Back to the Books - #70, #71, and #72

This past summer I really only read one very engrossing, but long story, G.RR. Martin's series-- to the exclusion of almost everything else.  I've been trying to catch up to my goal of reading 125 books this year.  I don't think I will make it at this stage, but that's okay.  Here are comments on the last 3 I've read.
  # 70

The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

John and Phillipa are 12 year old twins living in New York. Summer vacation is looming when they go to the dentist for their annual checkup.  Everyone - kids, dentist, and parents- is shocked when it's discovered that both have sprouted wisdom teeth overnight.  Things get stranger when both are awakened in the night by an earthquake, and each has an extremely odd dream involving their estranged Uncle Nimrod who tells them to come to England for the summer.  The next morning both twins have grown an inch overnight and their parents are acting very strangely.  Their father seems almost afraid of them!
The adventure begins as the twins head to England to visit their uncle.  They soon discover an unsettling truth - both of them are actually djinn!  With their uncle they set out to restore the balance between Good and Evil as they battle an evil tribe of djinn and learn to use their new powers.

I enjoyed this book.  It's the first in a series set around the world. I have a copy of the next one and will put it on my to-read list.   It's definitely a book for upper level readers.  Although the story moves quickly, the language is not always easy.  I will be recommending it to a couple of my very able 6th grade readers who are looking for something just a little bit different!


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#71

The Soprano Wore Falsettos by Mark Schweizer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another very funny entry in the Liturgical Mysteries!  The Pirate's Eucharist is way better than the Clown Eucharist.  Agnes Day (pun intended) has been the substitute organist ever since Hayden Konig quit his job as music director at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.  He's called into church to investigate when the hapless organist is murdered by a handbell.  Who did it?  The new operatic soprano Renee Tatton?  Kenny, the medicinal pot farmer?  There are suspects galore. And how will the church spend the $16 million it's receiving?  It's all up to the church's most generous donor - who's not Malcolm.   The only thing I missed in this installment was Moosey --- not enough of him.  

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#72

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Twelve-year old Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island where his father has just taken a job as an electrician at the prison.  It's 1935 and the prison houses crime boss Al Capone.  Moose is very unhappy with the move, and once on the island, he's forced to watch his "10 year old" sister Natalie.  Natalie is actually 15 but is autistic.  Her parents have been unsuccessful in getting her into a school that might help her.  The story revolves around Moose's relationship with his sister and his attempt to adjust to his new life.  Gennifer Choldenko gets Natalie's character right, and I also think she did a great job developing the relationship between Moose and Natalie.  Some of the other characters were somewhat one-sided believable.  Piper is the know-it-all bossy daughter of the prison's warden and is terrific at getting everybody else in trouble.  She just seemed too one-sided.  This was definitely a different sort of story, and I was interested in reading it since I've visited Alcatraz.  I think that it will appeal to some of my more able 6th grade boys.

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Reading Updates

I spent most of my summer reading George R.R. Martins Game of Thrones series which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I finished the last of the 5 published books in the series last week, and have started some entirely different books.  If you're interested in my comments on the Game of Thrones you can check them out at goodreads.com

Here are my comments on the 2 books I read during the hurricane:


The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After my summer of George R.R. Martin, I needed a light, humorous read and this first "Liturgical Mystery" by Mark Schweizer fit the bill perfectly!  Hayden Konig is the full time police chief of St. Germaine, NC AND the part-time volunteer organist and choir director at the local Episcopal church.  He's also a would-be author in the style of Philip Chandler.  When the unpopular sexton is found murdered in the choir loft, the investigation is on.  Was the murderer Mother Ryan, the new, ultra-feminist priest at the church?  Or was it one of the Walkers who each accuse the other of having an affair with priest?  Schweizer's book is full of wit and laugh-aloud situations.  I do think it helps to get the humor though if you are either a church musician, or a regular church goer.  And Hayden's musical creations are wonderful. We Three Queens and the Moldy Cheese Madrigal are just two of them.  (An aside:  there is apparently a website where you can hear these gems, and others that appear in later books.)  I'm looking forward to reading other books in the series.


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And this one:

Emily Goes to Exeter by M.C. Beaton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

M.C. Beaton has written a very frothy Regency romance featuring Miss Hannah Pym, erstwhile housekeeper to Sir Clarence. She is middle-aged, aching for excitement,  and out of a job when her employer dies.  However Sir Clarence leaves her 5000 pounds in his will and Hannah decides to seek adventure by traveling all over England by stagecoach.  Her first excursion takes her to Exeter. Her co-travelers include an eloping couple, a forbidding lord, a mysterious youth, a poor lawyer, and several other common folk.  The group is stranded in a blizzard and must make do in a local inn.  Hannah puts her housekeeping and organizational skills to use as she directs meals, cleaning, and romance.  It's an amusing read, and is a bit reminiscent of Georgette Heyer, although it has a more tongue-in-cheek approach to life in Regency England.  

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Book Reviews

I've taken a short break from the Game of Thrones saga.  I've read books 1 and 2 and they are enthralling!  But I needed a short change of pace before getting caught up in book 3.

Here are three books I've read this week:

The first is from the Aunt Dimity "cozy" mystery series from Nancy Atherton.  They are not truly mysteries. Rather they are usually puzzles or hunts.


Aunt Dimity Down Under by Nancy Atherton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this installment,  the Pym sisters are dying, and they ask Lorie to "Find Aubrey."  Aubrey is their ne'er-do-well brother, banished from the family at a young age.  Lori promises and finds herself in New Zealand in her quest for Aubrey's kin.  This is a gentle story and was a welcome break after some of the heavier reading I've been engaged in.  Lori discovers the beauty of New Zealand, and accomplishes her quest in a different way than she envisioned, all the while guided by her husband's Kiwi friend Cameron and of course, Aunt Dimity and Reginald.


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The second book is very different.  Not exactly escapist reading.

Saplings by Noel Streatfeild
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Noel Streatfield is better known for her "Shoes" books, particularly Ballet Shoes, but she also wrote adult novels.  Saplings tells the tragic story of the four Wiltshire children whose lives are devastated by World War II.  The book opens on the eve of the war, as the Wiltshire family enjoys an idyllic holiday at the shore.  Alex Wiltshire, head of the family, is an industrialist working on military projects, while his wife Lena, is a charming, but shallow woman who actually resents the intrusion of her children into her relationship with her husband. As the war unfolds, the children are first sent to live in the country with their grandparents, and later, when Alex is killed in a air raid, and Lena suffers a nervous breakdown, they are parceled off to various relatives.  The story is told almost entirely from the childrens' perspective, and Streatfield gets their emotions and thinking right.  All of the adults in their lives believe they are doing what is best for the children, but in reality, they totally misunderstand the effect they are having on the children.  This is a sad and extremely powerful story. It's a timeless story also as wars continue to wreak havoc on the lives of those on the homefront.


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The final book is the first book written by Tracy Chevalier.  Again, it's a different sort of story, but one I enjoyed a lot.


The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved The Girl with the Pearl Earring so I was pleased to receive this book as a RAK.  While not quite on the same level, this was a very good story, and I read it in less than a day.  Ella Turner moves to France with her husband Rick.  While he is off working, she explores her new community and starts to dig into her family's French past.  When she meets the local librarian who aids her in her research, her marriage is threatened.  Parallel with this story is the unhappy story of Isabelle de Mouline.  She lives in 16th century France during a time of religious turmoil.  With her red hair and her skill in midwifery, she is viewed with suspicion in her small village.  She marries into the Tourniere family from which Ella is descended.  The stories of the two women connect as Ella delves deeper into her family's history.  While I didn't particularly like the ending of the story, I did really enjoy the book.


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