Category: books
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book review: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the first in a mystery series that takes place after World War I in Britain. I really loved this book. Maisie Dobbs is an intrepid young woman who, through intelligence and hard work and determination, moves from the lower class into the…
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book review: Covenant with Hell by Priscilla Royal
Covenant with Hell by Priscilla Royal My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you’ve read my reviews of Priscilla Royal’s previous 9 books, you know that I love this series. This 10th addition to the series is no exception. The book takes place at Our Lady of Walsingham shrine, and there is a lot of…
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book review: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a very thoughtful look at how we are dealing with the elderly as they age and grow more infirm. The first half of the book deals with alternative (and better) options to nursing homes…
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book review: The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton
The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan by Stephanie Thornton My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Tiger Queens” covers the lives of four influential women in Genghis Khan’s life–his first wife, Borte; one of his daughters, Alaqai; a Persian captive, Fatima; and one of his daughters-in-law, Sorkhokhtani. By doing so, the book covers the…
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Book review: The Leper of St. Giles by Ellis Peters
The Leper of St. Giles by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am a huge fan of the Brother Cadfael novels, but this one deserves special attention. The plot itself is rather weak in comparison to the author’s previous Brother Cadfael mysteries as is the love story and the characterization of the…
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Book review: Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
Foundation by Mercedes Lackey My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really enjoy Mercedes Lackey’s books, especially her early Valdemar books (the Herald-Mage series and the Oathbreakers series). I so wanted to really like this book and, while I do like “Foundation,” it has some serious flaws that prevented me from enjoying the book as…
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Book review: The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars In “The Pale Horseman,” we follow the continuing adventures of Uhtred, a snarky Saxon-raised-as-a-Dane-who-is-now-a-reluctant-subject-of-King-Alfred. (Emphasis on the “snarky” part.) Alfred has been caught by surprise by the Danes and has fled to the swamps where he plots his comeback. Uhtred is caught between…
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Book review: The Battle of Midway by Craig Symonds
The Battle of Midway by Craig L. Symonds My rating: 4 of 5 stars Unlike many other books on this battle, which tend to attribute the American victory in this pivotal battle to luck or good fortune, this author’s premise is that the outcome of the Battle of Midway was a direct result of the…
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Book review: The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters
The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series. This was my first foray into the Jacqueline Kirby series, and the book just didn’t resonate with me. It’s a fine line that an author walks: I adore Amelia Peabody–she’s smart, opinionated, stubborn, and…