Finished THE EAGLE CATCHER

This turns out to be the first in a series.  The mystery is rather pedantic and predictable, but the characters and the setting (not just the place but the culture) is captivating.  A great sojourn in a world new to me.  I am about to order more books in the series.

I have now started Extreme Makeover, another science fiction yarn for young adults by Henry Melton.  Deena, shy and fat, nearly has a tree fall on her--she is caught by one of the branches and nanobots, recognizing that the part of the tree they were in was no longer viable, fled to her body.  They are now working to understand and control her.

Finished SANTA CRUISE

Light, fast mystery/thriller for the holiday season.  A lot happens in a short book.  Thoroughly enjoyable.

I have now started reading The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel.  It looks like this is the first of a series all set in Wisconsin on the Arapaho reservation.  It starts pretty much like all mysteries start--with a murder and the authorities jumping to conclusions without proof.  But this takes the reading onto the reservation and into the culture, beliefs, and character of the present day Arapaho, and that alone has me hooked.

Finished THE UNDEAD POOL

Every so often, you read a book that you really feel a sense of loss when you finish.  I think this may have been the best Rachel Morgan book yet.  But I feel serious grief that the next book in the series is also the last.  I have it, plus the first two books in her next series, but I'll be sorry to see Rachel and the Hollows go.  In this book, Kim Harrison even created a new supernatural species, totally unlike anything I've read about before.  Fabulous.

I have now started Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark.  It is a silly light romp of a "thriller."  It is fun, but not all that scary.  However, there is a lot going on with some interesting villains and favorite sleuths, Alvira Meehan and the Reilly family.

Finished RUDDY GORE

Wow, I was not ready for the knowledge of Gilbert and Sullivan literature and stagecraft that went into this novel.  I have working knowledge of three of G and S's most celebrated operettas, but no experience at all with the lesser performed pieces.  I almost feel like I have to brush up on my G and S.  Excellent three-part mystery.  I remain astounded at how much story Kerry Greenwood can fit into so few pages.  Again I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have now started The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison.  While providing security for Trent on the golf course, Rachel magically nudges a golf ball sailing through the air straight toward him to divert its path, and it explodes, creating a six-foot crater in the fairway.  Of course, Rachel gets blamed for the explosion, but those of us who know Rachel (having read 11 books in the series) are doubtful that it was.

Finished THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB

Wow.  I loved it.  It was a bit technical in places, so is Lisbeth Salandar and Mikael Blomkvist with some of Dan Brown's Digital Fortress thrown in.  There was more than enough action as well as great new characters and villains to keep me very happy.  And, though the ending was thoroughly satisfying, the door is left open for more adventures ahead.  Hurray!

I am now starting Ruddy Gore, the seventh novel in the Phryne Fisher Mystery series by Kerry Greenwood.  Having a bit of an adventure on the way to a performance of Rudigore by Gilbert and Sullivan, Phryne and friend are now at the performance where one of the performers dies, apparently of poisoning.

Finished Book 3 of Poldark: JEREMY POLDARK

In the third book of the series, Ross is tried for rioting and looting two ships and causing injury to tax men interfering.  The feud with George Warleggan deepens.  The everyday difficulties of life in post American Revolutionary England is enhanced by characters I find myself liking and therefore deeply invested in.  Excellent.

I have now just barely started The Girl in the Spider's Web, a continuation of the Lisbeth Salander saga, this one by David Lagercrantz.  Prior to this, this Swedish author has been concerned with mostly journalism and non-fiction.  But reviews for this seem pretty good.  Having mourned Stieg Larsson's death after having read his three Lisbeth Salander books, I hope this one stands up.  What a shame for the series to die.  I've already encountered an autisic child who hasn't had much of a chance in his world and am now catching up on what Mikael Blomkvist has been up to.

Finished NORSE MYTHS AND LEGENDS

I had known virtually nothing about these and thus everything I now know on this subject came from this book.  I liked the format of this book much more than the Usborne Greek Myths and Legends that I had read before it.  This read much more like a saga...a group of stories that are connected and organized chronologically and by realm.  Norse mythology is much different from the Greek in that the Greek gods were interested in love and having children as well as the jealousy deriving from such philandering.  Norse Gods are interested in fighting, bragging and bullying.  Thor, shown as a hero in modern comic books as movies, was just a mean bully.  Loki, portrayed as a villain, was, at least at the beginning of the saga, just a clever trickster.  His evolution into a villain is explained by the rest of the gods bullying ways.  I kind of sided with Loki until the end, when he went overboard.  Informative book with good stories and great illustrations.

It occurred to me that I have several "coffee table" and reference books in areas of my interest that are just too large to carry around with me all the time.  They are also too heavy and cumbersome for me to hold for the long periods of time required for reading.  But, they really make perfect bathroom books in that they contain short stories or article which can be read in snippets of time.  The next of these I will tackle in the bathroom is Broadway Musicals, 101 of the Greatest Shows of All Time by Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik.