September Book Report

A "light" reading month for me. Probably because two of the books read were more lengthy than usual.

Fadeaway Girl by Martha Grimes is the 4th in her Emma Graham series. Twelve-year-old Emma is still trying to solve old (and some new) murder mysteries as well as writing for the local paper. I'm guessing she is Grimes younger self, personified.

Foul Matter by Martha Grimes is a publishing world crime spoof - a 'get even' book for her own dismissal from her first publisher?

Ireland by Frank Delaney is the audio book my friend Kristina was listening to as she journeyed from Arizona to Wisconsin. She recommended it as a good read, but suggested I listen to it, too, as Delaney's Irish voice as he recorded the audio version was part of the charm. I'm not a 'listening' kind of reader - I need to actually read to get all the enjoyment from a book. But I did listen to a sample of Delaney reading to get an idea of his voice. That was when I discovered that he died earlier this year. Ireland is the telling of many Irish myths and history by a traveling storyteller. My favorite chapter was "Where My Soul Travels" which describes some of the land's beauty and reflects upon the old storyteller's life.

Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts relates what happens when a man learns, after his parents die, that he was adopted. He travels from LA to Oklahoma to confront his mother and find out why she abandoned him. When he discovers she was murdered in 1972 and her baby (him) disappeared and was also presumed dead, he sets out to find her killer as well as who his father is/was. Billie Letts is always a good read. This was one of my Friends of the Library book sale purchases.

To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton is the first in her "A Dangerous Type Mystery" series. It was okay, but I doubt I will read more. She apparently authors several what I call, "quick little mystery read" series. (My least favorite read this month.)

The Five Bells and Bladebone by Martha Grimes is an older (1987) Richard Jury novel - my last of her books to read at our library. I'll just have to wait now until she comes out with a new one - that and seek another author of her caliber.

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly is set in London in the late Victorian era. Jack the Ripper is terrorizing East London in 1888. A young woman works in a tea factory to help out her family and to save for her marriage to her childhood friend/sweetheart. Plans go awry and she ends up fleeing to New York where she builds her own tea company. The story ranges from London to New York and back to London. It is a lengthy book, but well written and interesting, if a bit far-fetched at times. One of my favorite reads this month.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly was my introduction to this author. It is a YA book I bought at last year's FoL book sale and my favorite read this month. A young woman being raised on a farm in the North Woods of New York in 1906 takes over family responsibilities after her mother dies. Her teacher recognizes how intelligent she is and encourages her to apply for a college scholarship.
The book realistically tells what it was like at that time - when a dime was a lot of money, when being smart and wanting more out of life was frowned upon if you were female and you had to choose between the traditional wife and mother role and going for your heart's desire. There was much to love about this book, and I do.