January Books

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?  Deadly Secrets on the St. Johns by Patricia Sprinkle -- this was another Sheila Travis mystery, and all the proofreading errors were disconcerting!  But I went ahead and finished it. Not my favorite of her books, but OK.  This one takes place in Jacksonville, Florida, when Sheila goes with her boyfriend Crispin to meet some of his family and friends, and murders happen. Friday's Daughter by Patricia Sprinkle -- I kept trying to remember if I read this book before, but if so, it was a great one to reread. I just liked the main character, and the other characters like Tobias the Cherokee, and Wonder, the great-niece.  A nice story overall.  But Why Shoot the Magistrate? by Patricia Sprinkle -- finally I read a MacLaren mystery that takes place in her hometown. But it's pretty bad when people in your small town end up murdered.  Who is doing this?  I liked this one! Murder in the Charleston Manner by Patricia Sprinkle -- this is a Sheila Travis mystery; the time Aunt Mary sent her to help old family friends in Charleston. Of course Sheila is there to investigate weird accidents happening to the Wimberly family - and then murders happen!  Can Sheila figure out who is killing off the neighbors? 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?