Things got a little crazy busy in October, but here it is, better late than never. I took a wee fictional trip to Scotland this month in a couple of books, and began reading holiday books, a theme which will continue in November.
Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall I've read two others in this series, and I'm rather ambivalent about it. My family long ago came from Scotland; I love bagpipes, so this must true, so I want to like the series. The little village in which Paislee lives sounds adorable and I'd love to visit. But I'm not exactly fond of Paislee, and as she's the main character, that's not a good thing. I find her a wee bit silly, which I've tried to excuse because the character is half my age. In this entry in the series, Paislee and her best friend Lydia have a new friend, Blaise. Blaise's husband is a golf pro and the wives of several of his clients have welcomed Blaise into their circle. But they are grown up high school mean girls, and Blaise is trying to ease herself out of their clutches without affecting her husband's career. The ringleader of the mean girls is killed at a charity event, and the first suspect is Blaise, so Paislee springs into action. I found the immediacy of the best friendship between the two women not developed enough to convince me of the sincerity of it, and that meant some of Paislee's actions and thoughts rang hollow. The unrelenting meanness of the surviving clique members to each other was depressing and I didn't care what happened to any of them because there was nothing sympathetic about any of them. There is still no additional information on the mystery surrounding Craig, Paislee's uncle; in fact, there are further indications that he may not even exist, which would mean Paislee's grandfather is delusional. This subplot has been dragging on long enough, Ms. Hall; it's now annoying some of us readers. Paislee acts completely contradictory at times: Brody can't have his own cell phone, but she doesn't even blink an eye when he drives a golf cart? The story is okay but not arresting, the characters are, as mentioned, unsympathetic, and several characters have very odd reactions to events that make no sense. And frankly, how fast can Paislee knit that she can replace the sweater inventory in her shop at the pace implied in the book? Not bad, but just kind of blah, so I'd give this book a C. (Net Galley)
The National Parks Scavenger Hunt by Stacy Tornio Fun and creative book for kids to take along on summer vacation. Ms. Tornio has created scavenger hunts for some of the most popular national parks in the United States. The flora and fauna to search for are often distinctive to the local region the park is in, and facts and drawings supplement the searches. For kids not sold on a long car trip or camping vacation in the parks, this is a great way to pique their interest. Families can search together, or kids could compete with each other to find all the items in the park. Great idea, and a fun present to include in the childrens' luggage or to stick under the Christmas tree in anticipation of summer vacation. (NetGalley)
A History and Guide to Scottish Castles by Jenna Maxwell I forget how many castles there are in Scotland; Miss Maxwell does give us this fact in the introduction to her book, but she focuses on some of the best known, easiest visited, and most haunted castles in Scotland in this appreciation. The histories of each castle vary in length and detail, and for a history lover like me, there wasn't enough background information, and for the most part, that supplied was very superficial. Ms. Maxwell tells us which castles were used as movie or television locations, and as the book was originally published in the UK, many of these references are unknown to a US audience. As someone who did not read or watch Outlander, the many references to different set scenes from that popular series was a waste; I'd rather have had another two sentences on the real history of the castle in question than another reference to Jamie being imprisoned in this or that castle. The photos were black and white in the advanced reader copy I read, which is fine, although a few in color would be a great addition. This isn't a very academic or historical summary of the castles, but Ms. Maxwell''s writing is engaging. The inclusion of personal comments about a visit with her family or when she was very pregnant, or which haunted areas were too spooky for her to go explore, were fun to read and make the guide book aspect successful. (NetGalley)
The Lady and the Octopus by Dana Staaf Interesting biography of someone I'd never heard of, who studied something I never would have thought I'd find interesting. The Lady in question is Jeanne Villepreux-Power, a Frenchwoman whose remarkable life story began with a modest birth into a family in which a tragedy required young Jeanne to find a job. Jeanne set off for Paris, where she ultimately had a successful career as a clothes designer. But a happy marriage and a move to Sicily allowed Jeanne to begin to explore the mysteries of marine life, and in particular, the argonaut octopus. In order to properly study these creatures, Jeanne created the aquarium, which I found fascinating. Full disclosure: the book disappeared off my Kindle app on my phone when it was archived by NetGalley before I'd finished it. But it was fascinating, and is a quick read. Ms. Staaf's writing style is quite informal, but that opens this book up to a wider audience than a more traditional biographical approach would have encouraged. (NetGalley)
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict Lily left Endgame House, the family home turned into a hotel in which she had been raised, as a young teenager after her mother killed herself. Many years later, Lily's aunt begs her to return for Christmas, and after she dies, Lily decides to honor her by returning home. A family reunion at Christmas has one goal: to solve one of Aunt Liliana's famous puzzle games, but this time, the winner will get Endgame House itself. As the cousins assemble at Endgame House, a terrible blizzard sets in, and per the terms of Aunt Liliana's will, they must all be locked in, with no outside contact, for the twelve days of Christmas. They have to solve the puzzle before the end of the holiday, or the house reverts to an outsider. Of course, there are family intrigues and old resentments and alliances. Lily is haunted by memories of her mother and finding her dead in the garden maze. But as Lily solves the clues to the puzzle, she finds other clues that indicate that her mother did not kill herself, and that Aunt Liliana did not die naturally. And then the cousins begin to die, one by one. Ms. Benedict has themed anagram puzzles scattered throughout the book for the reader to solve. I found the book slightly tedious and a bit long; I think it needed some editing to tighten some of the long scenes where Lily has repeated mini emotional breakdowns. And I really disliked the book being written in the first person. Also, for readers who prefer a conservative storyline, Lily is openly bisexual and her romantic entanglements are a significant subplot. (NetGalley)
