Brooklyn Bones

Brooklyn Bones by Triss Stein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this on a 600 mile trip and it held my attention. The story is about single mother and her 15 year old daughter who live in an area of Brooklyn which is being renovated. In the process, a skeleton is found in a bricked up fireplace. Both the mother and daughter are intrigued by the bones, especially because it was a young teen who was buried with a teddy bear and some other personal effects. Looking into the history of the house, the two find that there is information that someone does not want to get out.

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James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing (James Potter, #1)

James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing by G. Norman Lippert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was wonderful! I was afraid that any fan literature would be a disappointment, but this wasn't. We meet James as he is catching the train for Hogwarts for his first year. He makes friends with boys who are not in his house and one is even from Slytherin. The plot centers on a prophesy which says that Merlin will return when ever certain conditions are met. In this book, we see visitors from the American branch of magical people and they are woven seamlessly into the scenes in Hogwarts.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Rowling books.

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The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've read this so many times it's hard to even remember when I first read it. I think about 1974. Every time I read it, I get something new from it. This last time, I was listening to an audio book on a day long trip which meant that I read the whole thing in one setting which helped me focus more.

Essentially, the story is written as letters between a newly graduated devil, Wormwood, and his Uncle Screwtape who is in a position of power in the underworld. As a young tempter, he makes many he mistakes in his attempt to corrupt the soul of an middle aged man living in London during WWII. In correcting and advising Wormwood, Screwtape points out the many wiles that devils use to corrupt mankind. In the process, Screwtape discusses what type temptations worked in earlier times and why they are no longer effective today.

This edition also has the later addition that Lewis wrote many years after the original book. In this, Screwtape, now retired, proposes a toast and the graduation banquet of his Alma Mater. This provides even deeper areas of comparison between the bureaucracy of Hell and the gentle wooing of Heaven.

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Low Pressure

Low Pressure by Sandra Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book. Bellamy Lyston Price wrote a bestselling book about a supposedly fictitious tragedy which happened when she was twelve. At a Memorial Day picnic a terrible tornado swept through the park and one of the casualties was her sister. When a reporter figures out that the plot was an actual tragedy, Bellamy begins to get threats to leave the story alone. Bellamy never knew what happened to her sister and there were a lot of questions about whether this was an accident or murder. Bellamy held the key information although she didn’t know it. What follows is lots of action, mystery and a little romance. The book is compelling and fast paced.

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Seed

Seed by Ania Ahlborn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was very interesting. Jack Winter seemed to escape a horrific tragedy when he was growing up in rural Georgia, but something is happening to his daughter and Jack is beginning to fear for her. The book is written in a compelling way and I found myself identifying with several of the characters. It is part mystery, part thriller and part horror.

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