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!