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Book Review: The Secret of the Old Clock

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The Secret of the Old Clock
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #1
by Carolyn Keene
read by Laura Linney

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic mystery

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys were household names in my house growing up, though for some reason, I didn’t read much of them. Maybe they felt dated to me even then, but now I’m ready to see what I missed. While, yes, Nancy’s life is shown to be a bit too perfect in this series opener, it somehow feels about right for the time period. I also don’t think I really ever realized that these books were intended for pre-teens, 9-12-year-olds, rather than older teens or young adults like I assumed, considering the age of the main character. In that light, the not-terribly-deep mystery makes a little more sense. I do like that Nancy’s desire to find the missing will is driven by her compassion for those who are in need and had been promised part of the inheritance, but it also seems to me like she just can’t help but want to solve the puzzle. I can understand why Nancy was a role-model for young girls for decades, why the series lasted for so long, and why it even inspired a lengthy series of video games (many of which I’ve played). Laura Linney was a great choice for narrator, as she brings the smart, young, wholesome young woman to life quite well. I don’t know that I’ll have the endurance for 100 books, but I do plan to continue the series.

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Weekly Writing Update: 3/24

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After an entire week of no writing (3/11-3/17) due to extra work demands and an urgent deadline for VBS prep, I picked it up a bit last week. Though I still didn’t write 20 minutes every day, I did extra some days to at least be able to average it out to 20 minutes every day. I’m continuing with reading book #3 (“Power”) out loud, which helps me notice dialog that is awkward, prose that could use adjusting, or even errors and typos that I had missed. It’s turning out that I missed a lot on what I thought was a really comprehensive revision, which is awkward, since I printed a copy before this read-through for one of my sisters to read and give me feedback. And now I know that there are a lot of mistakes or clumsy-sounding areas…

While I work on continuing the series, if you’re interested in reading where it all starts, Pithea is available on Amazon in multiple formats (e-book, paperback, and now in hardcover) as well as Kindle Unlimited.

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Book Review: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Circus Clown

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Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Circus Clown
by David A. Adler

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery

My now-adult son read some of the Cam Jansen books when he was young, and I remember him quite liking them. I had never read any, so this was my first Cam Jansen book. I have to say, I understand the appeal. Though this is written for kids, the mystery is engaging—not too easy or too hard. And Cam Jansen herself is an interesting character, with her quirk of making a camera sound whenever she wants to store or recall a memory (hence her nickname: “Cam,” short for “Camera”). Set against the backdrop of a circus, this illustrated book would definitely be a fun early mystery for young readers.

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Book Review: A Noble Scheme

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A Noble Scheme
The Imposters #2
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical mystery

Gemma Parks keeps to the shadows in her capacity as newspaper columnist writing about high-society functions, which is also useful for the investigative team she’s part of, the Imposters. The Imposters normally work for the wealthy, charging a lot of money for their services, but when a working man begs their help to find his kidnapped son, they can’t refuse. Unfortunately, this case puts Gemma in close proximity with Graham Wharton, one of the other Imposters, with whom she used to have a relationship before something went terribly wrong, and she’s been avoiding for almost a year since. Graham, for his part, hopes that this case will end both with a return of the boy to his parents and a return of Gemma to his side.

I loved this second book as much as the first, with the focus turning from Marigold and Merritt to Graham and Gemma. Marigold’s brother Yates, leader of the Imposters, again provides the third POV for the book, and I was happy to continue seeing his side of things. In the first book, we’re given allusions to something causing a rift between Graham and Gemma, but no details. I knew that would be brought out in this book, then, and I was a little annoyed when the “why” was danced around for over 1/4 of the book. Little hints were dropped, maybe even big ones, but I definitely missed the big picture until it was plainly stated (actually, I was spoiled by a review on Goodreads, so be careful what you read). When I did realize the full story, I understood completely why it was held back for so long. It broke my heart and made the journey for these two so much more than I imagined (I suppose what I imagined was an almost humorous tiff that just needed a quiet moment together to put to rights). The progression of their story brought tears to my eyes more than once, and I love the way their views of God were just as big a part of it as were their feelings for each other. Rather than a twisted idea that Graham’s reunion with God was somehow dependent on him (re)gaining the love of a good woman, which I’ve sadly seen in other Christian books, I felt this book had its priorities straight. That’s all the more I’ll say on this subject to avoid spoilers.

Like in the previous book, the case the Imposters work on isn’t a huge mystery, at least in regards to the culprit(s) involved. However, there were certainly facets to the villainy that were kept back and revealed at moments that allowed for suspense and even more emotion. The climax maybe got a little over-dramatic for my taste, but not even enough for me to lower my rating, because of how much I loved the book as a whole. I’m excited to see the next book in the series has already been announced; I love the synopsis so much, and I think that giving us little glimpses of Yates on the way to “his” book really heightens the anticipation of that third book. I highly recommend this book for fans of Christian historical mystery (this is set during the Edwardian era in London).

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: World of Warcraft, Vol. 1

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World of Warcraft, Vol. 1
written by Walter Simonson
illustrated by Ludo Lullabi

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel

I have not played the MMORPG World of Warcraft in a while, but for many years, I played it a ton. One early quest line I’ve always remembered was “The Missing Diplomat,” which (spoiler alert) ended up being a search for clues about the missing king of Stormwind! I also remembered that it didn’t really have a satisfying ending, though it may have continued at a later time that I somehow missed. Of course, King Varian Wrynn is eventually reinstated and plays a role in later expansions, but I only ever heard bits of what happened to him while he was missing. Then we found a series of graphic novels at a library sale that tells that entire story. I’m not normally a graphic-novel reader (I struggle to follow the action), nor do I normally want to dive very deep into the lore of WoW that takes place outside of the game. But some of the storylines involved in quests in the game have intrigued me in the past, and this is one of the biggest ones, so I gave it a go.

All of that being said, I enjoyed my time reading this graphic novel. This is only part of the story, 1 of 4 volumes, and the mystery of why Varian is in this situation (far from home with a lost memory) is barely touched on in this volume. However, the end promised more to come. I think a lot of why I liked the book, though, is because of the references to and images of people and locations that I remember from my days playing the game. Though I’m an Alliance player and this was mostly on the Horde side, it still brought up a lot of nostalia. There are quite a few fight scenes that were difficult to follow (though based on other reviews, that might have been an issue with the book, not me), so I generally scanned until the end to see who won, who lost, and who was injured. And while I know this is common for this genre/game, that doesn’t mean I don’t still dislike the way females are portrayed (seriously, the harpies are practically naked).

Overall, though I can’t say whether anyone who hasn’t played WoW as much as me would appreciate this graphic novel at all, for those who do or have played the game, especially back in vanilla days, this might be worth checking out.

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Book Review: Henry Huggins

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Henry Huggins
book #1
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Neil Patrick Harris

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

This book might be a bit dated, but Henry and Ribsy are a fun duo. In the intro, Beverly Cleary explains that she wanted to write a story that wasn’t all grand adventures, travels, heroics, etc. for the regular boy, and I think she did a great job of that. Certainly most of what happens in this book wouldn’t be remotely possible today, which is kind of sad, but that makes books like this all the more classic and worth reading. No surprise that Neil Patrick Harris did a great job narrating the book, and I believe I will enjoy visiting a simpler time as I listen to the rest of this series in the coming weeks.

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Book Review: Twister and Shout

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Twister and Shout
McGee and Me! #5
by Bill Myers

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

This is one of the titles in the series that my family owned as a video when I was a kid, so I know it pretty well. I certainly can’t say that nostalgia didn’t influence my enjoyment of the book, but I also think that the fear involved on both sides is well represented. The parents, who have traveled 2 hours away from home, struggle with the lack of communication with the kids left alone, when a nasty storm comes through. And the kids, left alone for the night as the wind picks up and the discussion turns to tornados, try to be brave and take care of each other (after being at odds earlier in the evening). The subject of putting our trust in God even at the most scary times is discussed on both ends, both by those who do trust God and those who don’t. I have to admit that I’m getting a little annoyed at McGee’s ridiculous ego, which I guess is meant to be funny, and maybe it is for kids, but it’s starting to wear on me. Still, overall, I really enjoyed the book. Though these books may not be easy to find anymore, if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: Criminal Destiny

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Criminal Destiny
Masterminds #2
by Gordon Korman

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure, suspense

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the first books in the series, Masterminds.

Broken out and on the run, the four teens from Serenity, New Mexico, the happiest town on earth, have to learn about the real world that their “parents” kept from them all their lives if they want to stay free. 

This book continues the action-packed story started in the previous. The angle of the kids trying to get a handle on the outside world while also figuring out what they want for their lives is often humorous. Not knowing who they can trust, but needing to trust someone, makes their plan to shine the light on Project Osiris all the more difficult. But at least they know they can trust each other…or can they?

Like the previous book, each teen’s perspective is shown at different times, all in 1st person. While I don’t usually appreciate that kind of storytelling, Korman pulls it off much better than most, as their voices are all unique enough to keep me from being confused (for the most part). This book takes the teens all over the Rocky Mountain area of the US (or somewhere in there) as they question their own actions and motives. This is turning into one of my favorite middle-grade suspense/adventure series, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out in the final book. I highly recommend this book for teens and even adults who enjoy suspenseful teen books (though definitely start at the beginning).

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Weekly Writing Update: 3/10

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Last week was a much more intentional, productive week, in regards to working on my writing. I’ve hit a bit of a stride, which comes more easily when the work I’m doing is more enjoyable or just otherwise flowing smoothly. I spent all week reading more of book #3 (“Power”) out loud, because that helps me notice dialog that is awkward, prose that could use adjusting, or even errors and typos that I had missed (which has turned out to be more than I would have hoped, since I thought I caught a lot on the previous revision. I’ve been really getting into the story again, which I take as a good thing, because it means that I, at least, enjoy it. Hopefully others will too!

While I work on continuing the series, if you’re interested in reading where it all starts, Pithea is available on Amazon in multiple formats (e-book, paperback, and now in hardcover) as well as Kindle Unlimited.

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Book Review: The Mating Season

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The Mating Season
Jeeves #9
 by P.G. Wodehouse
Read by Jonathan Cecil

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Classic British humor

This book isn’t bad any any means, but for me, after listening to the entire series up to this point, it’s too little Jeeves, too little new, too little funny. There are still funny moments here and there, and certainly Jeeves perpetrates some kind of scheme to solve a problem, but overall, the fact that the main conflicts continue to involve friends of Wooster who have some kind of romantic entanglement that has run into trouble makes the stories feel a bit tedious. Wooster is yet again forced to bend over backwards to try to avoid an engagement with a woman who assumes he’s pining after her. Maybe this situation is normal for this culture and time period, and maybe other people find it funny, but it mostly just makes me roll my eyes. In the end, though I have been enjoying my first time with Jeeves, I plan to put an end to it here. I know I’ll re-visit this world in some way again, but I don’t know if I’ll re-read the first half-dozen or so or continue with the series after the rest aren’t as fresh in my mind. 

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