What I Read in November 2016 Part I . .

What I Read in November 2016 Part I. . .

A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Weaver-- Historical Mystery

Now that Amory and her husband Milo are happier than ever, they plan to spend a romantic winter in Italy alone. However, Amory's cousin Laurel wants Amory to come join a house party at Lysonsgate, the scene of a tragic event years earlier that tore apart the lives of several young people. Amory discovers that the house party was assembled by one Miss Isobel Van Allen, a notorious writer who wrote a scandalous tell-all novel about that fateful night. Now Isobel claims she has evidence that she had been wrong and the killer is still out there. She plans to unmask the killer in her new novel, but the killer finds her first. One of the guests or the hosts must be the culprit and Amory won't rest until she solves the mystery.

I liked the mystery better than the previous two. It seemed like it might be the typical pick them off one by one story but it stayed central to the core mystery-what happened after a wild night of partying that resulted in a young man's death. Was it merely a toxic combo of drugs and alcohol plus exposure to the cold or was it murder? If it was murder, then who? Someone doesn't want anyone to know. The mystery kept me guessing and I never ever guessed. The story didn't go in the direction I expected in terms of old secrets. That was a nice change from typical mysteries set in this period.

Now Amory and Miles are getting along better, I like her. She is now communicating with her husband and he recognizes now that she is not invulnerable and she does love him. He's a very attentive husband now but still charming as ever. None of the other characters are even remotely likeable. Isobel is a despicable human being. She encourages scandalous behavior only for the purposes of exploitation. She drives the action in the story both before the novel begins and after her death. She ruined several lives in the process of trying to become a rich and famous writer. Reggie Lyons seems like a nice fellow. He had a difficult time during the war but still he fell prey to Isobel and went along with her schemes so he was just as responsible for the destruction of his family and friends, yet no one sees it that way. His sister Beatrice comes across as a cold-hearted witch. Lucinda acts like a child. I thought she was 16 but she was apparently 16 at the time of the incident. I felt sorry for her to have a sister like Beatrice but not sorry for her because she threw herself at a married man. I felt sorry for Amory's old friend Freida, but she had choices and chose a path that led to unhappiness. Her husband is creepy. Desmond Roberts is weak and whiny. Like Freida, he made bad choices that led to unhappiness.

Only Laurel is normal and nice but she's pretty bland. Mr. Winters, the artist, may be likable. He amused me but he is hard to read and may be hiding something. I'll leave you to read the book and figure out the killer's identity!


Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban--Middle Grades Historical Fiction

This is a simple story appropriate for kids 8-10. It tells the story of the Japanese internment camps in child-friendly language. The story is told from Manami's point-of-view and the adults never tell her what's going on so she has to work it out for herself. She is a sweet little girl who goes through some terrible times and stops talking as a result. That gives the book a unique voice because it's her inner voice observing everything. This book would be good for kids who have moved to a new environment, been through a difficult situation/experienced trauma and even kids who have lost a pet. It doesn't make my favorites list but it's not a bad story.

What I Read in January 2016 Part VI

What I Read in January 2016 Part VI. . . 

Death Wears a Mask (Amory Ames Mystery #2) -- Historical Cozy Mystery


Amory Ames is looking forward to rekindling her romance with her rakish husband Milo but agrees to attend a dinner party at the home of her mother's friend Mrs. Barrington. Mrs. Barrington has an ulterior motive for inviting Amory; Mrs. Barrington wants Amory to discover what has happened to her missing jewels. Amory isn't sure the jewels were stolen in the first place but agrees to help. The suspect list includes the Barrington's nephew, James Harker; a famous tennis player, Mr. Foster; the handsome and very roguish Viscount Dumore; Dumore's rumored mistress Mrs. Garmond; a Mr. Garmond; a pair of spinster sisters, Marjorie and Felicity Rccles; and a newly wed couple from different social classes. Amory has her work cut out for her but when Mrs. Barrington suggests they lay a trap for the thief at a masquerade ball hosted by Lord Dumore, Amory goes along with the plan. Then one of the suspects dies and Detective Inspector Jones enlists Amory's help to find out who the murderer was. Amory has her hands full dealing with her husband's routine disappearances, his appearances in the gossip rags on the arm of a lovely French actress and fending off the advances of Viscount Dunmore. She's determined to solve the mystery herself to keep occupied until she decides what to do about Milo.

I enjoyed this book much more than Murder at the Brightwell. The mystery grabbed me right away and I had a very hard time putting the book down until I knew everything. Though I guessed half the mystery, I never guessed who did it. There were so many suspects and so many motives that it could have been any of them. I didn't feel the story was overpopulated with characters though since most of the story focuses on Amory. There's a lot more Amory and Milo and their relationship. All love scenes are hinted at as Amory and Milo attempt to kiss and make up. I liked Amory a lot more in this story. I felt bad for her and agreed that Milo was not being a very good husband. He's selfish and doesn't consider how his actions, no matter how innocent he claims them, reflect on Amory and how much she cares what others think of her. He should have more respect for her feelings. They seem to love one another but as Anory says sometimes love just isn't enough.

There are a ton of new characters here. Mrs. Barrington seems nice if a little forceful and maybe forgetful. Her husband seems to love her which is unusual in an upper-class marriage of that time. I liked Mr. Barrington until his secrets were revealed. (Not a spoiler everyone has secrets). I also really liked Amory's new friend, Mrs. Douglas-Hughes. She's refreshingly open and kind, a result of her American upbringing and time spent on the stage. Her husband is not particularly appealing. He has secrets and he's a bit stuffy. I also liked sweet Felicity Eccles and wanted to know more about her. I disliked her sister Marjorie right away and was convinced that Marjorie was bullying her sister about something. They don't have much of a story but one may be a thief or murderer or both. Amory's maid Winnelda is cute and a more toned down version of Queenie in the "Her Royal Spyness" mysteries.

The male characters don't fare as well as the women. The remaining men don't have many redeeming qualities and one should be arrested. I had bad vibes about that person right away and knew they were up to no good. The revelations about him surprised me though I disliked him immensely.

I recommend this series to fans of 1920s and 30s set mysteries. Downton Abbey fans may enjoy the high society aspect. 


The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston--Historical Fiction

Frances "Frankie" Pratt is a high school girl who has big dreams of becoming a writer. Sadly, her father died when she was younger and her mother works as a night nurse to make ends meet. When Frankie takes a job as a "babysitter" for an elderly lady, little does she know how her destiny will change. From meeting the man of her teenage dreams to Vassar College to Paris and home again, Frankie records everything in her scrapbook diaries.

I just adore the concept of this novel. Vintage ephemera is right up my alley. An an archivist/history nerd, I find this stuff endlessly fascinating. The magazine clippings were especially fascinating. I only wish that I could touch some of the 3D objects. It looks like the author had a lot of fun putting together the ephemera scrapbooks and telling the story.

Frankie is a likable character and I was rooting for her to succeed. She made some stupid decisions along the way and my feminist sensibilities didn't much like the ending but for the most part, Frankie is charming. I'm not a fan of the 1920s though so that is why I rated the book only 3 stars. I didn't really like her bohemian Parisian lifestyle. I liked the section at Vassar the best and it went by too quickly. The roaring 20s are a little too roaring for me. The story isn't racy per se but Frankie is curious about sex and includes a drawing of male anatomy from her health and hygiene class at Vassar. She also hints at James Joyce's seminal novel Ulysses being very racy. I would have preferred a Gilded Age story.

The story moves quickly and I was able to read it in one evening. It's engaging enough to keep the reader interested though most of the page is a scrapbook. There's so much to look at that it may be better to read an e-book version if you can get a closer look at some of the objects. I highly recommend this to those who love the 1920s, Charles Lindbergh, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Edna St. Vincent Millay and other famous authors of the period.

What I Read in December Part VII . . .

What I Read in December Part VII . . .

Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver -- Historical  Mystery

Amory Ames married the handsome, charming Milo Ames after a whirlwind courtship. Five years of putting up with his constant flitting about and flirting, Amory isn't sure how she feels about Milo or what to do about it. When her former fiancé, Gil Trent, shows up asking for help, she readily accepts, wondering "what if?" Gil wants Amory to talk to his sister Emmeline and convince her not to marry the roguish Rupert Howe. They head off to the seaside to the Brightwell hotel, where a bunch of acquaintances are gathered for a holiday. They're really not in the same class as Amory and Gil but they all seem to know each other somehow. When Rupert ends up dead, the police are convinced it was murder. Amory starts a little investigation of her own and when Gil is accused of the crime, she's convinced he didn't do it. She KNOWS him and KNOWS he couldn't but what about the mysterious argument she overheard? Who saw Gil on the terrace just before Rupert was killed? Could one of the guests be the killer? Amory is determined to find out. When Milo shows up unexpectedly, Amory has mixed feelings. She enjoys his kisses and lovemaking but she's hurt by his actions. When he turns up in all the places she's investigating, she has no choice but to allow him to help solve the mystery. Unless he's the killer...?

Mystery-wise this plot is pretty good. It moves slowly though and doesn't get to the unputdownable part until late in the story. There are any number of suspects and no real motive. I figured out the identity of the murderer really early in the story. It seemed fairly obvious, even without a known motive, because it's a novel and the murderer is always someone no one will ever suspect. There are some humorous reflections on what happens in mystery novels and how this is real life for Amory, not a novel. That's about all that's funny in this book. The period description is limited to fashion and a reference to the stock market crash once and then later another period reference. I kept forgetting this was supposed to be the 1930s and set in Britain. It could have been Los Angeles or any seaside resort. The story also lacks the witty verbal banter of the Thin Man movies to which this novel is compared. Miles has some charming bon mots but that's about it.

I didn't much like any of the characters in this book. The secondary characters are boring and forgettable. I felt sorry for Mrs. Hamilton and cared about her slightly but not a whole lot. I found Amory a little annoying. She couldn't make up her mind about Miles and she was willing to pretend to be having an affair with Gil just to pay him back. She always assumes things about him but admits she doesn't really know him. Her investigations aren't as amusing or interesting as Georgie's in the Her Royal Spyness series, which this book is also compared to. Amory lacks Georgie's ditzy but earnest personality. She's older and more hardened to the realities of life. Miles is a charming rogue and I expect he has hidden depths but nothing is ever fully explained. The couple has chemistry and enjoy making out and connubial bliss (All is fade to black/implied) but don't talk about anything.

If there is a sequel I would probably read it but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped.