Book Reviews – Page 92 – Carol's Notebook

The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne

April 29, 2020April 28, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

It's a shame Milne only wrote one mystery. The Red House Mystery is clever and funny and charming. From the dedication: Our amateur sleuth is Antony Gillingham. He stops at The Red House to visit his friend, Bill Beverly, but as he gets there he finds a frantic man banging on the door of a locked room, trying to get in. Antony and the man run to the back of the house and break in the window, finding a dead man, shot. The man who was breaking into the room was Mr. Cayley, cousin and assistant to Mark Ablett, owner of The Red House. The dead man is Mark's brother, Robert, newly arrived from Australia. Mark himself is missing. Antony is an outsider at The Red House, but allowed free reign that the detectives don't have. The mystery is well-done, the clues make sense. I knew who the killer was, but not the hows and whys until the end. The characters are...

Coronavirus: A Book for Children by Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wilson, and Nia Roberts

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Coronavirus: A Book for Children is free from Nosy Crow publishing to download or read-online. The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds: • What is the coronavirus?• How do you catch the coronavirus?• What happens if you catch the coronavirus?• Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?• Is there a cure for the coronavirus?• Why are some places we normally go to closed?• What can I do to help?• What’s going to happen next? The facts are presented in a clear, easy to understand way, even while admitting that we don't know everything about the new illness yet. It's calm and concise. It talks about how we can catch the virus and what happens if we do, but isn't scary about it. The illustrations are colorful and inclusive. We learn why it's best to stay home right now, but acknowledges we, children and adults, can be worried and bored and angry and that's...

A Scandal in Belgravia by Robert Barnard

April 27, 2020April 24, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

I picked A Scandal in Belgravia up at a library book sale. I had never heard of Barnard before, but the title grabbed my eye because of the Sherlock episode. After i read the blurb on the back it sounded like one I'd enjoy and I think it was like 50¢. I have to say I'm really pleased I picked it up. Peter Proctor, a former politician, is writing his memoirs. Or at least trying to. But his mind keeps going back to the murder of his friend, Timothy Wycliffe, some 30 years ago. I liked the pace of this mystery. It's an old murder. The police think they knew who did it and the killer is safely out of the country. There's no rush; no one's in danger; there's nothing to be gained by solving the case aside for peace of mind - and maybe a book that will sell better than his memoirs. Peter can go around talking to people,...

The Automaton’s Wife by Vered Ehsani

April 24, 2020April 21, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

The Automaton's Wife is an amusing, quick read, although I do suggest reading the first in the series before this one. Bee continues her adventures in Africa with the help and also complications of her friends and family. This time around she meets a large bat, her husband's ghost has seemingly disappeared and her horse is posessed by a snake spirit. In the meantime, a local woman has been found dead in a mysterious manner. I like the Kenya 1899 setting and the author provides a brief fact or fiction section after the story. Bee and her family don't fit in, but they are doing their best. Bee tries to keep an open mind when dealing with people, but she is a part of her British culture. Bee also learns a few things about her past that puts her prejudices in a different light. It's a cute series. It's light and enjoyable. And Bee is fun to hang out with....

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

April 23, 2020April 21, 2020 by Carol1 Comment

I have problems with series ending. Either I love the series and don't want it to end or I get bored with the series and don't make it to the end (which happens more often). Trilogies simplify the issue a little. There's only three, so chances are if I enjoyed the first one I won't have gotten bored yet by the time the third rolls around. On the other hand, there's only three and I want more time in the world with the characters. The Interdependency falls into the second category. I love it and want more. Maybe a follow-up trilogy. Please. First off, don't read The Last Emperox as a stand alone. Read the first and second, in that order. Meet the characters, discover the world, learn the politics, get an idea of the science. (I'm not really sure how scientific the science is, but that's beside the point. Don't worry that this is too sciencey, it's not.) The Last...

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones

April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 by Carol3 Comments

Sunshine Vicram, new sheriff of Del Sol, more than has her hands full. It's her first day on the job and the cursed muffins arrive, the ones that always come before something majorly bad happens in town. There a few hints of the paranormal, a psychic, some prophetic dreams, but nothing that takes it into fantasy territory. This time around the muffins presage a kidnapping and an escaped convict being seen in town. This is the first in the series and there are a lot of people to meet: Sunshine and her team; her daughter Auri and the kids at her school; Sunshine's parents; the townspeople, including Levi, Sunshine's crush; a U.S. marshall and some other lawn enforcement guy who there to help with the cases. It's a lot of characters. They weren't necessarily confusing but it was hard to keep track of them all. I like Sunshine. She's funny and sarcastic and competent, but I wish she wouldn't drool over every...