Finished WHEN DAY BREAKS

Again, I didn't get the culprit pegged until Clark wanted me to.  There were a lot of suspects and red herrings, but that is what I expect from a good mystery.  It was also exciting, edge of the seat reading toward the end, especially.  I love this author.

Now I have started People of the Black Sun, by Kathleen O'Neal and W. Michael Gear, which is the fourth of their People of the Longhouse saga, a novelization of the legend of how the Iroquois established their federation, the model for our first independent government and then for our present constitution.  It starts off immediately after the battle that The Broken Land ended with.  The people are recovering a devastating conflict that has left villages burned and 90% of the warriors of some tribes dead.  We are already seeing armistices between some of the tribes begin to take place for mutual defense.

Finished HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

Though not as long, and therefore as satisfying, as most of the original series, this is every bit as exciting and inventive.  The Potter's middle child, Albus Severus, feels alienated from his father and attempts to go back in time to right a wrong with grievous results.  The theme of this is very adult having to do with the pitfalls of raising children, and shows that J. K. Rowling hasn't got an handle on it yet, either.  But, who has?  It is an interesting look at the tribulations of father/ son (parent/child) relationships.

I am now about to start When Day Breaks by Mary Jane Clark.  It says it is the tenth of the Key News books, but I've only read 8, not in order, and two come after this book...

Finished WITCH MISS SEETON

This the third Miss Seeton mystery I have read and the third that I have very much enjoyed.  This one was the most exciting so far...though these books make me giggle much of the way through them, this one also had me on the edge of my seat for awhile.

I am now about to start Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Finished SKIN TRADE

I confess to being guilty of always thinking the bottle of wine I am drinking is the best wine I have ever had, the food I am eating is the best food I've ever had, and likewise, the book I am reading is the best I have ever read.  That said, I think this is the best of the Anita Blake books so far.  Wonderful plot with a clear and heinous villain who turns out to be sort of understandable, many fabulous characters we haven't met or have only briefly met before.  Most of the regular characters are left behind as Anita goes to Las Vegas.  Loved it, as usual and was unable to put it down.

I have now begun Witch Miss Seeton by Heron Carvic.  Miss Seeton, a charming retired teaeher is conservative, proper, insightful as well as painfully naive.  Through no fault of her own, disaster follows her around...disaster, I should say, for criminals.  She is never aware that anyone is trying to hurt her or steal from her--she is oblivious.  When disturbed in any way, she whirls or falls whipping her umbrella around and foiling those who seek to bother her.  In this way, unknown, she solves crimes, and the police (Scotland Yard) employs her and pays her.  The reason for this totally escapes her, but she can use the money.  There is at least a giggle on each page.

Finished THE AUGUR'S GAMBIT

Most of the book is talky:  conversations and conspiracies.  The Augur, Mayhew, sees disaster in two horrible forms threatening to defeat the country he loves.  He, the queen, and the princess seek a way to avoid this fate.  The only action comes at the end, but somehow, the story never lost my attention.  It is smart and the characters, like most of Donaldson's characters, are fascinating.  And, you can't guess ahead as to what might happen, because this author has no qualms about killing off his most compelling characters without a second thought.

I have now started Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton, the 17th of her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books.  (And, yes, I have read all the previous ones.)  Within the first sentence we learn that Anita has been sent a package from Las Vegas containing a human head.  She has no trouble figuring out who has sent it--a vampire she has defeated before, but unfortunately, missed killing.  A quick phone call to Las Vegas lets her know the head belonged to another vampire hunter who was killed along with three SWAT members.  A challenge to her was written in blood on the wall.

Books for the Great Grands

I've bought and read a few books for Audrey and Logan.  Some of them I know Audrey can read and I am hopeful she can and will read them to Logan.  Then, there are three I think I will need to read to them:



The first, Rescue and Jessica, a Life-Changing Friendship, by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes is about a girl who was in an accident and wound up losing both legs.  Rescue was in seeing-eye-dog training, but flunked out.  Then he started to learn how to be a helper dog.  This book will show the kids how much dogs can learn and how much they can help people.



Another book, The Very Very Very Long Dog by Julia Patton was disappointing.  Since the kids are visiting their Aunt Julie who has two new dachshunds puppies, I thought this would be fun and funny.  And the premise was funny--the dog is so long, he doesn't know where his bottom is and he knocks things down.  But I couldn't see how the solution given would actually work.  It reminds me of anticlimactic season long comic book problems that finally have ridiculously simplistic solutions.

I also got Logan a Build a Block Book, which I cannot find a picture of.  I know I will have to read it to Logan because it shows a construction equipment of all kinds and explains what they are for.  The format is great as are the pictures.  There were a number of things I had never heard of...which is kind of fabulous for a picture book for pre-schoolers.

Finished THE TUMBLING TURNER SISTERS

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would.  Four sisters, with very different personalities and a stage mother, when faced with financial disaster, taught themselves to do some acrobatic tumbling and entered a local one time show.  This brought them a small time agent who got them some seriously small time gigs in a number of run-down vaudeville theatres.  They continued to invent and teach themselves additions to the act.  Along the way, they meet many more adversities.  Their love of the theatre and of each other makes for a page turner that is fun to read.

I am now about to start The Augur's Gambit by Stephen R. Donaldson.  I love this author of fantasy and science fiction.  I love his inventiveness and vocabulary, but mostly I love his characters (that he has no qualms about killing with no warning), his environments and history of those environments, and exciting plots.  I've read everything I can find by him and I keep looking for more..