Challenges Complete: Print Only and Strictly Print

I have now completed the commitments for both Print Only and Strictly Print. Thanks to both Tina and Gina for sponsoring these challenges!

 

Like Tina at As Told by Tina, I signed up for Book Dragon's Lair's Strictly Print Challenge last year. But the Book Dragon has been on hiatus in 2018, so Tina put together her own print book challenge: Print Only 2019. The idea is still the same--there are different levels and only hard copy books count (hardback/paperback/any physical book) and there are various levels. For all the details and to sign up, click on the link above.

I am signing up for the Collector's Edition -- 41+ books.


***Update: Gina at Book Dragon's Lair is back and has posted her Strictly Print Challenge again. I am consolidating both printed book challenges and joining both here. For Gina's I will sign up for the Chapter Books level (52 books).

1. The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman (1/2/19)
2. The Winter Women Murders by David A Kaufelt (1/5/19)
3. Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh (1/7/19)
4. I Am Captain Kirk by Frank Berrios (1/8/19)
5. I Am Mr. Spock by Elizabeth Schaefer (1/8/19)
6. An African Millionaire by Grant Allen (1/10/19)
7. The Dead Shall Be Raised by George Bellairs (1/13/19)
8. The Murder of a Quack by George Bellairs (1/14/19)
9. A Whiff of Cyanide by Guy Fraser-Sampson (1/15/19)
10. The Haunted Man & The Haunted House by Charles Dickens (1/16/19)
11. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (1/18/19)
12. Tales of Terror & Mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1/23/19)
13. Hitler's First Victims by Timothy W. Ryback (1/24/19)
14. The Secret Files of Sherlock Holmes by June Thomson (1/25/19)
15. The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (1/25/19)
16. Tower of London: A Chilling Interactive Adventure by Blake Hoena (1/26/19)
17. Terror on the Titanic by Jim Wallace (1/26/19)
18. Blind Corner by Dornford Yates (1/27/19)
19. A Death in the Night by Guy Fraser-Sampson (1/30/19)
20. Zion's Fiction by Sheldon Teitelbaum & Emanuel Lottem, eds (2/6/19)
21. A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary & Vincent Price (2/13/19)
22. Final Curtain by Ngaio Marsh (2/14/19)
23. Blood of the North by James B. Hendryx (2/15/19)
24. Where the Snow Was Red by Hugh Pentecost (2/16/19)
25. A Wrinkled in Time by Madeline L'Engle (2/17/19)
26. Night of the Fox by Jack Higgins (2/19/19)
27. No Patent on Murder by Akimitsu Takagi (2/20/19)
28. Monsieur Lecoq by Emile Gaboriau (2/27/19)
29. The Lucky Stiff by Craig Rice (3/1/19)
30. Code Talker by Chester Nez w/Judith Schieff Avila (3/8/19)
31. A Wreath for Rivera by Ngaio Marsh (3/11/19)
32. Murdered: One by One by Francis Beeding (3/16/19)
33. Books to Die For by John Connolly & Declan Burke, eds (3/22/19)
34. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (3/23/19)
35. Becoming by Michelle Obama (3/27/19)
36. The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L Sayers (3/31/19)
37. A Knife in the Back by Bill Crider (4/2/19)
38. Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh (4/4/19)
39. Mossflower by Brian Jacques (4/8/19)
40. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (4/13/19)
41. Gallows Court by Martin Edwards (4/13/19)
42. The Pocket Detective: 100+ Puzzles by Kate Jackson (4/19/19)

Print Only Complete!
43. Murder at the Mardi Gras by Elisabeth Stone (4/20/19)
44. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter (4/22/19)
45. Trixie Belden & the Mystery on the Mississippi by Kathryn Kenny (4/23/19)
46. The March Hare Murders by Elizabeth Ferrars (4/23/19)
47. Murder in a Nunnery by Eric Shepherd (4/26/19)
48. Is Skin Deep, Is Fatal by H.R.F. Keating (5/1/19)
49. Murder at the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane (5/5/19)
50. Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh (5/6/19)
51. Death on a Warm Wind by Douglas Warner (5/8/19)
52. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (5/12/19)
Strictly Print Complete!

Poirot Investigates

Poirot Investigates (1924) by Agatha Christie is one of the few Christie books that I don't own and I don't believe I've ever read.* The original British edition contained eleven short stories while the American edition (which I have read) includes an additional three. These early stories by Christie show a heavy influence of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Poirot keeps his clues extraordinarily close to his chest and in some instances we don't even get a peek at them. Hastings is endlessly annoyed that Poirot will not share his findings with him and even quite upset when he tries to play sleuth himslef only to find that Poirot has "allowed" him to make a fool of himself. But they are fun entries into the Poirot canon--giving us a good look at his relationships with Hastings and Inspector Japp. ★★★★

Original stories:
"The Adventure of the Western Star": Poirot investigates the theft of two fabulous matching diamonds. A film star, British aristocrats, and a mysterious Chinaman are all involved as Poirot looks to solve the case.

"The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor": Poirot takes on an insurance investigation when a man dies of an internal hemorrhage shortly after taking out a policy. They don't see how he could have committed suicide, but want to make sure since it would invalidate the policy.

"The Adventure of the Cheap Flat": Mrs. Robinson lands an incredible deal on a new flat in a fairly prestigious building. So incredible that Poirot decides he must investigate.

"The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge": Poirot is sick and Hastings goes to Hunter's Lodge to be his eyes and ears when Harrington Pace is murdered by a mysterious man in a black beard. The beard is probably a disguise--but is it the only one?

"The Million Dollar Bond Robbery": Phillip Ridgeway's fiancee calls upon Poirot to prove his innocence when the million dollars in Liberty Bond's that he transporting aboard the Olympia disappear before they reach the United States. Poirot again solves the mystery without ever visiting the scene of the crime.

"The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb": Members of an Egyptian archaeological dig begin dying of apparent natural causes and Lady Willard, whose husband was the first to die, fears that her son Guy might be next. She asks Poirot to determine if there is anything behind this supposed curse on Egyptian tombs.

"The Jewel Robbery at the Hotel Metropolitan": Hastings treats his friend to a holiday at the Hotel Metropolitan. While there, Poirot is called upon to discover the person behind the theft of a valuable pearl necklace.

"The Kidnapped Prime Minister": Following an attempted assignation, the British Prime Minister disappears. It's up to Poirot to release him from his captors in time for the Versailles Conference at the end of World War I.

"The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim": Mr. Davenheim has vanished from his country house, The Cedars. Poirot bets Japp five pounds that he can solve the mystery of the disappearance without moving from his chair. Japp takes him up on it and agrees to share all the information he gathers--well, of course you know who wins the bet.

"The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman": Dr. Hawker is visiting with Poirot and Hastings when his landlady brings a message that Count Foscatini has phoned for the doctor, crying out for help before the call is cut off. The three men race to the Count's apartments where they find him dead from a blow to the head. Remains of a meal for three are found on the table and it looks like two visitors were responsible...but Poirot knows the truth.

"The Case of the Missing Will": Miss Violet Marsh asks Poirot to help her find her inheritance. Her Uncle Andrew didn't have much use for book learning and was sure that his country common sense and natural wit was more than a match. So, after she went off to college, he made a will that would allow her to live in his house for one month. If she could use her wits and discover where he had hidden her true inheritance, then good for her. If she hadn't found it by the end of the month, then his property would pass to various charities. When Poirot succeeds, Hastings wonders if she hasn't cheated (since she didn't find it herself), but Poirot insists that she proved her wits--by knowing she needed to call in an expert.

Stories added to the American Edition
"The Chocolate Box": Poirot shares one of his failures (from early in his career) with Hastings. When Paul Déroulard, a French Deputy, dies suddenly of heart failure, his late wife's cousin Virginie Mesnard, asks Poirot to investigate--for she feels sure that it was not heart failure at all. Poirot misses a few clues and misreads the psychology of the crime--he only learns the truth when the actual murderer confesses (to prevent him charging the wrong person).

"The Veiled Lady": A heavily veiled lady comes to Poirot and begs him to help her retrieve an indiscreet letter which a blackmailer has stashed in a Chinese puzzle box hidden in a place her tormentor says she could never find. Poirot finds the box...and even more than what the lady asked him to find.

"The Lost Mine": Mr. Pearson needs Poirot's help to find out what really happened to Mr. Wu Ling and the important papers he was carrying to England. The papers concern an old lead-silver mine which had been worked for the silver, but now lead is at a premium and the mine would be worth a great deal. A man has been arrested for the death of Wu Ling--but the papers haven't been found. Poirot finds out exactly why.


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Finished on 5/12/19
Deaths = 10 (3 shot; 1 stabbed; 3 poisoned; one hit on head; one drowned; one fell/pushed)

*If I did read it when I binged on Christie novels from the Wabash Public Library, I didn't manage to log it. But honestly, the only way I remember encountering these stories is through the filmed versions with David Suchet.
March = original pub date
Deaths = 11 (3 shot; 1 stabbed; 4 poisoned; 1 hit on head; 1 drowned; 1 fell/pushed)

Death on a Warm Wind

Death on a Warm Wind (1968) by Douglas Warner was, in some ways, a disappointment. It was found in the middle of the "Mystery" section at my local library's fall clearance sale a few years ago. It shows up on various library sites (I did a search to check) under "Detective & Mystery Stories." But it isn't truly a mystery story. The only real crime involved is a crime against humanity (as if that were a mere trifle)--but it's not a specific crime like the murder of an individual or the theft of valuable jewelry or even the work of a mass murderer and I wouldn't really categorize it as a crime novel. It is speculative fiction.

The "crime" involved is an act by an arrogant man who thinks he knows best about what it might be good for the public to know and believe. In fact, Sir Guy Rayenham (British minister) reminds me of all the climate change deniers who are helping steer humanity towards a very bleak future if drastic measures aren't taken very soon.* So many of these people don't even read the science that backs up the verdict on climate change--and Sir Guy doesn't read the "rubbish" that Robert Colston presented as a way to predict earthquakes. A method which allowed him to predict an earthquake that killed 95,000 people, including Sir Guy's son. But that didn't phase Sir Guy a bit and when indications are such that it looks like London will be hit by a similar quake he isn't willing to use his position to warn Londoners in time to save lives.

When Colston (who has been declared dead twice already) is gunned down** in front of his office, Ian Curtis, editor of a London evening newspaper and--incidentally--very antagonistic to Sir Guy, finds himself on a mission to discover the truth behind Colston's earthquake predictions. Were they really that unfounded and was the first prediction just a fluke? Or was Colston's research sound? Colston's investigations (and that of the reporters under him) find proof that Sir Guy arranged for Colston's paper on earthquake prevention to be gutted and when read before a conference of leading scientists it came across as nonsense. Colston was discredited and his reputation ruined. And people died as a result.

"You silly old fool!" I said, beside myself. "You won't listen. You've made up your mind that Colston is a crank and you won't budge. You won't read the evidence....you 'prove' your case by the reaction of scientists to a document you yourself destroyed....You're acting like the racist who keeps the black man in poverty, disease and terror and then 'proves' he is a savage when he revolts." 

Will Curtis be able to convince someone in government of the validity of Colston's findings before it's too late for London?

This is a fairly entertaining story (though the science behind the predictions is a bit iffy) that I probably would have enjoyed more if I hadn't been expecting a mystery. I realize that's not the author's fault--but when one is expecting a mystery/detective novel and it doesn't happen it is a bit of a let-down. I enjoyed watching Curtis and his reporters dig into the story and find the proofs to back Colston's predictions. And the story serves to highlight the mentality of those in authority--those who "know best" what should be done, regardless of facts. It is a sad commentary on government officials in general (and our current government in particular). 

In one way, I was pleased with the ending (much too spoilerish to be more explicit), but it did seem a bit abrupt. I am curious to know more about the aftermath of the earthquake. But I suppose Warner is leaving that to our imagination. ★★★

*Please pardon my soapbox moment....
**One might think that this is the "mystery" which results in the book being categorized as "Detective & Mystery"--but Colston's death really isn't the focus of the story at all and it's no mystery who killed him. That is known right away, as is the motive. The man who kills Colston does so in revenge for his wife's death in an earthquake that Colston tried to warn people about. 

Spinsters in Jeopardy: Spoilerish Review

To discuss the novel in the way I would like, I may reveal more of the plot than those who have not yet read the book would like. Forge ahead at your own risk...


Spinsters in Jeopardy (1953; aka The Bride of Death) is one of the most bizarre books by Ngaio Marsh. Here we have England sending one of its most celebrated Scotland Yard detectives "undercover" to infiltrate a drug ring. And, as if that's not enough, he's going to take along his wife who is just as celebrated (or perhaps more so) in her own right as an artist. To make everything look like a totally legit family vacay, we'll throw in an incredibly precocious six-year-old son as well. 

On top of this ludicrous set-up, we have coincidences galore...Troy's mysterious cousin just happens to be working at the factory which is producing the drugs. The cousin is also in the inner circle of Mr. Oberon, leader of the cult which serves as a cover for the thriving heroin business. A spinster (one of those who wind up in jeopardy) on the train out to Rouqueville falls deathly ill and, having no friends or relations with her and none in the immediate vicinity, Alleyn and family take her under their wing and manage to use her as an entree to the cult's home base. Because, of course, there is a spectacular surgeon who's part of Oberon's entourage and he can save the day for the spinster. Then...it winds up that Carbury Glande, a fellow painter who's bound to recognize Troy and blow the gaff in a most disastrous way, is also part of the entourage. Only he doesn't--blow the gaff, that is. How fortunate that he doesn't know that Troy has married a celebrated policeman. Though how he could not, is beyond me. Maybe he forgot.

And...Marsh seems to be trying to stuff every conceivable bit of criminal activity into this book that she can: murder, gangs, kidnapping, drug producing, drug pushing, drug taking, and maybe even a bit of fraud since the cult is definitely not what it claims to be. It's no wonder I read this just once before (back in the mists of time when I was reading my way through all the mysteries in my home town library) and never had a desire to read it again until I joined up for the Ngaio Marsh Reading Challenge on Goodreads. Though--to be fair, I don't really remember thinking it was quite such a mess the first time I read it. It just seems to me that Marsh couldn't settle down to what kind of story she wanted to tell. Thriller? International drug ring? Murder viewed from a train? Charismatic figure leading cult members into a life of crime? Oh...why don't we just do it all!

There were some bright points--mostly in characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Raoul and Therese in supporting roles and Troy and Alleyn are delightful as usual excepting a few scenes with them as parents. I don't think Marsh writes parenting scenes well consistently. To be quite honest, she could have left Ricky out of the story altogether and it would have suited me better. And, seriously, what policeman going undercover into a possibly dangerous situation would take along their six-year-old?

Definitely not one of Marsh's best novels. ★★

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Finished on 5/6/19
Deaths = one: stabbed
Calendar = June: word with "J"

Murder at the 42nd Street Library

Murder at the 42nd Street Library (2016) by Con Lehane 

[from the back cover]
This first book in an irresistible new series introduces librarian and reluctant sleuth Raymond Ambler, a doggedly curious fellow who uncovers murderous secrets hidden behind the majestic marble façade of New York City’s landmark 42nd Street Library.

Murder at the 42nd Street Library follows Ambler and his partners in crime-solving as they track down a killer, shining a light on the dark deeds and secret relationships that are hidden deep inside the famous flagship building at the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.

In their search for the reasons behind the murder, Ambler and his crew uncover sinister, and profoundly disturbing, relationships among the scholars studying in the iconic library. Included among the players are a celebrated mystery writer who has donated his papers to the library’s crime fiction collection; that writer’s long-missing daughter, a prominent New York society woman with a hidden past, and more than one of Ambler’s colleagues at the library. Shocking revelations lead inexorably to the traumatic events that follow―the reading room will never be the same.

[My take:]
Okay....Well. I can't say that this is "irresistible." In fact, I pushed myself to finish the thing simply because I wanted to find out how many deaths I could rack up for Rick's Medical Examiner Challenge. Otherwise, I probably would have ditched it as a "Did Not Finish." I was extremely disappointed in what seemed to me to be a great-sounding story. Celebrated mystery writer. A research library with a crime fiction collection. People with hidden pasts. Shocking revelations and traumatic events. A nosy crime fiction research librarian to play amateur detective. What's not to like? Well...the nosy crime fiction research librarian for one. All the coincidences that happen for another. The messy plot. The REALLY big coincidence at the end. The endless side stories that seem to be intended as red herrings that somehow tie together because coincidences. (Did I mention there were all these coincidences?) An attempt by the author to combine all sorts of crime genres into one. We start out with what seems to be a cozy atmosphere and take a detour through an attempt at sleazy (near-porn) pulp. Then we wander around with a police procedural for a bit and throw in a bit of romantic mystery for good measure. 

To say this was a disappointing read would be an understatement. It might have helped if we had spent any sort of time at the library mentioned in the title. All the people who work at said library? Well, they don't actually seem to--work, that is. They spend a great deal of time talking to one another when they are there and then spend the rest of the time taking lunch breaks or wandering off to have drinks.  ★--maybe.

**************
Deaths = five (gunshot) I think I caught them all--but seriously, I was skimming there for quite a bit and may have missed somebody's death. I don't think it would have helped the story any if I had noticed more deaths.....
April = pub date

Is Skin Deep, Is Fatal (somewhat spoilerish)

Is Skin Deep, Is Fatal (1965) by H. R. F. Keating takes place in the world of beauty pageants. On the eve of the Miss Valentine Pageant awarded from the Star Bowl Ballroom, two deaths take place. First, Fay Curtis, mother of one of the contestants, is found dead--apparently a suicide. But before she died she sent a message to the beauty pageant's organizer Teddy Pariss. Pariss is then stabbed to death with a golden paper knife whose handle is shaped in the form of a naked woman. It's up to the British police to discover whether the beauty pageant is at the root of the deaths and what the connection, if any, between Curtis and Pariss was.

Police Constable Peter Lassington has been hoping to break into the ranks of the CID, so when he gets word of Fay's death from her maid he heads over to see if he can get in on the action. CID Detective Constable Jack Spratt is already on the case and he and Lassington go way back. Back far enough that Spratt knows Lassington is looking to muscle in for some credit. The reader soon knows that Spratt is right as Lassington hangs around after Spratt leaves and discovers that while Fay didn't leave a suicide not, she did send that last minute message. So off he goes to the Star Bowl Ballroom to see if he can get hold of the note. But he's too late...it's already been delivered to Teddy and Teddy's not sharing. Lassinton leaves disgruntled. Later that evening, he gets a phone call telling him someone's trying to break into the safe at the Star Bowl. He hotfoots it over there to find no one has called him and no one is breaking into a safe, but Teddy Pariss is very dead from knife to the back.

Enter Scotland Yard's Superintendent Ironside...a man who is looking forward to retirement and who hopes his final murder case will be an easy one. His usual assistant is out of commission, so he claims Lassington and Spratt as assistants for the investigation. Keating begins the book as if Lassington is going to be our hero, but it soon becomes apparent that Ironside is the man to watch. He spots clues that neither of our constables even notice and has a running commentary on how they ought to handle an investigation (supposing they are ever trusted to be in charge of one). 


Spoilery bits ahead!


I've heard a lot of good things about Keating. So far, my experience of his fiction has been limited to a few short stories (in various collections) and this standalone police procedural. I have to say I have yet to be overly impressed. The short stories were okay--but, as evidence of how great they were (or weren't) I can't tell you anything about any of them. As far as this novel goes...well, for starters, the murderer's method of attempting to cover his/her tracks is straight-up lifted from a rather famous Agatha Christie plot. Seriously. Second, the characters. Cardboard cutouts of particularly unlikable sorts. We don't mind that the slimy Teddy Pariss has met his maker. We're disgusted with both police constables. We don't particularly mind that we've just met Superintendent Ironside and he's going to retire and we'll never see him again. We don't care who wins the Miss Valentine contest and aren't at all surprised that some cheating went on to try and gain the title (stuffed brassieres, any one?). 

I have Keating's The Perfect Murder sitting on my TBR pile--which, by the way was, according to the blurb on the back of this book, "proclaimed Best Crime Novel of 1964." I certainly hope it's more entertaining than this rather dreary tale of beauty pageant skulduggery. ★ and a half. And that may be a bit generous.

Trixie Belden & the Mystery on the Mississippi

Trixie Belden and the Mystery on the Mississippi (1965) by Kathryn Kenny finds the all but one of the Bob-Whites (Diana is vacationing with her parents) in St. Louis, Missouri. The friends are invited by Mr. Wheeler, Honey and Jim's dad, to travel with him as he takes a business trip. While they have every intention of having a good, old-fashioned vacation--visiting a space rocket exhibit and following in the footsteps of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, you know that wherever Trixie goes, she's sure to stumble across a mystery that just needs solving. In this adventure, she and Honey haven't even gotten settled into their hotel room before it starts.

A briefcase with papers was left behind in their room and a very rude man bursts in and snatches it--accusing the girls of trying to steal his property. After he leaves, Trixie discover more papers in the trash can--graph papers with odd drawings on them just like those in the briefcase. She and Honey become convinced that the man is a spy and the papers have something to do with the top-secret space program. When they keep seeing the man and his fancy car as they go about their vacation, Trixie is even more convinced that he's at the bottom of something nefarious. She doesn't know how right she is and soon she and Honey will face their most dangerous situation yet.

Trixie Belden is one of the many young detectives whose adventures I followed when I was young. I may not have been quite as dedicated in collecting her books as I was Nancy Drew--I have all of the original hardback Drews--but I was definitely on the hunt for Trixie stories when a new (to me) Nancy Drew mystery wasn't available. Trixie, whose first book was published in 1948 was in many ways a more realistic character for a middle-class girl to relate to. I might have wanted to be Nancy with her roadster and the ability to travel anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat, but it was far easier to see myself as Trixie--the tomboyish girl with a quick temper. I admired Trixie's determination to learn detecting as a skill so she and Honey will be able to open the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency when they are adults.

Rereading this particular story, I'm struck by how intense the danger really is. I didn't remember the villains in any of the Trixie stories being so particularly nasty, but this villain is discussing the ways in which he considers murdering the two girls. It is quite intense for a young adult/childrens story from the time period. Of course, since it is a story aimed at the pre-teen crowd, the girls are rescued and there are no murders, but the deaths he contemplates for them are very unpleasant. I was also struck by the way Honey disagrees with Trixie over whether another person is involved with the plot. It's my recollection that Honey is very loyal to Trixie and her hunches and instincts about people. This time, Honey's insistence that she knows "people pretty well, and I'd trust her with anything.  She's so motherly." leads the girls into the trap that comes near to ending their detective careers.

Still--this was a very entertaining read and it was fun to go back and revisit a book from my childhood. ★★★★


First entry for  the 1965 Club bookish meme.
Calendar = May: title with word beginning with "M"

A Girl of the Limberlost

A Girl of the Limberlost (1909) by Gene Stratton-Porter

The heroine of Stratton-Porter's book is Elnora Comstock, a sixteen-year old girl who lives at the edge of Limberlost swamp in northern Indiana with her widowed mother. Elnora is a bright, beautiful (both inside and out) girl who longs to make a better life for herself. She has gone as far as she can in the local school and makes plans to attend the city high school. Her mother is a depressed, embittered woman who has never shown Elnora a mother's love--in part because she blames the girl's birth for her husband's death. Elnora was born the night her father died in quicksand in the swamp and Katharine Comstock is certain she could have saved her beloved if she hadn't been in labor at the time. Despite Katharine's coldness, Elnora has grown to be a kind, compassionate girl who is wise beyond her years. This is partly due to her nature, but also to the loving kindness of their nearest neighbors, the Stintons. 

Katharine begrudgingly tells her daughter that she may go to high school (provided all of her chores get done either before or after school) and that all has been arranged. But Elnora's dreams look to be dashed before she's even begun--she arrives at the school dressed (to the city kids' eyes) in outlandish clothing, with no books, and without having the out-of-city registration fees paid. Her mother knew the books and fees would be required but didn't tell Elnora and didn't bother to tell Elnora. In fact, she hoped the girl would be so disheartened that she'd refuse to go back. It's obvious that Katharine doesn't know her daughter. Elnora learns that there are those that will pay good money for natural specimens (moths, cocoons, and the like) as well as arrowheads and she sets about selling what she has and making plans to collect more. An even bigger break in family relations comes when Elnora needs just one more moth to complete a collection that will fund her college enrollment. How she and her mother reach an understanding and become a real family....as well as how Elnora wins over her city classmates and gains the love and admiration of a good man comprises the rest of this classic story. 

I grew up reading and rereading one of Stratton-Porter's other classics, Laddie. It was, in fact, one of my all-time childhood favorites and it still resonated with me when I reread it just a few years ago (see review at linked title). Whether my continued love for the book was primarily from a sense of of nostalgia or that it is just a much better told story (Laddie was published four years later), I can't say for sure. But I do know that I did not enjoy Elnora's story nearly as much as I did Little Sister's. It's possible that part of my difficulty stems from my inability to understand Elnora's mother. I simply cannot understand how someone could spend 16 years (and more...since the events of the book take place over several years) blaming their child for something that was absolutely not their fault. How a mother could be so cold and unloving to their own daughter. It is also quite possible that I would have appreciated the story more if I had first read it near the time I first read Laddie.

There are many reasons to appreciate the book--its lessons on self-reliance and belief in oneself, for one. I certainly do appreciate Elnora's thirst for knowledge and the desire to better herself. It was very good to read a story about an intelligent young woman's whose sense of self and purpose was strong enough that she refused to let obstacles (like her mother's refusal to help) stand in her way. And she manages it without becoming bitter. A good solid story that I wanted to like much more than I did. ★★★

The Pocket Detective: 100+ Puzzles

I am so ashamed. After the lovely Kate Jackson arranged for me to receive a review copy of her The Pocket Detective: 100+ Puzzles last year and I somehow put it aside to "do the review later"...I never did it. How on earth did I manage to forget to sing the praises of this terrific little book of brain teasers, crossword puzzles, word searches and the like? Needless to say, I'm going to do it now!



The Pocket Detective puzzle book is perfect for those who enjoy both Golden Age detective novels and word puzzles. Jackson has collected a variety of puzzles--everything from quizzes related to the content of various Golden Age mysteries that have been recently reprinted under the British Library Crime Classics imprint to crosswords and kriss kross puzzles to spot the difference puzzles based on the covers of those mysteries. I've always enjoyed word puzzles of all kinds, so having a book of puzzles based on my first reading love--mysteries--was especially delightful. There are definite pluses to the "pocket-size" of the volume--it is very portable and you can easily slide it into a pocket, bag, or purse to pull out at any moment when you need something interesting to do while you wait. The only drawback to the size is in regards to the cover-related puzzles. The sizing on the covers make it a little more challenging to spot the differences (especially for those of us who aren't good at that kind of puzzle anyway....). Overall, a fabulous little book of puzzles! ★★★★★

And good news for puzzle and mystery fans...a second volume is in the works and due out this coming Fall--hopefully in time to be given as stocking stuffers.

Mossflower: Review

Mossflower (1988) is the second book in Brian Jacques's Redwall series about the brave deeds of the woodland creatures in and around Redwall Abbey. But it is also a prequel to the first book, Redwall. It tells the foundation story which gives background on what the Mossflower Wood was like before the abbey was built and how it all came to be. At this time, the woodlanders are suffering under the cruel paw of Verduaga Greeneyes, king of the wildcats, and his even more vicious daughter Tsarmina. Tsarmina is so greedy for power that she arranges for her father's death and places the blame on her more peaceful brother Gingivere. 

When the oppressed creatures who live in the shadow of Kotir, the wildcats' castle, go hiding in the woods, Tsarmina declares all-out war. She will have serfs and slaves to pay tribute and work for her evil hordes or they will all die. The woodland creatures are fighting back the best they can, but are losing hope. Then along comes a brave mouse by the name of Martin the Warrior. He is captured after a vigorous fight (one against many), but escapes the dungeons of Kotir with his new friend Gonff the Mousethief. After helping the woodlanders mount a few battles, Martin is persuaded by Bella the Badger to lead a party to search for her father Boar the Fighter who left on a quest and never returned. Martin sets out with Gonff and Dinny the young mole to bring back help to defeat Tsarmina and her villainous vermin. Martin leaves a young warrior with a broken sword and returns to Mossflower with a reforged weapon, newfound friends and fighters, and the resolve to defeat the evil queen.

I read this one to fulfill my final category for the Book Challenge by Erin 10.0: Read a book that is a friend or family member's favorite book. My son has never been a great reader--but he fell in love with the Redwall series when he was young and I wanted to use one of his favorites for this category. He initially thought of Triss or The Legend of Luke, but when it came down to it he finally decided on Mossflower. It's easy to see why he loved this one. It has it all--big battles, hand-to-hand combat, sneaky mice getting the better of the evil cat Queen, rat pirates, a quest for an ancient hero, and a final take-down of Tsarmina that is earth-shattering (quite literally). There are also tremendous themes of friendship and loyalty; love and loss; and the constant struggle (especially for Martin) between needing to fight to protect those he loves and not wanting to kill needlessly. Great lessons for young readers wrapped in a delightful animal fantasy world that kids (if they're anything like my son) will want to visit again and again. ★★★★

The Man Born to Be King: Review

In The Man Born to Be King (1943), Dorothy L. Sayers brings her literary powers to bear on the life of Christ. She follows His story from birth to Resurrection and Ascension--combining the texts from all the Gospels into one seamless, coherent story. Her radio drama play cycle (12 in all) brings the story of Jesus of Nazareth to modern, mid-20th Century listeners in language and situations that, while remaining true to the scriptures, modern audiences recognize. she couched her dramas in such a way that the British public of the 1940s could picture themselves in the story and recognized the behavior of the participants as very like people they knew.

One of her goals in creating this play-cycle was to reveal events as if they were happening for the first time. Her introductory notes explain that everyone who has read the gospel accounts always view the events from a post-resurrection point of view. The tendency is to look at the doubters and wonder how on earth could they not have known who Jesus was...but they didn't have the advantage of years of hindsight and ability to study the New Testament. It's like we all turned immediately to the last chapter of a mystery where the detective goes through all the evidence that proves who did it and then we go back and wonder why all those people in the story didn't automatically know that Mr. Smith was the villain of the piece.

Most of the people who didn't recognize who Jesus was were just ordinary people going about their everyday business. If the boy next door whom you had grown up with and known all your life left home and you started hearing stories about how he was performing all kinds of miracles--would you immediately believe. Or would you say, who Johnny? Why, I remember when he was running around in diapers. How could he be turning water into wine? Sayers allows us to understand how those people felt and why it was so hard for them to believe.

She gives us an in-depth view of the disciples and other major figures--thoughtfully bringing forth their humanity in all its flaws and best moments. She provides a very convincing argument for how Judas, who had been chosen as one of the twelve, could betray the man he believed in.

I have yet to read any of Sayers' work that has not been thoughtful, interesting, and--where needed--well-researched. She infuses her serious writing with wit and humor while never losing sight of the serious issues involved. ★★★★★

Becoming: Review

Now I think it’s one of the most useless questions an adult can ask a child—What do you want to be when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that’s the end.
~Becoming (2018) by Michelle Obama

Sometimes a work is so important that it becomes difficult to put into words what you thought and felt while reading it. Most often (for me, anyway) that happens with poetry. It has happened again with Michelle Obama's memoir. This is a powerful and moving story of her journey--a journey of becoming that is still going on. A process that doesn't stop as long as you are willing to keep learning and growing and changing when necessary.

Reading about Michelle's early years, I was struck by how similar our backgrounds were. A mother who was there, at home whenever we were home (though mine worked part-time in the school lunch room--she was there when I left for school in the morning and there when I got home in the afternoon). A father dedicated to hard work and supporting his family--a man who never let physical ailments stand in the way of his responsibilities to go to work and get the job done. A feeling as a student that it was unthinkable to not excel. And not because parents put out any kind of overt pressure that grades must be at a certain level--but knowledge that those parents had done everything they could to ensure their children would have a better life and knowing that we didn't want to disappoint them...or ourselves. 

It was inspiring to read her reflections on where she came from and where her journey had taken her. To have underlined the evidence that she and Barack Obama are good people who come from solid American families; who value the same things we all value (or should value if we don't). Unfortunately, it was also disturbing to read her personal experiences of what it was like to be on the receiving end of all the hate and racial diatribes and the down-right lies that confronted and followed them once her husband began his political ascent to the nation's highest office. Reading newspaper reports--even viewing it on television is one thing; reading about the personal toll it took on Michelle and her family is another. It reminds me how truly horrible some people are at being human. 

But--that's not the take-away that Michelle would want us to end with. She reminds us throughout the book that whoever we are and wherever we are, we can take what we're given and make the most of it. We are all in the process of becoming and where we have the power to do so we need to take control and become with a purpose--choose to become more than we are now, to become a better version of ourselves. And to encourage others to do the same.  ★★★★★