Lots of good stuff – and in no particular order!
Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
An Echo in the Bone – the latest in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series – and it’s a big one!
Last Tuesday marked the debut of Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol, and I was so excited to arrive home and see my little brown Amazon package waiting for me at the garage door!
In case you’ve missed the pre-publicity hype, Brown’s latest book continues to adventures of Robert Langdon, Harvard professor and expert symbolist, as he takes on the mysteries and mayhem awaiting him in Washington, D.C.
I have to honestly say that while I enjoyed this book, I didn’t like it as much as The Da Vinci Code. I felt the beginning of the book moved slowly – I wanted more puzzles and clues – and there was a great deal of “explaining” that at times felt awkward. I also grew frustrated with the number of times Langdon was incredulous about something and then finally “got it”. And I found some of the character’s actions unbelievable, in particular how they kept getting into trouble due to how trusting they were.
However, with that aside, this book is an entertaining read. It’s a trip through Washington and through history, with a special emphasis in this novel on the Freemasons, a group which I personally knew little about. I give Brown credit for the incredible amount of research he puts into his books and how he devises a plot that pulls it all together.
While this book is long, over 500 pages, it will appeal to Brown’s fans – in fact it has already sold in record-breaking numbers. It has strong themes of spirituality running throughout, which should appeal to some readers (but not others).
Overall, I would give The Lost Symbol 3 1/2 Stars!
I recently read, on an Amazon list of “Best Books of 2009”, of “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie”. It sounded interesting, especially since it features an 11-year-old precocious, mystery-solving protagonist who loves chemistry. On a trip to the library, the book was in the “new fiction” section, so I took it out.
What a delightful book! I so enjoyed reading of the adventures of Flavia de Luce, the spunky and brilliant heroine, as she solves the mystery of a murdered stranger in her family’s English manor house’s cucumber garden. Flavia lives with her brooding, introverted, philatelic father and her two older terrifying sisters, the self-absorbed Ophelia (aka Feely) and the book-loving Daphne (aka Daffy), in their historic and somewhat decaying manor house. Her mother has previously been killed in an accident. Flavia spends her time in her chemistry lab, and running under the radar of the adults in her life. She is precocious, cunning, daring, and quite lovable. Bradley’s use of language, in particular his similes, had me smiling and at times laughing out loud. The mystery in this story kept me guessing, and the characters were well-developed and interesting.
Supposedly, this is the first of a series of books featuring Flavia and her sleuthing. I can’t wait for the next installment!
I give this book 5 Stars!
Coming soon: a review of “The Shadow of the Wind”, and I’m reading right now: Dan Brown’s new release: “The Lost Symbol”.
Have you ever been in a relationship with someone and felt like they knew you stripped bare of your outer facade? This is how I felt about the characters of Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Olive Kitteridge. Olive Kitteridge is a middle-aged woman, living in the small town of Crosby, Maine, and this novel is a series of vignettes depicting the people of the town, their lives, their hopes, dreams, and disappointments. The common thread running through these short stories is the character of Olive. In each story we see a different side of Olive, and by the end come to know her as multi-faceted and deeply human.
Whenever I pick up a Pulitzer, I’m never sure if I’m going to like it. Will it be too deep to get through? Will I feel compelled to love it, and don’t? Will I be able to read it enjoyably, or have to attack it like a college textbook? I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It is a gem. Strout’s writing is so beautiful and descriptive. She calls on elements of human nature that, as I read, I found myself shaking my head and saying, “Yes, that is exactly how it is in life, isn’t it?” This book portrayed her characters in such a raw state that at times it was a bit painful to read. Yet, each story had a feeling of redemption in it, too. This was a wonderful book. I picked it up on a whim at a local bookstore and purchased it – and I’m so glad I did!
I give this book 5 Stars!
As I love the Agatha Raisin series, I thought I’d check out Beaton’s Hamish MacBeth books, too. I was pleasantly surprised to find that these are cozy mysteries as well – albeit with a male protagonist. Hamish is the police constable in the small Scottish town of Lochdubh (which I believe is pronounced “lock-doove”). He’s unlucky in love, a bit churlish, devoted to his pets, and always trying to fly under the radar of his stodgy superior. Hamish seeks to stay in Lochdubh and avoid promotion to a bigger town – he loves his little hamlet. The characters of the townspeople are reminiscent of the characters of the PBS series “Ballykissangel” – each unique and some a bit eccentric. Murder seems to find Hamish, and he outwits and solves the killers time and again.
These books are a fun read, and cleverly plotted. I was prepared to not love them as much as Agatha Raisin, but I do! I was excited to see that many have been made into a BBC series, which I rented from Netflix. The television series does not follow the books closely, but was a fun watch, nonetheless.
I highly recommend this series to those who like cozy mysteries! I get all mine from the library.
What would you like to see me review?
Upcoming I have: the Hamish MacBeth series, Debbie Macomber’s books, Olive Kitteridge, and the new Outlander book (as soon as it comes out this fall!). Any suggestions?? Leave me a comment and let me know! Thanks! 🙂
Well, happy day!!
I’ve been nominated in the “Best New Blog” category through the Book Blogger Appreciation Week that Amy is hosting at www.myfriendamysblog.com.
I am so thrilled and excited!! Thank you to whomever nominated me!! 🙂
For my online historical fiction bookclub we read “Nefertiti” this month. What a wonderful read! This novel was a fascinating trip to Ancient Egypt. Nefertiti’s story is told through the eyes of her younger sister, Mutny (who in later real life becomes a Queen of Egypt as well). While the novel is lengthy (over 400 pp) it reads quickly and is intriguing. I didn’t want it to end!
I highly recommend this book to those who love historical fiction. I got my copy from the library, but later won one online – yeah!
I gave it 5 Stars!
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built is the tenth book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Novel series. I love, love, love this series, which centers on Precious Ramotswe, a woman in Botswana, as she opens her own detective agency and takes care of problems large and small. The language of these stories have the cadence of Africa, and the reader can feel the sun, the warmth, and the nature of the people through the language of these books.
In this installment, Precious’ “tiny white van” which has served her so faithfully is on its way out, much to her dismay. She is also hired to discover why a top football team (soccer in the US) is losing all its games. Parallel to these stories is the continued development of her assistant’s storyline: Grace Makutsi who is engaged to a furniture salesman and has formerly earned the coveted 97 percent on her secretarial exam. Other familiar faces: the two apprentices who never seem to graduate to become full-fledged mechanics, the foster children, and Precious’ husband, all are present as well.
Throughout these books, the sun shines, the people go on with their daily lives, and the characters develop. Each book is another chapter in their lives, often with the addition of new characters as well. I highly recommend these novels to those who love a light mystery and a story of human nature, told in an enchanting African style.
I give this series 5 Stars! I own all these books and my husband enjoys them, too. We usually pre-order them from Amazon.
On a recent trip to California, I was searching for a good book to read on the plane and purchased Serendipity by Louise Shaffer. This novel tells the story of three strong, Italian-American women and the trials and tribulations they have with their lives and each other – with the protagonist being a young woman from their fourth generation. Carrie Manning feels she cannot move forward with her own life until she better understands her roots and the reason for her recently deceased mother’s alienation from her own mother. A lot of this story is told in flashback as Carrie visits places and people to understand the mystery of her mother and grandmother’s falling out. By the end, Carrie has come to understand not only her mother, but herself, and the reader has come to know four unique and interesting women.
I really enjoyed this story. It read quickly and was engrossing. I must confess, being Italian-American I felt I had an affinity for the characters as well. I stayed up after midnight reading it to the finish, then wished I hadn’t so that it wouldn’t be over! Overall, it’s a great book and one I would recommend to my friends.
I’d give it 4 1/2 Stars!
Beth's Book-Nook Blog 
