about. You know what's going on. I even had an idea in my head what was happening. I felt so smug and smart. Well, guess what? I was wrong. And I love that! This book was short, sweet, and even though Ralph was super irritating with his rose color glasses, and they killed Rex, I'm giving this one a Good Book! review.

I still don't think it was necessary to kill the dog...

Misty of Chincoteague - Marguerite Henry

You'd think for someone who loves horses as much as I do, I'd have read this book, but as far as I know, I'd never read this before. When I saw it in a bookstore, I decided to put it on my list and keep an eye on the price. Once the price dropped, I snatched it up.

On the island of Assateague, wild ponies have sought refuge after the Spanish galleon they were sailing on wrecked. Now, they are wild, and once a year, men journey to Assateague to keep the herds to a manageable number by swimming some of them over to Chincoteague and sell them. This year, Paul and Maureen Beebe have determined to claim Phantom and Misty for their own.

I really liked this book, but it did make me sad at times. When they would talk about taking the colts away from their mothers, yes, I was sad. I'm a sucker for stuff like that. Also, the end was a bit emotional.

I knew the swimming of the horses was based on a true story. I've always wanted to see that, honestly. What I didn't know was that the Beebes were real people, and Misty herself was real as well. There were a few liberties taken here and there, but this book had a lot more truth in it than I realized. By far, my favorite thing was the drawings. They are so cute, and I could look at them all day long.

I'm a bit ashamed I haven't read this before, but I've remedied it now. The book is short, and with all the pictures, it didn't take long to read. I recommend it to anyone who loves horses and a good story! Good Book!