Dumb Witness, by Agatha Christie

Finished audio 12-4-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 1937

Belgian detective Hercule Poirot receives a letter from a dead woman and he and his friend Captain Hastings try to find out if this woman died of natural causes or was murdered.  There is no shortage of suspects – nieces, a nephew, a companion, servants, and two doctors.  Hercule must find a way to get answers without alerting anyone to his true purpose and his talent for skillful lying takes him far. 

This was my first Agatha Christie novel (my husband too) and we really enjoyed it.  Neither of us figured out what really happened til the end and our favorite character was Bob the dog.  I usually hate when animals talk or we read their thoughts, but Bob was wonderfully charming and he made me laugh every time.  This could have been due to the talented narrator, Hugh Fraser.

This was a great audio for a road trip because it appealed to both of us.  Since we have more travels ahead this month (I’m leaving in 7 1/2 hours) I will have to stock up on more Agatha Christie.

I checked this out of the library.

The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler

Finished 12-1-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2004

“It does bother me that Austen wouldn’t make up a good man who finds Charlotte worth having.  The Brontes would have told her story very differently.”

“Charlotte on Charlotte,” Allegra said. “I will always love the Brontes best.  But that’s just me – I like a book with storms in it.”

discussing Pride & Prejudice

 Jocelyn is the heart of this small book group.  She has personally asked five women and one man to meet monthly to discuss the six Jane Austen novels.  Jocelyn, a 50 something spinster of sorts, Sylvia, her best friend who was recently left by her husband,  Allegra, Sylvia’s lesbian daughter, Bernadette  a talkative eccentric, Prudie a married French teacher, and Grigg, a man who loves science fiction, all experience their own Austen-like life changes in the course of their six month book club.

Each monthly meeting focused on one member of the group and what was going on in their lives in relation to the book they were reading.  I’m not sure I loved any of the members, but I did like Grigg and maybe Allegra.  I loved the individual stories, but the plot moving the book along and tying the chapters together was a little slow for me. 

Beautifully written and less discussion of the Austen books than I expected.  Actually, I thought I would have to be more familiar with the Austen books before reading this (I’ve only read two), but I think this would be good for someone thinking about trying a Jane Austen novel for the first time. 

I should say that if I had stopped when the story was over I would have given this book a 3.5, but Fowler included additional information that I loved.  My favorite part was the pages and pages of criticism and praise for Austen.  There is the response from family and friends to each of the books and there are the comments on Austen from literary greats such as Charlotte Bronte, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Virginia Woolf, to name a few.  There was also a recap and questions for each book.  It was these additional parts that I loved best.

This was from my personal library.

The Year of Pleasures, by Elizabeth Berg

Finished audio 11-23-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2005

Betta Nolan is recently widowed and feeling alone in the world.  With no family, her husband had been the center of her universe and now in her mid-fifties she is set to embark on an adventure.  She sells her home in Boston and buys a large Victorian home in a small town outside of Chicago.  She chose the town at random and bought the house on a whim and she has her weak moments where she thinks she has made a big mistake.  Betta is still grieving and by making a few new friends and finding old ones she is able to start healing.

Betta’s heartbreak was touching and I felt for her as she tried to let go of her old life and forge ahead with new dreams.  It was easy to put myself in her place.  I was proud of her for taking her friend’s advice to purposefully do something everyday that makes you happy.  We should all take that advice.

I really liked this book.  I’ve seen people compare Berg’s books to sitting down with an old friend and I agree.  There is a familiarity in her writing that draws me in.  I felt that way about this one, but it was not without faults.  A few of the storylines were skipped over at the end and I felt a bit cheated out of knowing what happened.  So, while this wasn’t my favorite Berg novel I did enjoy it.

This was a library copy.

Killing Floor, by Lee Child

Finished 11-21-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 1997

Jack Reacher series, book 1

They had come prepared.  They’d known there was going to be a lot of blood.  They’d brought overshoes.  They must have brought overalls.  Like the nylon bodysuits they wear in the slaughterhouse.  On the killing floor.

Chapter 12

Jack Reacher is an ex-military cop who is roaming the United States, seeing the country he barely knows after a lifetime (36 years) spent on military bases around the world.  A random memory of a story that his brother told him makes him step off the Greyhound bus and walk 14 miles to the small, pristine town of Margrave, Georgia.  As he is having breakfast at the diner he is arrested for the murder of two bodies found while he was on the road.  And this is where the fun begins.

Jack has an alibi, but that will not save him from dangerous time in prison or from people trying to frame him.  He does get some help from new friends, but he will have to rely on his own considerable skills to get him out of this mess.  And Jack is more than able to take care of himself.

I love graphic, gritty, and grisly mysteries.  I wouldn’t want to read a steady diet of them, but occasionally that’s all that will fit the bill.  This one fits all of those descriptors and a few more.  It is an amazing debut novel from Lee Child, it even won a few mystery awards when it was first published. 

I really liked this book and it can be read as a stand-alone novel.  There is nothing left hanging that will make you finish the series unless you need more of Jack Reacher.  And for me, Jack is not a guy I fell in love with.  He’s a hard man and while some of the book may have had too much detail, there was too little time spent addressing Jack’s sense of right and wrong.  So, I was left feeling a little uneasy about him. 

I liked this book and if you like the Jason Bourne type character then I think you will like this one.  I will read the next in the series to see the growth of Child and Reacher from book one to book two. 

This was a library book.

The House on Tradd Street, by Karen White

Finished 11-10-09, rating 4/5,  fiction, pub. 2009

I recalled that when I was a child, before I’d learned to ignore such things, if I were paying very close attention, I could hear the murmur of very low voices all the time as if someone had left a radio on in a distant room.  But tonight all I heard was silence, and the pressing thought inside my skull.  The photo album.

I put on my robe and slippers and headed toward the guest bedroom, turning on every light as I went.  Regardless of how many times I saw them, it was always easier to see dead people when the lights were on.

Chapter 11

Melanie Middleton is a very successful real estate agent in Charleston, an expert at selling historical homes while having no love for them at all.  When she visits a new client one day and becomes the owner of his historical house a few days later due to his death, she is not happy.  She is forced to live in the house for a year and is given an allowance to restore it.  Only she is not the only one in the house.  The spirits who stay there both fight her and push her into solving a generations old mystery.

Her best friend Sophie and estranged father are both on board to help, as well as a good-looking true crime author working on his next big story.  Before long Melanie is forced to confront her past with her father and accept the help of a man she knows is silently grieving.  And these ghosts are not the Casper kind.  They can do real damage.

I really liked this book.  Melanie is a feisty 39 year-old woman who has relied on no one to achieve success and I was rooting for her to comes to terms with her father and grow to love the house.  The mystery of the missing diamonds was one that had me guessing til the end and the ghosts, while unnerving, added depth to the story. 

White writes with great humor and attention to detail and I am looking forward to the next book with Melanie.

This was a library book.

Murder on Nob Hill, by Shirley Tallman

Finished 1024-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 2004

Book 1 in the Sarah Woolson series

Despite claims to the contrary – some, I fear, voiced by members of my own family – I pride myself on being an honest woman.  As a matter of principle, I hold dissimulation of any kind in contempt.  That said, I probably should add that I also subscribe to the old adage “God helps those who help themselves,” even if this sometimes entails being economical with the truth.

First paragraph of the book

Sarah Woolson is a strong young woman living in a time when strong women were frowned upon.  It’s 1880 and she has managed to get an interview with a leading law firm, but she is promptly shown the door because of her sex.  Not willing to step aside she steals a client and the firm takes her in to save face.  Now she must travel around San Francisco trying to prove her client innocent of murdering her rich husband and one of his powerful friends. 

Sarah is take no prisoners kind of gal and this really irks the lawyer who is assigned to following/helping her with the case.  And her brothers prove helpful as does her judge father.  She is not afraid of getting her hands dirty, but her mind is her best asset.  There is a lot to like about Sarah. 

The mystery was good.  I didn’t figure it out until right before Sarah did and it was a satisfying ending.  The family was a warm and fun and accepting of Sarah, well except for one brother running for California Senator, and I look forward to learning more about them as Sarah continues her adventures in the next book.

This did remind me of the Deadly series by Brenda Joyce if you are a fan.  Not any romance in this one, but I do see potential.

This was a library copy.

The Taking, by Dean Koontz

Finished 10-8-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2004

Nevertheless, though this cross-section of humanity had shared the same experiences and had drawn the same conclusions – that their species was no longer the most intelligent on the planet and their dominion of Earth had been usurped – they could not come together to devise a mutually agreeable response to the threat.  Four philosophies divided the occupants of the tavern into four camps.

Chapter 19

Molly and Neil live in a small mountain town, secluded from the big cities and vacations spots.  One night it starts raining, only the rain is not rain and it is raining everywhere in the world at once.  Molly and Neil decide they need to join with others for safety and head to town, where they find four groups of people.  At the meeting place in the tavern they are cut off from the world, no television, internet, phones and there are those who think the world is ending and they plan to meet their maker drunk and happy, those who say to wait to talk to the invaders, those who want to stock up on gun power and take the fight to the occupiers, and those on the fence, undecided between three bad choices.

Molly, with some prodding by a dog named Virgil, decides she and Neil need to round up all the children and get them to safety, although they have no idea where that may be.  The world is being consumed by a fungus and ghostlike entities that can walk though walls.  As Molly and Neil head around town there is peril at every turn and the Earth’s final days seem like a foregone conclusion.

This book is a spooky nightmare full of despair and surprising faith.  It is an alien film come to life on the page and seen through the eyes of a young woman trying to do the right thing even if she doesn’t know what that is.  This book will scare you and it may depress you, but it will also make you think.  I wish I could tell you about the unexpected ending, because there is a lot to discuss, but I can’t without ruining the book. 

I really enjoyed it and it is perfect if you are in the mood for some spooky Halloween reading. 

This book was from my personal library.

1001 Books For Every Mood by Hallie Ephron

Finished 10-4-09, rating 4/5, non-fiction, pub. 2008

I loved this book of book lists and recommendations.  Ephron chose to list one book per author and the format is easy and fun to read.  There are bits of trivia included too.  Of the 1001 books she has listed, I have read 65 and 33 of those are on my personal Top 100 list.

Since this is essentially a book of lists I chose one book from each category to add to my own TBR list.  Some of these books I already own!  So, for this review I am going to list every category -grab a cup of coffee and get comfy- and the book I chose so that you can get a taste of what’s in here.  And I’ll have an electronic list.  I’ve starred the books I already own.

Are you in the mood…

For a laugh…Sick Puppy by Hiaasen

For a Good Cry…Mama Day by Naylor

For a Wallow in a Slough of Despond…Miss Lonely Hearts by West

To Behave…Domestic Manners of the Americans by Trollope

To Misbehave…Fear of Flying by Jong*

To Go Over the Edge…American Psycho by Ellis

To Love…Gone With the Wind by Mitchell*

To Love Again…Foreign Affairs by Lurie

To Celebrate Friends…The Chosen by Potok*

To Celebrate Siblings…Founding Brothers:The Revolutionary Generation by Ellis

To Remember Mama…The Joy Luck Club by Tan*

To Remember Dear Ol’ Dad…Independence Day by Ford

To Blame Your Genes…The Source:A Guidebook of American Genealogy by Szucs

To Celebrate the Season…The Stupidest Angel by Moore

To Hug Your Dog…Travels With Charley by Steinbeck

To Sift Through Clues…No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Smith

To Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid…The Turn of the Screw by James

To Dream…The Alchemist by Coehlo

To Be Astounded…Mists of Avalon by Bradley

To Hit a Home Run…The Kid from Tomkinsville by Tunis

For Action…The RElic by Preston & Child

For Grand Adventure…Life of Pi by Martel*

For Apocalyptic Vision…The Stand by King

For a Walk on the Wild Side…Aminal Farm by Orwell*

For Thrills…The Silence of the Lambs by Harris

For Chills…Into Cold Blood by Capote*

For Intrigue…The Faithful Spy by Berenson

For Theatrics…Show Boat by Ferber

To Play the Game…Paper Lion by Plimpton

For a Musical Interlude…Bel Canto by Patchett

For Romance…I Capture the Castle by Smith

For Revenge…Life & Loves of a She-Devil by Weldon

For Heartbreak…Kate Vaiden by Price

For Heartburn…Fast Food Nation by Schlosser

For Adolescent Angst…All the Pretty Horses by McCarthy

To Indulge your Inner Child…A Little Princess by Burnett

To Clean your Plate…The Debt to Pleasure by Lanchester

To Satisfy your Curiousity…A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bryson

To Indulge your Senses…Perfume:The Story of a Murderer by Suskind

To Laugh & Cry at the Same Time…A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Eggers*

For Hubris…The Bonfire of the Vanities by Wolfe*

For Greed…She’s Come Undone by Lamb*

For Historical…Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Gurganus*

For Hysterical…Lucky Jim by Amis

For Shock…The Virgin Suicides by Eugenides

For Outrage…Roots by Hailey*

For Hope…The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Gaines*

For Inspiration…A Prayer for Owen Meany by Irving*

For Redemption…Deep End of the Ocean by Mitchard*

For a Shot in the Arm…How to Win Friends & Influence People by Carnegie*

For a Kick in the Pants…Nickel & Dimed by Ehrenreich*

To March into Battle…Machine Dreams by Phillips

To Run Away from Home…Under the Tuscan Sun by Mayes

To Join the Circus…The Aerialist by Schmitt

To Take a trip…A Walk in the Woods by Bryson

To Take a Trip in the Fast Lane…Around the World in 80 Days by Verne

To Trip Down Memory Lane…A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Smith

To Trip the Light Fantastic…My Life by Duncan

To Soar…The Right Stuff by Wolfe

To Set Sail…To Say Nothing of the Dog by Willis

To Slide Down the Rabbit Hole…The Eyre Affair by Fforde

To Bend Your Mind…The Illustrated Man by Bradbury

To Get Philosophical…Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Pirsig*

To Strike it Rich…Blink by Gladwell

To Get Wasted…Valley of the Dolls by Susann

To Get Sober…Charming Billy by McDermott*

To Suffer…Train by Dexter

To Suffer (No) Fools…The Emperor’s Children by Messud

To Survive…Kindred by Butler

To Trust No One…Tortilla Curtain by Boyle

To Grieve…The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Edwards

To Turn On…Lady Chatterley’s Lover by Lawrence*

To Turn Off…The Art of Doing Nothing by Vienne*

To Revel in Words…On Writing Well by Zinsser

To Revel in Wit…Leaving Home by Buchwald

To Revel in Art…The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Chevalier*

To Save the World…Change the World by Quinn

To Defy Expectations…The Diving Bell & The Butterfly by Bauby*

To Reinvent Yourself…Frankenstein by Shelley*

This was a library copy.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, by Truman Capote

Finished 10-02-09, rating 4/5, fiction novella, pub. 1958

“I could hear Doc Golightly’s footsteps climbing the stairs.  His head appeared above the banisters and Holly backed away from him, not as though she were frightened, but as though she were retreating into a shell of disappointment.  Then he was standing in front of her, hangdog and shy.  “Gosh, Lulamae,” he began, and hesitated, for Holly was gazing at him vacantly, as though she couldn’t place him.  “Gee, honey,” he said, “don’t they feed you up here?  You’re so skinny.  Like when I first saw you.  All wild around the eye.”

I love the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and wanted to read the novella it originated in.  This is a short story that is edgy and provocative in a way the movie was not.  There were many passages that were in the movie word for word, but oftentimes they were completely out of context.  The movie was romantic and Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly was flawed and vulnerable, but not so with this amazing story.

Paul writes the story of his time spent with Holly Golightly years after they have seen each other for the last time, when he puts her on a plane to Brazil.  He decides is finally time to document the refreshing Holly and his love for her.  They lived in the same apartment and saw each other in passing for a while before their friendship blossomed.  His position was to view her from afar for the most part as the friendship stopped and started often.

Holly Golightly was an independent woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t let things like facts get in the way.  She was a phony, but a good phony.  Truman Capote wrote a beautiful novel  and even though it differed quite a bit from the movie, I loved it on its own merit.  If you are a fan of the movie you really must read this.  At around 100 pages it won’t take you long.

Death Takes the Cake, by Melinda Wells

Finished 9-29-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub.2009

Book 2 in the Della Cooks Mystery series.

“With what I’ve got planned, you’re going to be the Miss America of Cake!”

I felt a sharp intake of breath.  “No.  Absolutely not.  I won’t wear a bathing suit on television!”

He eyed me speculatively.  “What’s the problem?  You still look good.”

Still…

“If I hadn’t read your TV bio, I wouldn’t have guessed you’re in your forties,” Addison said.  “Maybe late thirties- but you should think about doing a little glamorizing.”

Chapter 1

Della is a 47-year-old widower with a cable tv cooking show, her own cooking school, and a new venture to sell her fudge to the masses.  Her life is already busy, but when her boss tells her she’ll be baking in a reality show with a $25,000 prize she knows it could help her pay off some of her debts.  Until she learns it is being sponsored by Reggi-Mixx, the most awful cake mixes on the market and owned by her old college nemesis, Regina Davis.

The competition begins and as soon as Della shows up to her test kitchen she discovers Reggie, face down in a bowl of batter, dead.  She is a suspect, but only until the police find a more likely one, the husband of her best friend, Liddy. 

Della’s standard poodle, Tuffy and rescue kitty, Emma are there to provide support, as is her boyfriend NDM, who has now been elevated to being called his given name, Nicholas.  All of her friends are back and this is a perfect continuation of the series.  Della is still awesome and the mystery is a good one with real consequences for her and Liddy.

I actually enjoyed the cooking in this one a little more and there are recipes in the back.  You can see how to make those holiday fruitcakes edible and learn how to make an awful cake mix taste good with Della’s Orange Dreamsicle Cake.  One of the other reality show contestants is a Mary Kay consultant and I should note that we are not all quite so…pink.

I want to thank Melinda for sending me a copy of her book.  I loved it!

My review of book 1 here.