The Cuckoo Clock

The Cuckoo Clock by Mrs Molesworth - Kennady and I have been reading this book a little at a time at bedtime.  It seems like a really long time we've been working on it, but we've been interrupted by vacations and all kinds of things.  We have just one chapter left now so we will probably finish it tonight or tomorrow.  I found this book when I was a little girl - it was in a bookshelf at my Grandma's house, and I'm not sure where she got it.  It's possible that my Aunt Linda (who loves second-hand bookstores and old books) picked it up at a sale.  In any case, I was about Kennady's age or a bit older when I first read it and it was a favorite of mine.  I read it through every time I visited Grandma until I eventually took it home with me.  A few years ago I found it among my things stored at Mom's and brought it home with me, wondering if maybe Kennady would like it.  We've really enjoyed reading it together and I think it's grown her vocabulary and her ability to read aloud well.

I love the illustrations in the book too:

Recent Reads {Gold Fever - A Klondike Mystery}

Gold Fever - A Klondike Mystery by Vicki Delany - Somehow I missed the fact that this book was a sequel to another until I was several chapters into it.  I wonder if having read the first would have improved my experience with it?  I didn't sense that there were 'missing pieces' to the story that I would have known had I read the first book, Gold Digger, so I continued on.  I did like the characters and sense of atmosphere - the story is set in Dawson during the gold rush - and the identity and motive of the killer are not obvious until near the very end, so in that sense I liked this book very well.  However, I found that I wasn't sure which of the threads of the story were most important - the murder mystery? the potential romances? the son's relationships and ambitions? the mother's relationships and interactions?  All had some appeal and were intertwined in various ways, but I sometimes felt as if I was trying to listen in on too many different conversations at once.  At least the switches from first person narrative (when Fiona tells her story) to third person were obvious so I didn't have to wonder whose account I was reading.  The ending, while it tidies up the murder mystery, remains very open-ended, leading me to suspect a third in the series must be planned.  No news on the author's website as to when that may be coming out, and this book was only released in April 2010, so it may be a little while.  Although I don't give this book a ringing endorsement, I didn't dislike it either, so I may try to read Gold Digger at some point, and I probably will keep an eye out for whatever may follow Gold Fever, just to see what happens to Fiona and the rest of the characters in Dawson next.

Recent Reads {The Mysterious Benedict Society}

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - I doubt I would have ever come across this book on my own, so I'm glad that one of the ladies in my book club stumbled across it and suggested it.  We had decided that maybe a juvenile lit book would be a good pick for September, in honor of back-to-school and also to make our reading load a little lighter during this busy time of year.  The Mysterious Benedict Society got our vote, based on the book jacket and artwork.  Turned out to be a good choice, in my opinion. :-)  Story summary:  A peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, asking "are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"  Out of the hundreds of children that turn out to take some unusual tests, only four succeed and are invited to join in a potentially dangerous secret mission.  They are called upon to combine their intelligence, creativity and resourcefulness in a strange undercover mission at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened; and become good friends as they face puzzles and threats.  And save the world along the way.  It looks like there is a follow-up or two to this debut children's novel by Stewart.  I'm recommending it to my own 11-year-old, but whether he will accept my suggestion that he read it or not remains to be seen.  Personally, I'm sure he would like it and I'd recommend it to young readers who enjoy a humourous story about spies and mysteries.

Recent Reads {The Red Queen}

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - This is the follow-up to The White Queen, which I read a couple of months ago, and tells the story of Margaret Beaufort.  Lady Margaret is from the Lancaster branch of England's royal family and her son from her first marriage would be the Lancaster heir to the throne at the beginning of tumultous years of the Wars of the Roses.  It is very difficult to like Lady Margaret -right from the beginning of this fictionalized account, when she is only a child, she is portrayed as vain, self-righteous, self-important, sanctimonious.  Granted, life was undeniably hard for women during the late middle ages, and it seems to me often more so for those of noble families despite the obvious advantages of their wealth and privilege.  Considering that children in important families were often raised by guardians rather than their own mothers; young noblewomen had few recognized rights or property of their own, and generally no say in who or when they would marry; and girls were "wedded and bedded" and had become mothers by the time they were young teens...  perhaps we should consider it remarkable that any of them survived with their reason intact.  Lady Margaret, at any rate, fancies herself the English counterpart to Joan of Arc and models herself after the French saint; desiring to be recognized as God's chosen to lead her country and do God's will.  She is an insufferable hypocrite and considers herself to always be in the right and on the side of God, no matter how cruel and vindictive and deceptive her behavior.  She sees fault in everyone else and despises them all.  And yet, of course I was compelled to continue reading and see how her scheming and plotting turns out, for her son Henry Tudor does come to England's throne eventually (as Lady Margaret had always known was his God-given destiny...) and so begins the storied reign of the House of Tudor.

Recent Reads {The Priest}

The Priest by Francine Rivers - I thought this novelization of the life of Aaron, Moses' brother, would be a quick and interesting read and I was not disappointed.  I have enjoyed many of Francine Rivers' books in the past and she delivers again with this one.  This is the first in a series of five novels that focus on the lives of Biblical characters that don't usually get much attention because another character seems to steal the show.  But there are lessons to be learned from these "background" characters as well.  Aaron's contribution and role in the Exodus story is usually overshadowed by his younger brother, the larger-than-life (especially as played by Charlton Heston!) Moses, but these two men were partners in fulfilling God's calling of leading the Hebrews out of Egypt and establishing the descendents of Jacob into the nation of Israel.  I especially liked Rivers' telling of the golden calf incident - I have often wondered what on earth could Aaron have been thinking?!  It was interesting to read the scenario that Rivers presents for that scene, and the entire book prompted me to think about the Exodus events from other points of view and consider what Aaron might have felt or thought.  "Sons of Encouragement" seems an apt name for this series, and I will soon be starting the second in the set.

Recent Reads {Pride and Prescience}

Pride and Prescience (Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged) by Carrie Bebris - Yes, it's me back on the Mr & Mrs Darcy tangents again.  This was a really enjoyable read, the first in a series of "Mr & Mrs Darcy Mysteries" that follow the couple after their wedding.  The story picks up on the wedding day, when the newly married Darcys and Bingleys find that Caroline Bingley is stealing the show yet again by announcing her own engagement and upcoming wedding.  The Darcys find the timing sudden and odd, and when they meet coincidentally with Caroline and her new husband, they find even more to wonder at.  A series of circumstances leads the cast of characters (the Darcys, the Bingleys, Caroline and her new husband, the Hursts, and a few others) to spend several weeks at Netherfield where strange and sinister events confront them, and only the Darcys seem to recognize the danger and work at solving the mystery and identifying the plotters.  The book was a quick read, and very engaging.  I liked it well enough that just this morning I bought my own copy of this and the following books in the Mr & Mrs Darcy Mystery series.  My library doesn't own the second book in the series, so what else was I to do?  ;-)   I expect to dive into the second in the series just as soon as my order arrives in the mail.

Recent Reads {Remember Me?}

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella - This was another book club pick, and I'm having a hard time deciding how many "stars" I would assign to it.  I think it might be easier to say what I liked and what I didn't.  What I liked:  the storyline really was engaging, with a plucky and spirited lead character (Lexi, who wakes up in the hospital after an accident to find that the most recent three years of her life are gone from her memory - including the fact that she is married and has a new career).  She has an optimistic and humourous outlook and tries her best to adjust and learn about her new life and make the best of things.  The cast of supporting characters is interesting and I really found myself wanting to know how each situation would turn out and how characters would react.  Lots of humour along the way, some more touching and dramatic scenes, and I felt I could usually admire Lexi's can-do attitude and optimism.  What I didn't care for:  the language.  This was the big drawback of the book for me, and I imagine it would be for many of the readers I know.  Most pages were liberally sprinkled with f-bombs.  :-(