Mystery short story. I have always loved Agatha Christie and especially her books with Hercule Poirot as the detective. I listened to the audio version which was narrated by the actor that portrays Captain Hastings in the BBC productions of the Hercule Poirot mystery series. As always, this story was filled with all the things I love about her mysteries--impossible scenarios that turn out to be very logical when viewed from the impressive viewpoint of Hercule Poirot.
Recommend: Yes.
Teen Fantasy Fiction. This is the 2nd book in the Queen's Thief series, it follows The Thief. I listened to the audio version which was well done. After rereading The Thief and remembering all the things I loved about this series I immediately downloaded this book. As much as I love The Thief, this second book is equally, if not a little, better in my eyes. It has some shocking plot twists and keeps the reader guessing until the end, but the main reason I love it is the character development of the wonderful people I met in the first book. Megan Turner does a masterful job of rounding out her characters with nuances that lend me to think I would recognize them if I met them on the street.
Gen is again doing what he does best, stealing things. This time he may have gone too far as he progresses from stealing things to stealing people. Things don't go as smoothly for him as they have in the past and he finds himself at the center of a war between not two, not three, but perhaps four countries.
Recommend: Yes!
Teen Fantasy Fiction. This is one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. I first read it years ago and gave it as a gift to my son a few Christmases ago. He finally picked it up and read it and his comments to me about it motivated me to read it again. I listened to the audio version this time and it was lovely. This book was a runner-up to the Newbery Medal in 1997.
Gen is a thief. He gets caught only to be freed to steal something for the king. That makes the plot seem simple, but it has wonderful twists and turns and surprises that are delightful.
Recommend: YES!
Non-Fiction. This is the first book by David McCullough that I have read. (I actually listened to the audio version.) I listened to a speech he gave at BYU years ago and my interest in his books peaked. I put a number of them on hold and this was the first one that became available.
Prior to this I had zero knowledge of the most disastrous flood this country has known. Over 2000 people died on May 31, 1889 in Pennsylvania as a result of the breaking of the dam. McCullough is a master at retelling of the facts of not only that infamous day, but of the atmosphere before and after the dam broke. He quotes many eye witnesses to the flood and the descriptions are not for the faint of heart. It was hard to listen to the amount of suffering and destruction, but I'm glad I finished it. Not the happiest of books I've read, but worth the read.
Recommend: Yes
Religious Non-Fiction. I haven't read a lot of religious non-fiction books in my lifetime, really non-fiction books in general, at least not ones that weren't assigned to read. I decided to read this one because my son had and he gave me some quotes from the book that were inspiring so I downloaded it on my phone and started to read. It's not a lengthy book and reads easily. The author, past president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, uses plain language to communicate the necessity of repenting daily and the healing balm of peace that comes with forgiveness. I appreciated his insights from his long life of counseling with others and seeing lives put back together when it seemed that would be an impossible feat.
Recommend: Yes
Junior Fantasy Fiction. This was a quick read about a brother and sister on holiday in England. They discover magical moles which allows them to time travel back a hundred years to meet the family who lived in the house they are renting for their holiday. It has a nice plot, but the story is so short that there isn't much character development which was a distraction for me. This reminded me a bit of the authors E. Nesbit and Edward Eager, whom I love, but the story needed twice as many chapters to do the plot justice.
Recommend: Maybe
Junior Fiction Fantasy. Drest is the youngest daughter of the Mad Wolf, a raiding bandit, and she must rescue her father and all her brothers. This story is set in medieval Scotland and includes witches, healers, bandits, and one feisty twelve year old. This story moved quickly and I found myself finishing it in just a few hours. There is a sequel, The Hunt for the Mad Wolf's Daughter, which I immediately put on hold. Drest has a limited view of the world being brought up by her father and many brothers. She takes everything they say as the whole truth. In her brave adventures she learns that not everyone sees her family as she does and that her family may not be as perfect as she thought. At the same time she decides that she can be who she is because of herself and not because of her family's past. She learns that people can love and be imperfect. She learns to trust and be braver than she thought she could. Great story!
Recommend: Yes
