Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Books Read - August 2016

Allende, Isabel
  • The Japanese Lover *****
Fiction.  Irina has traveled from another country and works at Lark House, an eldercare facility.  One of her charges is Alma Belasco, another refugee from a foreign country.  Both women have secrets from their pasts that drive their current lives, and it’s only at the end when their secrets comes to light that they can move forward.

Arthur, Keri
  • Kissing Sin ***
Fiction.  Second in the Riley Jensen UF series set in Australia.  Riley escapes from a genetic research facility and is determined to bring down the person responsible for her capture.

Carriger, Gail
  • The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in a Jar ****
Fiction.  Prequel to the Parasol Protectorate paranormal series.  Preternatural Alessandro Tarabotti is in Egypt to have his aunt’s deceased cat mummified, but his work accompanies him, and soon danger comes calling.

  • Soulless *****
Fiction.  First book in the Parasol Protectorate paranormal series.  Alexia Tarabotti is a 26-year-old spinster in the 1850’s London.  She’s resigned herself to the fact that she might never marry, not only because of her age, but also her appearance, and the fact that her tongue has a mind of its own, which causes her many problems.  Werewolves and vampires are accepted members of society, except by a small group of scientists determined to study them to extermination.  Alexia finds herself falling for the Alpha werewolf, Lord Maccon, and in an unbelievable turnabout, she learns that he is falling for her.

Charles, Ann
  • A Wild Fright in Deadwood *****
Fiction.  Seventh in the Deadwood mystery series.  Violet must face off again with Caly, who is determined to take Violet with her into the otherworld, but she has to wait in line behind Wilda, who is using Cornelius to lure  Violet into her clutches.  Meanwhile, Violet is struggling with saying those three little words to Doc.  Not because she doesn’t feel them, but because she is afraid of his reaction.

  • Cold Flame ****
Fiction.  Third of the Deadwood Shorts stories.  Aunt Zoe finally tells Violet about her love affair with Reid.

Jackson, Shirley
  • The Lottery and Other Stories *****
Fiction.  Collection of short stories about the calamities of life and the human condition.

Kavanagh, Brian
  • The Embroidered Corpse **
Fiction.  First in a mystery series set in England.  A piece of the Bayeaux tapestry has been found and unlocks the location to a treasure people are willing to kill for.

Marquis, Melanie
  • Lughnasadh *****
Non-fiction.  History, lore, crafts, spells, and rituals of the first harvest festival in the Pagan year.

Nahai, Gina
  • Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith *****
Fiction.  The multi-generational tale of a family of women that begins in Tehran and ends in Los Angeles.  A tale of loss, magic, and redemption.

Perona, Elizabeth
  • Murder on the Bucket List *
Fiction.  Five senior women stumble across a dead body as they try to knock an item off their bucket list.  One of their husbands is suspected of murder, but the women try their best to find another suspect.

Rowling, J.K.
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ****
Fiction.  Compendium of the magical creatures of the Harry Potter world.

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets *****
Fiction.  Second in the Harry Potter series.  Harry has been locked in his room at the Dursley’s, when Ron, Fred, and George rescue him and Hedwig using an illegal flying car belonging to Mr. Weasley.  Breaking one school law after another, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set forth to find out who is scribbling eerie messages on the castle walls at Hogwarts, and who is responsible for harming the students there.  Harry finds an old diary that has no writing in it, but the answer to the mysteries lie within its pages.

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows *****
Fiction.  Seventh in the Harry Potter series.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione have left Hogwarts to trace down and destroy the Horcruxes.  But Voldemort has been gaining power, and his army of Death Eaters has taken over the Ministry, and they are rounding up and punishing all the mudbloods and blood traitors they can find.  The final battle between Harry and Voldemort takes places on the grounds of Hogwarts, but Harry has a secret weapon that even he doesn’t know about.

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire *****
Fiction.  Fourth in the Harry Potter series.  Hogwarts is full  of excitement this year.  The Triwizard Tournament will be held for the first time in many years.  Three schools will be entering a champion to perform three tasks in the hope of winning the contest and bringing honor and prestige to the winning school.  The Goblet of Fire has chosen a champion from each school, when it suddenly spits out another name, and though underage, Harry Potter must face the challenge.

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *****
Fiction.  Sixth in the Harry Potter series.  Harry is using a used copy of an Advanced Potions book and finds that someone who owned it before him has scribbled notes all through the book.  In potions class, Harry decides to follow some of the instructions left by the scribbler instead of following directions listed in the book, and suddenly he is excelling in the class.  In addition to the mixing directions, the book includes many handwritten spells, and Harry begins to try them out, only finding out too late that one is very deadly.

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban *****
Fiction.  Third in the Harry Potter series.  Dementors are called on to protect Hogwarts while the search goes on for Sirius Black, and Harry is having trouble dealing with them.  Hagrid must mount a defense for Buckbeak, a hippogriff who attacked Draco Malfoy.  Harry’s godfather is revealed.

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix *****
Fiction.  Fifth in the Harry Potter series.  Harry is in his fifth year at Hogwarts and is spending the year getting ready to take his O.W.L.s at the end of the school year.  The pressure is on, and the teachers are assigning much homework.  Harry’s scar has been hurting more and more, and Dumbledore tells Harry that Professor Snape will be training him in Occulmency to help protect Harry from Voldemort.  In addition, Harry and his friends have begun a new club at school, Defense Against the Dark Arts, in response to a new Head Inquisitor established by the Ministry of Magic.

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone *****
Fiction.  1st in the Harry Potter series.  Harry has been living with his aunt and uncle’s family for eleven years, and those have not been easy years for him.  When he receives a letter in the mail, he’s shocked to find out he is a wizard and has been admitted to the greatest wizarding school in Britain.  

  • The Tales of Beedle the Bard ****
Fiction.  Children’s tales of the magical sort.

Smith, Alexander McCall
  • Morality for Beautiful Girls ****
Fiction.  Third in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency cozy mystery series.  Mma Ramotse is engaged, but her fiancĂ© is suffering from depression and has quit dealing with his autobody business, so Mma Ramotse  and her assistant at the detective agency take over running both businesses.

Spark, Muriel
  • Not to Disturb *

Fiction.  Domestic help plan the deaths of their employers while marrying the upstairs maid to the lunatic son of the house locked in the attic.