Book Reviews

Here are a few books I've been reading lately.

I finished the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer and liked each book more than the last. The series concluded with a satisfying ending to the story arc across the books. 

Specifically, 

#4 The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan, 2008. Enola saves a young girl who is being forced into a marriage for money by evil people.

#5 The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, 2009. Florence Nightingale is featured in this mystery with interesting codes.

#6 The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye, 2010. This book finally answers the question of what happened to Enola's mother.

Mrs. Endicott's Spendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen, 2025, adult historical fiction. 

Rhys Bowen is a prolific author who is mainly known for the various mystery series she writes. This is a standalone novel.

In 1938 England, Ellie's husband tells her he wants a divorce. After the shock wears off, she decides she is going to visit the south of France, where she had been as a girl. She ends up taking with her her housekeeper, who has an abusive husband, and a cranky church lady who is dying. Along the way, they pick up a young pregnant hitchhiker. 

Their car breaks down in a small fishing village on the Mediterranean, and they end up staying there. The women all blossom as they become a part of the town. Then WWII happens, and life is not idyllic anymore. Ellie becomes part of a smuggling operation that is trying to relocate Jews to safer places. The little village cannot avoid the horrors of war, but when the war is over, they all set about rebuilding their lives.

I enjoyed this book. I always like reading books in which the characters are troubled and slowly work their way to a better place. In addition, Ellie and her friend redo a rundown villa, which had the feel of the Secret Garden rebirth to it. 

This was an easy read, and the story and characters kept me interested. However, the writing is simple (not that there's anything wrong with that). This was especially apparent after reading the Enola Holmes books, which had a much richer vocabulary and descriptions. I found that ironic, since the Enola Holmes books are classified as children's books.  

I will read more Rhys Bowen and already enjoy her Royal Spyness series from time to time.

James by Percival Everett, 2024, adult historical fiction

This book is the retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain from the perspective of Jim, the runaway slave. It was a New York Times bestseller and won the Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

After only a few pages, I thought that this was not the book for me. There was difficult language ("nigger" for one), bad treatment of Jim, and a dialect that was hard to read. All important to the story, but not what I wanted to deal with at the time. However, the words of my 8th-grade English teacher came back to me, "You can't decide if you like a book or not until you read at least 100 pages."

So, I read a little more, and a little more still, and was hooked. The story of Jim and Huck trying to escape on the river was exciting, and the characters they met along the way were interesting. There were also thought-provoking insights into the slave culture. The book did not shy away from the horrific treatment that slaves/black men endured during that time. Important events that we need to remember. Even with all of that, the book ends with hope.

It's not always a comfortable read, but I recommend this book.

Atomic Habits by James Clear, 2018, Adult nonfiction (155.24)

Miss Landers told me about this book after it was recommended to her. I thought I could use some advice on keeping and breaking habits, so I ordered the book from the library and read it. Atomic Habits has been on the NYT Bestseller list for five years straight.

Clear's premise is that habits are achieved in very small increments. He gives very clear and detailed instructions on the four basic parts of controlling habits: Make it Obvious, Make it Attractive, Make it Easy, and Make it Satisfying.

It's been a while since I have read a self-help book, and I found this one somewhat boring at first. However, I soon found that I was interested, as Clear cited numerous studies, anecdotes, and neurological explanations about how habits are formed. 

I didn't have anything in mind that I wanted to work on (although there is plenty I could do), but I found myself making small changes to some things to make them better after reading suggestions in the book.

While I got this book out of the library, it might be good on a home reference shelf. I could see myself referring back to it again and again.

Until next time...