Finished audio 2-11-12, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 1923

Unabridged audio 6 hours. Read by Hugh Fraser.

Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are off to France to answer a letter from a man in trouble, but they are too late.  Paul Renauld has been murdered and left in a shallow grave.  His wife is overwrought and his son is suspect, and what about his supposed mistress and her daughter?  There’s no shortage of suspects.

This is Christie’s third book and second with Poirot and narrated by Hastings.  Poirot grew on me a bit in this one.  I like smart guys and he wasn’t quite the insufferable know-it-all he was in the first (The Mysterious Affair at Styles).  This time around he had to outsolve the French Detective Geraud.

Hastings had a love interest and I wasn’t that crazy about his infatuation with the mysterious Cinderella.  The only other complaint I will make it about this cover and the title, really.  Renauld was found on the border of a golf course, but that is the only connection to golf.  Seems a bit misleading to me.

I thought the mystery was good and even though I had my suspicions about certain characters, the truth was so much better!  This was a fun audio book with a solid narration.

I read this for the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, where I am reading all of her books in order.

Finished audio 1-31-12, rating 3/5, pub. 2007

Unabridged audio read by the author.  10 hours.

The three beautiful Heaney sisters are known as the Dreamy Heaneys.  They are the oldest of six in a tight-knit Chicago family in 1943.  As World War II rages on Kitty and Louise send their boyfriends off to fight Hitler and the sisters spend their nights at USO dances and writing letters to soldiers they’ve met.  Kitty finds herself compelled to aid the war effort and Louise is patiently waiting for Michael to come home so they can be married.  Their youngest sister just wants to make sure she never gets left behind and is in some ways more knowledgeable than her sisters.

This book has come at an interesting time for me.  My grandmother’s health is failing and listening to this book made me feel closer to her as I could so easily picture her life during her younger years.  Well, maybe not her life, but certainly the feeling of the country at the time.  Berg really drew me in and I learned so much about the girls who got left behind and what their lives were like when the men were off fighting.

I don’t read many WWII novels, just not my thing.  The only reason I chose this one is because I hope to read everything Berg has written, love her, and this was available at the library.  This is quite a departure from the other books but as I was reading I found myself thinking it might end up my favorite.  I loved the Heaney family and strong-willed Kitty, loyal Louise, and perky Trish.

Until the end.  Oh, the end.  I’m still trying to come to terms with it a day later.  I hated it.  I got what she was trying to do, but I hated it.  It made me dislike my favorite character of the book.  It was disappointing and, as you can see, I’m still ticked off about it.   As I looked at some of the reviews at B&N & Good Reads I know I am not alone.  I wasn’t even sure how to rate this book, a 4.5 for everything up until the terrible and rushed ending, which I’m giving a 1.

So, have you read it?  What did you think of the end?

I borrowed this audio from the library.

Finished 1-26-12, rating 4/5, scrapbook novel?, 240 pages, pub. 2011

In 1920 Frankie graduates from high school and she is given a scrapbook and her dead father’s old typewriter.  That scrapbook is this novel. Using vintage postcards, letters, swatches, etc., Frankie is able to document her story as she attends Vassar, moves to New York and then to Paris.  She is also able to use captions to tell of her many relationships and make us care about her story.

I liked Frankie immensely and over the few years this novel covered she had many stories to tell.  She came in contact with the wealthy families at Vassar (she was there on scholarship) as well as self-proclaimed spinsters looking for adventure.  She also met the likes of Edna St. Vincent Millay and James Joyce.  Frankie was a girl living in up in the 1920’s.

I was so impressed with the creativity of this book.  I love the fact that Preston thought outside the box and found a new way to tell a story.  The pages were beautiful and fun to look at.  I was surprised at how easily I was drawn in and captivated by the scrapbook.  At the beginning I was taking my time looking over each page but as the story progressed I found myself turning the pages faster and I had to force myself to slow down.

I loved this charming book and think it would be one that you would pick up from time to time to look at the memorabilia that Preston has collected.

I don’t usually watch book trailers but I thought this unique book was served well by it.

I borrowed this from my library.

Finished audio 1-7-12, rating 4/5, humor, pub. 2011

Unabridged audio 5.5 hours. Read by Tina Fey.

What’s not to love about Tina Fey?  I loved her on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update, her parody of Sarah Palin and still laugh during every 30 Rock episode.  She is one smart cookie.  It was a no-brainer that I would read this book and when I heard so much praise for the audio I thought I’d give it a try.  The book is so well served by Fey’s own delivery that I’m not even interested in reading the actual book because I don’t think it could be as entertaining.

Tina’s childhood was much like many of ours, only seemingly funnier.  Her Clint Eastwood-like Dad sounded like a riot and I could totally relate to a dad with a strong personality.  As she moved into high school I kept thinking that she seemed just as awkward, but so much older than I ever felt.

My favorite part of the book was the second half when she talked about SNL and 30 Rock. I loved the behind the scenes look at how things worked there and liked seeing the emergence of women comedians during her time on the show.  SNL is not the same without them.  My favorite part was being able to listen to the first Sarah Palin skit she did with Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton.  I laughed through the whole thing.  I liked the balance of personal and professional.

My final assessment?  Tina Fey is smart and funny and so is her book.

I checked this audio out of the library.

Finished 1-6-12, rating 4.25/5, mystery, 299 pages, pub. 2010

Book 2 of the Tatoo Shop Mystery series (Book 1)

Vegas tattoo artist and shop owner Brett is back!  She and her co-workers ink drag queens for a new show and on opening night one of them ends up dead.  Brett saw the killer and finds herself once again in the crosshairs of some dangerous dudes.  That doesn’t mean that there isn’t time to meet some hunky guy, but when that hunky guy is observing you for ricin poisoning it does take some of the romance out of it.

I loved the first book so much and this has the same fast pace, strong heroine, and complicated yet compelling mystery.  I couldn’t figure out who was killing people or harassing Brett, but that was almost beside the point.  I just loved hanging out with her and her friends for a few days.

I am a little worried about Brett, though.  I mentioned after I read the first book that I am not a huge fan of tattoos.  Between the last book and this one Brett has acquired quite a bit of ink.  She has Napoleon on her leg!  I mean really, that is not something I like to picture when reading.  And if you are uncomfortable with drag queens, be prepared to be uncomfortable, there are lots of them.  I don’t know any drag queens so some of it I found interesting and some of it seemed a little creepy (like those babies in the E-Trade commercials – they creep me out too).  I’m pretty sure if I ever had a friend who dressed in drag or met a baby who traded stock during nap time I would embrace both.

Anyway, I loved the book and can’t wait to read the next one.

This book is from my personal library.