Prince or Chauffeur? A Story of Newport - Lawrence Perry

Technically, this should be a review for a memoir. BUT, I'm working my way through a hardback that's over 600 pages, and it's also a bit dry. Since it's a large book, I'm not really able to read it while I'm on the treadmill, so I had a fiction book on my Kindle for when I'm walking. Depending on how things shape up, I might get through another fiction book before I finish my current memoir. I'm about halfway done with it at present. And now, back to the review...

I picked this book at random and had no idea what it was about. Jack is in the Navy and is working on a design for a torpedo. He learns that a vital part has been stolen and suspects that he will find the part if he takes a position with a prominent family. Another plus is that a certain young woman he's just met also lives there.

This book was pretty good. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it also didn't get too sappy. It didn't stick around for longer than necessary, and I enjoyed it for what it was. I would probably label this as a "diet" book, and if you need something light to read, it's not a bad choice. Good Book!

The Green Archer (1940 Serial)

So, this was an experiment to see how they could turn a novel, The Green Archer by Edgar Wallace, into a 15-part serial. I ended up watching it in four installments, a little over an hour each time.

I started watching this with a pad of paper and pencil, waiting to see what was different between the book and the serial. By the time I was halfway through the first episode, my page was full, and I'd given up. The characters were completely different (some of the names were reused but that's it), and the relationships between characters that actually were in the book were different. Beyond that, the plot changed drastically from the book to the point where I had the Green Archer (the good one - yes, now there are two!) figured out by the end of the first episode. One of my favorite things about the book was that it kept me guessing on the Green Archer's identity.

Shout out to actor James Craven. He was the villain in this one, and he was instantly familiar. He was also the villain in Captain Midnight, and he was basically the exact same character. It was kind of amusing.

Overall, once I figured out it was about as different as it could be, I put aside the "differences chart" and just enjoyed the ride. The chaotic action sequences and strange plot choices came together in a pretty entertaining way. It wasn't one of my favorite serials, but it also wasn't the worst I've seen thus far either. I understand it must've been hard to turn a novel into a serial, but with the amount of changes I saw, the writers were using the term "based on" VERY loosely.

The Dorrington Deed-Box - Arthur Morrison

I went into this completely blind. I have such a long list of things I can read, I'm almost to the point where I close my eyes and point at a page to pick what I'm reading next. I am trying to favor new authors, though.

I'm going to be a bit cryptic with this one, because it is so unique. It's a collection of short stories, and they are mysteries. And that's about all I'm going to tell you about the stories themselves.

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read anything like this before, and I loved it. It was so clever! It's really hard for me not to say more, but I hate spoiling things when I enjoy the story. This was originally published in 1897, but don't let that fool you. If you love mysteries, I highly recommend you give this a chance. It's different from anything I've read in the genre, and easily earns a Good Book! review.

Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a WWII Special Agent - Pearl Witherington Cornioley

I love learning about the SOE, so this was an easy pick for me. Side note - reading this book brought home to me how much I love my Kindle Paperwhite. For some reason, I couldn't get this book to download to my Paperwhite after trying multiple ways, so I read it on my old Kindle Fire. Man, the glare bugged me to no end! I'm spoiled, I know.

Pearl was a member of the Special Operations Executive during WWII. Their secret mission was to send civilians behind enemy lines where they would do what they could to "annoy" the Germans. I use the term annoy loosely. They did amazing things like sabotage factories, railways, and report troop and supply locations to the Allies. Pearl was more on the organization side of things, so she doesn't have amazing stories of adventure and danger in here, but this book was written with a purpose in mind. She wanted to inspire young people.

I like the way this was written. The editor starts the chapter with a bit of background, and then gets out of the way. At that point, Pearl takes over and tells her part of the story with only occasional interjections for clarification. Additional notes can be found at the end. One thing I'd like to recommend is that you make sure to read past the conclusion. The interview with both Pearl and Henri is hidden in the back of the book, and it was just as enjoyable to read as the rest of the book. Not sure why it was hidden away in the back.

Overall, this is a good book. It's short, so it doesn't outstay its welcome. Pearl was a character to be sure, and she was definitely an asset to the Allies. Good Book!

The Experiences of Loveday Brooke - Catherine Louisa Pirkis

I don't remember how I came to hear about this one, but it was originally published in 1893 and features a female detective.

Loveday (interesting name by the way) is called upon when the police are stuck with the most baffling mysteries. This book contains seven cases for Loveday to solve.

The best way I can think to explain what I read is that it's a female Sherlock. She doesn't tell anyone what she's up to and reveals everything in one, long speech at the end. She does things that seem inexplicable to those around her, but they make sense once she enters into "explanation mode." You're along for the ride. I was able to pick up on a clue here and there, but overall, you're not meant to solve these with her. You're not given enough information.

The stories are short and entertaining, but I didn't read anything that made them stand out from other mysteries of this type. Maybe if the explanations hadn't been quite so long, it would have been a bit better, but it wasn't terrible either.

Hit - Mary Edwards Walker

Ok, so this one is a bit of a cheat. I'm supposed to be reading an autobiography, but this is more "book written by someone I found super interesting."

Mary Walker was a character to say the least. She was an innovator and highly outspoken. I don't even know where to begin on her life. A few of the things that stand out to me are that she was captured as a prisoner of war during the Civil War as spy, was awarded the Medal of Honor, and she was buried in a suit instead of a dress. That might not seem like a big deal unless you consider what time period we're talking about.

This book is more a collection of essays on Walker's thoughts on various topics including Love and Marriage, Dress Reform, Tobacco, Temperance, Woman's Franchise, Labor, and Religion.

One thing you can tell is that Walker is very passionate about all these topics. She tends to go on a bit too long on some of them, but you can't doubt that she means what she says. Overall, it was interesting to get a perspective from this time period, but it was also a bit dry at times. I wish she'd written her memoirs, I think it would've been a great read. 

 

Vera - Elizabeth von Arnim

I read somewhere that this was along the lines of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and was interested. Vera was written in 1921, while Rebecca was from 1938. From the little bit of research I did, this novel is based on the author's second marriage, which was a disaster.

A chance meeting on the worst day of Lucy's life brings her into the grip of Everard, an enigmatic man who offers to be her rock in a time when she needs one. She's young, and he's just lost his wife of fifteen years. In Lucy, Everard sees something he wants. He convinces her that they need each other, and they end up married. The previous wife, Vera, died in a mysterious "accident" that has left a cloud over Everard. After they are married, Everard becomes erratic, and Lucy can't seem to say anything correctly.

On Everard's birthday, he insists on going back to the house where Vera died. He makes Lucy sleep in the bed where Vera slept, gives her the sitting room where the woman "fell" from the window, eat in the dining room where Vera's portrait stares at Lucy while she eats, and Lucy even has to listen to Everard talk about Vera all the time. He's a vindictive, controlling, manipulative, narcissistic, evil man.

SPOILER:

Vera ended abruptly and left a pit in my stomach. What happened to Lucy? At the end, Everard kicks Lucy's aunt out of the house and forbids her from seeing her niece again. The aunt warns Everard that Lucy doesn't have the constitution to last 15 years like Vera did, and that's the end. I was disappointed, but I'm not sure I wanted to read more of the psychological torture that Lucy was enduring.

Learning the author based this on her second marriage was a bit disturbing as well. I know many marriages are abusive, but it shouldn't happen. The illogical thoughts of Everard and how everything had to be his way 100% of the time was probably all too familiar at the time and even today. It was a well-written book, and I kept waiting for the rescue of Lucy, but it didn't happen. It was still a page-turner, so it gets a Good Book! review.