At the Mercy of Tiberius - Augusta Evans Wilson

This book was chosen randomly from a list of older fiction.

Beryl caves in to her mother's wishes to approach the father that disowned them many years ago and ask for his help. Beryl's mother is sick, and $100 will get her an operation that could save her. When Beryl arrives at her grandfather's home, she has to hear a lot of nasty things about her father, but she comes away with the needed money and some jewels. She makes her way back to the train station but leaves again to lay some flowers at her grandmother's grave, which causes her to miss her train.

That causes a series of events that will see Beryl accused of murder. It becomes clear to her early on that the real culprit is actually her brother, but she'll die before she sees him accused of the crime. Lennox Dunbar was a lawyer for the grandfather and saw Beryl on that fateful night. He starts the crusade to see her answer for the crime but eventually, with the help of his fiancé, Leo, comes to see that Beryl is actually innocent.

I hated almost every character in this book. Beryl had a superiority complex while appearing humble at the same time. Lennox starts this weird fascination with Beryl and pats himself on the back because "he acts honorably" with regards to Leo. I guess because he never says anything (out loud, but it's so obvious Beryl picks up on it), but the minute Leo hands him the ring, he immediately goes to the jail and worms his way in to see Beryl. At the 60% mark, I started skimming hard. I would've put it down, but I wanted to find out if they were going to find Bertie and what happened to his face. Both Beryl and Lennox would go on these long, passionate rants that were repetitive and boring. It felt like those two were "paid by the word."

The one character I did like was Leo. This young woman (with an unfortunate name) is the most wonderful character in the book. She is a friend to Beryl and believes her to be innocent. She loves Lennox with her whole heart, and when she figures out he's infatuated with Beryl, she sets him free. Lennox, jerk that he is, keeps trying to "explain himself" and make it about him. He can't just let her initiate the breakup and retain her dignity, he wants her to "understand." Go suck an egg, Lennox.

The way Beryl gets vindicated from the crime is impossible, and the role her brother plays in the book is disappointing. None of it makes any sense, but putting that aside, I just really didn't like this one. Coming in at over 600 pages, it already had the potential to be a slog, but with Beryl and Lennox being verbose, annoying characters, I just wanted it to end. On to the next one and hoping I enjoy it more!

Q: The Biography of Desmond Llewelyn - Sandy Hernu

Who is your favorite James Bond actor? I grew up watching James Bond films, but I've always had a soft spot for Q. I read a brief blurb about him and wanted to read his biography. I had to wait for this to make its way here from across the sea, but once it got here, I was happy to read it.

Desmond had a sheltered childhood and early on decided he wanted to be an actor. He tried to do other things, but they just didn't work out. He spent practically the entirety of WWII as a POW in a few different camps. At one time, he was part of an elaborate escape plan, but he was caught and after that dedicated himself to acting and assisting others in their attempts. Side note: I didn't realize the camps had "Escape Committees" that would evaluate escape plans for their potential.

Much of the book, of course, is dedicated to his life as Q, the briefly-on-screen Gadgetman of 007. He speaks of the various Bonds he worked with and how he would struggle with the gadgets and the technical speak associated with them. His life became one of being Q, and other jobs would be out of reach because he'd become somewhat pigeon-holed into the one role. In the early years of Bond, this was more of a detriment, and his wife wasn't keen on Bond. Later on, she would accompany him to various openings and things until her health began to fail.

Desmond seems to be one of those people that sees the happy side of life. He speaks well of people and doesn't say much about tragedies and unpleasant times in his life. He briefly spoke of starving while in the POW camp, but then he focused on the acting he got to do. He also was affected by his wife's Alzheimer's, but overall, he seemed to be a glass half full kind of person.

The beginning of the book was a back and forth between the author and Desmond, which I enjoyed. Later it was all the author with quotes from Desmond. I missed the longer paragraphs from Desmond, but it was still easy to read. There are plenty of pictures in the book, and the end has a list of all the gadgets from the Bond films up to The World is Not Enough (1999). 

Desmond died in a car accident in 1999, shortly after this book was published. He was willing to do more Bond, which I was surprised to discover. The final time we see him, he has an assistant, R, and he tells 007 to always have an escape plan as he slowly descends out of sight. When asked if he'd be in James Bond #20, he'd replied, "Of course, just so long as EON want me and The Almighty doesn't." I guess we know Who wanted him more. Good Book!

The Cricket on the Hearth - Charles Dickens

One of our holiday family traditions is to sit around and watch Christmas movies. One of them is Cricket on the Hearth (1967). We watch in wonder as strange events occur on the screen. And this year, I decided to go straight to the source and find out what inspired this Christmas classic.

I think I'm going to review both of these, and I'll start with the book. John is on his way home when he picks up an old man on the side of the road. Things start to get a little strange from then on. His wife starts to act odd, and it all seems to revolve around the upcoming wedding of the local toy merchant. I don't want to say too much in case someone wants to read the story. You can find it for free on Gutenberg.org.

With regards to the movie, I'm at a loss to figure out how the people that made it got from the story to the movie. It's like they took some of the characters, threw out most of the main ones and changed the story to the point where I don't understand what happened. They also added a bunch of random weirdness that is a little hard to understand where it came from. For instance, there's a singing number at the docks about fish and chips, and there is a murder off screen of three shady characters. As much as we love to sing the theme song of this movie, we really don't understand it. It doesn't diminish our enjoyment of the show at all, but this was an interesting experiment to give it some context.

Both of these stories have their own sort of charm. The original material is a nice story even if it doesn't make a ton of sense at times. The movie takes any strangeness and multiplies it by a factor of 100, so I can't complain too much. I refuse to choose one over the other because the two are so different that I feel confident liking both. Good Book and Fun Movie!

King Spruce - Holman Day

The fun thing about picking a random book from a list of old fiction is that you never know what you're going to get. I certainly wasn't prepared for the tale of King Spruce.

The story starts when the school principal, Dwight Wade, approaches the local timber baron, nicknamed King Spruce, to ask if he could take some kids up in the forest so they could learn about forestry. The meeting doesn't go the way he hopes, and the lumber baron soon discovers that the principal is in love with his daughter. That will never do.

King Spruce goes on a campaign to smear the principal and soon drives him out of town. Dwight soon ends up in the forest working for a logging camp. He doesn't know much about it but soon proves himself. He meets many interesting people along the way, some friends and others not so much. Each will play a part in the forest and what happens to Dwight's future.

I didn't think I was going to like this book. I have zero interest in logging. To be honest, I don't even like being outside if it's too hot or too cold. But if you take away the detailed descriptions of the logging process, it was an interesting story. I was worried the entire book was going to revolve around Dwight and his love of Elva, but there was so much more to it. I would have to say this is the most interesting book about logging I've ever read.

While I feel the book dragged on a bit too long, it was still well written and the flow of the story was good. I don't think I ever would've chosen this book on purpose, but I'm glad I read it (even though I didn't understand any of the super detailed logging parts). Good Book!

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave - Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born sometime between 1817 and 1818 (by his own account) and died in 1895. He wrote this account in 1845, so this was before the Civil War. In this narrative, he describes his early life as a slave and how his mindset evolved to his decision to run away.

The way these people were treated was deplorable. I can't really say more than that. With each account, I just kept shaking my head in disgust. 

If you're looking for a detailed account of his escape, it isn't in here. He doesn't say anything about it because he doesn't want to alert masters how it could be done. Since this was written before the Civil War, and it makes sense to leave the details out. I was a bit surprised to read his thoughts on the Underground Railroad, though. He thought it was a bit too "out there" and too many people knew about it.

While reading this, I kept thinking back to the Holocaust. In both instances, I asked the question, "How can a group of people do those horrible things to other people?" And while I still don't understand it, I think it comes down being able to dehumanize people. I don't see slavery and the Holocaust as the same thing, but I see common elements if that makes sense. It just amazes me that so many people could look at a fellow human being and see nothing worthwhile there.

The part that got me the most was when he commented that he would rather be with a non-Christian master than a Christian one. The Appendix especially was jarring and well written. He knew more than the "religious" people around him when he stated we were "children of a common Father." For someone who was discouraged from learning to read and write, he did such an amazing job of expressing himself. 

I don't think "enjoy" is the right word for this book. It was an eye-opener, for sure. It's something I'm glad I read, and a book I recommend. Good Book!

 

Ill Met by a Fish Shop on George Street - Mark McShane

This is the third and final book I bought at the used book store. The cover and the title were enough for me to snatch it up, but I hoped that the book would be good as well. So far, I'm at 50%, since one was good and the other was something of a dud.

A chance meeting in town has brought together two men who have not seen each other since the night of a murder 30 years ago. Now that he's been recognized, the murderer waits for the police to arrive at his door, but when they don't come, he wonders what the other man could be up to. And now comes the chess game between the two men. But there's a third player moving the pieces, but neither man realizes it. It's pure brilliance.

The cover is hideous and has nothing to do with anything, but the book was great. I loved the ending. It kept me guessing, which is something that most mysteries struggle to do with me. At 159 pages, it started a bit slow, and I wondered why some things were mentioned, but it all became clear in time. For some reason, the only book I saw available from this author for Kindle was his book Seance on a Wet Afternoon. Why not this book? It's wonderful! Definitely gets a Good Book! review! If you love a good mystery with a twist ending, see if you can find a copy of this book. 

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport - Mark Jonathan Harris & Deborah Oppenheimer

The Kindertransport was a rescue effort organized to get children away from the danger of the Nazis before the breakout of World War II. Nearly 10,000 children, mostly Jewish, were sent to England with the hopes that they would shortly be reunited with their families. In many cases, this was a hollow hope. 

This particular book tells the story from the perspective of children, parents, and organizers through the duration of the war. It has a nice mix of boys and girls that took the trains and children from different backgrounds. Some children were from Germany, and others were from Czechoslovakia and Austria. The last chapter is final thoughts from everyone and a kind of "where are they now" from some of them.

The main issue I have with this book is the organization. I hate it. I hate it with a burning passion. It's in chronological order, but once I started the book, I noticed they kept adding more people. I grabbed a notebook and started keeping little notes of who was who. Then I had to number them because there were too many. By the end, I had 18 people I was keeping track of, and there were 19 total people whose stories were told. Now imagine taking 18 people and breaking their story into 10 parts, and that's what I was reading. The stories were disjointed, their pictures were sprinkled throughout the entire book here and there, and all I could wonder was, "Why didn't they just tell each person's story?"

The chronological approach might have worked better with three of four people, but with this many, it just doesn't. One of the sections at the end of the book has a short summary of each person and references each page they appear on. If the authors thought this was necessary, why not just keep the stories together? I like to be immersed in people's stories, but I was constantly brought out of that. A few times the same person had multiple contributions in the same chapter. WHY?!

This was one of the most frustrating books I've ever read. It was also a great book. I'm so torn on it because of this. I hated it so much because I knew I was in for a slog once I picked it up. I'd have to get out my pen and notebook and refresh my memory on who I was reading about.

0 stars for organization. 5 stars for content. I can't blame the contributors for what the authors did to their stories, so I'll give it a 4 overall. Had I known how it was set up ahead of time, I would've found another book on the topic. I realize I didn't have to spend all that time taking notes, but what was the point of reading it if I didn't want to keep track of each person's journey?

The Glass-sided Ants' Nest - Peter Dickinson

This is the second of the three little "gems" I picked up at the second-hand bookstore. I picked this one because it had an interesting cover, and the summary on the back was intriguing.

A man has been murdered. Jimmy Pibble has been called in to solve the mystery, but he's up against a strange set of people. They're a relocated tribe from New Guinea, and they aren't very forthcoming about what's been going on in the house. There are other people related to the tribe's past that may also be involved in the murder, but Pibble is having trouble getting anywhere with the case.

This book is a strange one. The chapters are excessively long and only change when one specific character has a flashback. And those don't seem to be relevant. The tribespeople are referred to with derogatory terms throughout the entire book, and I wasn't overly fond of the style of writing. The end also bothered me. It wasn't coherent and didn't make a lot of sense to me. 

I didn't really like this book. I think I would've quit reading it had I not wanted to find out who the murderer was. And even then, I wasn't really happy I'd read it. Sadly, this book just wasn't for me.

Castle Midnight - Evelyn McKenna

Last week, we went on a family trip to one of my favorite places, Adventures Underground. Normally, I'm drawn to the board games, but this time, I went in search of some older and unloved-looking titles in the used book area. I found three candidates. This was one of them.

Beverly has lost her job, so it's not hard for her best friend to talk her into joining his scheme of tricking his girlfriend into thinking he's rich. Add to that, Bev has been secretly in love with him for years, so she knows it's going to be hard for her to help him with his "perfect match." Her job is to go to the remote Castle Midnight and get it ready for his rich, European love interest and her family. She heads off to the castle with another couple.

From the moment she arrives, strange things start happening. Things move without explanation, and when more help arrives, the danger increases. Her friend shows up and lets her know that the guests are arriving earlier than expected. From there, she's got her hands full.

At 192 pages, it only took me two days to read this book, and I actually liked it. It was pretty fast-paced for the most part, but I had one complaint. The end. Everything was explained so fast, I almost had whiplash. I did a brief bit of searching, and it doesn't look like this book is easy to find. And I think that's a shame. Sure, there's a few typos here and there, but I think it deserves to be digitized. Good Book!

Beyond the Medal - Peter C. Lemon

I can't remember where exactly I first saw this book, but I ordered a used copy off the internet. As my taste in reading has been evolving, I appreciate it when books have been made available in a digital form. I don't mind if they are in physical form as well, but with some of them, I'm afraid that as time passes, many memoirs that may not be as well known may fade from existence. I think that would be a shame.

In this book, you'll find short entries about 94 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Many of the entries are from the men themselves, but some are from family members and one is from a friend. Along with a picture is a short summary of the act of bravery which resulted in the awarding of the medal. On the opposite page is their contribution. Sometimes it's a poem and other times it's a story. 

If you're wanting a bunch of war stories, don't come here. Very few of the men say much about the events that resulted in them being awarded the medal. I found this to be an interesting take on the topic, and it made me more interested in some of the people. I looked up to see if a couple of my favorites had published memoirs, but unfortunately, most of them hadn't. My favorite story was from a humble man named Charlie Morris, who thought of himself as a mere custodian of the medal and who saw the men he fought with as the heroes, not himself. Many stories touched me, and I can see myself leafing through the book at a later date and being amazed at the humility and bravery that these men exhibited in the face of danger.

I learned a lot about the Congressional Medal of Honor and a small number of the men who received it. I learned that the appearance of the medal changes for the branch of service the recipient serves in. Since the book was published (1997), approximately 25 medals have been awarded. By far, the most medals were awarded during the Civil War, with 1,520 recipients. Overall, more than 3,500 medals have been awarded, and 19 individuals have become double recipients.

One last thing I'd like to add. At the end of the book, there's a breakdown of how many medals were awarded during each war and to which branch. My eyes immediately went to the one Medal of Honor awarded to the Coast Guard. With a bit of research, I learned the story of Douglas Albert Munro, a brave young man who aided in the evacuation of marines at Guadalcanal in 1942. After his death, his mother, at the age of 48, joined the Coast Guard to honor his legacy. What an amazing family.

Maybe I would've never heard many of these stories without this book, and I'm glad I read it. Remember the fallen. Honor those who fought for your freedom. Good Book! 

The Brass Bowl - Louis Joseph Vance

This is one of the older titles that was advertised in the back of another book, and I chose it randomly. I had no idea what it was about, but I admit, I was a bit nervous based on the title.

Our main character is made aware that a thief might be after the family jewels, so Dan Maitland decides to head to the family estate to make sure they're safe. On the way there, he comes across an intriguing young woman dressed in gray who mistakes him for someone else. What happens after that is a case of mistaken identity that causes confusion and danger for both of them.

I found the beginning and end to drag a bit, but I really enjoyed the middle. I think the melodramatic nature of the characters brought it down for me. After glancing at the woman in gray, Maitland basically decides he's in love with her. She's not much better. The end especially didn't make sense to me, but I'll let it slide.

It's hard to describe how exactly I felt during much of the book. Most of the emotions are coming from Maitland (since we read more from his point of view), but the woman is just as bad.

I didn't see the cover until I was trying to find the picture for this review, but jeez, it's not very attractive. If the story was less corny in the romance department, it would've been really good. Overall, it had potential, but it wasn't one of my favorite things I've read lately.

Letters Written from the English Front in France Between September 1914 and March 1915 - Edward Hulse

I found this after a bit of research on the Christmas Truce of 1914. Captain Hulse was mentioned in a video I watched, and I looked to see if he had written anything. What I found were letters that were originally published in 1916. They were signed, "Ever your loving Ted," so I am going to refer to him as Ted in this review.

The book is almost entirely letters written to his mother (with some random diary entries) and are more descriptive than I thought they were going to be. The monotony of trench warfare during the first world war is illustrated pretty well, but Ted made it interesting enough that it wasn't a slog to read. The weather was depressing, and I felt sympathy for the men in the trenches.

By far, the most interesting part of the book is the letter written after Christmas, where Ted describes the Christmas Truce. It was a long letter and told of the event in great detail. 

If you're at all interested in that first winter of WWI or the Christmas Truce, this is worth a read. Ted is in a place where the truce persisted beyond Christmas Day, so that made it even more interesting. As I got closer to the end, I knew I was edging closer to Ted's last letter. The book ends with a couple letters sent to his mother regarding his death. Good Book!

 

The Adventures of Gerard - Arthur Conan Doyle

Yes, I let my daughter pick another book for me. I'm a sucker. What else can I say?

So, what's the first thing you think of when you hear the name Arthur Conan Doyle? Is it...a French soldier sitting around telling war stories? No? 

This book is a collection of stories told by an old soldier talking about his glory years when he was the best soldier on the field and everyone knew it. We're talking the early 1800s, so our "hero," Etienne Gerard, is serving his Emperor, Napoleon. We learn how fearless, brave and vital he is to the cause, and at one point, he wonders if Waterloo could have been won if he'd been part of the battle.

I can't help but make some comparisons with Sherlock. Both characters are annoying in their "I'm better than everyone around me" attitude, but I think here it was more annoying because it didn't mean anything most of the time. I did enjoy a few of the stories, but overall, it felt like a dude bragging about how awesome he was and how everyone knew it. 

While Gerard is an interesting character at times, I wouldn't be interested in hearing more of his exploits. He was just a bit too much for me. Sorry, Etienne.

What I Found Out in the House of a German Prince - Alice Muriel Williamson

So I've been going back and forth between older fiction and memoirs, but this time I cheated a bit. This particular "memoir" is a piece of fiction that was supposedly so real that it was taken as fact and published in 1915 in a prominent English magazine, The Fortnightly Review. At the time, it was published anonymously as the account of an English governess who escaped from Germany after WWI started.

The anonymous writer goes through her time with two princes and a princess in a very realistic way. It's not all espionage and spying. It's a woman on her own in a foreign country trying to figure out if something more is going on around her. She was born in America but grew up in England. She considers herself English, but lets everyone around her believe she's American. They won't listen if she tries to correct them anyway. After a while, strange things begin to happen that make her suspicious, and she starts to pay more attention.

It's easy to understand why people would believe this was a true account. It has the vague details that you'd expect from an ordinary person. While most of the book is more benign events that probably aren't anything to worry about, I wasn't bored. I imagined a young woman going back over her diary evaluating every little encounter wondering what was important. I'm curious what the reception was at the time it was published. At that time, the war was already underway, and it could've created quite a stir depending on who read it.

Either way, I enjoyed this one. At the end, the author mentions that she doesn't think the reader would be interested to discover how she escaped and vows to sum it up quickly. I was incredibly interested and glad it was included. Overall, an entertaining read. Good Book!

Content page from Fortnightly Review January to June 1915

 

The House of the Whispering Pines - Anna Katharine Green

I picked this book randomly from the list I copied from one of the other older books I read recently. This book was originally published in 1910. 

Elwood is taking a ride to clear his head when he sees smoke coming from a chimney. No one should be in this building, and so he goes to investigate. What he finds is the woman he loves leaving the house and his fiancé's body upstairs. That may seem a bit strange, and it is. Elwood wanted to run away with his fiancé's sister, but she decides not to go, and he ends up finding both women at the house. After that, he's suspected of the murder (something he seems surprised by), and the mystery gets more complicated when the sister is too ill to explain what happened that night.

Elwood is a twit. The initial part of the book is written in the first person, which was incredibly annoying. He pops up in front of the cops with his shoes in his hands, lies, was seen putting his hands on the marks on the woman's neck, but then he's shocked when they arrest him. I also wasn't impressed with the way he pitted the sisters against each other to begin with. Even at the end, I wasn't super impressed with him. The entire book isn't written from his perspective, so that was good.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I downloaded an old library book off Google, but I wish I'd gotten a copy from Gutenberg. The type was too small, so I wasn't able to read it as fast as I wanted to. As to the story itself, I did enjoy it. Once I got past Elwood's part, I was more involved. I thought I had the culprit figured out, but I was wrong. I like that. The reveal was satisfying, and the ending was written well. I liked the writing style, and it wasn't hard to follow at all. If I had one complaint, it would be that the book might be a tad long for my taste, coming in at over 400 pages. Good Book!

The Diamond Master - Jacques Futrelle (and The Haunted Bell)

Ok, so a couple of things. First, I told myself I wasn't going to let my daughter pick out my books for me anymore. I let her pick this one. Second, I didn't realize I had read something by this author until later on in the book. The copy I downloaded from Google had a second story, The Haunted Bell, which was a Thinking Machine story. Back in May, I'd read The Problem of Cell 13, a collection of 7 short stories featuring the Thinking Machine. 

The Diamond Master is a mystery that begins with a unlabeled box sent to a diamond seller. Inside is the most perfect diamond the man has ever seen. Included are no instructions, no owner is indicated, and the man isn't sure what to make of the situation. He eventually goes to a friend, where he discovers that his friend also received a perfect match to the diamond. They aren't sure what it means, but the mystery will grow bigger when they receive word from the sender.

I'm not going to say much more about the story itself. It was full of little twists and turns that I don't want to spoil. I really enjoyed it, but I had one complaint: the end was really abrupt. So abrupt that I was confused when the next story started, and I had to go back later and reread the last chapter. It just felt like there had to be more to the story, but there wasn't.

I'll put a brief mention in here about The Haunted Bell since it was included in my version, even though it wasn't mentioned anywhere that I could see. It was an interesting tale, but the beginning was pretty strange. Once the Thinking Machine was on the case, it picked up and became interesting.

Overall, The Diamond Master was a good book. It was short and easy to read. My main complaint was the ending, but the rest of it was interesting and kept me guessing. I just kept thinking, "This can't be the end!" But, alas, it was. Good Book!

Autobiography of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak or Black Hawk

Black Hawk was a Sauk war chief in the Wisconsin/Illinois area in the early 1800s. After the Black Hawk War of 1832, he told his story to an interpreter. This was the first published Native American autobiography and was a bestseller. I chose to read this since I enjoyed my other venture into memoirs and wanted to go back in time a little farther.

I've been trying to think of a good way to describe what I read without digressing into a rant or a history lesson, so I think I'll just add a quote from Black Hawk and an excerpt of account from the other side. Regarding the settlers, Black Hawk stated, "Why did the Great Spirit ever send the whites to this island to drive us from our homes and introduce among us poisonous liquors, disease and death? They should have remained in the land the Great Spirit allotted them." After reading that, I wondered what his voice sounded like - was he bitter, resigned, angry, sad? Maybe all of the above. He was 67 at the time this was written, and he had a lot to reflect upon.

Toward the end of the book (after Black Hawk's story), there's an account of the encounter with the steamboat, Warrior, during the Black Hawk War. At this time, Black Hawk tried to present a flag of truce which was misinterpreted, and the fighting continued until Black Hawk surrendered a short time later. The account states, "Thus ended a bloody war which had been forced upon Black Hawk by Stillman's troops violating a flag of truce, which was contrary to the rules of war of all civilized nations, and one that had always been respected by the Indians. And thus, by the treachery or ignorance of the Winnebago interpreter on board the Warrior, it was b(r)ought to a close in the same ignoble way it commenced - disregarding a flag of truce - and by which Black Hawk lost more than half his army." For context, the fighting basically started when Black Hawk sent a few men with a flag of truce and one of them was killed. The whole thing just shouldn't have happened.

Black Hawk's story ended at about 60%. After that, entries were added from people that crossed paths with Black Hawk. Overall, they lined up with his story, and I was impressed with the level of respect these leaders showed each other. The very end of the book was an overview of the cities that now exist in the areas where Black Hawk used to live. I didn't enjoy this part and wish the focus had stayed on Black Hawk.

This story was incredibly sad and a perspective that needed to be told. After all the injustices Black Hawk endured, he came out the other side viewing the settlers as people he wanted to live in peace with. I'm not sure how he did that to be honest. Even after he died, his bones were stolen, and the land he loved would be unrecognizable to him today. A sad story of a truly brave warrior. Good Book!

The Amethyst Cross - Fergus Hume

I chose this book at random from the list of advertisements in the back of one of the other books I've read recently.

Lesbia loves George. She wants to give him a token of her love, but when her father sees the amethyst cross, trouble begins. George is attacked, and the cross goes missing. For much of the book, I was wondering the significance of the cross, and I kept reading to solve that mystery. I wasn't very invested in the characters themselves.

I had a few issues with the book. One of them is a spoiler, but something was more acceptable at the time it was written than it is now, making one of the major reveals slightly uncomfortable. My main issue with the book is the overly dramatic nature of the characters, particularly the women. And I wasn't a fan of comments like, "she wanted a man to master her as all women do" and "it takes a woman to fathom the duplicity of another woman." 

This is one of those books that didn't stand the test of time as well as some of the others I've read. Written in 1908, it shows its age in a number of ways. The details of the plot became unnecessarily overcomplicated in my opinion, and I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Why I stopped using NetGalley and cut back on reading current fiction...

If you've been around my blog for a while, you may have wondered why my reading taste has changed so much this past year. My blog has never been a hotspot on the internet, and that's never bothered me. I initially created it as a personal way to track my thoughts on books and authors. Since I've stopped getting books from NetGalley, my number of views has dropped, and I'm okay with that as well. And I'll tell you why...

Before that, I want to clarify that everything here is my personal reflections. Other people feel differently, and that's fine. I think it's good for people to think differently and for us to challenge each other's thought processes once in a while (not all the time, though - that's draining!). I'm going to break this post into two sections: NetGalley and current fiction.

NetGalley

When I started getting books on NetGalley, I thought it was great. I wasn't spending a bunch of money on books, and I was able to read authors I enjoyed. I even had a few authors stop by my blog, and I was excited. But after a couple of years, I started to feel uncomfortable. What happened when I didn't like a book? I got it for free, I liked the author, but I didn't want to "hate" on their hard work. On the other hand, I also felt I owed NetGalley something for giving me the book in the first place. I didn't feel comfortable not giving any review, either. I once saw a comment saying, "If you don't like a book, just don't leave a review." I don't think that's the answer. If I post a negative review, I'll tell you why. Normally, there was something in the book that didn't appeal to me. That thing, whatever it is, might not bother you, but if it does, you'll know you may not enjoy the book. I mean it to be helpful, but some consider it to be negativity thrown at the author.

Another issue I came across was that many of my reviews were beginning to sound the same. The books were sounding the same in my head. I wasn't trying out new authors because I was too busy keeping up with the ones I'd come to love. I asked myself, what was I adding to the conversation? I'd be reading a book, enjoying it, and then stare at the keyboard when I'd go to write the review. Everything I wanted to say, I'd already said it somewhere else for another book.

In the end, I fell out of love with NetGalley through no fault of its own. It gave me books for free, but I felt guilty if I didn't like them. I wasn't going to lie, so I gave it up. I've heard change is good (not that I'm a fan), which brings me to my second point...

Current Fiction

Once I quit NetGalley, I evaluated what I was reading. The main thing I wanted to do was get outside my comfort zone. Since all the books I'd been reading had started to sound the same, I wanted to mix it up a bit. I started to wonder, "Who decides which fiction becomes popular?" Most people have heard of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, but who decided that? That's when I wondered who else was writing books back in the day and if any of them were any good. 

I want to hunt down some hidden gems that have slipped through the cracks. Anyone can write and publish a book now, and we're overwhelmed with choices. The tales of the past are being forgotten unless they were of significance, but maybe there are still a few out that deserve some recognition. Maybe I'll be the only one finding the little diamonds, but in the end, that's not the point. I'm actually enjoying this journey more than I thought. I've also started diving into some nonfiction (Night Witches and I held the sun in my hands), and it's been great. The lesson here, narrowed down to four little words is "read what you love."

Aunt Jane of Kentucky - Eliza Calvert Hall

At the end of Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, there were 16 pages full of ads for other fiction of the time. I wrote down the titles and looked to see which ones were available on Gutenberg.org. I was a little surprised how few of them were there. I then made the mistake of asking my daughter (who likes to mess with me) to pick one. Instead of picking one of the more exciting-sounding titles, she picked this one.

Aunt Jane is an elderly woman who tells tales of things she's observed over the course of her life. It's set in the old days of Kentucky, when the women were supposed to do what the men said and cook their meals, etc., so that's reflected in the topics and actions of the characters. People die young, and women are treated like property. To be fair, it wasn't just in the "olden days" that things like that happened. I experienced that in the late 90's when I visited my future husband's family in Kentucky. The "men-folk" ate first, and I felt like I'd travelled back in time.

Anyway, this book contains nine stories. I read about quilts, a woman who stood up to some men, a horse race at the fair, and some other things. What I didn't really read was the last chapter. I skimmed that one since it was literally all about flowers and gardens. I have what I term a "black thumb" where everything I try to grow immediately dies, so if Heaven is all gardens, I'm screwed.

The book made me think of what it would be like to sit down with my grandmother and listen to her tell stories of when she was younger. The problem is, I have no connection with Aunt Jane or the people she's talking about, and while her storytelling was somewhat engaging, I wasn't interested in her stories. I remember doing this with my grandmas, but the main attraction was spending time with them. Don't get me wrong, I loved their stories, but the best part was always just being with them, especially when I got older.

It wasn't all bad, though. Aunt Jane did have some real nuggets of wisdom in there. Two that stood out to me were, "Things is predestined to come to us, honey, but we're jest as free as air to make what we please out of 'em." and my personal favorite, "It's jest as wrong to be too hard on yourself as it is to be too hard on other folks." Aunt Jane may not have been my favorite book in this journey, but I'm still glad I read it.

Two closing thoughts. First, I don't know who chose this cover, but it's terrifying. And second, I'm not letting my daughter choose my books anymore! It was a decent book and pretty well written once you get used to the accent, but in general, I wouldn't want to read something like it again.

I held the sun in my hands - Erika Jacoby (DTB)

It's a long, convoluted story why I decided to choose and read this book, so I'll skip that part and get to the review. The short version is that I saw a video with the author in it, and I was taken by her composure. When I noticed that she'd written her memoirs, I immediately wanted to order it. 

Erika was only a young girl when the Germans invaded Hungary in 1944. Her life was forever changed as she lived through events most of us can't imagine. She was at different camps including Auschwitz and Plaszow, but somehow made it through with her mother.

What I found most interesting was that liberation happened about halfway through the book. It's an often overlooked question. What happened to the people after the camps were liberated? I'm ashamed to say I'd never thought much about it. I couldn't put the book down as I read Erika's story of survival and what she went through trying to create a life after the war.

I read this book in two days, and I highly recommend it. This book was well written and easy to read. I was a bit nervous because I don't normally like to read nonfiction in general, but this was the best book I've read this year. Great Book!

Lady of Seven Emeralds - Clara Wimberly

So, I went a bit nostalgic and got 3 Zebra Gothics off eBay for a little over $10. Once they got here, I read the backs and picked out one to read. I was intrigued by the summary and the extreme expression on this woman's face.

Rebecca sees Ramon standing on the balcony and immediately falls in love with him. Somehow. She's a teacher at the school for the blind, and after a few days she ends up working at Ramon's house as his personal teacher. As time goes by, she's incapable of figuring out what she thinks. One minute she suspects him of something nefarious, and the next she'll love him forever.

I remembered that I have to suspend my notions of reality with these books, but this one stretched them too far. Rebecca annoyed me to the point where I couldn't wait for her to get kidnapped or for something to happen to her. The "hero" was also disappointing. Ramon openly professes that he's possessive...and she's okay with it! Even finds it endearing! Nope.

Pushing past that, it was hard for me to get invested in this book. Disliking a main character always makes it a bit harder, but when both of them are unlikable in a romance, it's a dud. The author turned the one person I did like into one of the villains, so that was another strike. 

I normally enjoy these as a few hours escape and for the cheesy factor. The damsel in distress usually makes me roll my eyes, but I never see them as a reflection of reality. AT ALL. Never have. So, it usually takes a great deal for me to dislike one of these, but this woman was just too much. Bit of a disappointment.

The Lion of the North: A Tale of the Times of Gustavus Adolphus - G.A. Henty

George Alfred Henty isn't someone I would've come across on my own. I actually saw someone mention this book on YouTube when I was watching a Sabaton video. I've been trying to expand my history a bit, and since I don't normally gravitate to nonfiction, this seemed like a happy medium. A fictional adaptation based on historical events? I'll give it a shot. I downloaded a copy of this book from Gutenberg.org.

Malcolm is a Scottish soldier who is fighting on the side of the Swedes in the Thirty Years' War. He goes through an awful lot in the book, and it's quite the adventure. While I'm certain Henty intended for the book to be read by young men (he starts his preface 'my dear lads'), I enjoyed it as a female.

This may have been originally published in 1886, but it was easier to read than I expected. My criticism is the changes in view. Imagine you're taking a pair of binoculars and focusing in on one person, then you zoom out so far they disappear. That happened many times in this book, and I wasn't fond of that. I also didn't follow a lot of that since I'm unfamiliar with German towns. The focus of the book would go from Malcolm to the overall battles and troop movements, and that's where I'd get lost.

I did thoroughly enjoy the parts of the book that dealt with Malcolm and his journey. Henty wrote 122 books and covered a variety of times. I may come back and read more of him in the future. If you need to learn more about this particular period of time, this isn't a bad place to start. Good Book!

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard - Baroness Orczy

After reading The Scarlet Pimpernel, I wanted to read more from this author. I was particularly drawn to this title since it involved a female detective working with Scotland Yard in the early 1900s. I had to download this one off Google since Gutenberg.org didn't have it available for download. I'm not sure why since it was originally published in 1910. This version had some illustrations, and I included one at the bottom from one of my favorite stories.

Included are 11 mysteries that Lady Molly solves. Most of them are the usual, expected whodunits or "how did they do it?," but I found the final story unique. It was a fitting ending for the book, but I won't spoil it. I'll just say that I really liked it.

The stories are narrated by a Watson-like character named Mary. Once she was Lady Molly's maid, but now she's a valuable assistant. Lady Molly herself could have been another Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. She's smart, keeps her methods close to her chest and solves the crime when everyone else is left scratching their heads.

I found each story to be engaging and easy to read. They weren't too long, and the only thing that was slightly annoying was when Mary would say things like, "You recall..." because of course I don't. It didn't bother me much. 

I find it interesting what ends up becoming popular. I compared Lady Molly to a few popular detectives that have numerous movies and TV shows to their name, and I think Lady Molly could've easily had one as well. It's a shame more people don't know about this book, it easily earns a Good Book! review from me.

I liked the way Lady Molly solved this one (The Man in the Iverness Cape)

Except the Dying (Murdoch Mysteries #1) - Maureen Jennings

I waited forever for this book to drop in price. I love the show, and I wanted to see how alike the characters were. I'm going to stop saying that I don't read the book and watch the show/movie, because I've broken my rule too many times. I was just really curious to see how alike the book would be. By the cover, I expected it would be pretty close. BUT...

This book is nothing like the show. The inspector isn't friends with Murdoch, Crabtree has a family, and Drs. Ogden and Grace are nowhere to be seen. Murdoch himself is different in temperament, and apparently he has a mustache. I would say the main difference is the show is more "clean." The book goes into more detail about the dirty side of Toronto that gets glossed over in the show (prostitution, disease, desperation). There is also some language in the book if that bothers you.

The story itself starts out with a dead woman. Someone is removing her clothing and leaving her frozen body naked in the snow. The dead woman turns out to be a maid in a prominent household, and Murdoch has to sift through all the lies to discover who is behind the death.

I was able to separate the story from the show since the two weren't that similar. The book was pretty good and had me guessing until the end. Still a bit confused about one or two things, but it was an enjoyable read. I'm not sure I would read more of these, but it isn't the author's fault. For this type of book, I have to be in the mood for the melancholy. I definitely would stay away if you're reading it only because you're expecting to get more of the show you love. You'll probably be disappointed.  I'll still give it a Good Book! review.

Night Witches - Bruce Myles (DTB)

If you've never heard the term "Night Witches," you aren't alone. Up until a few months ago, I'd never heard of them either. Recently, I was introduced to an incredible band called Sabaton. If you're a fan of rock music and you love history, PLEASE check out this band. The theme of their music is history, and they're really good at it. One of their songs taught me that the Soviet Union had women flying planes in WWII. If you have seven minutes to spare, check out the Sabaton animated music video, Night Witches, on YouTube. If you're still interested after that, Sabaton has a history channel where you can learn even more. Anyway, the song and history videos led me to want to learn more, so I went in search of a book.

I chose this particular book because of the mention of interviews with actual women who served in the regiments. Some of the writing seems fictionalized, but it's mostly things like descriptions of scenery or what the weather would've been like. The few pictures included aren't high quality, but the book was published in 1990, and the pictures are much older than that, so it's understandable.

I am not really a person that enjoys nonfiction books. I normally avoid them like the plague, but I just had to know more about these brave young women. I'm glad I got this book, because I enjoyed it so much. You know ahead of time that some of the women are okay, since the author speaks to them. Others don't make it, and I don't remember being this emotional while reading a book in a long time. I remember telling my girls that I was afraid a particular girl wasn't going to make it, and I was going to be upset. I was right.

I read this book fairly quickly. The chapters were longer than I normally like, but I didn't care at all. The pages flew by, and before I knew it, I'd read the last page. The war was over, and there was nothing left to read. I still feel a strange sense of loss.

My only complaint is that I wanted more. More pictures, more stories, more biographical updates at the end. The book was way too short for me. It wasn't a short book, it's 272 pages, it was just such an interesting and unknown story that I couldn't get enough. It's a story I wish more people knew of. I wish I'd known of it sooner. Great Book! 

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy

One of my favorite movies growing up was The Scarlet Pimpernel. I'm referring to the 1982 version with Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour and Ian McKellen. I quote it from time to time, mostly strange moments that have no meaning to anyone but myself, but I purchased the DVD to show my kids why I say things like, "I spit upon their graves." I was pleasantly surprised how much they enjoyed the movie. They even showed it to some of their friends!

Anyway, fast forward a bit to me searching for something to read. Since this is one of the coolest stories, I wanted to give it a shot. As a general rule, I tend to stay away from reading books related to movies since it's normally a disappointment (I'm looking at you Timeline). I do break the rule more than I used to, and here I go again.

It's the French Revolution, and many members of the aristocracy are being beheaded daily by the guillotine. Some of them are lucky enough to be saved by the Scarlet Pimpernel and his league of brave soldiers. Using clever disguises, they smuggle some of the doomed out of France and safely to England. The Scarlet Pimpernel has become a thorn in the side of the Revolution, and they have employed Chauvelin to discover his identity.

The book starts farther ahead than the movie. Percy and Marguerite are already married in the book, and the tension is already present in their marriage. The main "rescue" is also different, but I'm not here to spoil anything. Even though the rescue might be a bit less high-profile, it was no less exciting. It's been a long time since I literally couldn't put a book down, but I HAD to finish this yesterday.

I loved this book. And I can honestly say that I still love the movie. It was more loosely based on the book, but the beloved poem is in there, so I can't complain. 

I learned a few things. There are other Scarlet Pimpernel books, and chronologically, Orczy also wrote two books that predate Percy. She also wrote quite a few sequels, but not all of them were successful. The Scarlet Pimpernel was originally a play, which I found to be interesting. Orczy wrote many novels during her life, and I want to read more of her work. I'm going to try and track down some of her non Scarlet Pimpernel works as well as getting more Percy in my life, but I have another book waiting for me, so the Baroness will have to wait. Great Book!!

Sojourn (Legend of Drizzt #3) - R.A. Salvatore

This is the finial book in the initial trilogy of the iconic character Drizzt Do'Urden. I actually finished this one up a few nights ago, but I've been thinking about how I want to record my thoughts without spoiling the plot. And that's a hard thing to do.

All the books are connected since they are the epic tale of one character. Drizzt is a dark elf on a journey of finding out who he is and where he belongs. It takes him all three books to do this, and I doubt he's done. At the end of the first book, he's left his corner of the Underdark. At the end of the second book, he's decided to travel out of the Underdark and brave the outside world. He spends this third book trying to prove to surface dwellers that he isn't a threat, something he is rarely able to do.

In all these book, Drizzt experiences loss and loneliness that hits home with me. I wrote down a few passages from each book that I thought were especially thought provoking, and I still think about them occasionally. 

I'll stand by my initial impression that you should read these in order. If you're a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, I don't see why you wouldn't be interested in these. They're well written, engaging, and I can't wait to dive into the next set of them. BUT! I am going to try and pace myself. I'm going to try and see if I can find something outside my comfort zone for my next read, then I might go back to Drizzt. Good Book!

Exile (Legend of Drizzt #2) - R. A. Salvatore

This is the second book in the series. The first is Homeland, and the third is Sojourn. I feel it's best to read these in order. You're following the life of a character, and you'll be better off following that journey chronologically.

Ten years after Drizzt leaves his homeland, he's struggling with the isolation. He still has his magical panther, but it isn't enough anymore. Drizzt will put his life on the line to end that isolation, but he isn't sure of the consequences. His family has also decided that they want to find him to try and regain favor with the Spider Queen.

This was another good one, but I had some emotional moments while reading. I'm not going to go into detail about the story line, because I think that's something you'll want to discover on your own if you decide to read it. I can fully understand why this is the only author my husband will read. He has a great style, and I care about the characters. Salvatore is a talented author, and I'm happy to have so much material to get through. I might read something else once I get done with this trilogy, but I plan on going back to Drizzt soon after that.

I'm partway into Sojourn, and I'll probably finish it pretty soon. Good Book!

Homeland (Legend of Drizzt #1) - R. A. Salvatore

A while back, we purchased a bunch of the Drizzt Do'Urden books through a Humble Bundle. We own a few of them in DTB form, but I read this one on my Kindle. Even though this isn't the first book in publication order, it is first chronologically. I decided to read some of them because my family plays Dungeons and Dragons, Drizzt has always been an interesting character to me, and finally, this is the only author my husband will read voluntarily.

In the beginning, Drizzt was meant to be a sacrifice to the Spider Queen. His family is actively trying to eradicate another house, and an opportunistic murder saves the life of Drizzt. From the moment of his birth, it is clear that Drizzt isn't any ordinary drow. He may have lavender eyes, but it's his view of the world around him that causes the most concern to his family.

It's clear that he's meant to be a warrior, and Drizzt takes pleasure training and learning from the family's weapons master. The bond between the two is tested at times, but the real test will come once Drizzt realizes his full potential as a fighter.

I enjoyed this book a lot. So much that I immediately read the next one in the series directly after finishing this one. I found the characters engaging and interesting, and truly liked the writing style of the author. The fight scenes didn't drag on, and I didn't mind longer descriptions. Since this is based on the D&D universe, there were times that I looked up what something looked like (a drider, for instance) just so I could envision it in my head accurately. It was purely a personal preference. 

I read much of the second book during a 4-hour flight delay, so I've already finished it. I'm hoping to write a review for it in the next day or two. Good Book! 

Love and the Loathsome Leopard - Barbara Cartland

I believe this is the 13th book in the Eternal Collection. It was originally published in 1977.

Lord Cheriton is returning to his childhood home to take care of a problem with smugglers. He isn't pleased to revisit old ghosts, but he's even more surprised to find a beautiful woman living in the home he'd hoped would rot and fall to the ground.

I don't remember the other BC books I've read being this awkward. From the way they instantly fall in love with each other to the weird way Wivina speaks, I just couldn't get into the story. I think my favorite part was reading the biographical information about the author at the end. My expectations were high(ish) for this one, but I didn't really enjoy it in the end.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch - Steve Engelhart & Bill Mantlo

This collection has Giant-Size Avengers #4 (1974) & Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-4 (1982).

Vision and Scarlet Witch have gotten pretty popular since the MCU and the Disney+ show. One of my daughters wanted to learn more about them, so we bought this for her for Christmas. I asked to borrow it, because I've enjoyed reading these older comics in between other books.

It was an interesting ride, but I wasn't prepared for how strange it got. The tree marriage and the encounter with the cow have really stuck with me. Maybe if I knew more of the backstory, it would've made more sense, but overall, I ended up confused. It wasn't bad, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other collections. I believe that comes down to having more time to immerse myself in the story, and I wasn't able to do that in 125 pages.

The Problem of Cell 13 - Jacques Futrelle

I became interested in this book when I was researching the "locked room" stories. I picked it up from the Gutenberg website and loaded it on my Kindle.

This was written in the early 1900s. Included in the book are seven short stories: The Problem of Cell 13, The Scarlet Thread, The Man Who Was Lost, The Great Auto Mystery, The Flaming Phantom, The Ralston Bank Burglary, and The Mystery of a Studio.

Each of these stories follows a Sherlock-like character by the name of Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen. In each story, he solves a seemingly impossible puzzle (but don't say anything is impossible in front of him - nothing is impossible!).

I really enjoyed these. They were easy to read, and the character himself reminded me so much of Sherlock Holmes. Professor Van Dusen kept what he knew very close until the end when he would reveal how the crime was committed. In a way, he also reminds me of Poirot. We don't get to learn a lot about the professor himself, but that's not easy to do during seven short stories.

Overall, I really liked this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for short mysteries that entertain. Just remember that it was written in a different time, so you're dealing with the technology of that time. Good Book!

The Younger Edda - Snorri Sturluson

The Younger Edda, also known as Prose Edda and other things, is written by Snorri Sturluson during the early 13th century. I wanted to learn more about Norse mythology, and the section in Bullfinch's Mythology wasn't very exhaustive. I came across the Poetic and Prose Edda, and it sounded like the Prose would be easier for me to read and understand.

This particular version was originally published much later, around 1901. In the preface, it's recommended that the reader skip the foreword and afterword until they've read the "meat" of the book. I'd have to agree with that. The preface and foreword were strange and didn't seem to fit the style of the rest of the book. 

The book includes an introduction that tells about Sturluson's life and the details of the manuscript.

The Edda itself was particularly interesting to me. The first section, The Fooling of Gylfe, is written in a sort of question/answer format. A king goes to the gods and asks various questions about their life and stories. In theory, this sounds boring, but it wasn't. The king asks a question, and the response was the gods telling their stories. Most of the time, I knew what would happen in the story, but it didn't matter. I was hooked.

The second part, Brage's Talk, starts out much the same way but is divided into traditional sections. Brage is a son of Odin and a storyteller. This section is Brage telling a man stories of their gods, or asas. Again, it was engaging, and I enjoyed it.

At the end is a section devoted to vocabulary. If you want a quick description for something in the mythology, this is the place to find it. I really enjoyed the edda itself, and the notes at the end. If you're interested in Norse mythology at all, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Younger, or Prose, Edda. I couldn't believe how easy it was to read. At times, it's harder to read books much younger than the Edda, but this was a real winner. Good Book!

 

Uncovering Norse Mythology - Lucas Russo

The full title of this book is Uncovering Norse Mythology: A Guide Into Norse Gods and Goddesses, Viking Warriors and Magical Creatures. I picked this up, because as a board gamer, I came across a mythology-based game that I was interested in. I've always been interested in Greek and Roman mythology (mostly Greek), but I realized how little I knew about Norse mythology. 

*After reading this book, I picked up the Younger Edda from Gutenberg.org. I'll review that separately.

Russo does a good job summarizing many of the stories of Norse mythology. He also goes into detail on the culture and how the gods are seen today. I would've preferred to have a little less information on religions that use the gods today, but it was an interesting addition to the book.

My favorite part of this book is the glossary that shows you how to pronounce the sometimes intimidating names of locations and people. One thing I noticed is that most of the entries have emphasis on the first syllable. While most times this makes sense, other times I was confused. Valhalla, for instance, sounds more correct as val-HAH-la (and is also listed as the pronunciation is some dictionaries), but in the book, it's written out as varl-hah-la. It just doesn't sound right that way. There might be a reason why it's written this way in the book, but at least I have a place to start if I want to learn how to say these things, even if it's only in my head.

I commend the author. He did a good job, and I enjoyed the read. I also noticed that the author made some of the illustrations, which was pretty cool. Some of the images didn't transfer so well to my Kindle, but they were well done overall. If you're interested in this subject, this book is short, easy to read and affordable. Good Book!

The Mystery of the Yellow Room - Gaston Leroux

I decided to read this because it's one of the first "locked room" mysteries. Published in the early 1900s, it was written in France and challenges the reader to solve a seemingly impossible crime.

We're following the detective skills of Joseph Rouletabille. He's a reporter by trade, but he believes that he can solve the attack of a young woman. He keeps his methods secret for most of the book, giving out little nuggets here and there. I didn't have it figured out, and I had to pay close attention to the reveal so I wouldn't miss any answers.

A couple things bothered me about this book. First was the usage of the word "murderer." For the entire book, they referred to the attacker as a murderer. The victim was NOT DEAD. If I put the book down for any length of time, when I came back to it, I would read "murderer" and wonder if the victim had died and I didn't remember. I got used to it after a while, but the real issue, the one I still don't understand, is the resolution of the book. 

SPOILER:

The villain gets away. Why? BECAUSE ROLETABILLE LETS HIM GO! And he doesn't just allow the villain to escape, he alerts the person he's going to expose them. Does Rouletabille have to answer for this? NOPE. Instead he tells the judge, "...my business is not to arrest people." and "I gave _____ time to catch the 4:17 train to Paris, where he would know how to hide himself, and leave no traces." Seriously?! That honestly ruined the entire story for me. There was no reason to let the villain escape, and he really is a murderer.

Yes it's fiction, and I shouldn't be annoyed. But I am. I hated almost all the characters by the end of the book. The crime itself was interesting, but the rest of it was a bummer. HUGE PASS.

In a Glass Darkly - Sheridan Le Fanu

 I downloaded this book in three parts from the Gutenberg website. I wasn't sure why it was broken up like that, but I was determined to give the gothic story another try.

I read two of the stories: Green Tea and The Familiar. While both stories have physical elements that affect the characters, the psychological effects of their persecution was the worst part. In Green Tea, the protagonist is afflicted by a demon-like monkey creature. The second story was worse. It was longer, so it had a lot more time to ramp up the anxiety. The protagonist starts out hearing footsteps following him. Then there's the letters and the man. The end almost had me checking behind my curtains.

I'm not finished with the book, but I have to stop. It isn't because they aren't written well, it's because I frighten easily. Once I was on a ride where I KNEW a shark was going to pop out of the water. My eyes were fixed on that spot, but I STILL jumped out of my skin when that thing broke through the water. I haven't been able to read much the past month, because I do most of my reading at night. The problem is, if I read scary stories before bed, I have nightmares...like I said, I scare easily.

This was the kind of gothic story I was expecting when I picked up the previous book. It seems that every 20 years, I read something to scare the snot out of myself. Then I swear off the genre forever. So, when I'm in my 60s, I'll probably read more horror since this experience will have faded from my mind, and I'll tell myself it won't be that bad.

The funny thing is that I picked this up because I wanted to read the story of Carmilla, a female vampire. Maybe one day I'll get back to this book, but I have to leave it for now. If you like this kind of story and you don't mind the dated way it's written, give it a shot. All you have to lose is a little sleep, right?

Aiming for Love (Brides of Hope Mountain #1) - Mary Connealy

When I learned I was going to be sitting at a lab for two hours, I decided I would take a break from the new stories and go back to my roots. I picked up this book last year, and I wanted something that wouldn't stress my brain too much.

This is the first book in the series. The other two are called Woman of Sunlight and Her Secret Song.

Jo and her sisters have been living alone up on Hope Mountain their entire lives. When Dave and his family show up, Jo is going to have to choose whether to accept them into her life or listen to the fear that they'll only bring trouble.

Dave hasn't just moved his cattle up onto the mountain. Soon, his mother shows up with a chicken, his father shows up shot, and his brother escapes from a couple of murder attempts. 

So many things go unresolved - the second "Bible," the future of both sisters (especially Ursula), the ranch, Wax, Mitch's past, and the parents of the sisters. All these threads get woven into the story only to be left to fray at the end.

I did enjoy the book, but the way it ended bothered me. So many subplots remain unresolved that you could make an argument that you need to read all three. You also get enough resolution of Jo's story that you could stop - as long as you didn't let yourself get too invested in the other characters. I may put the other two on my watch list, but I haven't decided. 3.5 stars.

The Lane That Had No Turning - Gilbert Parker

After reading the first story in this collection, I had to rethink gothic fiction. I'm not a fan of horror in general, but I have read The Picture of Dorian Gray. I don't remember a lot of the story itself, but the emotions associated with it remain. I was thinking I would get that same feeling from early gothic fiction, including this collection by a Canadian author.

The story I read dealt with the man in charge of a fictional town called Pontiac. Louis marries a beautiful young singer, Madelinette, and she returns home one day to find that her husband has a hunchback. From that moment forward, he turns bitter and violent, but never toward his wife. Louis almost kills a man who dares to question his place as leader of the town. One day, Madelinette finds a will that proves her husband has no right to his position. By this time, it's all Louis has, and she fears what will happen to his mind if he lost it. She doesn't want to be dishonest, but she isn't sure what to do. A disgruntled former employee steals the will and eventually Louis discovers the truth. He murders the employee and then himself. Madelinette returns to her life of singing and that's the end.

It was a pretty straightforward story, and I wasn't interested in the characters. When Madelinette chased after the employee for the will was the only time I was interested. And even then, I was disappointed, because she got what she wanted. I didn't mourn Louis. He wasn't a sympathetic character, and I didn't like him at all.

More than one story is included in this book, but I didn't want to keep going. It wasn't what I was looking for, and my disappointment stemmed from expectations I shouldn't have placed on the story. I went back and thought about The Picture of Dorian Gray and how I felt after finishing that story. Then I downloaded Edgar Allen Poe's stories and read The Tell-Tale Heart. Those are more in the vein of what I was looking for, and that's not what I got from this story. Pass.