Finished A TRAIN IN WINTER and LOST SCRIPTURES

Another in a long line of holocaust-related books I have read, this one tells the story of about 250 female French resisters from what they did as Germany invaded and occupied through their ordeal at Auschwitz and other camps and ending with the after-war lives of the few survivors.  This is a war that scarred not only everyone alive at the time, but their children and children's children for generations to come...  Knowing what happened and how is our only shield and weapon to keep it from happening again.



I also finished the small last section of Lost Scriptures.  This last section was a compilation of extant treatises on which books should be included in the current New Testament.  The earliest of these were willing to include several more books that finally made it.  Luckily these books were in this book, so I knew what they were and am inclined to agree that they were certainly worthy of inclusion, especially Shepherd and the Gospel(s) of Peter.

I have now started Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell, a light romance and a welcome relief from the heavy reading of the last two books.  This promises to have some action and maybe a bit of thriller in it as well as they are on an extended dive with a storm approaching...  Sounds to me like excitement may accrue...

Finished GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS

This is essentially a reference book for children.  Most of it simply explains who certain figures are and what they were known for, so a series of short biographies of mythological figures.  The problem is that Greek mythology is basically saga...so the most readable part of the book is the account of the Trojan war from causes and build up through the war and the heroes that fought and died and then through the aftermath with heroes returning home.  This was greatly condensed, part from the Aeneid and the Iliad  (both full length--long--books) among other sources, but it does put a story together that I've not seen told all in one place before.  In the back is a complete list of gods, goddesses, their offspring, and other heroes/ villains and descriptions as well as a good index.  Not bad as a bathroom or reference book.



I am now about to put Usborne Illustrated Norse Myths into the bathroom.  This is considerably longer than the above.  I know nothing about Norse Myths (other than what I get from TR's comic book movies), so I am looking forward to getting some background.

Finished ROSWELL OR BUST

This is the third book I have read by Henry Melton:  Golden Girl, about time travel; Emperor Dad about teleportation; and this one about aliens.  All have taken a new slant (at least to me) on these often explored sci-fi themes.  Melton is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors.  Last year my year-end report came back from Goodreads telling me that the most popular book I'd read during the year was The Kite Runner and the least was Emperor Dad which had been read by only 8 other people!  What???  These books are great YA sci-fi!  Check them out.

And here I go back to the holocaust.  A Train in Winter is a non-fiction account of women who worked against the occupying force in France, many of whom were killed at Auschwitz.

Finished PEOPLE OF THE LONGHOUSE

This is a series of four books using archeological evidence to explore and speculate on the reasons for and development of the Confederation of the Iroquois.  This book begins to describe just how violent Iroquois society had become by the 1400s.  However the predominate story is of tracking particularly cunning criminals who are mistreating children.  During the action, the trackers and the children overcome tribal suspicions and animosities to work together.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, The Dawn Country.

I have now started Roswell or Bust by Henry Melton.  This is the author I met at a sci-fi convention here in Dallas, who is writing about traditional themes in sci-fi with a modern and highly scientific twist for YAs.  I am in love with his books.  This one starts with a high school student who is working in his family business--a motel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and a traveling man who is obviously running from someone or something mysterious.  I've just started it and am already into it.



An unfortunate thing is that, when my summary of my reading for last year came out on Goodreads, the Henry Melton book I'd read, Emperor Dad, had been read by only about six other people...  These books and this author is great...I hope I can encourage other people to try them out.

Finished HIDE YOURSELF AWAY

Still not certain what the title has to do with the story, but the reviews, most of which said that literally anyone could have been the murderer, is not entirely true, but close.  The conclusion was a definite surprise.  The writing style is eminently readable with short chapters, slowly unfolding the action from the characters' points of view.  Loved it.

I have now started People of the Longhouse (#1) by W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear.  This is another in the series of archeology based books, this one about the Iroquois of what is now the northeastern USA and Canada.  Eventually these nations would form a confederation which valued individual liberty and became the model for our own form of government.  This book is set in the time predating the confederation, a time of violence so horrible that it eventually spawned the great peace which came with confederation.

Finished MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD

All Right!  Thank you, Charlaine.  All is forgiven.  This new series with its wonderful quirky characters, strange commeraderie, and caring (though not non-violent) solution of problems has squirmed its way into my heart.  Can't wait to read the next one teasingly foreshadowed in this one.

I have now started Hide Yourself Away, a murder mystery/thriller by Mary Jane Clark.  This is her seventh book in the Key News series, but I am not trying to read them in order.  A group of summer interns are competing for one position with Key News and this mystery will entice these young people to get too close to the solution.  Have they forgotten there is a murderer at large???

Finished THE MINOR ADJUSTMENT BEAUTY SALON

Mma. Makutsi's newborn baby and the solving of two intriguing mysteries are at the heart of this story.  As usual, we are struck by the gentle and loving relationship between the two very different detectives and the manor in which they enjoy their world.

I have now started Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris.  I was a bit miffed with her for ending the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series, so I am hoping this new series will also be wonderfully quirky and exciting.  So far, I am enjoying the unusual mix of people who live in this tiny crossroad hamlet.