June Reading

I had such a good month of reading. Every book was a winner.

37. The Penderwicks - book 1 in the Penderwicks series
A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
by Jeanne Birdsall
middle grade fiction, 2005
Kindle book
library book
finished 6/27/13

I bought this book six years ago, and actually made note of it here on the blog. I began reading it, and didn't continue. I don't know why. I gave my copy to the library book sale. When I saw it available to borrow from the state library's downloadable books I thought I'd try it again. I'm so very happy I did. Let it be a lesson to me. I loved this book. It had an old-fashioned feel to it, and actually reminded me of the Trixie Belden book (see below) a bit. There is a strong, happy family. There's a boy who is in need of support. And there's a country setting. The book exhibits such kindness between four sisters, whose mother had died a few years ago. The older girls miss her, while the youngest never really knew her. The father is one of those wonderful, gentle types who lives mostly in his studies, in this case botany. But he is most loving and wise when it comes to his girls. In this book, the family rents a cottage for a few weeks in the summer, and has many adventures. Nothing bad happens, though the boy has a somewhat difficult family situation which he overcomes in quite a fine manner. I thought the writing was great, the characters well-drawn, and the story just perfect. I'm happy there are two more ahead for me to read, and I hope there are more coming.

36. Lady Molly of Scotland Yard

by Baroness Orczy
mystery, 1910
Kindle book
finished 6/23/13

I didn't love Lady Molly as much as The Old Man in the Corner but I did still enjoy it immensely. I got tired of the narrator always calling Molly 'my dear lady' but other than that, the mysteries were great, the solver a genius, the solutions unique. As with the other book, this is a collection of stories.

35. Father and Son - book 2 in the LS9 series
by John Barlow
mystery, 2013
Kindle book
finished 6/23/13

In my experience it is rare to find a modern-day mystery/detective fiction/thriller that doesn't objectify women in some way. Father and Son does not. John Barlow's women, and his men, are people not types. He doesn't feature vulgar descriptions of women's bodies, dead or alive. That alone would recommend the book. As much as our main character John Ray would like to keep himself separate from his criminal father, he can't. Now his dad is in a nursing home, and the man John visits is not dangerous, nor is he the cheerful, exuberant father he once knew. But though Tony Ray has lost his strength and power, the past doesn't go away. At one point John thinks, Will this never end? And the answer of course is no. We cannot forget. We have to come to terms with both the good and bad. I'm finding it hard to say much about the book in terms of characters and details because there really is a terrific, and surprising, story here that I don't want to spoil. Is it enough to just say that this is a good tale, well told? I was so pleased when the author emailed me to say it was available, and now I eagerly wait for the next. There are to be nine in the series. 

And here's something really fun! Guess who has a blurb about Hope Road in the 'Praise for Hope Road' section of this book. Yep, me! Along with many others, of course. It was quite a surprise and thrill for me to read:

I don't know when I've read anything quite so visual. Hope Road would make a great [TV] program. Letters from a Hill Farm. 

Here is my review of Hope Road.

Just now it is available only as an ebook, but my guess is it won't be long before there are great print editions of both these books. John Barlow wrote to me and said:

The novel is exclusive to Amazon at the moment, but I'm happy for you to tell readers that I will mail anyone an ePub version if they forward me a purchase confirmation email for a Kindle edition. I checked with Amazon and they're OK with this, and think it is a reasonable compromise. 

His address may be found here.

34. The Golden Calf - book 5 in the Inspector Huss series
by Helene Tursten
mystery, 2003; English translation by Laura A. Wideburg 2013
Kindle book
library book
finished 6/18/13

The last Tursten book I read wasn't a big hit with me, but still I wanted to continue reading her. This book was more like the first one in that we see the really hard, long work that goes into a police investigation. The title is odd, but here is its meaning:

The press often called Philip Bergman "the Golden Calf." His name came from his phenomenal ability to attract investors without needing to lift a finger. Everyone had fought to have the chance to dance around the Golden Calf.

We get a look at the time of dot com failures, and people who make and then lose loads of money. Very good story. A life in the police is not an easy one. The job must always come first. 

33. Sins of the Fathers - book 2 in the Chief Inspector Wexford series
by Ruth Rendell
mystery, 1967
library book (ILL)
finished 6/15/13

I continue to be wowed by Ruth Rendell. She writes like no one else. The reader gets to know her policemen very slowly, just as it would be in real life. I like that. The story in this book is that the son of a minister is going to marry a young woman whose father was hung for murdering someone. The girl insists he didn't do it because her mother told her so. The minister, much to his chagrin, is worried about the tendencies of this girl. Is murder in the blood? Anyway, the son asks the father to look into this murder from sixteen years ago. It was interesting to read about parent - child relationships in the 1960s, and I thought there was an excellent solution to the crime.

32. The Secret of the Mansion - book 1 in the Trixie Belden series
by Julie Campbell
middle grade mystery, 1948
Kindle book
library book
finished 6/9/13

I don't know how I missed Trixie Belden in my childhood, but I never read any of the books about her. I read Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames but that's it. If you are interested in these series books from an older time, there are a couple great sites here and here.

It was Kiirstin's review of The Secret of the Mansion which led me to borrow it from the library's downloadable books.  I liked it even better than she did, and in fact, I'm quite sure I may say I loved it. I enjoyed every minute of my time within the pages of this book. Trixie's family is stellar. Simply wonderful parents, a goofy younger brother, and two older ones we don't meet because they are away at summer camp. The book offers one of the older themes of literature - that living in the country can strengthen one's health and mind. The kids in this book really live. No electronic screens. They're outdoors all the time. Trixie does important work in the household, both indoors and out, as well as taking care of her brother sometimes. Trixie's parents love and support her, yet let her be on her own to make her own mistakes and learn from them. Trixie is by no means perfect. She does things she shouldn't and often pays the price. There are horses, and a dog who runs free. And in the middle of all this is a plot about a creepy, falling-down old place, a young boy who moves in, a young girl who has everything but fun. We read of real problems: a man so saddened and guilt-ridden by his wife's death that he becomes a hoarding hermit; a boy whose mother has died, and who runs away from a step-father who beats him; and a girl whose parents are very rich but seldom home. Her nanny/governess is the one who is there for her every minute. There is suspense and fun, and the book ends with a lure to the next one in the series. I thought it was just great. There's a nice piece here about the history of the series and the author. It was fun to learn that her childhood home was the basis for Trixie's own Crabapple Farm.