Finished MISS SEATON SINGS

How to explain the character of Miss Seaton or the series of misadventures, mistakes, and accidents that have her totally unaware of what is going on and all the criminals (and law officers) around her sure she knows everything that is going on--criminals trying to kill her and officers trying to protect her?  And how the havoc that follows her around somehow manages to solve crimes, some of which she doesn't even know about.  These books are not really mysteries--they are comedy of errors which somehow manage to come out okay, leaving the reader laughing, giggling, and wondering how they got here.

I am now heading back to the Hollows and to Rachel Morgan in The Witch With No Name  which says it is the 13th and last book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison.  Again, I am saddened to come to the end of a beloved series.  Ivy has a powerful undead vampire wanting to kill her--powerful enough so that both she and Rachel may have to give up their freedom and stay with Trent in order to keep her alive.

Finished PRINCE LESTAT

Another really complicated Lestat adventure in which we meet many very old vampires, some of whom we've never met before.  There is a voice encouraging the older vampires to go out and kill the younger ones.  It talks in their heads.  Many ignore it, difficult as it is, but others follow its directions, not really knowing why.  The younger vampires loved by many of our much beloved vampires are in serious danger.  When no one knows who or what the voice is, how can the problem be solved?  What a treat to find another rich Anne Rice environment and community to explore...

I have now started a Miss Seeton Mystery, Miss Seeton Sings, by Heron Carvic.  Our heroine has been hired by the police to keep an appointment with a Swiss bank, in which she is to explore, in a subtle way, whether they know they are shipping England pound notes they have collected, about half of which are forged.  She has never been out of the country before and has never been on a plane...

Finished THE KING'S JUSTICE

What I love about this author is as apparent in this small novella as it was in the ten book Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and the six book Gap series.  The ability to create wonderful sensory worlds the reader can feel, complicated characters the reader can care about, and plots that unfold organically from the interaction of this world and these characters.  After reading a book of his, I feel as though I have taken a vacation albeit in a foreign and intricate world.

And what a treat to move from Stephen R Donaldson to Anne Rice, a creator of wonderful ways of  seeing this world through the eyes of beautiful, ever growing complicated characters.  The book starts with a quick  history as told in previous books of this series, through the eyes of Lestat.  We find him again nursing depression and boredom and a feeling of being outside of the world alone looking in.  He is being haunted by a "Voice" that speaks in lots of languages, mourning and mumbling almost in tune with Lestat's own mood.  He is bid by the Voice to "Help Me," and "Come to Me," but he does not know who or where it is....

Finished THE BILLIONAIRE'S VINEGAR

Though I found the beginning rather dry being a recounting of history, I was interested in Jefferson's encountering fine wines in France while ambassador there and his subsequent enthusiasm for it and for growing it here in the USA.  His dream was not to be realized until after WWII however.  Then the action came ahead to the auctioning at Christies of a bottle of 1787 Bordeaux with the initials ThJ inscribed on the bottle.  Speculation was that the bottles had at least been ordered by Thomas Jefferson--the year and the area where Christies was told it was found were certainly right.  The bottle bought 157,000 dollars and was bough by Forbes for display.  From there the action becomes really interesting and sometimes seriously funny while watching the ultra rich people continue to buy rare wines at amazing prices and making fools of themselves.  I greatly enjoyed the book.

I am about to start a Stephen R. Donaldson novella.  I began to love this author with The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant which I read all 10 books of, then continued with a wonder six-book science fiction journey in The Gap series.  This short book promises to be just a brief excursion, but I look forward to it.

Finished MORTAL FEAR

As always, a very exciting read.  This may have been the first time he has used this motive, but, since I am so late in coming to this book, I've encountered others.  The very fact that he has used it multiple times convinces me that this may be a very real threat...talk about scary!

I am now reading The Billionaire's Vinegar, the Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine.  It has opened with an interesting history of Thomas Jefferson's interest in French wines, especially Bordearx, developed while he was serving as ambassador to France.  He tried to get a budding wine industry started here then, but was largely unsuccessful.  That didn't really happen until after WWII.  I find, though it is pretty dry, I am learning a lot about wine history and some quirky characters participating in wine collecting.

Read another 100 pages of THE WITCHES

This section was pretty dry and slow going because it included lots of background information about the times, the government, the accused as well as the magistrates and jurors.  It covered through the hanging of the first 6 witches.  Mostly interesting...just dry.  Lots of info I didn't know before, and I had researched the subject and visited Salem prior to teaching The Crucible.

I have now started Mortal Fear by Robin Cook.  This is a pretty old one and I don't know how I've missed it.  Middle aged men are dying of heart attacks and strokes within a month of getting a good report from a comprehensive physical complete with cardiograms and an active stress test.  What is wrong?  This strikes home for me because my sister (age 46) died of such a heart attack three weeks after receiving  a clean bill of health.

Finished ORPHAN TRAIN

A story of now only how a rich old woman can help a 17 year-old foster child who has been "in the system" most of her life, but also how that girl can give the help back to both of their fulfillment.  And we learn about some mostly hidden part of our history along the way.  I loved it and heartily recommend it.

And now, I head back to The Witches by Stacy Schiff.  It is being told in a matter-of-fact, well researched, and somewhat dry way, but there is a great deal about what life was like in Salem for both the women and the girls.  Children were usually indentured to another family to be raised and taught to either farm (boys) or take care of the house and children (girls.)  Life was boring and hard.  It is quite understandable how these young servants were having a field testifying at the trial.  For the first time in their lives they were the center of attention and adults (especially Judge Hathorne) were not only taking them seriously, but hanging on their every word and antic!