Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

★★★½ Genre: Historical Fictio Subject: espionage in WWII, IRA Setting: London, England Main Characters: Maggie Hope, Winston Churchill, Claire Paige Kelly, David Greene, Series: no Dates Read: February 15 - February 25 Number of pages: 349 Off the Shelf (pre-2012)? Source?: LT ER giveaway January Category for 12 in 12 challenge: English Lit, Extra Curricular Maggie Hope is a strong minded, highly intelligent, and well-educated woman at a time when such women were frown upon. Living in London at the start of WWII, Maggie is hired as a secretary at 10 Downing Street assisting Winston Churchill. Having greater abilities other than typing and dictation, Maggie identifies threats in various areas of the government and her adventures and friends make this an interesting read. I really enjoyed this book but there was just one small historical error that threw me off when I saw it.

Title:Book of Lost Fragrances ★★½

Author: M.J.Rose

Genre: Mystery

Subject: reincarnation, perfumery, Dalai Llama

Setting: Tibet, Paris, New York

Main Characters: Robert and Jacinthe L'Etoile

Series: Yes, #4 Reincarnationist

Dates Read: February 19 - February 23

Number of pages: 416

Off the Shelf (pre-2012)? Source?: yes, NetGalley

Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Class Schedule, Foreign Languages

Robert and Jacinthe L'Etoile inherit the family's distinguished perfume house but because of financial difficulties they are at odds of how to proceed. Jac wants to sell the two most valuable scents to pay off their debts, but Robbie wants to try to find the scent that was originally made in the time of Cleopatra. He believes that this scent would allow people to connect with their past lives and find lost love ones.

While trying to find the missing formula, Jac and Robbie connect with stories of ancestors that worked for Napoleon in the 19th century and Tibetan monks in the current day trying to locate the 12 memory tools that are related to reincarnation.

The premise of the story was very intriguing, however, since this is the 4th in the series and I have not read any of the previous books, I felt a bit lost during the reading. There were points where the story dragged, and others where the change in one locale/character to another was slightly confusing. The flow of the book didn't grab me and take on the journey. Maybe if I'd read the first three, but not this one alone. I do want to thank Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book through Net Galley.

Book accessory to review

Last year about this time I was contacted by the friendly people at CSN Stores and asked if I would be willing to review a bookshelf in exchange for the product. Being an avid reader, I jumped at the chance for more bookshelves and received a now FULL 4 shelf unit.

Now they have asked me if I would review another item and after browsing many of their sites, (and having a hard time deciding on one item - they had everything including a bathroom sink ) I have selected a Lap Desk with Flip Top Drawer and Foldable Legs. I'm hoping it will be just what I need when I want to read in bed. It’s so cute and it shouldn’t take up too much space. I think I will slide perfectly between my night table and bed so that I'll have easy access to it when I want. Can’t wait to get it, stay tuned to hear how it works! If you are looking for something, check out CSN Stores and see what they have to offer.

ACROSS THE ENDLESS RIVER by Thad Carhart

Read: Oct 20 - Nov 3
Source: FSB Associates for review
Category: Romance
Pages: 320

My thanks to Anna Suknov of FSB Associates who sent me this book for review. It fit right in to the time frame of history that I am currently reading so I really enjoyed the insights that it gave.

This book is a fictional account of the life of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea who was born during the great exploration of Lewis & Clark. Starting with a short account of the exploration, the story continues with the tales of his youth and visits to Europe (across the endless river= Atlantic Ocean).

The author includes numerous facts of Baptiste's life while weaving an entertaining though unverified story of his travels with Duke Paul of Württemberg. Mainly, the book strives to show the difference between the two worlds that he is part of - the Indian world from his mother and the European or civilized world from his father. It has a tendency to drag when the areas of Natural history were being discussed, but overall, it was entertaining and educational combined together. The love story that went throughout was definitely very understated.

BENNY AND SHRIMP by Katarina Mazetti

Read: Oct 18 - Oct 20
Source: FSB Associates /Caitlin Price - ARC review requested
Country - Sweden
Pages: 209

This is a tale of two lonely people who meet at a cemetery and "fall in love" but are completely incompatible as to their lifestyle and desires of what life has for them.

Fortunately, for me, it was a short book. I was ready to give up on it about 100 pages in, but decided to brave it for the duration. It wasn't my style of romance, it was very depressing because neither of the characters appeared to be happy with what was happening. I didn't care for the writing style - it was just too choppy.

I'm not sure that the book really shows Sweden in a great light or if it just shows farming in a bad light.

THE ALEXANDRIA LINK by Steve Berry

Read: Oct 2 - Oct 17
Source: Public Library
Category: Audio Book
Pages: 462

This was a very complex book in that not only was it a complicated thriller, it was also full of history and political drama. Granted, the historical references in some instances were pure fiction, but it definitely held my attention and drove me to the conclusion.

The Alexandria Link is the second in the Cotton Malone mysteries by Steve Berry (a friend, I hear, of Dan Brown and his books are very much in the same vein). Cotton is a retired federal agent who is drawn back into a situation that he thought was buried. His son is kidnapped and the ransom request is not money. He must reveal the whereabouts of a person who he secreted away years before and only he knows where the person is. The evolving story is intricately woven between the search by Cotton and events that are handled by Cotton's former boss and his friend.

The Alexandria Link is the search for the lost library of Alexandria and the historical nuances are very compelling. Compounding this search with the political unrest of the Middle East, kept me intrigued. The only drawback was that at times it was difficult to follow because of the habit Mr. Berry had of jumping back and forth between different threads of the mystery.

MENU FOR ROMANCE by Kaye Dacus

Read: Oct 13 - Oct 17
Source: LT ER program - review requested
Category: LT ER
Pages: 317

I really didn't know what to expect when I got this book through LT's ER program so I was pleasant surprised as I read this light-hearted romance and realized that there was another book that preceded this one. (I'll have to find it.) The title kind of threw me off because, though it ends in a romantic manner, I wouldn't really classify it as a typical romance, it was more the journey of two people to find themselves so that they could come together.

Meredith Guidry, the heroine, is in her mid-thirties and has had a "crush" on Major O'Hara (that's his real name) for 8 years while he worked with her. Since he doesn't seem to be interested in her, Meredith makes pledge to herself on New Years Day to make an effort to move on and find someone to share her life with. In the meantime, Major is harboring secrets, including his feelings for Meredith, which complicate matters. The journey that both characters take in this story is amusing, entertaining, and at points enlightening. A fun read.

New Shelves for Cheli!

I'm very excited because we just finished putting together the new shelves that I received from CSN Office Furniture.I desperately needed more shelves for all the new books that have been coming to me from all the other giveaways, but this has to be the best giveaway yet! I am always looking for a place to put more books so how could I turn down the offer to review them for you.

There were a great selection of hme office furniture to pick from and my final choice looks just perfect for my new reading room! While I was looking for bookcases I saw other great accents so I know I will be going back to see CSN Office Furniture in the future!!

But let me tell you about my bookshelves -- they arrived quickly, were easy to put together with just a hammer, screwdriver and simple instructions. I'd post a picture but my sister has my digital camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it, they look great! The three adjustable shelves will definitely make it easy for me to get those different sized books that are lying around on the floor into some semblance of order so that I can just whip them off the shelf when I've in the mood to read!

If you need bookshelves, CSN Office Furniture is definitely the place to find them!