NetGalley – Page 30 – Carol's Notebook

Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

November 14, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

I finished Much Ado About Murder a few days ago, but then I couldn't remember if I finished it or not. I had started another book on my Kindle, which meant I must have finished it, but then I had to look back and see who the killer was. The book obviously didn't leave much of a lingering impression, or at least the reveal didn't. I like the setting, a hotel/theater in the Catskills. I also like Charlotte. She's from England and is a very talented costume designer. Due to the turnover of directors and her friendship with the Director of the Board, she is to some extent in charge of the theater. Between the actors, director and costume staff, we've got a lot of characters, several of whom had motive for killing Edmund, because of course Charlotte's right—it was murder. I guess overall it was just fine. The characters were fine, each had their bit of backstory that made them possible suspects....

Not Your White Jesus by Sheri Faye Rosendahl

November 6, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

Not Your White Jesus is a difficult book to write about. Rosendahl makes some good points about Jesus and how he dealt with people throughout the New Testament. However, her tone and slang are totally off-putting. I definitely like Rosendahl's main message. When asked what the greatest of the commandments was, Jesus responded, "The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’" (from The Message). Jesus loved people and we should too, especially the marginalized in society, the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the poor, the prisoners, and even people of other religions. His harshest words were always for the "religious" men of the time who were more interested in rules and appearances, not in loving their neighbors. Maybe we should be worried about loving people around the world and teaching them to love...

The Lady in the Cellar by Sinclair McKay

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

In general, true crimes don't interest me. Give me a fictional and a quirky fictional detective who will definitely solve the case and I'm usually happy. However, this year I've been trying to broaden my reading habits to include more non-fiction and classics. The Lady in the Cellar is a fascinating book examining the murder of Matilda Hacker in the 1870s and the events surrounding the body's discovery and the trials that resulted. In a lot of ways, The Lady in the Cellar is similar to the fictional detective stories I enjoy. We have a quirky cast of characters, including the victim herself, who was a well-off woman but did not behave in the way single women of her age were supposed to in that era. We have a semi-famous detective, Inspector Charles Hagen, who had already been in the papers a few years earlier as the bodyguard of the Prince of Wales and was a rising star in the Criminal Investigation...

The Night the Forest Came to Town by Charles Ghigna

October 3, 2018April 13, 2018 by Carol10 Comments

I loved this little picture book. One night, nature comes to the dull, drab town. It blows in and scampers in and flies in. The illustrations are whimsical, detailed, and perfect for the story. The plants and animals are bright and colorful where the concrete and buildings are gray and boring. The rhyming text is cute and I think this would make a wonderful read aloud. I had an advanced copy, but I hope a similar image is in the final version. I love peeking in the windows and seeing people doing such a variety of thing, including painting and playing an instrument. I have slight bias, but I love books that show artists, especially adults. I think it's a good example for kids who don't necessarily see their parents or other adults they know doing those things. The joy the plants and flowers and animals bring to the city-dwellers is obvious. It's a good reminder for all of us to include...

In at the Death by Francis Duncan

September 28, 2018September 14, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

I've been reading a lot of vintage mysteries lately, Hercule Poirot, Roderick Alleyn, Sherlock Holmes. Mordecai Tremaine is one of the lesser-known detectives of the era, at least now, I'm not sure about when the stories were originally published. I like him though; I'm glad the books are being reissued. Mordecai is a retired tobacconist, a bachelor, and a bit of a romantic. He's an amateur detective who solves mysteries by observing, by understanding people. He also blends in well, he's unobtrusive and people tend not to notice him or not be threatened by him, which allows him to sometimes learn things quicker and easier than the police. In In at the Death, Mordecai is actually invited by his friend Chief Inspector Jonathan Boyce to tag along on an investigation, beginning to end. Mordecai can be rather introspective too. "It was when you came up against the thing in its actuality that its atmosphere changed; from being a fascinating problem to intrigue the brain,...

Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure by Torben Kuhlmann

September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

I loved Kuhlmann's Armstrong, so was happy to have the chance to read Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure. I adored it. A little mouse, Pete, wants to find his ancestor's treasure. The problem is that all the little mouse knows is that his ancestor sailed across the Atlantic and was never heard from again. He asks Professor Mouse to help him and together they find the ship that the mouse sailed on. Unfortunately the boat sank in the middle of the ocean, presumably with the treasure on board. Just like so many other mice, the Professor and Pete are very clever. It requires a lot of experimentation, research and a trip to the museum, but they build a mouse submarine that allows them to get to the bottom of the ocean and retrieve the treasure. They also discover what happened to Pete's ancestor - don't worry, he had a happy ending. He was rescued from the ship, just like all the...