Back in Time

Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the third book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series and I enjoyed it much more than the second. Adelia can be a bit much, but I do like the idea that there were strong, educated women even in Henry II's day. There is less of the the Adelia-Rowley romantic tension in this one and that is probably why I liked it more than the second book. The mystery this time is also better. In this trip through time Adelia is trying to determine whether a dying monk's vision was indeed Arthur and she is trying to find the dear Emma from the second book who has disappeared. The ends get mostly tied up at the close and Ms. Franklin again does her best to promote Henry II as more than just the king who called for the death of a bishop.

Ariana Franklin (a.k.a Diana Norman) did another wonderful job of fitting in her story more or less with historical fact. Yes, she did bend a few dates, but I forgive that for the sake of the story. I also very much enjoy her writing style. Of course, slipping in the first chapter of the fourth book was a nasty trick. I stayed up much later than I should have and now I need to get another book! Yes, it is an effective device.



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Rincewind Returns!

Eric by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read several reviews and comments that indicated that many readers didn't particularly like this romp through Discworld. While it wasn't my favorite of the Discworld books (hey, this was only my seventh), it wasn't bad at all. First of all, it answered (mostly) the question of how Rincewind came back after Sourcery. Next, it featured The Luggage nicely. Third, there were bemused and befuddled demons. How could any of that be awful? Learning that Hell is much like business caught me slightly off guard, but didn't particularly surprise me. All in all, this was a very nice diversion.



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Just Because...

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Hope for a Troubled Teen

Willow by Julia Hoban

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After reading this one I had to remind myself that I am not the target audience. This book was definitely meant for young people, um, a few years younger than I am. For someone my age, the character development and plot were a bit shallow. However, when I was, um, a few years younger, this book would definitely have been one I would have read. It hasn't been so many years ago that I was a teen and I do still remember the confusion and absolute certainty I felt about many ideas that later turned out to be completely wrong. It is always hard to predict how others will react to you and when you throw in some extra-tough circumstances, the predictions go completely awry. Willow is a teen who was behind the wheel when her parents' car went out of control and both of her parents died in a horrible accident. That Willow would then blame herself is believeable, as is her certainty that everyone else blames her as well. Her reaching for something to get her through this is understandable and many girls do end up cutting. The resolution of her pain was certainly easier than it would be in real life. Still, seeing that there is a way forward would give the intended audience for this book one thing they really need: Hope. And, really, that is what is important.



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Not About Rodents

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It had been some time since I last read a work by Steinbeck. I had forgotten how well-crafted his writing is. Every word is carefully chosen and every sentence is molded to fit perfectly into the story. That said, I had also forgotten that there are no happy endings in a Steinbeck work. So much emotion is ever-so-barely contained in these 103 pages. Is there hope remaining at the end? Perhaps, but it is not the hope that we have come to expect in current popular literature. There is a reason that some works are classics.



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