Hello All!
I worded the title of this blog very carefully--note that I finished four books today, I didn't read all of them today. Three I was close to finishing when I came home from work tonight, and the fourth I started reading sometime after 8:00 PM, and finished by 11:00 PM. In the order in which I finished them:
The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein: This is Grabenstein's second book for younger readers, a sequel to The Crossroads. The main characters have discovered that they really have a talent for seeing ghosts; their first adventure wasn't a fluke. Zack and his stepmom Judy really can see ghosts, and the Hanging Hill Playhouse seems to be full of them. They are there for a production of one of Judy's children's books that was turned into a play. This is a fast-paced read, with ghosts, bad guys, attempts at magic and bringing people back from the dead, with an explosive finish. I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as The Crossroads.
Murder Shoots the Bull by Anne George: This is a reread for me, and just as enjoyable as the first time around. Patricia Anne and Mary Alice, sisters in solving crimes (ones that they stumble into) are trying to prove the innocence of Patricia Anne's neighbor, Arthur, who is accused of killing his first wife. This mystery includes an investment group, lots of money, a long ago accident, and another pair of sisters.
Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron: Maron is one of my very favorite authors and she never lets me down. In this entry to the Judge Deborah Knott series, Deborah is on her own at a judges' conference when one of their own is killed. This is followed by the injury of another judge, and Deborah can't seem to stay out of finding out what's going on. She's encouraged by the local detective in charge, as she has assisted her husband, a deputy sheriff, in the resolution of several crimes. Deborah has an in, and insight, into the judges, and she gleans what information she can; despite being careful, she finds herself in an interesting situation more than once in this book.
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher: This is a classic young adult/teen novel that I've been meaning to read for a long time--read right through it this evening! Eric "Moby" Calhoune has only slimmed down during his high school years, thanks to the swim team. His best friend is Sarah Byrnes, whose face and arm were burned and scarred by boiling water when she was very young. They became friends as outcasts when Eric was much heavier, and even as he began swimming and losing weight, he tried to maintain his weight; he was worried that their friendship wouldn't survive changes to his appearance. Their friendship more than survives as they go through some big changes and revelations during their senior year of high school. An amazing book, and I look forward to reading more by Chris Crutcher.
Ahh, I'm so happy to be writing about what I'm reading again. This blog will still be erratic until about the beginning of November, but I couldn't not write about these books tonight.
Happy Reading!
Patti
