The Reading Challenge Group discussion
2023 Personal Challenges
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Debbie's Book of 2023
Book Number: 2Title: The Bangalore Detectives Club
Author: Harini Nagendra
Finished: 1.4.23
Comment: Imagine India in the 1920’s when England still retains control over the Indian population. Gandhi speaks to the Indian people for passive resistance to the British. Rumblings of unrest sweep throughout India as the Indians attempt self-government . Enter Kaveri, a newly married and college educated woman. Kaveri secretly studies for a mathematics exam in her spare time and attempts to learn cooking. This does not keep Kaveri busy so she jumps into a murder investigation. Ramu, a young and successful doctor, aides his wife Kaveri in discovering clues to the murder of a wealthy pimp. The story presents the structure of Indian life and the many taboos within the society especially between the Indian and the British. The freedom of Kaveri does not ring true to the limits of that time. Also, I usually do not spot the killer until the ending chapters of the novel. I discovered the killer as soon as that character was presented. No red herrings jumped into the tale. A nice story, but not as intense as many mystery novels.
Book Number: 3Title: The It Girl
Author: Ruth Ware
Finished: 1.16.23
Comment: The It Girl embellished an understanding of the British collegiate system with all the tests and levels, but the friendship of six privileged students threw this reader into a love/hate relationship with the characters. Hannah Jones enters Oxford hardly believing her luck in being admitted to this esteemed institution. She immediately finds her roommate to be the rich and spoiled April Clarke-Cliveden. But six new students: Hannah, April, Hugh, Will, Ryan, and Emily form a friendly group that practically lives together in fun and games inspired by April. April pulls vicious pranks on each of her friends, but April’s last prank proves deadly. Hannah and Hugh find a dead April one night. Hannah remembers seeing an Oxford porter, John Neville, descending the stairs and this sighting condemns Neville to a life in prison for April’s death. Ruth Ware paints vivid characters, but this reader despises April and feels that Hannah needs a little backbone. Not a favorite book.
Book Number: 4Title: Wish You Were Here
Author: Jodi Picoult
Finished: 1.23.23
Comment: Jodi Picoult usually writes fascinating books, but Wish You Were Here misses the mark. The beginning and majority of the novel deals with Diana O’Toole’s trip to the Galapagos Islands without her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident at a New York hospital. Covid enters the picture and instead of both Diana and Finn going on vacation, Finn must stay and treat Covid patients, Diana goes to the islands and finds herself stranded on the island due to Covid. What a beautiful description of the idyllic island. Picoult brings home the terrors of Covid and the acute suffering of the victims. During this terrible time of the pandemic, we listened each day to the numbers of the dead. The actual work of the doctors and the support teams hide in the background. Picoult shows the full horrors of the pandemic.
Book Number: 5Title: The Moving Finger
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 1.27.23
Comment: Agatha Christie utilizes so many sayings in her works that give moments of enjoyment. This story centers on “smoke without fire”. And, of course, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and the book of Daniel from the Bible both figure in the title of the story, The Moving Finger. Christie’s vast knowledge of literature and life and characters enhance the story as the reader attempts to understand the references. The male narrator, Jerry Burton, works like Dr. Watson, in relaying the events and giving the readers a clue as to the outcome. Miss Marple pops into the story to throw in her two cents about each character that aids Jerry and the police in finding the murderer. What a delight to read an Agatha Christie mystery with the lovely presentation of England’s country and the customs and quirks of the village inhabitants. The name of each of the individuals continues to amaze me and I would love to know the background of Christie’s naming of her characters. A delightful walk into the 1940’s England.
Book Number: 6Title: The Sound of Light
Author: Sarah Sundin
Finished: 1.28.23
Comment: The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin displays the resistance of the Danes against Hitler and the Germans during 1943. The Danes almost practiced Mahatma Gandhi’s policy of peaceful resistance. Before the Germans could round up and deport Danish Jews, the majority of the Jews were transported to neutral Sweden. Sundin highlights much of this history as well as showing the horrors of German occupation. Sundin provides a vocabulary of the Danish words and mind provoking questions at the end of the book. The plight of scientists and their jealousy shows how the Germans attacked friendship and loyalty. A vivid look at the determination of the Danes in keeping their life status quo.
Book Number: 7Title: Five Little Pigs
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 2.6.23
Comment: Another Agatha Christie mystery based on a nursery rhyme, what fun! I love how Christie narrows the suspects down to five and then labels each character based on the nursery rhyme. Christie brilliantly describes each of the five characters and gives a reason why the poisoner could be any these individuals. The artist, Amyas Crale dies from drinking a poison slipped into his beer and his wife, Caroline, goes to prison for this crime and she dies in prison. Sixteen years later, the daughter, Carla Lemarchant, asks Poirot to investigate the poisoning and to clear her mother’s conviction. Christie knows how to develop a story and to make characters with real personalities. Every person harbors a secret, but Poirot uncovers these quirks so easily. Christie always provides a delightful story and a wonderful adventure.
Book Number: 8Title: Second Time Around
Author: Melody Carlson
Finished: 2.13.23
Comment: Yes, individuals need a second chance. I have read Melody Carlson several times in the past and another book seemed to parallel the story in Second Time Around. The other book, The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher displayed a woman faced with a new start on life. In The Sweet Life, Fisher portrayed a woman faced with turning an old ice cream shop into a lucrative business. Carlson shows Mallory Farrell transforming an old tourist shop into a fashionable interior design shop. Both stories focus on the difficulties of modifying an old, ugly building into a work of art. Both stories concentrate on new relationships formed when striving to overcome obstacles. And both stories dwell on the power of love and forgiveness.
Book Number: 9Title: The Silent Spring
Author: Rachel Carson
Finished: 2.21.23
Comment: A huge eye opener provided by Rachel Carson’s The Silent Spring. Many times Carson slips into technical language that slows the flow of the nonfiction. After reading this book published over fifty years ago, I marvel that the whole population of living things has not perished due to all the harmful ingredients dropped onto the earth. In our quest for perfect yards and the elimination of insects, we have endangered our existence. Carson plows through the landscape and educates the readers on all the dangers of insecticide, and then falls victim to the dangers herself.
Book Number: 10Title: Three Act Tragedy
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 2.23.23
Comment: Another enjoyable afternoon spent reading an Agatha Christie novel. Instead of a nursery rhythm, this story features a three act play as Sir Charles Cartwright, Mr. Satterthwaite, Egg Lytton Fore, and Hercule Poirot reconstruct three deaths. Sir Charles Cartwright directs the play, since he is a well-known stage actor. During this staging of the events, Sir Charles and Egg fall in love, supposedly. Poirot jumps in and out of the scenes as a Greek chorus, explaining what transpires. Many red herrings and false assumptions, but a delightful journey to a tragic ending.
Book Number: 11Title: The Perfect Marriage
Author: Jeneva Rose
Finished: 2.26.23
Comment: What a surprise ending in The Perfect Marriage! The ending really hit me between the eyes. Enter Sarah Morgan, the top criminal lawyer and partner in a prestigious law firm. Sarah’s husband, Adam, writes so-so books and has the perfect physique and personality. Of course, Adam has a roving eye and currently keeps Kelly Summers as his permanent mistress at the lake house a narrow distance from DC. Virginia police find a brutally murdered Kelly in the lake house and turn to Adam as her murderer. Of course, Sarah will defend her husband. Jeneva Rose does a wonderful job by presenting alternating chapters narrated by Adam and Sarah. Adam, the privileged son of a doting mother. And Sarah, as the daughter of a drug addict, who overcomes her checkered past to become a respected lawyer. Will Sarah lose all her accomplishments in defending her husband? The police undercover DNA from Kelly that shows sexual encounters with three men before her death: her police detective husband and Adam and an unknown man. The autopsy shows that Kelly was pregnant with Adam’s baby. The trial begins and back and forth the finding s of the police. The jury reaches a verdict, but the reader is not told the decision. The last chapters reveal the conclusion. A thrilling novel.
Book Number: 12Title: Towards Zero
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 3.1.23
Comment: Another mystery with a surprise murderer. No, Hercule Poirot does not enter this case, but Superintendent Battle channels Poirot’s psychological reasons to find the correct murderer. An old, invalid woman invites friends and relatives to her house for a month in September. An old barrister, Mr. Treves, attends the event, but dies soon from his bad heart. He had to walk up the stairs as the chair lift was not working. No one thinks anything foul has happened. Not long after this, the old lady, Lady Tressilian’s life ends in a brutal murder. The first clues point to her heir, Nevile Strange. But what is his motive, as he does not need Lady Tressilian’s money or home. Battle and the local police search for clues and the killer, but an unlikely man, Angus MacWhirter, assists in bringing justice for the murders. Again, a brilliant story of revenge is a dish better served cold.
Book Number: 13Title: The Girl Who Died
Author: Ragnar Jonasson
Finished: 3.3.23
Comment: A cold isolated village in Iceland with less than fifteen inhabitants and Una decides to venture here to teach to young girls. Fishing dominates the men’s work and Guffi owns and operates the fishery and runs the town. The two young girls are Edda (7) and Kolbrun (9). A Christmas program stands as the main event of the year and Una must prepare her students for this entertainment. Luckily, a local woman helps Una with the program decorations and food. A tragedy happens during the singing of “Silent Night” which pushes Una into deadening her mind with wine. Does Una hear and see the ghost of a young girl who died many years ago? The story demonstrates the community bond and what the community will do to protect its people. Secrets seem to glimmer under the ice and Una slightly breaks the secrets.
Book Number: 14Title: The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides
Finished: 3.12.23
Comment: So many red herrings! Agatha Christie would love Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient. The last chapters reveal the killer and what a surprise! Alicia and Gabriel shine as the ideal couple with the perfect marriage and fabulous careers. Then tragedy strikes and handsome Gabriel sits wired to a chair with his body covered with bullets and Alicia stands in front of Gabriel holding a gun. Police arrest the mute Alicia for her husband’s murder and commit her to a mental hospital. No one can coerce Alicia to speak. Enter Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, determined to win Alicia’s trust and ease her into telling her story. The Silent Patient follows Theo and Alicia and the events leading to Gabriel’s murder. This story and Ruth Ware’s The It Girl shake one’s faith in the medical profession. Should we trust doctors? Alex Michaelides unfolds a story rich in scenery and characters. A real page turner.
Book Number: 15Title: The Rising Tide
Author: Ann Cleeves
Finished: 3.14.23
Comment: Well, not all police detectives fall into the category of handsome or beautiful. Vera Stanhope does not fit the perfect mold. Vera loves to eat, and her body reveals this love affair with food. But, Vera, like Hercule Poirot utilizes her “little gray cells.” Individuals who met during a school event recreate the meeting every five years on an island. One of the girls meets disaster when she attempts to leave as the tide rises. Isobel’s car swerves and she drowns. This is the 50th year reunion as these senior citizens meet to relive the past. Annie finds a hanging Rich the morning after a drunken night. First, all feel that Rich has committed suicide, but Annie feels differently and the police arrive to investigate. Enter Vera Stanhope and her team of detectives and the problem of the rising tide. Ann Cleeves delves into the history of each of her suspects. Due to the tide and the island shutting down, the list of suspects dwindles, but time elapses and no killer has been found, yet. Vera must pull the rabbit out of the hat.
Book Number: 16Title: Death Comes as an End
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 3.18.23
Comment: Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie does not follow her normal mystery writing. This story happens in ancient Egypt in 2000 BC. The story centers on three generations of a power hungry family. The older father brings home a concubine and sets her on a pedestal much to chagrin of his adult children. The father must travel to other areas in Egypt and while he is gone, his beloved concubine falls to her death, or has she been pushed. The killer strikes six times before discovery. This story falls into a dark, morbid scenery. The information concerning ancient Egypt and family relationships stimulates the mind, but the tempo clouds this dysfunctional family. No fun or amusing Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, and each is greatly missed.
Book Number: 17Title: Kunstlers in Paradise
Author: Cathleen Shine
Finished: 3.30.23
Comment: Kunstlers in Paradise follows a Jewish family from 1939 Vienna to current day Los Angeles. The story centers on Salomea, called Mamie, as she navigates her life at the age of ninety-three. Covid hits the country, and Mamie’s grandson Julian leaves Manhattan and flies to Los Angeles to live with his grandmother. Mamie had fallen and injured her wrist and Julian had lost his job, his girlfriend, and his best friend. The two struggle and bond during this adjustment period. Mamie delivers stories of her life and history of the family for Julian to preserve. Little secrets fall into Julian’s lap as Mamie reveals the Kunstler family history. Mamie’s tales shine in the beginning and gradually turn tedious. Julian’s lack of get-up-and-go drives this reader crazy. This entitled twenty-two year old man feels that his family owes him a life as he explores careers to find himself. An interesting story, but one that drones on too long.
Book Number: 18Title: Sparkling Cyanide
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 4.4.23
Comment: After Death Comes as the End, Sparkling Cyanide returns to the tried and true writing of Agatha Christie. The number of usual suspects contains six guests at a birthday party for Rosemary Barton. But as the guests toast Rosemary’s birthday, Rosemary grapples with choking on cyanide in her champagne. A year later, Rosemary’s husband, George attempts to trap Rosemary’s killer. Unfortunately, George succumbs to cyanide in his glass of champagne. Now, the remaining guests and Colonel Race must discover the diabolical murderer before another murder happens. As usual, Christie presents an interesting array of characters with a multitude of secrets. Along the way to uncovering the killer, Christie inserts many red herrings. The reader soon learns that the “real” killer is not the one with all the clues pointing to them. I felt a little sorry with the result of this mystery. As usual, Agatha Christie develops an interesting story.
Book Number: 19Title: Dinner with the President
Author: Alex Prud'homme
Finished: 4.10.23
Comment: Dinner with the President covers the Presidents starting with George Washington. What an eyeopener! The majority of the early Presidents used slave labor for their state dinners. Please remember that the cooks/chefs prepared meals over a burning fire and cooked them with copper kettles. Wild game and garden vegetables remained the tools of delicious culinary. Many of the Presidents, especially Thomas Jefferson, combined wine and beer with each meal. Martha Washington wrote her recipes and that undertaking remains a guide for many current chefs. The cost of these meals fell upon the shoulders of the President. So many obscure facts focus on the preparation and delivery of these important dinners. Each President indulges in his own identity in the cuisine. And American consumption followed the leader’s cravings.
Book Number: 20Title: The Lioness of Leiden
Author: Robert Loewen
Finished: 4.18.23
Comment: Bravery, compassion, and loyalty during war and troubling times provide inspiring stories. After watching Anderson Cooper’s, The Whole Story about the difficult journey of individuals walking from South America to Central America to find a better life, I completed reading Robert Loewen’s fictional account of his mother-in-law’s resistance activity in The Netherlands during Hitler’s jaunt in history. Individuals risk their life to fight oppression. In The Whole Story, men with nothing helped others to reach safety, just as the Dutch hide, protect, and feed Jews during this tragic era of history. The Nazis show no remorse in torture to gain information nor in their disregard for other humans and their property. Hetty’s story of perseverance and determination in the face of many obstacles causes tears and wonder. The story presents so many human moments: Karl’s fright when German pilots drop bombs, Hetty’s father betraying Hetty to the Germans to save himself, and Mimi’s relief when the Americans find her. Yes, many have related the horrors of the Third Reich, but Robert Loewen captures the human and personal saga of this horrible time in history.
Book Number: 21Title: The Hollow
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 4.22.23
Comment: Reading Agatha Christie always brings pleasure. The Hollow follows Christie’s formula for a fun mystery with the range of suspects and Hercule Poirot utilizing his gray cells. The end result provided much discussion concerning all the red herrings. This story follows the murder of Dr. John Christow. His wife, Gerda, stands in front of the dead John, holding a gun. Hercule Poirot had been walking to the neighbor’s house and heard the shot and arrived minutes after the incident. But all does not fall exactly as the scene appears. Poirot remarks many times that the murder seems staged. The gun that Gerda holds turns out to not be the weapon that killed John. As usual, Christie introduces many other suspects in the quest of finding John’s killer. I thought many times that maybe John’s office manager might be guilty, but Beryl disappears from the storyline. Next, we have an old love, Veronica, and a new love, Henrietta, that might have motives. And what a dipsy character Lady Lucy Angkatell. She skips in and out of the activities like a fairy. A lovely cast of murderers.
Book Number: 22Title: Standing in the Shadows
Author: Peter Robinson
Finished: 5.7.23
Comment: The author, Peter Robinson, has died and Standing in the Shadows will be his last book. I will miss Alan Banks and his extensive knowledge of music and authors. I always intended to list all the songs and books mentioned in each of the Alan Banks mysteries, but laziness excluded that task. Standing in the Shadows jumps from 1980 to 2019, and Robinson manages these different times with ease. Nicholas Hartley, a college student, narrates the events of 1980 when his ex girlfriend, Alice Poole’s body is discovered. The police question Nicholas, but then the case slips into unsolved and forgotten. 2019 looms and Alan Banks and his crew must investigate a skeleton found in a shallow grave. After days of testing the bones, the skeleton is believed to be a healthy man in his 60’s who was killed around 2015. Now begins the task of identifying the bones and hoping to determine why this man was killed and buried and not reported as missing. The two stories will eventually meet in the unraveling tale of two deaths.
Book Number: 23Title: Twelve New Mysteries
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 5.11.23
Comment: Miss Jane Marple solves mysteries in the 1960’s during visits and trips with her nephew, Raymond West. Twelve mystery writers create adventures for Miss Jane Marple in England, America, Hong Kong, and other locations. Not all the short stories contain a murder, but the majority of deaths fall under poisoning. Miss Marple complains constantly of her age and being tired, I guess so as she must be close to ninety years old. For that age, Miss Marple remains very active and nosy. Each writer brings in different stories concerning greed over an inheritance, mistaken identity, hiding benefactors, stealing pearls, and snubbed children. None of the stories remain in my mind as outstanding, but each attempted to show Miss Marple as a brilliant detective.
Book Number: 24Title: The Murder Rule
Author: Dervla McTiernan
Finished: 5.13.23
Comment: Dervla McTiernan writes interesting and page-turning novels. McTiernan captures the characters in explicit detail. Hannah Rokeby invents herself as a third year law student and forces her entrance into the Innocence Project at the University Virginia, supposedly to enhance her profile, like Sheldon Cooper attempting to enroll in a program in Germany to beef-up his college application. As the story progresses, Hannah plots and completes plans that does not seem in line with the Innocence Project. Hannah appears to be on a quest to make sure that convicted rapist and killer will not be set free. But why? Hannah’s mother, Laura, an alcoholic, had written a diary that detailed a summer of romance and heartache. Hannah’s goal remains to seek justice for Laura’s heartache. A gripping story of love, relationships, and loyalty.
Book Number: 25Title: Death at Greenway
Author: Lori Rader-Day
Finished: 5.19.23
Comment: Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day drove me to utter boredom resembling a death. Agatha Christie’s country house beautifully captures the fleeting children, married couple, and two nurses escaping the horrors of wartime London. Too many side stories ruin the novel: a thieving doctor, a murderous local man who lost his son in the war, a grieving mother searching for her dead son, and a group of young people gathering information for the war. Bridget Kelly, a nurse in training, gives a soldier the wrong medicine and he dies. Bridget nicknamed Bridey must find another job and jumps at the chance to play nursemaid to ten small children along with nurse Gigi. The author’s language and writing style treat the story as mundane, and this reader had to force read the remainder of the novel.
Book Number: 26Title: Crooked House
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 5.21.23
Comment: I adore the way Agatha Christie incorporates children’s nursery rhymes into the story. This novel features a crooked man and his crooked house. The story opens with Sophia Leonides and Charles Hayward promising to rethink marriage after the war. A problem arises with the death of Sophia’s grandfather, Aristide Leonides. Aristide has been poisoned and the murderer resides in the crooked house. The police and Charles begin the search for the killer, but a motive must be found. No Hercule Poirot in this novel, but Charles, the narrator of the story, guides the investigation. He must solve the crime or lose his beloved Sophia. This novel stands as one that Christie marked as one of her favorites, and her love of this tale glimmers through the haze.
Book Number: 27Title: The All American
Author: Susie Finkbeiner
Finished: 5.22.23
Comment: The All American by Susie Finkbeiner provides a backward glimpse of life in Michigan in the 1950’s. Will Harding’s two daughters, Bertha and Flossie, glide the reader through the ups and downs of an average family. Bertha, a tom-boy longs to play baseball on a local amateur all girl baseball team and her much younger sister, Flossie, an inquisitive and know-all force of nature plans to find fame and fortune as a writer or actress. A bitter, divorced neighbor lady claims that Will Harding is a Communist and disrupts the family and forces them to flee their home. The family moves to Uncle Matthew’s house where good and bad fortune follow this average family. Each daughter relates a vivid tale of happiness and heartache in the family’s struggle to survive life. Flossie’s love of reading uncovers childhood stories of pleasure and sadness as a Shirley Temple movie does not follow the actual novel and causes Flossie an afternoon of tears. Will Bertha become a star baseball player and will father Will write another book? You must read the novel yourself to learn the fate of this All American Family,
Book Number: 28Title: The Closer
Author: Mariano Rivera
Finished: 5.23.23
Comment: Baseball stands as the great All-American game, and Mariano Rivera proudly embraces this dream. As a poor boy in Panama, Mariano never dreamed that a career in baseball would enrich him and his family. This story, as told by Mariano, points to his humble beginnings as a fisherman’s son. But determination and the belief that with God all things are possible, propelled Mariano to an amazing career as a major league pitcher for the New York Yankees. Pain and disappointment hindered the path to glory, but Rivera persisted. His story flows easily, with very little bravado. His faith and generosity shine throughout the story. An interesting book.
Book Number: 29Title: Light on Bone
Author: Kathryn Lasky
Finished: 5.27.23
Comment: Kathryn Lasky presents a novel bursting with color and light. This aspect dominates the story of murder in New Mexico that involves Georgia O’Keeffe and Hitler’s rise to power and British and American intelligence covertly following German citizens. The story begins with the murder of a Franciscan priest in a desert in New Mexico. Georgia finds the body and curiosity drives her to investigate the events. Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, and many other notable individuals grace the pages of the novel. Lasky undercovers the Golden Boy of Flying fame as a unsavory, Jew hating person. Lasky gives small biographies on each of the noted individuals during this saga in pre World War II. Child molestation enters the story and the handling of the beast tormenting Clara, a young girl. Sexual abuse also centers on another character and her way of escape. Many issues addressed in this story, but art plays the central role.
Book Number: 30Title: Age of Vice
Author: Deepti Kapoor
Finished: 6.1.23
Comment: Deepti Kapoor and Robinton Mistry harp on the ills and problems of India in Age of Vice and A Fine Balance. Both books contain pages and pages of suffering and hardships. Age of Vice utilizes too many pages on dialogue with Ajay, Sunny, and Neda that this reader skipped many pages. Too much excessive use of drugs, sex, and alcohol with the wealthy, while the poor risk loss of home and security. The jail system exposes the corruption of wealth and power within the inmates. Ajay goes to prison for one of Sunny’s friends, so the poor privileged man will not be exposed to the horrors of prison. Gangs control the prison and force the weaker inmates into service. Neither book provides any hope for the poor.
Book Number: 31Title: A Murder is Announced
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 6.12.23
Comment: A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie presents a fragile Miss Marple, who still aids in solving the mystery of Miss Blacklock’s problems. The story presents many character with dual identities, like a Shakespeare drama. The action and setting did little to draw me into the story. The constant mention of the frailty of Miss Marple bored me to death. The casual love stories and the hint of two ladies being lesbians did nothing to enhance the story. This is not a favorite tale with Miss Marple.
Book Number: 32Title: Taken at the Floodd
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 6.30.23
Comment: Agatha Christie loves to deal with mistaken identities like Shakespeare did in so many of his plays. With Taken at the Flood, we have two young lovers posing as brother and sister to receive an huge inheritance. The imposter, Rosaleen Cloade, presents herself as the young widow of Gordon Cloade. Gordon and a few other individuals died in a bombing raid in London. The real Rosaleen actually died with her new husband, and her maid took her identity to claim the inheritance. The Cloade family depended on Gordon for financial support and with Rosaleen alive, their money has evaporated. Enter Hercule Poirot to find a solution. The plot thickens deliciously. Agatha Christie never fails to entertain the reader with her twists and turns, and of course, Hercule Poirot and his self importance reign royally.
Book Number: 33Title: All Good People Here
Author: Ashley Flowers
Finished: 7.4.23
Comment: Ashley Flowers enters my scene as a new author, and I totally enjoy her writing style. All Good People Here bears a little suggestion into the characters of the story. Careless events shape the destiny of each individual as with the death of six-year-old January Jacobs. The story jumps back and forth from the 1994 death of January to the 2019 investigation by Margot Davies. Ashley Flowers plants numerous clues throughout the story as to what might have happened, but like Agatha Christie, she inserts many red herrings. At times, the story dragged with all the explanations and detail given the good old Uncle Luke. Small town America peeks through the haze of simple life and a killer hides from the curiosity of the townspeople. An interesting view of humanity.
Book Number: 34Title: Mrs. McGinty's Dead
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 7.7.23
Comment: Agatha Christie again shines with her tale of mistaken identity that leads to murder. A convicted killer will soon hang for his crime of killing an old woman. Superintendent Spence believes that James Bentley did not commit the crime, so Spence encourages Hercule Poirot to aid in finding the actual killer. The clue to the real killer rests with decades old criminal cases and the photographs of four women. The dead woman, Mrs. McGinty, had seen a photograph during her cleaning of some lady’s house and mentioned this to her lodger. Another person overheard the conversation and decided Mrs. McGinty must die. As usual, Christie weaves a wonderful story with such marvelous names. What a surprise at the end to discover the real criminal. In the end, Poirot must have a turn in playing Cupid to two young people.
Book Number: 35Title: The Covenant of Water
Author: Abraham Verghese
Finished: 7.10.23
Comment: Indian authors must really write long and detailed novels concerning life in India. Abraham Verghese follows the style of Deepti Kapoor and Robinton Mistry in presenting a too lengthy story. Verghese’s style flows better than the other two authors and if I had extra time to devote to his novel, I would have enjoyed the journey. Oprah Winfrey selected The Covenant of Water as one of her selections, and the choice reigns majestically, just too many pages that the reader tires and wants to explore other books.
Book Number: 36Title: They Do It With Mirrors
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 7.12.23
Comment: Miss Marple is not my favorite detective, as she bungles into a solution to a crime. In this mystery, Miss Marple draws upon a magic trick that she witnessed as a child. The use of mirrors provides Miss Marple with the explanation needed to solve the crime. So many characters that could have committed the crime and what a fabulous style of painting a negative picture of certain characters. The ending gives a pleasant surprise in all the nefarious acts against Carrie Louise and her family.
Book Number: 37Title: My Name Is Iris
Author: Brando Skyhorse
Finished: 7.14.23
Comment: This reader’s not fluent in Spanish, and that task is necessary to understand My Name Is Iris. Almost every page contains Spanish words and sentences, and for an English only reader this detracts from the story. Just when the story piques my interest, more Spanish phrases that eliminate the meaning. Ines/Iris complains all the time about her life, her husband, her parents, her sister, and her job. Iris dwells on the fact that she is a Mexican and not a authentic American because of her birth and skin coloring. When shopping with her daughter, many people think Iris is a nanny to Melanie because Melanie ha lighter skin. Yes, life for darker skinned individuals remains difficult, but Iris goes too far in her derogatory saga. Omit the multitude of Spanish if this book is intended for English speaking readers.
Book Number: 38Title: Killers of a Certain Age
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Finished: 7.17.23
Comment: Deanna Raybourn’s book, Killers of a Certain Age focuses on four sixty-year-old female assassins who are now the hunted. As the Baby Boomers grow older, more authors turn to tales of senior citizens launching a new career in crime management. One of my favorite writers in this new genre is Richard Osman. Too many writers show these new detectives as young and carefree of the issues of an aging body and mind. Raybourn describes four women still physically fit and beautiful and desirable. The story focuses on why certain males of the Museum want each of the four women killed. Why? Male ego! I attempted to read this book in October 2022, but found the premise and story too trite, but had to complete the book this time for a book club.
Book Number: 39Title: A Royal Christmas
Author: Melody Carlson
Finished: 7.18.23
Comment: My first Christmas novella for 2023, and what a Cinderella theme story! Enter Adelaide Smith, a worker at a local coffee café as she prepares to complete her goal of becoming a lawyer. Out of the blue she receives a letter claiming she is a princess! Adelaide travels to Montovia, a principality nestled close to Austria. Adelaide meets her dying father, King Maximillian V, and learns the story of her parents. Of course, Christmas dances in the future of the kingdom and Adelaide’s plans. Her uncle, Prince Farcus, the heir to the throne has disappeared, and King Max hands the crown to Adelaide as next of kin. Mayhem and mystery surround Prince Farcus’s disappearance. A lovely tale of Christmas customs and traditions.
Book Number: 40Title: A Pocket Full of Rye
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 7.20.23
Comment: So many red herrings in this delicious tale of murder and mayhem, and of course, Miss Marple. Poison enters this murder mystery many times, instead of violent death. Again, Agatha Christie employs a nursey rhyme into her story to list the order of deaths. The rhyme involving blackbirds baked into a pie follows the murders in this story. What a surprise to find the actual killer at the end of the tome, and not who I expected! A gold mine in Africa hinges on the murders. Could one of the children of Mr. MacKenzie hiding under an alias be the killer? Is the housekeeper, Mary Dove, a possible suspect? So many characters to study and analyze for a motive, but a delightful investigation.
Book Number: 41Title: But Have You Read the Book?
Author: Kristen Lopez
Finished: 7.22.23
Comment: But Have You Read the Book by Kristen Lopez forces me to either read the book made into a movie or to rewatch the book adaptation of a novel. Kristen Lopez does an excellent job of describing the book and the movie of 52 books adapted to the big screen. So many nuances shown that I had not noticed. Lopez explores different genres and different eras of movies. A very concise and informative book.
Book Number: 42Title: After the Funeral
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 7.30.23
Comment: Agatha Christie presents another delicious mystery and with members of the family stretching out hands for money. Richard Abernethie dies and his will names six relatives who will each receive a share in the estate. After the funeral, his youngest sibling, Cora, asks the question: “was he murdered?” The attorney, Mr. Entwhistle, proceeds to give details about each relative. How delightful for this picture of the family. Someone brutally murders Cora. Mr. Entwhistle employs Hercule Poirot to investigate the deaths. Margaret Rutherford portrays Miss Marple in the film adaptation of Murder at the Gallop. Rutherford shines in her performance as Miss Marple, what a treat! Back to the actual book by Agatha Christie with all the red herrings with the members of the family exposed in all their foibles.
Book Number: 43Title: The Woman They Could Not Silence
Author: Kate Moore
Finished: 8.16.23
Comment: The Woman They Could Not Silence opened my eyes to the past injuries endured by women in the United States. This book details the efforts of Elizabeth Packard as her husband had her committed to the Illinois State Hospital for insanity. Mrs. Packard spent over three years fighting to be released from this asylum. Once she wins freedom, Mrs. Packard fights to change the rules about a husband’s right to have his wife taken away as insane. The story happens during 1860 to 1869 when the United States fought to end slavery for Negroes and the black population won freedom, but not women. The horrors of the State Hospital and the total disregard of the doctors amazed this reader. Two books have illustrated the second class status of women in the history of the 1460’s in China and the 1860’s in Illinois.
Book Number: 44Title: Lady Tan's Circle of Women
Author: Lisa See
Finished: 8.14.23
Comment: What a horrible life for the Chinese woman who must undergo foot binding that starts at an early age and if not handled correctly, may lead to death. The story follows Yunxian from the tender age of eight to her finally winning the responsibility of controlling the household. Yunxian wins the privilege of studying medicine with her grandparents after the death of her mother. The story follows the customs and unspoken rules of a wealthy Chinese household where women rank so lowly but must be the vessel of providing a son. The different etiquette concerning male doctors and female patients amazed this reader. How could an illness be determined? And the horror of a doctor handling blood! A book to be enjoyed and to learn about the different areas of curing.
Book Number: 45Title: Poster Girls
Author: Meredith Ritchie
Finished: 8.18.23
Comment: Very much enjoyed returning to Charlotte, NC, in the 1940’s. The scenes provided reminders of the atmosphere in the North Carolina “Southern” climate. Very little has changed. This story follows Maggie Sloane as she struggles with life during WWII as she works while her husband fights in the Pacific. The conflict between the male and female workers still raises its ugly head today. As usual, a woman becomes the one to shoulder the blame for any problem, even though a man’s carelessness caused the fire. The recipe suggestions from Kora highlighted how to make fried chicken and sweet potato pie the “Southern” way. The story ends dramatically and this reader feels a second book could be forthcoming.
Book Number: 46Title: The Appeal
Author: Janice Hallett
Finished: 8.24.23
Comment:
Janice Hallett writes a novel in the epistolary style of Samuel Richardson, who wrote Pamela. Richardson’s British novel contains letters, whereas, Janice Hallett’s story involves emails. Too many pages of emails! The redeeming feature becomes Femi and Charlotte who function as a Greek chorus explaining what has happened. Femi and Charlotte also provide a stirring commentary on what has transpired. The big questions---who is murdered and who does the murder. So many red herrings in the emails. Fraud, jealousy, and revenge enter this lengthy play within a play. The email motif presents itself well in the beginning, but falls into tiresome towards the end of the book. An unique style that works well with the story.
Book Number: 47Title: The Silence
Author: Susan Allott
Finished: 8.18.23
Comment: This story set in Australia spans 30 years with events that happened in 1967 and a return to the place in 1997. Isla Green returns to Australia for her father and also due to her life falling apart. Isla struggles with alcoholism, just like her father. Isla’s mother, Louise, works to escape from the hum drum life of a housewife. A neighbor, Mandy, babysits Mandy while Louise works. In 1967, a pregnant Louise returns to England with Isla. Joe Green, Isla’s father begins an affair with Mandy. Mandy and her husband Steve quarrel over babies and Steve’s police job of taking aborigine children from unsuitable homes. The story follows the demise of spousal relationships and the bond between parent and child. The Australian setting bakes in their summer heat as emotions flare and the police finally start to question Mandy’s disappearance.
Book Number: 48Title: Hickory Dickory Dock
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 8.27.23
Comment: I love Agatha Christie’s use of nursery rhymes. Of course, not every rhyme relates to the story, as this rhyme shows that the rhyme is just a rhyme. Also, Christie loves to conclude a book on a happy occurrence such as future wedding bells for one of the couples. Christie displays a tale set with students living in a hostel and the stealing of trinkets that pulls Hercule Poirot into the investigation. Before Poirot jumps into the foray, murder happens. Poirot’s secretary, Miss Lemon, has a sister, Mrs. Hubbard, working at the hostel. Not only murder and stealing, but a secret group of jewelry and drug thieves. The students at the hostel include a wide range of nationalities, who could be the killer and why? An interesting view of the different countries.
Book Number: 49Title: An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
Author: Helene Tursten
Finished: 8.28.23
Comment: I very seldom read a book twice, but Helene Tursten provides a humorous and amusing story with Maud. Maud, an eighty-eight year old self-appointed judge of despicable individuals swiftly carries out justice. Tursten employs short stories to display Maud’s punishment. Many of the stories seem cruel and show Maud in an unpleasant way, but the last story redeems Maud. Maud has worked hard throughout her life taking care of an elder, frail sister and her helpless mother. Now, Maud has enough money to take a return trip to Cape Town and to meet with friends. The adventure displays Maud’s many skills and strength. A lovely story that enhances laughter and concern.
Book Number: 50Title: Destination Unknown
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 9.1.23
Comment: Agatha Christie ventures out of her usual Poirot or Marple mystery to reveal kidnapped scientists working in an unknown destination. The story reads like a spy novel with clandestine meetings and locations. Hilary Craven has lost her daughter and her husband and now contemplates suicide. But a British secret agent stops Hilary and urges her to join his group. Hilary Craven becomes Olive Betterton, the wife of one of the missing scientists. The scientists have converged at a location possibly in Africa to discover medical secrets for an extremely rich man. All comforts follow these scientists, except freedom. Thomas Betterton, one of the scientists, cannot function under this controlled atmosphere. His productivity falls. What will happen to him? A very intriguing idea! Agatha Christie presents a very dramatic story.
Title: The Body in the Library
Author: Agatha Christie
Finished: 1.2.23
Comment: The Body in the Library presents Miss Marple in a diminished role. Miss Marple appears in very few scenes and in these scenes she acts like the Greek chorus explaining the events. This older citizen presents her observations of human character to solve murders. Dolly Bantry, Jane Marple’s friend, discovers the body of a blonde, young woman in the library she immediately asks Mis Marple to come to the house. The police arrive, as does Jane Marple, to investigate the murder. Why is the woman in the Bantry’s house? And who is the woman? A co-worker identifies the body. Not long after this death, a woman is found in a burned car. Two women killed and are the deaths related. So begins the journey to determine what has happened and to catch the murderer. What motives are driving the killings? Greed, money, love, and jealousy. The journey to discovery thrills the mind and plays a little theme of Shakespeare’s mistaken identity.