Island Nights' Entertainments - Robert Louis Stevenson

This book is a collection of three stories: The Beach of Falesa, The Bottle Imp, and Isle of Voices. All of them are fairly short and didn't take me long to read. I got this through Gutenberg.org. This is also the first thing I've read by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Beach of Falesa is the story of a man who comes to the island and is betrayed by the man who introduces him around. He isn't going to back down and begins to plot his revenge.

The Bottle Imp is about a bottle that will grant all your wishes. They come at a cost, though. You have to sell the bottle for less than you bought it for, and the imp seems to work in strange ways. Eventually, the price gets low. The person stuck with the bottle at their death is automatically damned.

Isle of Voices is magical. There's an island of shells that turn into dollars, and warlocks use their powers to visit and get money. A lazy son-in-law is brought one day and decides to try and blackmail the warlock. It's not the best idea and backfires, and so does just about everything else that happens after that.

The stories are interesting, but my favorite was The Bottle Imp. I liked the story more than the characters, but it was tense enough I wanted to find out what happened. And it didn't disappoint. The first story was my second favorite. It was different, and I liked the imagination involved. The third one wasn't something I was drawn to. I don't know why, but it was somewhat forgettable.

The writing was engaging, but some of the language has not aged well, specifically the terminology used for the island natives. If you can ignore those, the stories might be worth your time. They are all public domain, so you're not risking any money. Overall, even though I didn't enjoy the third, it wasn't terrible either. I'm comfortable giving this collection a Good Book! review.

Flying Start - Hugh Dundas

Hugh was a fighter pilot in WWII. He mostly flew Spitfires, and he details his experience with them here. He was involved in the Battle of Britain and the campaign in Italy. He tells a lot of anecdotes and personal stories. 

I don't have a lot to say about this one. The writing was pretty good, and I found the stories interesting. I recognized some of the names in there, and Hugh was honest about how he felt about going up after being injured. I did enjoy the addition of the letters at the end. They brought another layer of personal experience.

I liked reading the details of Dundas' experiences. He doesn't omit his disappointments or fears. The end was super abrupt to me. I had to go back and read it again, because I didn't expect it to just end like that. I'm going to give this one a Good Book! review, because I enjoyed the stories and the honesty.

Men Without Country - Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

I wanted to read this after watching Passage to Marseille.

This story is set during WWII. A group of men escapes from a prison in French Guyana. They are eventually picked up by a ship taking nickel ore to Marseille, but with the war in France, landing there may not be possible. Word reaches them that France has fallen, and the captain wants to head for England. There are people on board, however, that are more concerned with following orders. That means handing the ship over to the Germans, and the captain won't agree to that.

The story is being told to a reporter by a man who got to know them on that ship. It's short and easy to read. With it being this short, it's hard to get to know the characters. And multiple names starting with the letter 'M' didn't help. I will probably remember the basic elements of the plot, but the characters didn't get the time they needed to distinguish themselves from each other. It's an okay story, but I think it would have been better drawn out into a full novel. It would've given time to develop the characters enough that I cared about their fate.

Queen Victoria as I Knew Her - Sir Thomas Martin

Thomas Martin was asked to write a book about the life of Prince Albert. During that time, he had to interact with the Queen on what she wanted included in the book. They struck up a friendship that lasted throughout the rest of her life.

This book was a bit weird to me. It seemed like Martin adored the queen and had her on a sort of pedestal. He included snippets of a lot of letters and notes he received from her. It was almost like he wanted to show the world how close he was to the queen. He does talk about her personality, but I felt like the focus was more on his views. I'm not sure how to describe it.

Overall, I wasn't a big fan of this one. Toward the end, Martin was adding his sonnets and making sure to mention where they appeared (newspapers, etc.). I'm not a huge poetry fan, so I skipped most of those. I didn't feel like I learned much more about Queen Victoria through the book.

An Autobiography - Agatha Christie

I like Agatha Christie. I knew this was on the longer side, so it sat on my pile of books to be read for quite a while.

This goes through the popular author's life in her own words. She's 75 at the time, and she lived another ten years after that. She has a bit of sass and makes sure to let the reader know she hasn't spent tons of time editing. She wrote it the way she wanted and in the order she wanted.

I found it interesting to see things through her eyes. Her books, how she got into writing, and even what she thought of her own works. I was particularly shocked to see what she wanted to do to my favorite, "And Then There Were None" when trying to turn it into a play. I hated the movie where people lived at the end. She had the idea to leave the two alive in the play. It would align with the nursery rhyme as well. I mean, the original title, while inappropriate today, could've altered the plot, but I still don't like the change. Tangent over. I just really like that book, and I hated when the movie took the genius out of it.

Anyway, I liked this book for the most part. There were times when she would go on a bit longer than I wished about some topics, but overall, it was interesting to get a glimpse into the brain of the woman who didn't really see herself as an author most of the time. She had some great quotes in there and an interesting way of looking at life. Good Book!

Dying for Love - Cara Putnam

I've had this waiting on my Kindle for quite a while. I wanted to read something quick, so I pulled this up.

Ciara and David were close once. They both clerked for the same judge, but now they find themselves on opposite sides of the courtroom. The judge calls them both in to his office early one morning, but they find his body instead. 

For two people who claim to care about the judge, they seem to focus on each other an awful lot. They agree to work together and contribute what they can to the case. Then, they make a few calls, visit the man's son and stare at each other. Even the solution to the murder felt like an afterthought.

I found this 94-page novella irritating. I was interested in the mystery aspect, so it was a letdown that it took a backseat to these two being immature. Ciara walks away and then blames David for not stopping her. I hate when characters create the situation for them to be antagonistic to others. She had expectations for the way David was supposed to respond to her. When he didn't do what she wanted, she used that as a reason to reject him. Also, she holds what he does against him, but she doesn't know why he does it and doesn't try to understand.

Anyway, this wasn't for me. The title makes me think "the judge died for their love." Weird. 

The Devil's Sonata - Susan Hufford

I'm not exactly sure when this book came out, but I was packing up some paperbacks and had a desire to pull one out and read it. I chose this one, because I had no idea what it was about. Some of them I might remember bits and pieces, but this one I had no clue. And it's a diet book, meaning I got through it fairly quickly.

Hilda is headed to Valhalla (not where you would think) to check on her half sister, Ursula. Before she leaves, she gets a telegram telling her not to go. But she's worried about her half sister, so she heads there anyway. Once she gets there, she doesn't feel very welcome. The home owner, Lucia, is focused on the operatic debut of her daughter and doesn't like Hilda interfering in the event.

I'm curious if the person who wrote the summary on the back even read the book. It made me think the doctor would play more of a role. He was hardly in it. The same with the love interest. Most of the antagonism came from Lucia. And then there was the strange music. What was that all about? That was never explained. Yes, the footprints were explained, but they kept making a big deal about the music. OH! And don't forget that Ursula is Hilda's half sister. The author never passes up an opportunity to clarify that.

I also want to mention the biggest offense this book threw at me. They murdered a puppy. For basically no reason. I mean, they tried to explain it at the end, but no. No no no. It wasn't necessary, and I hated it. Not necessary and a major strike against the book. Add that to the other weird, disjointed elements, and I'm just glad I didn't invest a lot of time reading this one.

Good-Bye to All That - Robert Graves

This is the memoir of a man who went through a lot in his life. He was a writer of poetry and books. He served in WWI and came out of it a broken man. He was broken while in the service, but he did what he could to be okay and get back to the men.

The book is mostly about his wartime experiences, but the author spends a fair amount of time on his youth and his life afterwards as well.

There were times I found myself having trouble paying attention. Sometimes the writing was engaging and other times not so much. Overall, it was a glimpse into the trenches (a terrible place to be), but it wasn't the best thing I've read from the time period.

After the Funeral (Hercule Poirot #29) - Agatha Christie

Poirot is a character that doesn't need any introduction. This particular story involves the funeral of a man. His friend is there and witnesses the sister declare that he was murdered. Doubts begin to swirl in the friend's mind, and he starts to investigate. It isn't long before the sister is murdered, and his suspicions are raised even higher. Eventually, he gets beyond his ability and seeks out his friend, Poirot.

I don't want to say more about the plot. Christie's books are so complex, it's hard to talk about what happens without giving spoilers. I'll just say this was one of those ones that will probably stick with me for its uniqueness. The others that stay with me are And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. (Side note: I don't know why I see so many people recommend the 1945 movie version of And Then There Were None. The end of that is so bad, it doesn't make sense anymore. It also removed the cleverness of the book itself.)

There's not much more to say. It's Agatha Christie, and it was worth reading. Good Book!

The Secret Jewish Soldier - Irit Keynan

I'm going to be completely transparent. I did not finish this book. I didn't even get halfway.

After her father's death, the author is given his diary. She then tries to retrace his early life to connect with his past.

In the description, it states, "his daughter happens upon an old diary written in a foreign language. As she works to interpret it, the truth of her father's incredible story finally begins to come to light, after years of being shrouded in secrecy." To me, that meant she was translating the diary. In fact, the diary is more a list of dates with places or a sentence or two.

From what I read, the book is more about the author and her journey of discovery. There is nothing wrong with that - it's just not what I expected. The main thing that irritated me was the speculation and questions. "I imagine such and such happening" was common. So were the impossible questions. And it wasn't just one. They were in groups of 3 or 4. For instance, the author goes through a series of questions about a relative. Was she pregnant at that time? Had she already had the baby? Was she worried about the future? There are no answers to these questions, and they just take up space in the book.

I tend to read more first-person accounts, so I was connecting the title with the diary. Maybe that was a mistake on my part. The wide scope of her story also seemed unnecessary. She details the history of her family name and general history of her family. And some of that is speculative. It just wasn't for me.

A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael #1) - Ellis Peters

This is the first book I've read by Ellis Peters.

Brother Cadfael has led an interesting life, and now he's just gardening and living life as a monk in Shrewsbury Abbey. He's down to earth and a very rational human being. His abbey feels like they need a saint to become more popular. They choose Winifred, a woman whose life was lived in Wales.

One of the more dramatic brothers has an episode, and now the brothers are on their way to Wales to collect the woman's bones. Brother Cadfael is brought along because he can speak Welsh. Once they get to the village, the people are not thrilled to have outsiders come and take possession of their saint.

The biggest opponent to the relocation is murdered, and a local man is framed. Brother Cadfael plays detective, and he works for the good of all. Even the ones who don't really deserve it. 

Cadfael was definitely my favorite character. He was neutral and weighed every decision with a regard for everyone involved. He was loved by everyone in that little village and with good reason. There are 20/21 novels (depending on which publishing house numbers them), and I wouldn't mind reading the next one, One Corpse Too Many, in the future. Good Book!

Darling Monster: The Letters of Lady Diana Cooper to Son John Julius Norwich - Diana Cooper

I'm going to preface this review by saying that I didn't make it through the whole thing. I made it about a fourth of the way before I gave up. 

These are the letters a mother sent her son while they were separated by WWII and beyond. Mom was a prolific writer and added a lot of details to her correspondence.

I did enjoy the writing style of Lady Diana. It was just the repetitive nature of the letters in general that wore me down. The son warned me ahead of time there were a lot of people mentioned, but it got to be a bit much for me. Dinner with this person, dinner with that person, etc.

I don't think this was a bad book, I just think the style of it wasn't for me. The letters themselves, while written with wit and intelligence, were just not something I wanted to keep reading.

The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole

This book is considered by many to be the first gothic novel. The best part? It was published in 1764!

Manfred is waiting for his son to show up and be married to Isabella. When his son is killed, everything starts going wrong. He fears the prophecy that his name will disappear. His solution is to divorce his current wife and marry his son's fiancé. She doesn't want that to happen and flees. I don't want to say too much about the plot. I don't want to spoil it. But I will say that since it's a gothic novel, the happily ever after isn't an element.

This book isn't super long, but it was pretty good. Even though it was written over 200 years ago, I didn't have any problems reading it. Was there a bit of old English in there? Yes, but it wasn't that hard to understand what was going on. I liked it and was glad I finally got the chance to read it. Good Book!

Radio Operator on the Eastern Front - Erhard Steiniger

Erhard was a German soldier who spent time fighting the Russians during WWII. He saw some awful things and ended up spending time in Siberia after the war.

Since he was a regular soldier, reading his perspective was interesting. He was just trying to survive and watched many of his friends die. Also, the mental stress he endured by repeated retreats had to be discouraging.

Overall, he had a detached attitude for the most part. He relayed the facts as he remembered them and seemed to keep his personal thoughts on the edges of his descriptions. He learned some things about the war afterwards, so he had a greater sense of perspective than if he had just written down his experience.

He brought up his disdain for the bombing of Dresden. I looked into it a bit, and it's one of those controversial events that happens in wars and are argued about for years afterwards. No matter which side you're on, war is a terrible thing. After the war, unfortunately Erhard spent time in Siberia, but he made it out alive and spent the rest of his life with the woman he met during the war.

The writing is easy to read, and the book is full of pictures. They weren't always necessarily relevant to what I was reading at the moment, but it wasn't a big deal. He doesn't spend time talking about his experience in Siberia. He only mentions that he could write a whole other book about that experience and leaves it at that. I appreciated getting his point of view, and I'm glad I read this book. Good Book!

Run Silent, Run Deep - Edward L. Beach

I watched this movie a while ago, and I wanted to read the book. Unfortunately, I ended up with a condensed version somehow. I'm guessing this was approximately 1/3 the size of the total novel.

The skipper of a sub is posted in the Pacific. The area is being terrorized by a captain nicknamed Bungo Pete. He loses a few friends and wants revenge.

I liked this book, but I could tell it was condensed. I don't think it was because the version was poorly done but more that it felt like it was over too soon. There were a lot of details about submarines and how they lined up and fired torpedoes. For some, I feel that might get repetitive, but I didn't mind it at all. I actually enjoyed it.

Maybe one day, when I don't have oodles of books to read, I might go back and try to find a complete copy to read what I missed. Good Book!

The Rome Escape Line - Sam Derry

During WWII, when allies escaped their captors in Italy, Rome was a popular destination. With the Vatican being something of a sanctuary, safety was thought to be guaranteed if the prisoners could get inside.

Unfortunately, things weren't that straightforward. Some of the priests were helping, but their leader became Mr. Derry, a British leader who escaped by jumping off a train on the way to Germany. What is included in this book is his account of what happened with the organization he led until the allies liberated Rome in June 1944.

I found this to be a very easy read. Derry's conversational writing style is perfect for this type of story. It didn't have too many characters to keep track of, which is something that I've found to be an issue in other books of this type.

This was one of the better memoirs I've read. I think that comes down to the writing style. The subject is one I've read a few books on, and I'll say this was one of the best. The care he has for everyone in the organization is commendable, and I'm glad he was able to write this book to shed light on a lesser known network that helped thousands of ex-prisoners. Good Book!

The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe #1) - Raymond Chandler

This book was written in 1939 and is labeled as a hardboiled crime novel. It's my first time reading this author.

Philip Marlowe is a private detective who is hired to look into some blackmail. What follows is a trail of cover-ups and murders. It gets pretty complicated, and I don't want to say anything that would be a spoiler.

The book isn't longer than it needs to be, and it's an easy read. There were times when I had to pay a bit more attention so I didn't miss anything, and the language got a bit much at times. Example: "The General spoke again, slowly, using his strength as carefully as an out-of-work show-girl uses her last good pair of stockings."

Overall, this was a pretty good book, and I enjoyed it. Marlowe himself is a bit of a mystery. He wasn't what I expected personality-wise, and I wouldn't mind reading more of him. Good Book!

Spirit of Resistance: The Life of SOE Agent Harry Peulevé, DSO MC - Nigel Perrin

The SOE was a group of people that were dedicated to sabotage and resistance during WWII. I've been interested in them for quite a while and read a few books on them.

Harry wanted to fight in the war. On his first mission with the BEF, he was forced to retreat and that bothered him. He then volunteered for the SOE, where he went through a broken leg, arrest, and spending time in Buchenwald concentration camp. He came out the other side alive, but never the same. He preferred to stick to the shadows in the aftermath of the war, but he still fought with the memories.

I want to mention the most surprising thing about this book is that of the listed 362 pages, not even 3/4 of this is the "meat" of the book. The first appendix started on page 259 (67%). The remainder of the book consists of Appendix A (DSO Citation), Appendix B (Croix de Guerre Citation in French and English), Appendix C (SOE Agents in France), Pictures, Glossary, Notes and References, Documentary Sources, Bibliography and Index.

The other thing is the number of people mentioned in the book. I'm the type of person that when I read a book about a subject I'm interested in, I'll stop and write down names I don't recognize so I can look into them later. While I recognized some of them, there are close to 100 people mentioned in this book, and most of them are spoke of in passing and never spoken of again. For someone like me, that is a bit overwhelming and slightly irritating.

The book itself is well researched, using interviews and Harry's own papers. I think the most heartbreaking chapter was the one revolving around peacetime. It's unfortunate that people who went through so much had to deal it for the rest of their lives. Harry was definitely a hero, but I understand why he never went through the pain of organizing his thoughts into a book. Even though I prefer to read autobiographies, I liked this book. Good Book!

The Secret of Chimneys (Superintendent Battle #1) - Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie has various series, but I'd never read one of these. I feel like Superintendent Battle is one of the lesser known detectives she's written.

In this book, Anthony takes a job to deliver a few things to England. He's in Africa, so it's going to be quite a trip. Since the job was originally his friend's, he travels under his friend's name. Once in England, he learns quickly that multiple people want to stop him from delivering the package. A burglar gets away with some important letters, and Anthony is determined to make things right.

After that, he gets involved in murder and helping an attractive woman. Superintendent Battle is summoned to Chimneys, the scene of a political murder, where the two cross paths. Numerous leads point to Anthony, but Battle is convinced of his innocence. They work "together" to solve the case. It seemed like Anthony did most of the work.

Battle doesn't show up until about 1/3 of the way through the book, and then I'm not 100% sure that he's doing that much. I felt like Anthony got more done, and in the end, he was the one who revealed the murderer and explained the crime. Maybe in later books, Battle has more of an active role, but I'm not sure he would be very interesting. One of his main things is "never show emotion."

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There is a reason why Christie is called the Queen of Crime. It's amazing how well the writing holds up after so many years. I read this book in three days, and props to Anthony for solving the case! Good Book!

The Dark Night of the Soul - Saint John of the Cross

I was talking with one of my friends lately, and we were discussing some philosophical matters. He mentioned there was a term for what I was going through called "the dark night of the soul." I hadn't really heard that phrase, but it sounded fairly accurate. With a bit of research, I found a poem/book written in the second half of the 1500s. There is also a contemporary meaning of a crisis of faith.

The book is a detailed explanation of what the author was trying to explain with the poem. It seemed like he was speaking as if he knew what God's intentions were with trials, and that rubbed me the wrong way. For instance, he says that God leads people into the dark night. Ok, so by that logic, He is making the things to create the night happen, correct? Which in my case means He caused people to die to push me into a dark night. That would mean God didn't consider the other person's life when pushing me into a dark night. Well, that doesn't make sense to me. 

That was just one of the issues I had with the book. The rambling got old after a bit. I've never been much of a fan of poetry to begin with, and if I do, it's something that rhymes. Dr. Seuss comes to mind. Just because it rhymes, and it's fun. I think the main point I took away from this book was if you have to write this much of an explanation for your poem, you should've written something else instead. When my friend was telling me about the dark night, I'm pretty sure he was talking about the contemporary definition. PASS

The Plague - Albert Camus

I already had this book waiting for me, but it moved up the list when I saw it mentioned in The Search for Major Plagge. When I was reading some of Plagge's letters, he mentioned this book more than once.

The plague has taken over the town of Oran, and members of the town are taking it differently. A doctor is on the front lines and comes across various people from different walks of life. Each offers a unique perspective on the plague with how they deal with it. There are a fair number of characters to keep track of, but I never had any issue keeping up. 

I'm sure many people will compare this with the COVID epidemic, and I can understand why they would. But the book is much more than that. The narrator purposely tries to give different points of view, how different people reacted to the situation and how they coped. It gets philosophical at some points and religious at others.

I can't believe this book was written in 1947. It is written so well and the emotions portrayed are relatable today. Characters in this book do not have plot armor, but it's incredibly appropriate for the devastating disease the city is dealing with. Also, this particular translation addressed some liberties taken with a previous one. The changes are mentioned in an afterword, and I feel they were warranted. Good Book!

Once a Grand Duke - Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovic

Former Grand Duke Alexander was the brother-in-law and good friend of the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II. This memoir was written in 1931, two years before his death.

Alexander goes through his life in a very honest and thoughtful way. He reveals his hardships, mistakes and frustrations. I learned more about the conflict going on within Russia itself during the first world war, and I felt sympathy with Alexander for trying to get through to his friend. It had to be frustrating to watch someone he loved so much making decisions that would affect his entire family.

And it did. Alexander lost many members of his family in the massacres of the royal family. It affected his perspective on God, and I can't blame him. He had been taught hatred and distrust of other races from an early age, and he was strong enough to come to his own conclusions about people. And later in life, losing so many people in such a short period of time had to be hard.

I liked this book a great deal. The conversational tone used by Alexander was easy to read. I learned a lot through his narration, and I'm glad I read this book. There are also a fair number of pictures included, and those were great for adding faces to names. Good Book!

 

The Secret of the Old Mill (Hardy Boys #3)

After reading the short story, It Had to Be Murder, I decided to pair it with another short book before switching over to a nonfiction book. I picked this one, since it's the last public domain Hardy Boys I have left to read at present.

In this book, counterfeit bills are appearing in town. The boys are affected, along with one of their friends, and even their mother! An outing with their chums raises suspicions of an abandoned mill that's recently been reopened. There's a lot of danger and risk, but the boys are on the case! I always read these and wonder why Joe and Frank seem more hardcore than Nancy Drew...

I got a chuckle at the end when the book asked if I enjoyed the adventures of the Hardy Boys. Then it answered with this sentence. "It's probably because the Hardy Boys, Joe and Frank, are fellows like yourself." Well, I'm not a fellow, but I enjoy them. They're a nice break from serious books, and I always like them. Good Book!

It Had to Be Murder - Cornell Woolrich

This short story was the basis for the famous movie "Rear Window." I watched the movie last month, so I was interested to read the inspiration.

Jeff is trapped in his home due to an injury. He spends his day peering out the window, and one day he starts to witness a pattern. After a few days of this, he's convinced a man has murdered his wife.

I won't say much beyond that, because it didn't take me long to read this. The writing was smooth and held up well for being written in 1942. I could see why this story would inspire someone to make a movie. It was really engaging and easily earns a Good Story! review.

The Search for Major Plagge - Michael Good

Major (Karl) Plagge was responsible for saving Jewish and Polish people during WWII, including the author's mother. In this book, he relates his journey to find recognition for Plagge and the result.

I had some issues with the book itself. The author was repetitive and could have used a good editor. I'm also someone who looks at sources. This makes it so I have way too many books to read, but I was looking at the footnotes. For the "book" (the part I'd consider the first edition), the sources were listed as documents on a dead website or to memoirs that didn't seem to exist. After the epilogue, I saw mention of a website searchformajorplagge.com. As of writing this review, that website is current and has all the articles and memoirs on it.

The other strange thing was the way the book was structured. The first third of it was more of a history of the author's family. The "search" didn't start until around 28% and then stopped around 55% (I use a Kindle and measure my progress through percent). After that, he spent 7 or 8% on a man who worked with Plagge (and that was the "epilogue" at 60%). There were also two sections of pictures in there randomly. I also didn't understand why he felt the need to include every detail of every letter/email like From: To: Re: - not sure that was necessary.

I found the most interesting parts of the book were the denazification trial (Appendix A) and whenever the author was quoting a direct source (memoir, letter, etc.). Karl Plagge was an interesting man, and I was glad for the glimpse into who he was. I would recommend for anyone wanting to learn about him to check out the website. I appreciate the author's journey and the good work he did bringing light to Plagge. He also brought together survivors and people that needed to heal. While I can appreciate that, I wish the book had been better structured.

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

I watched a version (1997) of this with my mom a while back, and she made a comment that stuck with me. She was expecting to watch a different version (that I didn't know existed), and she wondered which one was closer to the book.

This book is a mystery that revolves around the lives of three women. Their lives are intertwined in ways that come to light through the testimonies given by various witnesses to events. The main voices are Walter, the drawing master, and Marian, one of the women.

I was in danger of straining my eyes on this one. I didn't want to put it down. It was just too good. Collins took the time to make the various testimonies have different voices. I could imagine the different characters depending on how they were speaking.

A brief word about the movie. It was barely based on the book. I have no idea how you can take a story this amazing and change it to the extent they did. Don't get me wrong, I still have a special place in my heart for the movie. Since it's so different, I can actually think of it as a separate story. But now I'm anxious to get my hands on a copy of the other one and see what they did with the story.

Putting the movie aside, I loved this book. I loved the way it was put together, and I enjoyed the story itself. I can't think of many times when I was bored. That was one of the reasons that I was in danger of eye strain. There just weren't many good places to put it down. Great Book!

First They Killed My Father - Loung Ung

I picked up this book because I wanted to learn more about different world events. The author of this book was a child when the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia (1975-1979). During this time, she endured the loss of her home, family members, her way of life and basically everything she ever knew.

I honestly don't know how anyone comes out of something like this unbroken. The amount of tragedy and cruelty she had to endure was ridiculous. While I think she was a bit hard on herself, she was only a child after all, I felt that her reactions were relatable. As in I understood her rage and desire to destroy.

I wish the pictures had been at the end. They were from the reunion, which happened in the epilogue, so I wasn't sure why they were in the middle of the book (maybe that makes more sense in the paperback/hardback version but not the kindle). Also, I wish she had spent just a little more time on what happened when they got to America. She rushed through why the whole family didn't get relocated to America, but again, this was in the epilogue.

People react to circumstances differently. With the horrors the author went through at such an early age, I'm impressed with the amount of detail and willingness to share a lot of what happened to her. This book is a scary and sobering glimpse into genocide. It sounds weird to give it a Good Book! review, because it wasn't enjoyable in the sense that I found joy reading it. I learned a great deal, and it made me feel something. I feel like those books are the best. They stick with you long after you put them down. Good Book!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos

Ok, so when I watched this movie, I was utterly confused at what was going on. I picked up the book. It was short, and I figured I'd see if there was anything to make it rise in my opinion. Spoiler: not really.

In general, the characters are the same. Lorelei is a gold digger (but she doesn't solely gravitate toward diamonds), and Dorothy is described as unrefined. Lorelei is trying to improve her mind by becoming educated, so she meets various men. She uses them for their knowledge and shopping. It's supposed to be satirical, and I guess the humor just didn't hit with me. Also, her typos drove me insane.

When I looked back over my movie review, I noticed they did include Henry Spofford, but he was the child. Odd. Taking that into consideration, I still wasn't a fan. But for different reasons, because the stories were different. I mean, there was a tiara "fiasco" in there, but it didn't follow the same beats as the movie, and the whole courtroom scene was pulled out of nowhere. This just ends up being a strange experience overall, and I'm not sure why it's a classic. It just went over my head, I guess.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer

I've been really interested in WWII for quite a while now, and lately, I've been trying to get some insight into the Axis side. I saw this book was included in my prime membership (I could borrow it), but I was wary. The thing is massive at 1700+ pages, but I decided to give it a shot. It took me over a month to get through it, but I did it! Keep in mind, I'm probably not reading as much this summer since my kids are home from college, and my main priority is spending time with them. With that being said, it still would have taken me quite a while to get through this book.

The book is extremely thorough, which is amazing for when it was originally written (1960). I found it interesting to read the perspective of a man who had actually seen these people or had contact with them. Now, don't get me wrong, this book is not full of opinions and first-hand accounts by the author. It is full of what happened and a look behind the scenes. Most of the first-hand accounts and opinions are coming from diaries and documents that were found after the fall of Germany. The author's opinion comes through at times (calling the bunker a lunatic asylum for instance), but I rather enjoyed those glimpses of his personality. It broke up the more academic information.

I can actually narrow this review down to one word: fascinating. I couldn't believe that so many people could be so disconnected from a sense of humanity. I knew the Nazis didn't value life, but reading some of their memos, plans and testimony from Nuremberg disturbed me. It was also fascinating to see how a lot of it could have been prevented. The number of chances to stop Hitler was more than I even knew about, and it was frustrating. No one was listening at the time, and then it was too late.

Normally, with a book like this, I would feel every page. Longer books tend to put me off, but this one didn't. This is probably the longest book I've ever read straight through, and I turned off the % counter at the bottom of my Kindle since it moved so slowly. I didn't want to be distracted by that while I was reading. I think the author did a great job with this book, and if you're interested in what went on behind the scenes in Germany, with evidence to back it up, this could be the book for you. Good Book!

Into the Mummy's Tomb - Edited by John Richard Stephens

I bought this book so long ago that I don't remember where it came from. For the past few weeks, I've been working on one of longest books (maybe THE longest) I've ever read. It's 1700+ pages, but I decided to take a break once I got about halfway through and read something a little lighter. This book is a collection of stories, both fiction and nonfiction, about mummies and Egypt.

I'll leave my overall impression here in case the individual reviews are a bit much. My favorite stories were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I enjoyed both of his), Tennessee Williams, Sir H. Rider Haggard, Ray Bradbury, Elizabeth Peters and Sax Rohmer. The rest of them were not all bad, but they were varied levels of enjoyment. Most of them I wouldn't remember, but the ones listed above, I would recommend and read again in the future.

The Malevolence of Ancient Egyptian Spirits by Arthur Weigall (nonfiction) - Written by an Egyptologist, this entry goes over some of the strange occurrences that give rise to the belief in mummy's curses. He has plenty to share, but he stays unbiased. Unsurprisingly, he'd heard a lot of nonsense about malevolent spirits, but he doesn't judge and tries to keep an open mind. An interesting read.

Lost in a Pyramid or, the Mummy's Curse by Louisa May Alcott (fiction) - Alcott is best known for books like Little Women, but here I read something much different. It's a very short story about cursed seeds. I didn't know Alcott could write like this, and I enjoyed the writing. The story itself is on the sad side, but what do you expect when someone dabbles with sorceress's seeds? 

Raiding Mummies' Tombs by Amelia Edwards/Theodore Davis/Arthur Weigall/Giovanni Belzoni (nonfiction) - This is a brief collection of impressions made by Egyptologists. It mostly covers tombs, but there is some background information about mummification. Overall, this wasn't too bad, but Belzoni's descriptions of embalming were a bit much for me. It just makes sense that the richer you were, the nicer you were treated when you died. Some things don't change.

The Ring of Thoth by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (fiction) - In this story, a man falls asleep in the Louvre and awakens to find a strange occurrence. An Egyptian has taken down a mummy and unwrapped her. Then he goes through the rings and takes one out. The student is very confused, but Sosra explains the whole thing. He had done some research into extending lifespans only to become a victim of his own making. The ring was the key to his release. This was a good story, and I really enjoyed it. I knew Doyle was interested in the supernatural, but this is the first thing I've read that he's written related to the topic.

The Vengeance of Nitocris by Tennessee Williams (fiction) - Apparently this is one of the author's first works, written when he was sixteen and based on a true story. Queen Nitocris takes the throne when her brother is murdered by a mob. He defiled the temple of Osiris, and the people were afraid they would be punished for the pharaoh's act if they didn't do something to correct the act. Nitocris was devoted to her brother, so when she begins a building project, the people think she's making up for what her brother did. In reality, she's planning an elaborate revenge plot. The writing in this one was really engaging, and I was drawn in from the beginning. The addition at the end of what happened later was a bit sad.

Under the Pyramids by H. P. Lovecraft (fiction) - According to the blurb at the beginning, Lovecraft ghostwrote this story for Harry Houdini. By the end of it, the story has gone full Lovecraft, and I'm not sure how anyone would mistake it for anything else. The first half of this was so slow. It was like a quick class on basic Egyptian knowledge. Then, Houdini's "guide" and friends tie up Houdini and lower him into a shaft. After that, strange things happen, but it's all chalked up as a dream. It was a weird one, and I wasn't a huge fan of it.

Opening King Tutankhamen's Tomb by Howard Carter with A. C. Mace (nonfiction) - This is a summary of the emotions and actions of opening one of the greatest Egyptian finds. It covers the emotions and describes some of the larger artifacts. Not much more to say about it.

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb by Agatha Christie (fiction) - This is a short story with Poirot as our detective. It involves the deaths of people involved in the excavation of the tomb of Men-her-Ra. It moves quickly, and the murderer is revealed just before he takes his own life. This one went by so fast that there was no time to get to know any characters, and Poirot just explains his thoughts at the end. No clues are given to the reader, so no use trying to solve this one on your own. It was okay, but I prefer Christie's longer works. I am drawn to characters, and they just weren't present here.

The Demon-Possessed Princess by An Egyptian Priest (fiction) - Very short story written in ancient times and updated by the editor. It tells the tale of a ruler asking Ramses II for help with his daughter and then refusing to allow the god that got rid of the demon to return to Egypt.

The Majestic Sphinx by Mark Twain (nonfiction) - Another short entry. Sounds like some random ramblings of a man gazing upon the sphinx. It was a bit fanciful before it basically just turned into a narration of what was in front of him.

Smith and the Pharaohs by Sir H. Rider Haggard (fiction) - J. E. Smith sees a cast of a beautiful Egyptian queen and is obsessed. He decides to travel to Egypt and see if he can find her. When he does, it's in the most unusual way imaginable. I enjoyed this one a great deal. It reminded me a bit of the movie Somewhere in Time. I won't say more than that, but this was one of the better ones in the book.

Some Words with a Mummy by Edgar Allen Poe (fiction) - This one was weird. I mean, it is Poe, so a bit of the supernatural is expected. A man goes to a mummy unwrapping, and when they zap the mummy with electricity, they discover that he wasn't really dead after all. The whole thing just struck me as weird, but the end gave me a smile. "My wife is a shrew." HA!

Colonel Stonesteel's Genuine Home-Made Truly Egyptian Mummy by Ray Bradbury (fiction) - In this story, the Colonel and Charlie are bored. They head up to the attic and create a mummy to stir up the town. It works well, and they have an eventful day. I really enjoyed this one. I loved the Colonel's explanation of the mummy and his advice to Charlie on what to do with him in the future. Definitely one of my favorite stories so far.

Dead Kings (Excerpt) by Rudyard Kipling (nonfiction) - This was a couple pages of rambling that I had trouble following. Pass.

Lot No. 249 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (fiction) - Smith is studying to be a doctor, but below him are a few men who he's warned to stay away from. One night, he's summoned to the room of the man below him where he finds a strange sight. The occupant is in a stupor, and he has a mummy in his room! What follows is unbelievable, but Smith is the only one who is brave enough to accept what is happening and face the evil with the intent to stop it. This was another story I really enjoyed. The writing style and the plot were unique enough that I wasn't desperate for it to end.

The Locked Tomb Mystery by Elizabeth Peters (fiction) - This is one of my favorite authors as an entire row on my bookshelf is dedicated to her books. They're almost all paperbacks, so I have them filed two deep. The editor states it didn't seem right to exclude Peters (Mertz) from the anthology, so with the help of her assistant, they found this short story. It appears to be the only Egyptian short story she wrote, and according to the editor, the most historically accurate included in the anthology. This story reminds me of an Egyptian Sherlock Holmes story. Amenhotep Sa Hapu was actually a real person, and if he could solve mysteries the way he did in this story, he was a marvel! Another one I really enjoyed. Not surprising considering the author.

The Death-Ring of Sneferu by Sax Rohmer (fiction) - This one started out a bit strange for me but picked up toward the end. A man is on the trail of a valuable ring, but anyone who comes into contact with it comes to a bad end. The man isn't afraid until he's trapped in a pyramid. After that, it's a matter of finding the ring to keep it from harming anyone else. It was a pretty good story. The end brought it up for me into one of the better ones of the anthology.

The Mummy or Ramses the Damned (excerpt) by Anne Rice (fiction) - An excerpt is dangerous for me, because if I like it, I'm going to want to read more. And so I discovered I wanted to read Anne Rice. I always associate her with vampires, but this is a mummy's curse story. The thing is, it's also a murder mystery. Now, there were hints of the supernatural surrounding the mummy, but I didn't get far enough to make a definitive decision. I'm definitely going to look into reading more of this one in the future.

The Jewel of Seven Stars (abridged) by Bram Stoker (fiction) - The final story is another person I associate with vampires. The original vampire to be specific. In this, a man has found the mummy of a woman. She's a queen with a supernatural history. There's significance to the number seven in this story. The cat has seven digits on one paw. The Queen has seven fingers and seven toes, and so she considers it a magical number. Even though this was abridged, I felt like it was overly wordy. It went on for too long, and I wasn't super invested in what was happening. It had potential but ended up being a pass for me.

The House on the Cliff (Hardy Boys #2) - Franklin W. Dixon

I needed something a little on the lighter side, so I picked up the next book in the Hardy Boys series. I read The Tower Treasure in April, and I liked it.

Again, we have a serious mystery to solve. I mean, it doesn't start out that way. At first, it's just a haunted house and some missing tools. But then, suspicions of smuggling lead the boys back to the house. I don't want to say too much about the plot. These aren't long books, and I don't want to sap the fun out of it for a future reader.

I got the impression the stakes were higher than when I would read Nancy Drew, but I may just be remembering things a bit differently. Overall, this book is quick to read, in the public domain and the writing (minus a few bits where the language is outdated) holds up. I've got one more that went public this year, The Secret of the Old Mill. I'm sure I'll be getting to it some time in the near future! Giving this one a Good Book! review.

From Vienna to Tel Aviv, a long journey: Memoirs of Berthe Moritz - Francis Moritz

I picked this book up a while back when it was free.

Berthe was living in Austria when the Germans became a problem for the Jewish people. She ended up going through a lot and spending much of the war in Switzerland. Afterward, she lived in Israel.

This book is written in a conversational tone. It wouldn't win any literary awards, and it shouldn't have to. As someone who has spent a good chunk of their life dabbling with their genealogy, stories like this need to be written down. Berthe wasn't a famous person, but that doesn't mean her life isn't interesting.

I may be a bit biased. I believe everyone has something that makes them special. Berthe's memoirs skim over the worst of the pain in her life, but I'm not bringing that up as a criticism. It's just the way it's written.

There is a lot of documentation and pictures included in this book, and I enjoyed those. The book itself is only a little over 100 pages, so it won't take up a lot of your time, but I thought it was well worth the read. If I had one issue, it was that since I'm not Jewish I wasn't familiar with some of the customs and holidays mentioned. Also, Hebrew is used a few times, and I'm not sure what those entries said. Overall, I enjoyed this book and appreciate the members of Berthe's family making it available for people outside their circle to read. Good Book!

Bella Donna - Robert Hichens

I watched the movie Temptation (1946) and wanted to see if I liked the book any better than the movie. Spoiler: No.

I didn't make it very far, so I'm not going to say much about the plot. A man who sees the best in people falls in love with a woman who has quite the reputation. His friend, a doctor, has been visited by this woman where she revealed things about herself, but he can't say anything due to doctor/patient privilege.

I put this one down after about 10%. It seemed like the author was getting paid by the word. For example, the woman goes to the doctor, and they have this confusing conversation where she repeats herself over and over. The doctor keeps giving her medical answers, and she isn't satisfied with that. I know she had an ulterior motive for being there, but it got tedious after a bit. I just have too many other books to read to waste my time on things like this. And yes, the woman was just as smug and irritating in the 10% I read as she was in the movie. It's a pass for me.

 

The Tin Star - John M. Cunningham

A while back, I watched High Noon and noticed this short story was mentioned as the inspiration for the film. I decided to see how the story turned into a movie.

Doane is an old man, and one of his old cases has been released from prison. The criminal is on his way to town on a train, and Doane knows the man and his gang will be coming for his life. His deputy, Toby, is planning on staying by his side during the fight, but after that, he's out.

I'm not going to say much more about the story. It was only 14 pages. I thought it was a pretty decent little Western story, but the movie varied in many ways. It almost seems like two different stories.

This story wasn't really long enough for any type of character development or anything, so I don't really feel comfortable giving it a proper ranking. If you like old-fashioned Westerns, you might want to give this one a shot.

*You can see my review of High Noon HERE. Be warned that it has SPOILERS. The review is on my newer blog where I keep track of the older movies/shows (and some not as old) I've been watching lately.

Teddy Suhren, Ace of Aces - Teddy Suhren

When I hear the term 'ace.' I immediately think of aircraft. But in this case, a German man is telling his story of what happened in the U-boats during WWII. He worked his way up through the ranks, even having to wait to become commander simply because he was too young. He was an intelligent man and knew what he was doing. He cared about his men and always did what he could to bring them back alive.

The writing style of this memoir was very conversational, and it made for an easy read. I was never reluctant to pick it up. The postscript and a speech given by Suhren take up a lot of the end. The actual memoirs ended around page 254. After that was a brief summary of the rest of his life and a speech he gave at the First Post-War reunion of U-boat men in 1954.

The translator starts off the memoir by clearing up a few things. I appreciated how many people he contacted and worked with to get this book into the shape that it is. There are also many pictures, which were included throughout the book instead of all shoved in at the end. I liked that as well.

Overall, this was just a man doing his duty to his country. He was not a member of the Nazi party, and he didn't really seem to care for politics at all. His outspokenness got him in trouble on numerous occasions, but it never stopped him from saying what he felt. He was put in prison after the war, and it didn't seem to be something he understood. He was just doing his duty just as the men on the other side did, so why was he being punished? Eventually, he was let out and built his life back together, but it's an interesting question. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out what life was like on a U-boat. Good Book!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - B. Traven

I'd seen the movie a few months ago and wanted to read the book. I wanted to make sure nothing happened to my main man, Howard, in the book.

If you haven't seen the movie, a couple of down-on-their-luck men, Dobbs and Curtin, team up with an experienced prospector (Howard) to try their luck mining for gold. They gather some burros and head out into the mountainous region of the Sierra Madre.

This is a pretty good book. It doesn't focus on the high points of prospecting or the riches you gain in the end. It shows what can happen when all you work for is something that won't last. It's a cautionary tale, but it isn't wrapped up in obvious preaching. 

A quick mention of the movie. It stayed pretty true to the book with some minor variations. I felt kind of bad for the "Cody/Lacaud" character. 

I enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone looking for a good adventure. The writing holds up well for being written in 1927 by a mysterious German whose real identity has never been discovered. Good Book!

(I'm adding the poster from the movie since the cover of my Kindle book just had a strange man sitting in a chair.)

Code Talker - Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila

I'd heard of code talkers before, but I'd never really dived into their history. I found this book, written by one of the original 29 (or 32 if you go by Chester's numbers). Code talkers were a group of brave Native Americans who used the Navajo language to make sure the Japanese didn't know what the Americans were doing in the Pacific during WWII. The code was never broken and was much quicker and more efficient than what was being used previously.

I like how the memoir went through almost his entire life. It covers his childhood up until 2011. Chester passed away in 2014 and was the last surviving member of the original code talkers. He lived quite a life and went through so much.

I have the Kindle version and wanted to mention a few things. The text for the book ends at page 276. Acknowledgements, Navajo dictionary for the code, Bibliography, an index, maps of the islands Chester helped conquer, and pictures fill the rest of the book. The pictures start on page 347. The code was small and hard to read on my Paperwhite, but that's something I could fix.

This is one of the better memoirs I've read. The writing was easy to read, there were enough breaks if you wanted to stop for a while, and the subject matter was super interesting to me. I believe this is an important part of WWII history that shouldn't be forgotten. The impact these men had was so important to the Pacific theater, and it was a secret for so long. If you're at all interested in a life lived the Right Way, I recommend this book. Good Book!

Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak

I went into this book with optimism. I did a small bit of research and saw a few people recommending to read the Pantheon translation. It's not available in Kindle format, so I ordered a physical copy. It cost a bit more, but I was heading on a road trip, and it was my treat to myself.

I'm going to add spoilers in this review, because I want to rant. I wasted good money for a particular translation, and for what? A "classic" that I don't quite understand. In what way did I not understand it? I honestly am not sure why this is considered a classic. I considered quitting, but I also felt compelled to read the whole thing since I spent more on it than I normally would.

Zhivago is one of the most irritating characters I've read. At one point, I wanted him to get eaten by wolves. I have no idea what people see in him and wish someone else had been the main character. Gordon or Dudorov or anyone else. I'm not even sure how to describe Zhivago in a way that will explain why I dislike him so much. I hate the way he just floats along, sometimes fainting, sometimes hiding, other times giving up on something.

And then there's the women in his life. Tonia has my sympathies. ALL my sympathy. She never did anything wrong, and Zhivago just forgets about her. Multiple times. And he never does meet back up with her, and we never find out what happens to her. She's just pushed aside. Later, Zhivago leaves his new love Lara to "find his family." But he gives up and forms another family with Marina. What. The. Heck.

Aside from the dramatic Zhivago, the book wasn't bad. When it was dealing with the social and political incidents of the time, I enjoyed it. The end was the reprint of Zhivago's poems, but I skipped them. I am not a fan of poetry, and I was just kind of over the book at that point. But weighing the amount of time spent of the main character with the interesting parts, this one was a pass.

Sniper on the Eastern Front - Albrecht Wacker

"Sepp Allerberger" is the name attached to these memoirs. The reason given is that although snipers from the United States and Russia are considered heroes, German snipers are regarded as "wicked killers."

Sepp does what he can to survive. At first, it might be hard to sympathize with a German sniper knowing what he's done. But not every German soldier was a Nazi, and this particular man fought with inner demons a few times. The problem was, he was in a situation where it was kill or be killed. 

As the end of the war nears, it becomes clear that the troops are just falling back to Germany. He witnesses a lot of horrible things, and the details are not spared. It's gets pretty graphic at times. Saying that, Sepp also comes across as jaded, and I'm not sure whether that is a reflection of the author or the marksman. 

Overall, this is a pretty look at the end of the war from the German point of view. If that's something you're interested in learning about, and you don't mind the gore, I would recommend this book. Good Book!

An American Tragedy - Theodore Dreiser

Clyde's family are street preachers, but he wants to break away. He gets a job at a hotel, but after a tragic accident, he leaves the city and ends up in Chicago. He meets his wealthy uncle and is put on a path where he's exposed to high society. He also has a young woman who he's gotten pregnant. Since she's not rich enough, Clyde would rather get rid of her somehow, because now he has prospects with a rich, young beauty. What follows is a murder. 

It feels like everyone in this book only thinks about themselves. The beauty only starts talking to Clyde because she wants to poke at Clyde's cousin. The cousin puts Clyde in a cruddy job to keep him out of the way. Roberta, who is one of the lesser offenders, wants to hold on to Clyde no matter the consequences. Even giving up her morals and self-respect. Clyde is never happy with anything. He always feels like he's destined for something greater, and he deserves it. The lawyers are determined to win the case for political reasons. I despised the defense attorneys for making something up to try and get Clyde acquitted. I wasn't fond of the underhanded tactics of the prosecution, either. The whole 'plant two strands of hair' probably wasn't even necessary. I could go on, but I'm over the whole thing.

Everyone was in the wrong, but Clyde was the worst. By a long shot. I think the book wanted me to feel bad for him, but I felt nothing but contempt for the nitwit. He literally planned out her murder, but then he spent so much of the book telling himself he was innocent. I wish the trial was the end, but then his religious mother showed up and extended the book by asking God to spare her son. Many prayers and pleas to God take up a lot of the final pages.

I don't normally hate everything about a book, but this is one of those times. At the end, the only real tragedy was how much time I wasted reading it. I skimmed a great deal of the end, because I wanted to make sure some sort of justice happened, otherwise I would have had a riot over here.

Blood on the Rising Sun - Adalia Marquez

Adalia is in Manila when the Japanese invaded during WWII. Her husband is a leader in the underground, but she's more worried about her family. When her husband is arrested and jailed in nearby Fort Santiago, she is determined to do whatever it takes to get him out.

Eventually, Tony escapes, but she spends a lot of time in the prison herself. At first, she's kept there as a hostage, hoping it will lure out Tony. Then, she's kept there just because. She sees a lot of hardship and tortured souls, but her children seem to protect her somewhat. The guards love the children, and it affords her a bit of freedom and a way to help the prisoners. The psychological strain eventually gets to her and has lasting effects.

Since so much of the book focused on Tony and how much she relied on him, I hoped to hear if she ever heard what happened to him. That was never resolved, and it was disappointing. Even just to have an epilogue mentioning that she never found out one way or the other. But she never comments on her life after the trip from the Philippines to America. And what happened to the Japanese guard who helped her and saved her life? Did she try to find out what happened to him? It just felt a bit incomplete at the end.

The Tower Treasure (The Hardy Boys #1) - Franklin W. Dixon/(Charles) Leslie McFarlane

I decided to read this because I wanted a break from my normal stuff, and I've never actually read a Hardy Boys book. We have a soft spot in our house for Nancy Drew, so I was interested to see what the "other side" was all about.

As a side note, I wanted to address the author. These books are written by numerous people (just like Carolyn Keene for Nancy Drew). I did a brief bit of research on this particular author, and he wasn't fond of writing these (per his son). He wrote them because he needed the money to feed his family during the Great Depression. I have to say, if this particular book was one of his "nuisance" attempts (even though it's technically before the Depression), I'd love to read something he wrote when he truly cared!

In this first adventure, Joe and Frank are trying to help a friend. A robbery at the Tower Mansion is pointing to the friend's father, and they're determined to help.

I was struck by the depth of feeling that I found in this book. The compassion the boys had for their friend, and the amount of times they addressed the matter was something I didn't expect. I enjoyed how they are just starting out, and they realize they're learning. They aren't automatically amazing and overlook things a seasoned detective would think of.

This was just a wholesome, old-fashioned, fun read. Sure, some of the language is a bit dated, but it was written in 1927. What do you expect? Even with that, I feel like it still held up well. I really did like this book and finished it in two sittings. It went into the public domain this year, so if you're interested, give the Hardy Boys a chance. This one's definitely a Good Book!