by Bob Moog
30 Second Mysteries: A Spinner Bookis a great book for a shared reading. We read it straight through, but it can be used as a game. There’s a spinner for that purpose at the back of the book. The book is divided into Who, What, Where and Why sections. The clues are on one side with the answers immediately on the back, which we really liked. The short mysteries were on various real life situations. We were able to guess a lot of them, but some were tough. It’s a great starting point for discussions. We liked it so much that we purchased all the other spinner books. We found ours used through Amazon and Better World Books. It would probably be interesting to use with older children. We’re going to share it with our eleven-year-old grandson next time he visits.
Death In Darkness (Molly Sutton Mysteries Book 8
By Nell Goddin
Death in Darknessis my favorite book in the Molly Sutton series, so far. As always, I love the setting and the many details of daily life in the French village of Castilliac. The development of the main characters continues to grow, including Molly, her fiancé Ben and Officer Paul-Henri. It was a good mystery with a satisfying conclusion. I definitely look forward to more Molly Sutton mysteries. This is an honest, voluntary review of a complimentary copy.
The Quiet Little Woman
By Louisa May Alcott
Nostalgia was the reason I picked up The Quiet Little Woman at our local library book sale. I loved Alcott’s books as a child, and thought the twenty-five cents price couldn’t be beat. It also had a Christmas theme, which was timely. Unfortunately, the book was a big disappointment. Times have changed and so have my views about girls being encouraged to be “quiet” and/or “little”. I found the book to be anything but charming. The writing was OK, but the values were not. This one is going to back to the donation box.
The Woodcutter's Christmas
By Brad Kessler
The Pharos Gate
By Nick Bantock
The Pharos Gateis another beautifully crafted book in the Griffin & Sabine series by Nick Bantock. The continuing love story is, once again, told through letters and beautiful illustrations. The entire Griffin & Sabine series is a literary and visual work of art. The Pharos Gateputs some closure on the strange and haunting tale, but I would gladly welcome more. I’m a Griffin & Sabine fan!
Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)
By David Sedaris
I have to start by admitting that I’m a David Sedaris fan. I’ve read and enjoyed almost everything he has written. So for me, listening to Sedaris read his diaries was very interesting and entertaining. He has the ability to look at and write about challenging periods of his life with a unique sense of irony and humor. His performance is fantastic and always adds a lot to his writing. I would definitely recommend listening to the audio version of Theft by Finding. It’s a great listen!
The Secret History of Costaguana
by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
Translated from Spanish by Anne McLean
The Secret History of Costaguanaby Juan Gabriel Vasquez was a pleasant surprise. It’s historical fiction involving the Columbian revolutions around the time of Panamanian independence. The book has been well researched and the political facts are accurate. Seeing the United States intervention and colonialism during that period through the eyes of a Colombian author was very interesting. The story was woven around and references a book called Nostromo, written by Joseph Conrad in 1904. The fact that I have no background knowledge of the revolutions, Central American politics, the Panama Canal, and/or Joseph Conrad did not prevent me from thoroughly enjoying the book. It made me want to read Nostromoby Conrad. The translation by Anne McLean was excellent. The Secret History of Costaguanawas definitely a good read!
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