Book Reviews – Page 95 – Carol's Notebook

Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabriele Oettingen

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

I mentioned before that I've been doing The Science of Well-Being class on Coursera. Another book the professor, Laurie Santos, mentioned was Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabriele Oettingen, and she interviewed the author for one of the segments, so I picked it up. If I spend 80% of my reading this year on mysteries and being happy, I think that'll be a good year. The blurb above gives a good summation of the book. Oettingen and others have done a lot of research on wishes, how they affect our actions, and what helps us achieve or not achieve them. She shares the results of a lot of studies, mostly college kids - who are probably the easiest to recruit - but other groups too. She also shares individuals' experiences, people she's worked with through training sessions or friends. Interestingly enough, the science demonstrates that it is not necessarily helpful to fantasize about achieving some wish because it makes us feel relaxed, and thus...

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

May 14, 2020May 22, 2020 by Carol6 Comments

I've read a couple of Griffiths' other books and enjoyed them well enough. Honestly though, I picked up this series because of the magic connection. I love a good magician and here we have one helping solve crimes. When the head and legs of a young woman are discovered in two black cases at Brighton train station, the case falls to Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens. Then the woman's torso is sent to him at the department, addressed to him using his military rank, Captain. The state of the woman's body in the three boxes reminds Edgar of a magician's trick, known as the Zig Zag Girl, performed by an old army buddy, Max Mephisto. The two had served with a group known as the "Magic Men" who were tasked with setting up deceptions to make the Germans think that the east coast of Scotland was well defended. Edgar tracks down Max, now a popular theater magician. Edgar and Max believe the...

London Calling! by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

May 13, 2020May 12, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

Sir Harry Mortimer and his American wife, Kat, are settling into married life in the small town of Mydworth. London Calling! is the third in the Mydworth series and can be read as a stand-alone, but since they’re each only a little over 100 pages, it might just make as much sense to go back and meet Harry and Kat at the beginning. They make a good couple. They’re both smart and resourceful. Kat is definitely a “modern woman” for the times, the late 1920s, and Harry seems quite happy that she can ride a motorcycle and throws a mean hook when she needs to. Harry is a nice, friendly, refined man who can also be tough when it’s called for. This time around they head to London to find the daughter of Glenys and Aubrey Spense. She's gone to try her luck at making it big as a dancer, but the couple hasn't heard from her. Actually, the wife is...

A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton

May 12, 2020May 12, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed A Study in Murder. It's set in Bath, England in 1890, but features a fairly modern woman. Lady Amy is a mystery writer, although she writes under a pseudonym at her father's insistence and no one, aside from family and one close friend knows she's E.D. Burton. She and her Aunt live at the house in Bath while her father and brother mostly stay in London. She chafes under the restrictions placed on women at the time and counts herself a suffragette. She's twenty-five, not quite a "spinster" but older than most unmarried women, but that gives her the benefit of not actually needing a chaperone when she is out and about. Her Aunt Margaret is also single and a bit rebellious. She's in on Amy's secrets and supports her with a smile. In a cozy mystery, there needs to be a reason the amateur is investigating. In this case, Amy is the main, possibly only, suspect. The...

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham

May 8, 2020May 7, 2020 by Carol3 Comments

This mystery sees Albert Campion visiting his sister, Val, who is the top designer at a fashion house. Their family approves of neither of them, but the way. Val has been working on dresses for the actress Georgia Wells. Campion has found the skeleton of Georgia's former fiance in a garden, apparently suicide, and that story hits the news. Another death follows, another man connected to Georgia, and Val may be in trouble, dragged into the scandal. Campion must unravel the clues to get to the root of the mystery. My favorite part of this book is the return of Amanda Fitton. She is a joy and a wonderful crime-solving companion for Campion. The mystery is well-done and fair. I like the fashion/entertainment industry setting and the characters were an interesting mix. I wish the women had been dealt with a bit better. Val and Georgia are both independent women at the top of the careers. I wish they would spend less...

Dune by Frank Herbert

May 7, 2020May 7, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

I tried to read Dune a couple of years ago and got about 1/3 through before sitting it aside. It's long and the copy my daughter has has small print. But the new movie's coming out later this year and one of our friends picked up the re-issued board game, so I decided it was definitely time to finally read it. I had heard good things about the audiobook, so I decided to give it a try this time around. I don't know if the timing for me was just better or the audio was the way to go, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, right from the beginning. Dune is a classic. There is little I can say about it that hasn't already been said. The world-building is monumental, and Herbert weaves the geopolitics, religion, and philosophy into that setting seamlessly. In the distant future, humanity is ruled by an intergalactic feudal Empire. Duke Leto Atreides accepts control of a desert...