Death of Glutton

Death of a Glutton by M.C. Beaton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hamish Macbeth again finds an unpleasant person to get murdered in his village. This time it is a truly obnoxious woman, who is a glutton in everything...food, people, spite, and bad manners. She is truly horrible! When she finally ends up getting killed, the reader is not surprised. The problem is that there are so many people who hated her and had motive to kill her, that separating the sheep from the goats is hard work for Hamish.

I liked this one better than most of them. There is something in seeing a truly frightful person get her comeuppance that is a great reading pleasure. We've all been taught not to gloat over a person's punishment, so the delight we feel in a book is a double pleasure...we don't even have to see the other person's side of the problem because he or she is not real. It's OK to hate characters in a book and this book provides a doozy.

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The Spy Who Came for Christmas

The Spy Who Came For Christmas by David Morrell

My review

This is a quick and easy mystery. The plot hinges on a baby who is to be the "Peace Baby," and has been stolen by a spy. The plot is a little thin, but it is great for pick-me-up reading.


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Switching to Russia: Russka: The Novel of Russia

Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd

My review

I've finished reading about Africa for a while and am switching to Russia. I plan to spend this summer reading about those two countries so I can plan history classes for next year's homeschool. I figure that our kids will need to know a lot about those two counties in the coming years and fortunately, in homeschool, I can change the curriculum to meet current needs.

This book is a great one if you want to understand the various ethnic groups that were gathered together to form the USSR. It is easy to see why these groups of people may not always get along. Edward Rutherfurd has done a thorough job in describing the various people and their folkways.

The English Patient

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this. The four people who end up at a villa which was being used as a field hospital in the closing days of WWII are unique and well drawn. The only weakness, I felt, was the reaction of the Sheik in the end. I felt that he should have stayed around longer and explored his new feelings. Other than that, it was a great book.


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The Darwin Conspiracy

The Darwin Conspiracy by John Darnton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very interesting take on the question of Darwin's daughter and the letters Darwin left behind. I guess I thought Darwin's voyage was more of a fact finding expedition based on a well thought out theory. Instead it was embroiled with controversy before and after Darwin's famous theories. While a lot of this is speculation and fantasy, it does pose some interesting questions and sets Darwin's theories in context. Darwin was a plant collector who was looking for new sources for plants when he discovered this area untouched by humanity. The book doesn't actually deal that much with the actual theories, but more of Darwin's personal life and conclusions.

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Marjorie Morningstar

Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this in college and it had a great impact on my life. I decided to re-read it to see how I felt about it. What a pleasure! I could easily see why I related to it. Marjorie was trying to break free from here Jewish family constraints and pick a new pattern for her life. I had so many flashbacks when reading this! This is one of those really good books that is not depressing. It was fun watching Marjorie understand just what she wanted in her life and then enjoying her final decisions.


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