Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry

★★★½

GENRE: Historical Mystery
SUBJECT: Child Pornography
Setting: London, England
CHARACTERS: William Monk, Hester Monk, Scuff, Oliver Rathbone, Arthur Ballinger, Rupert Cardew
DATE READ: July 1 - July 7
NO. OF PAGES: 535
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI 
SOURCE: Public Library

PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.50 


The River Police are contacted when a body is found.  When identified as Mickey Parfitt, a local pimp of young boys,  Monk sees it as a chance to shut down the local child pornography trade. After rescuing 14 young boys from Parfitt's boat, Monk determines that he needs to find the man in charge of the illegal trade.  Following all the clues and the information that he can gather, Monk conduct tests which prove that it's possible for  that Arthur Ballinger could have committed the murder.

When Ballinger is arrested, his son-in-law, Sir Oliver Rathbone prepares to defend him, but Oliver develops his own misgivings as to Ballinger's innocence.

The effects of the outcome of the trial on friendships and other relationship of the main characters will most likely continue for sometime.

Time for the next book will be soon!

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

★★★★★

GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: police corruption
Setting: Quebec, Canada
CHARACTERS: Armand Gamache, Sylvain Francouer, Myrna Landers, Oullette Quints, Therese Brunel, Jerome Brunel, Jean Guy Beauvois
DATE READ: February 15 - February 19
NO. OF PAGES: 675
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, MysteryCAT
SOURCE: NOOK stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................5.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................5.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................5.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.75
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.75
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................5.00
Threshold Quality.................................................5.00
Average..............................................................................................4.88 

This most recent installment of this tremendous series, is IMHO the best so far.  Readers sometimes wonder how a writer can continue to improve, I don't know, but Miss Penny somehow does it. 

Regular readers were most probably concerned at the end of the previous book believing that Armand Gamache was on his way out when we look at the devastation to his team, his family in trouble, not to mention that his reputation was shredding.  Armand questions his own unit as well as his abilities.

At the beginning we see Gamache at odds with his team members except for Isabelle LaCoste, and then the apparent hatred by Jean Guy Beauvoir.  Throughout Gamache manages to remain the character that we  have grown to love. 

Myrna Landers calls Gamache from Three Pines worrying about a friend who has not shown up in the little village. Through the investigation, Gamache finds the true identity of the victim as well as a location to protect those who are his support  against the mystery that has been building at the Sureté.

The friends that we've made over the first 8 books from the village of Three Pines are front and center helping not only in the search for the murderer of Myrna's friend, but also aiding Gamache in his fight against corruption. 

It is hard to believe that the corruption that is exposed has been hiding and building throughout the series.  Fans of Armand Gamache can only hope that he will remain our hero in the future.  Can't wait for the next book!

April 1865: The Month That Saved America by Jay Winik

Read: October 28 - November 2

Format: Hardback 606 pages

Source: my shelves

Subject: Civil War, assassination, reconstruction

Category: The Engagement: this is getting serious

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, BOYS

Stars: ★★½

At the end of the Civil War, it is startling that so much occurred in the "final" month. The Confederate Army, led by Robert E. Lee, made one last ditch effort to elude the Union forces of Ulysses Grant but on April 9, 1865 surrendered at Appomattox Court House. Less than a week later, Abraham Lincoln lies dead, assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and Andrew Johnson is the new President. Confederate General Johnston disobeyed Jefferson Davis' orders to fight on and surrendered to Sherman.

The end of hostilities came in 1865 and possibly, Lincoln would have agreed with Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate General, when he said "You have been good soldiers, you can be good citizens. Obey the laws, preserve your honor, and the government to which you have surrendered can afford to be and will be magnanimous."

This book relates the details of these events as well as the background that brought about these results. However, IMHO, it is not well written. If this book is to be constituted as a book of historical fact, then it needs to be severely edited. There are far too many personal observations and conclusions interspersed throughout as well as a jumpy writing style. The author frequently leaves one thought process hanging moving on to another and then jumps back to where he left off. I have no doubt that Professor Winik has researched his topic diligently, however, I believe that this book of 606 pages with another 101 of footnotes could have been more concise if the author's opinions had been eliminated and the conclusions left to be evaluated by the reader with just the facts stated.

The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry

Read: May 4 - May 18

Format: Audiobook 11 CDs equivalent 607 pages

Source: Public Library

Subject: Conspiratorial economics, Napoleon's treasure

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, Audio, SYLL

Category: Honeymoon - foreign settings/thrillers

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Stars: ★★★½

You want a good thriller… pick up any Steve Berry/Cotton Malone book and you'll have one. As usually Steve Berry has taken a small historical fact and woven a tale of international intrigue that will take the reader through the troubles of Napoleon and use them to highlight today's economic issues as well as expand the characters that readers have come to care for.

In this 5th Cotton Malone story, the story surrounds Cotton's best friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen, who is searching for the men that were responsible for his son's death. In tracking them down, Henrik gets involved in a dangerous plot by the Paris Club (a financial cartel) to manipulate the world's economy and make billions. Henrik's vendetta against his son's killers clashes with the vendetta of the head of the Paris club and Malone is caught smack in the middle.

Cotton and Henrik become estranged as they battle the Paris Club members for different reasons but in the end I believe that they were emotionally on the same page.

As with all the Cotton Malone books, it was action-packed and whirled the reader through historical facts on a fictional road. One drawback, there was a new character introduced - Sam Collins. It seemed that Berry was trying to turn Cotton into a mentor so maybe Sam will be appearing in future books, however, it seemed to detract for the concentration on Cotton and his relationship with Henrik.

Overall, a solid addition to the series.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Read: March 1 - March 21

Format: Audio 28 discs - 32 hrs equivalent and Nook book 784 pages

Source: audio via library and Nook from B&N

Subject: time travel, Scottish ancestry, torture

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, Endless Europe, BOYS, AUDIO, SYLL

Category: Blind dates: Will I like them? - New series / new authors

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Stars: ★★★★

Clare Randall is on vacation with her husband Frank who is researching his ancestors in Scotland. While there magically Clare is transported back in time and her adventure begins. She is accepted as a healer and to protect her from investigation of her political leanings, is "forced" into a marriage with a Scottish Laird. The story evolves including the love developed between the two main characters.

I truly enjoyed the story and was surprised that the length didn't bother me because of the quality of the writing and character development. I usually don't go in for time travel and such but this was so cleverly woven into the tale that I didn't mind it at all. I was very much surprised when I realized that the story continues in another book. I'm not sure that I am ready for another chunkster immediately, but will definitely follow-up on this tale.

This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust

Read: September 16 - September 21
Format: AUDIO VERSION EQUIVALENT 645 pages
Source: Public library
Subject: Civil War, Death
Category: Civil War and its Leaders
Genre: History
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, SYLL, TIOLI, Audio, Chunkster
Stars: 1½

This book is about the carnage that was the result of the Civil War.

The reader is told of the total of casualties - dead, missing in action, and injured. We are also told of the indignity of the bodies that are left on the battlefields, unburied. We hear this through diary excerpts, journals and first hand accounts from Union as well as Confederate soldiers.

It is sad to think that this time of literal carnage on the battlefields that there were no contingencies for aiding the injured so that many were just left on the field where they fell.

This book also relates the improvements that were made to embalming processes and to the federal cemetery system so that families were able to accept the bodies of their loved ones or visit their final resting places.

I didn't like this book because it just seemed to have no direction and to continually run on from one topic of death to another with no purpose. It didn't seem to have any continuity or justification for what it was stating, it just stated it. Information - yes, purpose - No.

This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust

Read: September 16 - September 21
Format: AUDIO VERSION EQUIVALENT 645 pages
Source: Public library
Subject: Civil War, Death
Category: Civil War and its Leaders
Genre: History
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, SYLL, TIOLI, Audio, Chunkster
Stars: 1½

This book is about the carnage that was the result of the Civil War.
The reader is told of the total of casualties - dead, missing in action, and injured. We are also told of the indignity of the bodies that are left on the battlefields, unburied. We hear this through diary excerpts, journals and first hand accounts from Union as well as Confederate soldiers.

It is sad to think that this time of literal carnage on the battlefields that there were no contingencies for aiding the injured so that many were just left on the field where they fell.
This book also relates the improvements that were made to embalming processes and to the federal cemetery system so that families were able to accept the bodies of their loved ones or visit their final resting places.

I didn't like this book because it just seemed to have no direction and to continually run on from one topic of death to another with no purpose. It didn't seem to have any continuity or justification for what it was stating, it just stated it. Information - yes, purpose - No.

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Read: July 13 - August 10
Format: Audio 36 CDs, Hardback 754 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet
Category: Civil War and its Leaders
Genre: History
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, SYLL, USPC, Chunkster, Audio
Stars: 5

I think I know Abraham Lincoln. This book has so many details and delves so deeply into the personality of Abraham Lincoln as well as his cabinet members that I feel as if I've actually met this man and what a great man he was.

This book reveals the private details of the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln as well as William Seward, Edward Bates, Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton, and Montgomery Blair during the time of the Civil War. The images of these great men depicted in this volume place the reader within the Lincoln's circle of confidantes so thoroughly that you feel that you are part of the decision making Team of Rivals.

Beyond that and because of that, you see every facet which made Lincoln the great man that he was. "His speeches possessed unmatched power, conviction, clarity and moral strength." Lincoln was always known for his humor as well as his drive, but the reader also sees his spirit of generosity, his gentleness, his ability to bring out the best in anyone. Lincoln was not a vain man and knew that there were abilities that he did not possess and so he turned to the men that he knew had those abilities and drew them to his support. He seem to know exactly how to convince his former rivals to become his friends and his allies. Each of these men wanted to be President and Lincoln "stole" the nomination in 1860. These men could have turned against him, but Lincoln used his abilities of persuasion and placed them in the position that aided in the preservation of the nation.

It is remarkable that a basically self-educated man was able to accomplish what he did at such a volatile time in our history. Men who served before and after him in the Presidency had more education, but perhaps, it is the spirit of the man, that in the end, succeeded where others would have failed. How sad that he was cut down before he was able to complete the task of reuniting our nation. History definitely would have been quite different.

Suzanne Toren on the Audio version (I had both hardback and audio) was tremendous making this 750+ page come alive. I rarely give a book 5 stars, this one I couldn't give less - it should have more.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Read: August 6 - August 10
Format: E-Book 509 pages
Source: E-book - Nook
Subject: social prejudices, marriage
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, TIOLI, CHUNKSTER,
Category: Miss Austen and Her Relations (P & P lives on!)
Genre: CLASSICS
Stars: 4½

There really isn't much more that can be said about this book that hasn't already been said. I love the characters that Miss Austen has created in this narrative - some are multi-dimensional, some are caricatures, some are there just because they are needed to push the story forward. But put them altogether and you have a love story that stands the test of time.

I hadn't planned to re-read this book but a few nights ago I didn't have anything to read and since it was on my Nook I started it again and again it grabbed me and held me until the end. Definitely a CLASSIC!

Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter by Harold Holzer

Read: June 28 - July 13
Format: Hardback 483 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: preCivil War - Lincoln post election
Category: Civil War and its Leaders
Genre: History
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, SYLL, USPC, Chunkster
Stars: 2½

It's hard to believe that a book this large was devoted only to the activities surrounding one man in a 3½ month period of time. It was extremely detailed in the activities of Abraham Lincoln following his election as President of the United States from Election Day until his inauguration.

During the time period between the election and inauguration, Lincoln was besieged by office seekers. He would spend hours everyday greeting those that traveled to Springfield to shake his hand and tell him what job they wanted him to give them. At the same time, the nation was being torn apart by the Southern states starting their secessions, Lincoln remained quietly in Illinois. He believed that he did not have the power and influence required until the Electoral College confirmed his election and that President Buchanan should be the person to handle the current crisis.

During the Secession winter of 1860-1961 Abraham Lincoln 'successfully maintained a masterful inactivity and public silence to prevent the spread of slavery, privately fought a political battle to bar unprincipled compromise.'

When asked to evaluate the reasons for the crisis as it related to him, he "reminded them that no President could possibly prove wicked enough to destroy the country in the four years allotted by the Constitution - not even, it implied, a Republican elected by a minority of the popular vote." (history repeating itself?) and when asked on the legality of the seceding states he said " My opinion is that no state can in any way lawfully get out of the Union without the consent of the others."

The book told of his struggles to create a cabinet, his train trip to Washington and the threats on his life all while finalizing his inaugural speech which would endeavor to show his devotion to the laws of the nation and the Constitution as well as maintaining the traditions of the Founding Fathers.

This was a very detailed book with numerous quotes and stories of Abraham Lincoln at this time. However, I think that in the long run, it was too detailed when it came to the day to day activities and could have been shortened with some good editing.

THE IMPENDING CRISIS by David M. Potter

Read: May 12 - June 6
Format: Hardback 583 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: Political issues leading to Civil War
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Chunkster, SYLL , RTT
Category: Who/What/When/Where/How/Why? - Bios/history
Genre: History
Stars: 3½
Americans have heard much about the Civil War and how it started over slavery and the attack at Fort Sumter but after finishing this book, the reader realizes that the Civil War was about so much more.

In this book, which spans the era of time from 1848 when Zachary Taylor was elected President after the Mexican American War to the first shots at Fort Sumter in 1861, the deluge of information concerning the issues of the time can often be overwhelming. The Southerners were concerned about the apparent efforts of the Northerners to prevent them from continuing their society in the manner of the day and the Northerners were trying to prevent the spread of slavery into the territories.

The reason that the book starts with the time period after the Mexican American war is blatantly obvious because of the additional territories acquired in the settlement from Mexico. The political arenas of this era were filled with Northern Abolitionists, Southern Secessionists, and all manner in-between. As the political battles raged, "the South became increasingly a closed society, distrustful of isms from outside and unsympathetic toward dissenters".
Yet the decisions made by the states to attempt secession were not simply n the spur of the moment as sometimes implied by historians, but was discussed and threatened on numerous occasions for several decades. After Lincoln's election 120 days elapsed before his inauguration ad during that time, the southern states held numerous conventions to determine their "plan of attack" to the situation. In the time that it took Lincoln to get from Illinois to Washington, the Southerners had held their conventions and created a provisional government and elected Jefferson Davis as their President.

What was the Union doing you ask? President Buchanan was trying to be peacemaker (unsuccessfully) and Lincoln was waiting for his "power". As President-Elect he had none. After taking office, Lincoln had to deal with the various factions and determine his stance and political reactions to the Southern states that had "seceded".

The crisis had arrived and had to be dealt with and Lincoln set about to do just that. His policy was that the Union needed to be preserved at any cost and thus civil war was thrust upon a nation.

So much information to absorb but I'm hoping that this background will help when I move forward from this time period to the actual war itself.

I knew that there were alot issues related to the Civil War and so I asked someone who I thought was very knowledgeable about the era what book to read. JOYCEPA of the ClubRead group told me that this was one of the best and I want to thank her for the recommendation.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Read: May 10 - May 27
Format: Audio 12 CDs equivalent of 637 pages
Source: Public Library
Setting: London, England
Category: Surprise - Books I find and want to read /group reads
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Chunkster, Audio, SYLL
Stars: 2½

In the strange world of this story, twin sisters Elspeth and Edwina are estranged at the time of Elspeth's death. But Elspeth has ways of getting back at her sister when she leaves her entire estate including her London flat to Edwina's twin daughters Julia and Valentina Poole with the stipulation that they must live in the flat for one year before selling it and that their parents cannot enter.

When they move in, we meet some other strange individuals - Martin with severe, shall I say extreme OCD, Elspeth's lover who is working on a thesis for the history of a cemetery directly beside the apartment building, and the twins themselves , who seem to be drifting aimlessly through life. Just as the reader is adjusting to all these unusual characters, Elspeth herself comes back as a ghost and wreaks havoc.

The farther I got into this book, the less I liked it and that was a big disappointment to me because I really loved The Time Traveler's Wife. The storyline was just a little too freaky for me and I would have abandoned it 2/3 in if I wasn't part of a group read. It may have been well-written, I don't know, because I had a hard time staying with it.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Read: Feb 17 - Apr 17
Format: Hardback, 628 pages
Source: Owned
Setting: France, England
Category: Surprise - Books I find and want to read /group reads
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Endless Europe, BOSC, Chunkster
Stars: 3½

This is a well-known story so I won't bore you with rehashing the tale. I have been trying in the last few years to read Classics that I have on my shelf and never cracked open. This was one that I chose for this year and several other readers joined me in a group read.

I have to admit that I thought I knew the story because I had seen the movies (both versions) and I thought they probably didn't range too far from the book but I was wrong. I found as I was reading this over two months that it took me to places that I hadn't seen in either movie and character depths that were unexplored came to life. I'm not someone that normally enjoys the Classics, but this was an exception.

The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry

Read: Mar 4 - Apr 1
Format: AUDIO, 13 CDs, 736 pages
Source: Public Library
Setting: Anarctica, Germany, NC, GA, DC
Category: I Heard Them!
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, SYLL, Audio, Read your Name - Letter C, TIOLI, Chunkster, Thriller
Stars: 3½

Cotton Malone has finally found a way to get the information which could lead to the answers of what happened to his father nearly 40 years ago. Calling in favors he is handed the file of the final mission that his father went on. Just as he receives the file he is accosted by agents of an unknown adversary.

As the story evolves, Malone is caught between antagonistic twin daughters of a German who was also on the mission with his father and want the same information. As in the past, Berry weaves a parallel story involving Stephanie Nell pitted against, this time, an Admiral that wants an appointment to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and who knows exactly what Malone is searching for.
I love the Cotton Malone series because of the way that Steve Berry manages to take some ancient historical fact/artifact and weave it masterfully into thriller that will hold my interest even while generating questions of whether something like this could actually happen.

Looking forward to the next adventure!

Franklin Pierce: Young Hickory of the Granite Hills by Roy Franklin Nichols

Read: Mar 12 - Mar 20
Format: hardback, 547 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: Biography
Category: Who/What/When/Where/How/Why? - Bios/history
Genre: History
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, SYLL, USPC, Chunkster
Stars: 2½

Franklin Pierce was the man elected to follow Millard Fillmore as President of the United States. The two men were completely different and not just in their political outlooks but in their approach in life.
"The Democratic Party was to become for Pierce his family, his fraternity, his church, and his country." Pierce was the son of a Revolutionary Officer and his hero worship of all things military (especially Andrew Jackson) in his early years pushed him toward a career dedicated to his nation.
After he was basically drafted for the Presidential election in 1852, his son was killed in a train accident on his way to Washington and his wife, being hysterical, blamed his election saying he needed to concentrate on the problems of the nation so God had taken her son so to get him out of the way. Suffering from his loss, Pierce, nevertheless tried to balance the factions of the Democratic party but was not up to the task. His cabinet members had no experience in foreign affairs (except for Buchanan). That said, he did have a certain administrative ability and was able to identify areas of improvement in mail services, staffing shortages, and military requirements.
"His offices (throughout his life) had come to him because he was useful as a compromise choice to settle differences between contending parties." He wasn't always the best qualified and because of that, many issues escalated during his administration. Pierce authorized the opening of the Kansas/ Nebraska territories in 1853 before the surveys were completed in 1856. This resulted in conflicting property claims.
Franklin Pierce's Presidency lacked diplomacy both foreign and domestic so that he was not able to garner the nomination of his party again in 1856. Pierce was strongly opposed to the Civil War feeling that a peacefully solution should have been found.
He condemned the Emancipation Proclamation saying "he couldn't understand how the people of the United States would tolerate this attempt to 'butcher' their own race for the sake of 'inflicting' emancipation upon the 4 million Negros who were in no sense capable of profiting by freedom."
His death in 1869 was not heralded as had been his other predecessors.
Editorial: I guess at this point I have to say that IMHO, this man probably didn't deserve to be elected to the office of President of the United States. However, due to the issues of the time and the inability of the factions to reach any agreement as to what needed to be done, no one would have been able to resolve the issues any better.

THE VENETIAN BETRAYAL by Steven Berry

Read: Jan 14 - Jan 18
Format: large Print 618 page
Source: Public Library
Setting: Denmark, Venice, Asia
Subject: world takeover, biological warfare, miracle cure, Alexander the Great
Genre: International intrigue
Challenges: 101020, Thriller Suspense, 75 Book, SYLL, Chunkster
Stars: 3½

This book is the third installment of the Cotton Malone mystery series and it continues to utilize the historical mysteries of the past to entertain in the here and now. In this story Cotton is drafted out of his retirement by friends to assist them in preventing the Supreme Minister of the Central Asian Federation from utilizing biological warfare to take over the world.

Okay, I know that that sounds pretty melodramatic, but basically that's the plot. It doesn't seem that it would be plausible but Steve Berry somehow manages to take these unusual situations and make you suspend your belief, and go with the characters through their trials and emerge from the dangers triumphant.

I really like this series and look forward to the future installments.

THE LOST THRONE by Chris Kuzneski

Read: Jan 1 - Jan 8
Format: Unedited Proof Book, 495 pages
Source: publisher for review
Setting: St Petersburg, Russia; Greece
Subject: murder, smuggling, antiquities
Category: ER/ LT Recommendations
Genre: mystery-police procedural
Challenges: 101020, Thriller Suspense, TBR, 75 Book, Endless Europe, Chunkster

DJ Jones and Jonathan Payne are disturbed while on vacation and enlisted to rescue a damsel in distress (Allison) who has witnessed the murder of her employer in St. Petersburg, Russia. Determining that the reason for the murder by a hit man has something to do with what Allison's boss was looking for, the three set out on a treasure hunt.

At the same time Nick Dial, the head of Interpol's Homicide division is investigating the brutal mass slaying of an entire community of monks in Greece. The stories are fast paced and intricately interwoven throughout until they converge at a thrilling climax.

I received this book for review from the publisher, and to be honest, I had delayed reading it, now I wished I hadn't. I found out that this was the third in a series with these characters and I will definitely be looking for the first two books. What a great way to start 2010!