Death of a Chimney Sweep, by M.C. Beaton

I am currently waiting (for over a month, now!) for two books at my local library, and I really was wanting to read something in the meantime.  So, I found this book. :)

I love a good mystery, so I was intrigued.  (This author has written, apparently, 27 mysteries, all starting with "Death of...".) 

He starts his story off quickly, cutting right to the chase.  Someone dies, then someone else is dead (a lot of people die, actually)... there's a local police sergeant who's always trying to help solve the crimes, infringing on someone else's territory... and there are lively characters to keep it interesting.  Many details are added in to keep the reader guessing whodunnit, and the plot is enough to keep the pages turning.  The lingo is fascinating, as it's origination stems from England. 

I almost felt like the writer was trying to drag the story on longer than it needed to be, maybe adding too many details... but the ending was kind of funny.  The sergeant's cat actually did away with the bad guy, and in order to protect the animal, he dumped the body somewhere to make it look like an accident. 

It was clean, it was entertaining, it was enough to maybe lead me to another of his books should I have to wait any longer for the books I really want to read... and it was free from my library - can't beat that!

The Doll in the Garden, by Mary Downing Hahn

When I was younger, I loved a good ghost story - anything with mystery! I once read a book by Mary Downing Hahn called, "Wait Till Helen Comes".  I was in 5th grade and it terrified me!

My kids love a good ghost story, even though they can't sleep afterwards.  I think we have it in our blood to find such things so fascinating.  My MIL gave us some books this summer, this book being one of them.  When I saw who the author was, I snagged it, immediately! I've told my kids about the other book I read many times but they haven't gotten up the gumption to read it just yet.  I thought they'd like this one, though, so we brought it home.

I'm currently awaiting my turn for a book at the library, so I've been trying to find things around my house to read that I haven't read, already.  (And some things I have.) I saw this book and thought I'd see if it was as spine-chilling as the one I've read, before.

Alas, it wasn't.  Maybe if I were still 10 or 11, it might have been.  Being an adult, I saw where it was headed early on, which isn't saying it's bad.  I'm just a little too grown up for it.  (It's no Mary Higgins Clark, that's for sure.)

I think my kids might find it intriguing, though.  ;) If your kids like this sort of thing, I would guess it's more mysterious than scary, if I were to try to look at it from a juvenile's point of view.  A friend of mine and I were talking, yesterday, about how being an adult can sometimes take the fun out of things.  Oh, well.  :) 

A Stolen Life: A Memoir, by Jaycee Lee Dugard

My biggest fear is my kids being kidnapped.  I can handle them dying even more than that.  (I'd really like to not ever have to test that theory...)

Wow.  This book was disturbing.  It was emotional.  It was... disturbing.  Unbelievable. 

Jaycee was kidnapped in 1991, when she was 11.  Her kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, kept her for over 18 years.  He fathered her two children.  He was married.  His mother was on the same property.

She not only survived, but she managed to do it well.  What I can't believe is how she was taken on outings, met Phillip's parole officers, had access to the internet... and she still wasn't found until she was.  That she was kept in the backyard and no one even thought to look back there is just unfathomable.  This man was sick.  Very messed in the head.  He had her brainwashed, controlled, scared.  She actually felt the need to protect him, to keep him happy, to rely on him.  His wife was in on this.  That, in itself is wrong in so many ways.

She was rescued, reconnected with her family, and is doing so amazingly well... her story is not one I would ever wish on anyone, but her attitude should be manufactured and sold in jars.

I love reading memoirs.  The real stories.  This one was hard.  She was able to recount so many things from those horrid years.  I hope she can continue in her positive outlook on life and build something wonderful for herself and her girls.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, by Richard Paul Evans

This book took me less than eight hours to read.  I could not put it down! I had to, however, take breaks to digest what I just read and let it all sink in.

This was such an awesome book! Of course it is, RPE wrote it!

He can write men well.  He can write women really well. 

He writes electric teenagers with flare.

This is the first (yes, first - I have to wait for the next one!) in a series of, actually... I don't know how many books, but I guarantee you'll be hooked.

It's supposed to be geared toward the young adults of the world, but I'm a youngish adult and loved it! It had me hooked from the very beginning.  I kept thinking while I was reading it not only about how well it was written, but how well it was researched.  Much brain-stocking info had to be acquired to make this book seem realistically fiction vs. a far-fetched fake.  It's full of a little mystery, a nice flowing plot, and an ending that leaves you a mixture of satisfied with a want for more.

All I'll tell you is Michael Vey is the main character... he has special "powers" that stem from something that happened to him around the time of his birth... his mom has been kidnapped due to his new-found friend's research on their past - as they both have these powers in common... and he has to put pieces of a puzzle together to take you from one chapter to the next.  If you like Richard Paul Evans, mystery, thrillers, and a touch of science fiction, you'll love this book!

It's a page-turner.  It's a must-read.  I loved it! Can't wait for the next!

The Baby Grand, by Richard Paul Evans

So, this book, I just found here, is selling for up to $300 online.  That's IF you can find it.  I not only have this book, but I paid $5.00 for it from Richard, himself (ok, his assistant), and it has his autograph in it. 

Oh, yeah, baby.  ;)

I read it, today, in a matter of minutes.  It's 22 pages long, I think, so quick read, for sure.  But it was sweet.  It's the true story of how Richard tried to surprise his wife with a baby grand piano for Mother's Day and she accidentally finds out about it.  Short and sweet.

Made me think of this last Christmas.  A big box arrived via some parcel service and my husband told me it was from a friend of ours.  I sort of panicked because we hadn't thought of getting them anything.  I insisted on going to the store and getting them a gift, asap.  So, we did.  :) 

What my husband may have forgotten, not unlike RPE, is that I'm in charge of the bills.  ;) I saw that a significant amount of money had been spent by one of us, most likely not myself.  (haha)

Upon examining the aforementioned box, I noticed it had a range of numbers in the form of "mm".  That got me putted the pieces together in my head.... don't cameras deal with "mm"s? I want a camera... someone spent a lot of money on something recently...

So, I knew (figured, rather) that I was getting a camera for Christmas. 

And I did.  A really nice, somewhat expensive camera that I wasn't expecting till my 50th wedding anniversary. 

And it wasn't from our friends.  ;)

To this day, my husband doesn't know I knew but played along, anyway.  And he doesn't read this blog so the secret is between you and me.  ;)

Miles to Go, by Richard Paul Evans

Aah, another awesome book by the awesome Richard Paul Evans. 

Alan started his journey from Seattle to Key West when his wife died, his partner stole his clients causing him to lose his business, and he loses his house to foreclosure.  He was held up at the end of the last book by a mugging/stabbing.  He was in the hospital... that's where this books starts.

He meets a woman who changes his life, or rather, he changes hers.  This leads to the changing of other lives.  Which leads to a slight downfall in his own.... then he meets someone he knows.... then it ends without telling you who!

I don't want to give too many details because you really should read these books, but, as usual, this book is jam-packed full of wisdom and is so well-written.  RPE really does have a talent for poetically weaving a story together.  As I read it, I wanted to write down and remember so many of the little tidbits of great thoughts and ways of seeing life - he really does know his stuff! I loved it!

I'm on vacation right now and didn't want to wait until I got home to do this review, which is why it's short.  Do read the book, though.  Start with the first, of course, if you haven't already.

Hurry, though, because he has another book coming out August 9th! It's totally different than what we're used to seeing from him, so this should be good!

I'll Walk Alone, by Mary Higgins Clark

I usually spot the newest release by Mary Higgins Clark on an endcap at my local Kmart.  When I saw this one, I immediately placed a hold on it at my library.

I had to wait a while for it, but it was well worth the wait!

When I read the description on the inside cover, I must admit I was a little disappointed.  It mentioned identity theft.  How interesting could that be, I wondered? But, I've read just about every single one of her 30 books (the ones my library has, anyway) and couldn't pass this one up.

I'm so glad I didn't! This followed her same style, with twists and turns and additions to her growing puzzle along the way! She weaves a tale of a young woman who's lost her son, and now has strange charges to her bank accounts and credit cards, when a picture of her son being kidnapped shows she's the one who did it.  She knows she's not crazy, but the rest of the world thinks she is.  With the help of her friends (no thanks to the detectives on her case), the mystery is solved and.... I'm not going to tell you what happens! It's a must-read, that's for sure.  The only thing I found to be a slight let-down was the criminal's motive - I thought it was a little weak.  It's like you hit a big climax, only to have your balloon wither and deflate slowly.  Other than that, it was a very good read. 

If you're a fan of mystery or of Mary, herself, this book won't disappoint.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, by Seth Grahame-Smith

If I had to describe this book in one word, that word would be ridiculous. 

I had to really force myself to get it finished.  It wasn't that it wasn't well-written, I can only say that it was, as far as putting together a story and doing one's research goes.  But by the end, every time I read the word "vampire", I wanted to gag.  If I never read another vampire book as long as I live, I would be just fine. 

If you read the cover, and you tend to lean towards the naive side of the scale, you'd probably find yourself wondering how true this book is.  The author claims it's true.  Says these are facts.  He even goes so far as to insert himself into the story.

But, really? Abe being a vampire slayer? Ha.  

I know it's fiction, and perhaps I tend to take certain books too seriously, but I had a hard time with this one.  I don't know much about President Lincoln, and perhaps should have done some research before attempting to read this book.  To me, it was just hard to take.  What I do know, he was a highly respectable man.  How could someone make Abraham Lincoln out to be so cold-blooded? So against God? So dishonest, even? Again, it's fiction.  It says so on the copyright page.  The author even lets on that it is in this interview.  He claimed to have high respect for Lincoln, when all throughout the book he makes him look like he has serious mental issues.  I guess I need to lighten up, eh?

Well, the book was about Abe's life.  Supposedly, his mother, aunt, uncle, sons, friends, etc.  were all killed by vampires.  Supposedly, his axe was his greatest weapon against them.  Supposedly, he becomes a vampire himself.  I had to laugh at this.  This really put the book over the edge into ridiculous land.  

I don't recommend reading it.  If you are interested in Lincoln, I came across this blog that has true facts about him and his presidency and I intend to find a decent biography, as well.  An autobiography would be most excellent. 

I really wouldn't waste your time with this book.

RPE rocks the barn

I'm a big Richard Paul Evans fan. Huge.  But you probably figured that out already.  ;)

My husband was browsing Amazon.com one night and found one of his books I not only didn't own (I own all of his books), but haven't even heard of.

So, I did some searchin'. I was only able to find it on Amazon.com used, starting at $63.00. I couldn't find it anywhere else.

I wasn't about to pay that, so I did the next best thing. I emailed Richard. Ok, not Richard, himself, but someone who takes his emails for him.

She told me it was out of print but she just happened to have one. She said send me a check and she'll get it right to me.

$5.00 and a couple weeks later, I have it. :)

I even got another autograph out of the deal! :)

Madame Tussaud, by Michelle Moran

This was one intense book.  I never knew much about the French Revolution, but several years ago I read a few books on Marie Antoinette.  I found that fascinating and this book was equally a page turner.

Madame Tussaud was a name I knew, but didn't know anything past that.  She was a famous show-woman who worked with wax.  Her specialty was creating real looking images of famous people.  She used her shop in France to report news on the happenings of the times, which happened to be when the people of France were revolting against their king and queen.

The bloodshed that happened during this period in history is unbelievable.  The author makes mention that about half a million people lost their lives for the cause of "liberty", or what some thought was liberty.  She said approximately 40,000 were guillotined.  Among these numbers were many women, children, people of the church - the innocent.  It's amazing the evil that can take hold of people if they let it, and people did in this historic time.  All of the major events and characters in this book were real.  The author's extensive research to put this together is simply exhausting for me to even think about! :)

Having read books about Marie Antoinette that were basically from her point of view on the events that took place around that time, it was nice to be on the other side, from the "commoner's" point of view.  Marie Tussaud was fortunate to escape death when she did.  It's amazing she survived as long as she did, trying to play both sides of the political fence.  She was a tutor to the king's sister, Elizabeth, while trying to support (or appear to support, to avoid imprisonment or death) the "patriots" seeking freedom from the monarchy.  She had to make death masks of people she cared for after they were beheaded, a job she never relished, as one can imagine.  She had to part with family either by choice or death for safety reasons and even parted with the one she loved due to her devotion to her work and family.  She married a man she met in prison, gaining her last name Tussaud, only to find he was an excessive gambler once they were free.  She had three children by him, two sons who survived, and after realizing her marriage wasn't going to work out, joined her first love to travel with her show. 

She has many wax museums around the world and is still famous today for her work.  The last figure she created before she died was one of herself. 

I love Moran's way of making what she writes seem so real, like she was there taking notes while these historic events were taking place.  This book was a little more disturbing to read because of the reality that was the French Revolution, but it was very informative and entertaining, nonetheless.  I do recommend reading it.  :)