I
know, I know...I read a lot of Patricia Sprinkle mysteries this month.
They are mostly small paperbacks, and I got a bunch of them at the
library on the last day of 2015. Plus my mom had a few more that she
passed along as she finished them. I thought I might finish January
with only her books read, but I was able to branch out some. In fact
the last one was a five hundred page book of a much serious matter. I
finished it the evening of January 31 so it made this post!
When Did We Lose Harriet? by Patricia Sprinkle -- another MacLaren Yarbrough mystery; this time MacLaren gets involved in the case of a missing teenager - is she a runaway or did she get taken by force - or what?
A Mystery Bred in Buckhead by
Patricia Sprinkle -- a Sheila Travis mystery dealing with Aunt Mary's
old friends, and things that happened in their younger years; I had a
hard time keeping some of these folks straight at times
Who Let That Killer in the House?
by Patricia Sprinkle -- a MacLaren mystery; a good reminder to look out
for possibly-troubled children and youth, and to be a good example and
mentor to them
Sean and David's Long Drive by
Sean Condon -- this is a Lonely Planet book when Sean and David took a
long drive around Australia. It was funny at times, but it wasn't that
interesting to me. I don't get Aussie slang so I missed a lot of
important parts (yeah, right). A lot of it was just crude talk, and I'm not a fan of
getting drunk which these guys did a lot of. This was one of those book
exchange finds that I'd not waste my time reading if I had to do it
again.
Hold Up the Sky by Patricia Sprinkle
-- the story of Bilie and her disabled daughter Chellie, of Margaret
and the day her world was turned upside down, and how they met again at
their dad's house - along with their childhood maid - a good story of
the interdependence we have in life
Who Left That Body in the Rain? by
Patricia Sprinkle -- another murder mystery for MacLaren to solve!
This time their long-time friend Skye is found dead - hit by his own
car. Uh oh, who would have done this to the popular auto salesman?
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer -- I know this book is rather old, but I only now read
it. Yikes...makes me not want to climb Mt. Everest, that's for sure.
Really interesting account though! Andrew wants to read it next.
What Are You Wearing to Die?
by Patricia Sprinkle -- the last MacLaren book that my mom gave me
after she read it; library book. This one is about a young mother found
dead in what appeared to be an auto accident. Until they retrieved the
body and found her beaten to death! What is going on in Hopemore,
Georgia, now?
The Carousel Painter by
Judith Miller -- an easy read I picked up at the library to read in case
we were stuck inside due to snow (we got more sleet than anything).
This is the story of Carrington and her new life in Ohio after her
artist father died. She goes to a factory and paints carousel animals.
Where My Heart Belongs by Tracie
Peterson -- After leaving home in a fit of rebellion, Sunny returns home
after twelve years to see how things have changed. A pretty easy read,
and parts of it hit home for me about true, unconditional love, and how
things change and can never be the same again. I read all of this book
in one day part of while sitting outside in the sun while enjoy the
snow melting nearby.
Up From the Blue
by Susan Henderson -- The story of Tillie and her military family,
mostly focusing on eight-year-old Tillie and the memories of her mom
My Mercedes Is Not For Sale
by Jeroen Van Bergeijk -- "from Amsterdam to Ouagadougou...an
Auto-Misadventure Across the Sahara" -- I got this at a book exchange.
Kind of interesting story of a Dutch man on a quest to sell his
Mercedes after driving through parts of Africa
Texan's Luck
by Jodi Thomas -- a paperback I picked up in a book exchange awhile
back. I am trying to read some of the books on my shelves before I get
many more library books. This was a good one to read while at the
beach. I could take it in my bag and read it while enjoying the sun.
It's about a young lady who shows up one day claiming to be the wife of
the captain. Apparently there was some situation involving her awhile
back where she was wrongly jailed, but in order to secure her release
she had to be married off. I didn't understand all those
particulars...maybe it was covered in an earlier book. But this couple
(Lacy and Walker) didn't have a good first meeting, five years later
Walker had to protect Lacy from a man who wanted to kill her. Kind of a
silly story, but like I said: easy beach read.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand -- Andrew borrowed this book a few years ago from
someone at church, and read through it fast. I was amazed because it's a
long book, and he doesn't generally read books super-fast. He also saw
the movie. I declined both at the time. Fast forward to Christmas 2015,
and someone sent me the book which meant I had my own copy (and,
therefore, could take my time reading it). Well, I started it sometime
last week, and read through it fast. (I finished this in our room at
the beach on January 31 so just in time to make this list.) At first I
wasn't very interested. It was good, but trying to beat someone's time
in a race isn't my favorite topic. But then when Louie joined
the war effort in the Pacific, and the raft and POW sections...man.
Really, really interesting stuff!
The back of the book has a section on discussion questions. Here is one that really stood out to me.
17. Unbroken reveals
that, under the "kill-all order," the Japanese planned to murder all
POWs, a plan that was never carried out because of the dropping of the
atomic bombs. The book also explores the lengths to which the Japanese
were prepared to go to avoid surrender. How did the book make you feel
about America's use of the atomic bomb on Japan?
Also, do you find it's true that a lot of WW II literature has focused on the European war with a lot less on the Pacific war?
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Wednesday, February 3, 2016
January Books
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1 comment:
I have Unbroken, but have yet to read it. I love WWII stories and I have noticed that there seem to be more books and movies about Europe during WWII than the Pacific.
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