The House in Marsh Road - Laurence Meynell

Last year, I watched the 1960 movie based on this book. It interested me to watch a house be a character, so I wanted to track down the book. I was able to finally find it on Gutenberg.

Jean's husband, Arthur, is a struggling writer. They skirt out on bills, and Jean hates it. One day, she inherits a house and a bit of money. The only problem is that it's in the country, and Arthur is determined to sell it. He's also got some different priorities. He's all about himself basically.

The house has a personality. When they arrive, a chair is waiting in the hallway. Most of the time, small things might happen. A cord gets unplugged or a chair moves. Once Arthur starts to seriously get disgruntled, start an affair and contemplate inheriting the house by deadly means, the house steps up its game.

This book was interesting, but I have to say I was hoping the house would be more involved. I didn't expect it to throw stuff at Arthur's head (although that would've been great), but it just seemed like it took a while for the action to ramp up. I can't really remember the movie that well, but I enjoyed it enough. I liked the end of this book, and it wasn't satisfying because Jean was happy. It was because the house got justice on Arthur and that stupid woman.

I'm staying on the fence with this one. I felt like it dragged a bit too much at times, and I wanted more involvement from the house. It had some serious potential, but it just didn't get there.

Password to Larkspur Lane (Nancy Drew #10) - Carolyn Keene

This was the second Nancy Drew my daughter let me borrow. It also had an old person on the cover, which made me a bit wary after the last one. In case you don't remember, poor Mr. Sidney turned 100 then immediately died in The Sign of the Twisted Candles. It was a bummer Nancy Drew, and I wasn't a fan. 

In this installment, Nancy is on the trail of a few different things. A hurt pigeon, a released convict out for revenge, a missing old woman, a mysterious houseman and a ring of blue fire. There might be some other things in there, but they all relate back to those main issues.

Nancy gets herself into some real danger in this book, and I was here for it. Normally, she's pretty soft on the danger, and I get more tension in a Hardy Boys book, but I feel like Nancy pulled her weight this time. I will say that I never understood why the criminals bothered to destroy Nancy's flower arrangement. That seemed petty and a waste of time.

After the disappointment of Asa Sidney's death in the last book, I was glad to find a spicy, spry old lady ready to fight. This Nancy Drew was more on par with what I was used to, and I liked the little ad at the end for the next one in the series. I did roll my eyes a bit when her dad just bought her a new car out of the blue. I think hers had a dent or something. Oh, the horrors! Anyway, this gets a Good Book! review from me. Long live Mary Eldridge!

The House on Hay Hill - Dorothy Eden

This was one of the gothic-looking books I was so excited to find when I was in San Diego. It had a questionable cover and not much information on the back, but I had high hopes.

A woman inherits a home from her great aunt. She's worried her cousins will resent her, but she's got bigger issues. Someone is pretending to be her and taking her stuff! She suspects one of her cousins might be behind the suspicious events, but she doesn't really want to believe it. Especially because one of them keeps flirting with her - which was pretty weird by the way.

Ok, so the entire book was 220ish pages, and this particular mystery was getting wrapped up around page 80 something. And I was confused. I looked a little closer, and this book had approximately eight stories in it. And I think I had an issue with every one of them.

The first one (the main story) had the cousins. One of the others had a manipulative man who wouldn't leave a woman alone. A couple of them had the "love at first sight so I'm going to stalk that person" kind of tale. Some of them ended without any kind of resolution between the two love interests. One in particular had a woman happily boarding a train to trail after a guy that didn't invite her to follow him. And the final story had a man pining after a woman for 20 years! Yeah, no one changes at all in 20 years...

This book bummed me out. I was so looking forward to a juicy gothic, and this was just nonsense and bad choices. I mean, who thinks it's a good idea to plan on marrying a guy for the sole purpose of getting a house back in the family?

I have another book by this author, so I was scared to pick it up in case it was like this one. I checked it, but it looks like it's just one story. The bad news is the print looks tiny...oh well. I don't have super high hopes for the other book, but I will give it a chance. It's just not super high on my priority list now.

The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III - Jens Müller

If you've ever seen the movie, The Great Escape, you might be under the impression most of the escapees of the March 1944 prison break from Stalag Luft III were American and Australian. The event did actually happen, but it wasn't how Hollywood portrayed it - shocking, I know! After reading the book, it's understandable that Jens hated the movie.

Jens was one of three total men that successfully got away of the more than seventy that made the attempt to get away from the camp. Everyone else was recaptured. As punishment, fifty of those recaptured were shot. It was a very extensive plan and a very sad outcome.

This particular memoir is unique in that it tells the story of a very small group of men. Jens was a Norwegian pilot who escaped with another pilot, Per Bergsland, and hid aboard a ship to Sweden. The third man, Bram van der Stok, a Dutch pilot, was able to make it to Spain with the help of the French resistance.

The book was initially released in 1946 under the Norwegian title Tre kom Tilbake (Three Came Back). I really enjoyed the writing style, and Jens had a real talent in that respect. I've read a few WWII autobiographies, and this is one of the better ones. The writing style combined with the clear storytelling made for an easy read and a Good Book!

Stronger - Brian "Head" Welch

This book is a 40-day devotional led by a former member of the band Korn. Welch was into a bunch of unhealthy things while he was in the band, and one day he found Jesus and started a new life. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, and this book takes a day by day journey through some of those events.

The writing is very conversational and easy to read. If you imagine what talking to a member of a rock band would be like, that's what you're reading. By that, I mean it's not like talking to a dictionary or some fancy professor. It's like talking to a real person. The Scriptures used are a mix of different versions, and I've never really been a fan of that. Personal preference.

I appreciate Welch's ability to be honest about himself and his shortcomings. If only all of us were so transparent. Welch also came out with an autobiography, so if you're looking for a complete picture of his experiences, that might be the place to go. There were also drawings sprinkled throughout the book. Some made sense with the text, and others were a mystery to me. This one gets a Good Book! review, but it's not going to be for everyone. 

A Bookshop in Berlin - Françoise Frenkel

This book was initially published in 1946 under the title No Place to Lay One's Head (in French). It quietly disappeared after that until it was discovered in an attic in 2010. 

The author was from Poland and opened up a bookstore in Berlin. She really enjoyed her time there, but WWII destroyed that dream and changed the course of her life. She was able to leave Germany, but she wasn't safe in France, either. This is the memoir of her journey to Switzerland.

The writing was good in this memoir, but it ends abruptly once she gets over that border. There's no mention of if she reunites with her family, what happens to her or anything like that. The introduction has a lot more information about her. 

The author went through more of a hide and seek/psychological type of experience. If you're on the lookout for certain types of memoirs from survivors from that time period, it's something to keep in mind. What I really found interesting was how little the bookshop had to do with anything. The original title is more appropriate for the content for sure. I liked this one, and it was interesting to get a different perspective. Good Book!

The Sign of the Twisted Candles (Nancy Drew #9) - Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew needs no introduction! But I will say my daughter picked this one and #10 up thrifting one day, and I'm in charge of reading them now.

Asa Sidney is an old man celebrating his 100th birthday. The people running his inn are stealing from him, and their foster child is suffering from ill treatment. But Nancy is on the case to uncover the secrets of the inn and help shield the old man from the greedy people around him.

This Nancy Drew was a bit sadder than some of the others. My old dude passed on, but at least they never suspected murder. I think if it was a Hardy Boys, that would definitely have been on the table. I never understood the spat between the girls. It seemed petty and weird. Carol was overly fragile and kept fainting all over the place.

Once my old man left, I didn't like this one as much. They were finding his treasure, but what good did it do him? Making the thieves pay didn't help him anymore, and any secrets regarding the girl were useless to him. I mean, hooray for Nancy solving the mystery and putting her life on the line by climbing a ladder, but I was Team Asa. Sorry Nancy. I wanted more twisted candles!