The Laughter of Dead Kings

Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Peters brings back Vicky Bliss in a modern setting, this time heading to Egypt to solve the theft of King Tutankhamun's mummy from his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor (ancient Thebes). I started this book about a month and a half before I actually went to Egypt, and although it took me too long to read it (in snippets during lunch breaks, mostly), I really enjoyed it. I got about 3/4 of the way through it before I went on vacation and finished the rest once I got home. Having just been there and seen the places Peters describes, I have to say I got SO much more out of the book once I came home! Before my trip, I'd have rated the book probably at about 3 or 3 1/2 stars. Afterward--particularly after reading the ending where Peters writes herself into the story, which tickled my fancy--I'd have to give it 4 or even 4 1/2 stars. I now want to purchase a copy to reread and savor, knowing, for example, exactly what the Karnak Temple complex looks like at night and how enormous it is and how easy it would be to hide in the shadows (and how difficult to find or follow anyone!).

Peters does refer numerous times to previous Vicky Bliss novels, so if it's been a while since you've read them, it could be helpful to reread them before beginning this one. Also--don't expect it to follow chronologically with the earlier Vicky Bliss novels, which were written years ago. Peters just jumps ahead to present day as though the other books took place within the previous few years. Neither Vicky nor Schmidt nor John have aged significantly.


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The Secret Lives of Men

The Secret Lives of Men: What Men Want You to Know About Love, Sex, and Relationships by Christopher Blazina

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm giving up on this one. I've been trying to read it off and on for a few months now. What the author has to say is valuable, but...oy. The writing style reminds me of students who have to write a 10-page paper but only have 5 pages' worth of things to say. It's very redundant & dry. A good editing would go a long way. *sigh*

Instead, I would recommend checking out what the people at www.understandmen.com have to say. The PAX workshops are expensive but totally worth it, and there are now some programs on CD, DVD, and even in book format.


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Plum Spooky

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what holiday this book is supposed to be linked with, although it does include an encounter with a retired Easter Bunny. This Between-the-Numbers novel features a lot of Diesel, a little Ranger, and very little Morelli (aside from phone conversations). Lula and Carl the Monkey spend a great deal of time "helping" Stephanie track down the socially inept (to say the least!) boy genius, Martin Munch, who has teamed up with Diesel's evil cousin Wulf. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, although not nearly as many as in Fearless Fourteen. It was light entertainment, but not my favorite of the Stephanie Plum books.


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Fortune and Fate

Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars


Actually, I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars.

Fortune and Fate is part of Sharon Shinn's "Twelve Houses" series, set in Gillengaria. This novel takes place two years after the end of Reader and Raelynx and tells the story of Wen, a former King's Rider who exiled herself after being unable to save the king's life. She's tortured by guilt and believes she must travel the country helping strangers to atone for her failure. She thinks she is unworthy of friendship and cannot be trusted with anyone's life, so she keeps moving from place to place in order to avoid building relationships. Fate intervenes, of course, or this would have been a terribly boring novel. :)

Shinn does such a fabulous job of blending character development and plot into a seamless story. I admit I did guess the villain before Wen figured it out, but that in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I especially loved the way Jasper Paladar teaches Wen to appreciate books and reading--that warmed my librarian's soul. And I was glad that parts of the book also focused on the ongoing story of Senneth and Tayse, Cammon, Justin, Kirra, and Donnal--the series' original leading women and men. I wasn't ready to let these characters go after the end of Reader and Raelynx, so it's a relief that the story continues.


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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

My review

rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

I am a Jane Austen addict, albeit not quite as obsessed as Courtney Stone, the main character of this novel. I am not so miserable in my own life, which is apparently a good thing, as it makes me less likely to awake one morning in 1813 as she did. (For all my moments of wishful thinking, I don't really want to be someone else.)

Courtney, however, retreats to the world of Jane Austen as often as possible, especially since she discovered her fiance cheating on her with the wedding cake designer. Reading about Austen's world is not the same as living in it, however, and Courtney-inside-Jane-Mansfield's-body has a great deal to learn both about her new situation in life as well as the true meaning of being responsible for her actions.

I nearly tagged this book onto my "mystery" bookshelf because so much of the story is Courtney/Jane discovering what in the world happened in Jane's life--friendships and heartbreak alike--and how she came to inhabit Jane's body. (My practical soul could have used a tad more explanation on that last bit.) It's great fun to read, even if I did want to smack Courtney/Jane quite often and tell her to catch a clue.


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Melting Stones

Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Melting Stones is a continuation of the "Circle" series--the Circle of Magic quartet and The Circle Opens quartet. This one tells the story of Evvy, a 14-year-old mage-in-training whom we first met in the Circle Opens quartet as a stone mage discovered by Briar. In this book, she is traveling with Rosethorn and Myrrhtide, two full-fledged mages who have been summoned to an island in the middle of the ocean where trees and other plants have been spontaneously dying in random locations. Evvy is a girl emotionally damaged by slavery and war, and this story is really more about her learning to trust more than the six people she lives and trains with at Winding Circle.

Tamora Pierce once again does her usual excellent job of depicting teenagers with all their talents and flaws. And I loved how she anthropomorphized the magma "spirits"--I thought it an excellent way to describe what happens before an eruption.

This book was originally written as a full-cast audio book, which I didn't realize when I put it on hold all those months ago. I'm very curious now to listen to it.


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Five Minute Tales

Five Minute Tales: More Stories to Read and Tell When Time is Short by Margaret Read MacDonald

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading the stories, and I think they would be good ones to tell when you're trying to kill a few minutes somewhere or (in some cases) need a bedtime story. Some would be easier to memorize than others, however. But I can attest that the Monkeys in the Rain story--I call it the Brazilian monkey story--works very well for use in a library story time!


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