This "Egyptology" book was about British women who traveled in Egypt and later became involved in archaeology there. It was totally from the British pThis "Egyptology" book was about British women who traveled in Egypt and later became involved in archaeology there. It was totally from the British perspective. When I thought about it from the Egyptian perspective, I came to the realization that archaeology during this era was about people from colonizing powers claiming ownership of the past of other peoples. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.
The Diabolical by David Putnam is #11 in the Bruno Johnson crime thriller series. I'd like to thank the publisher for my review copy. It was an advancThe Diabolical by David Putnam is #11 in the Bruno Johnson crime thriller series. I'd like to thank the publisher for my review copy. It was an advance reader copy when I received it, but this book has since been published. I haven't read any previous books in the series.
So now we move on to the current case. Six people were killed in a mass shooting at the local night club, El Gato Gordo. Bruno thought that the shooter had come to kill one person, but was trying to confuse matters by shooting others.
I expect to rate The Diabolical four stars on Goodreads. It was very unpleasant, but Bruno was a rather sympathetic protagonist even though he was no saint.
I received this book from the author, Alison Morton, earlier in the month. The title was spelled differently on the ARC I read. I have corrected the sI received this book from the author, Alison Morton, earlier in the month. The title was spelled differently on the ARC I read. I have corrected the spelling in this review.
As Exsilium opens, Christians had become very powerful in Rome. Alison Morton portrays Pagans as going into exile in response.
Intolerance was an important commonality between what was happening then, and some current day problems. I was sympathetic toward the difficulties of the protagonists who chose to exile themselves from Rome.
The Lantern's Dance got my immediate attention. I was astonished to get an approval of a Laurie R. King novel from Net Galley at the end of last year The Lantern's Dance got my immediate attention. I was astonished to get an approval of a Laurie R. King novel from Net Galley at the end of last year. I've never had an approval for such an eminent mystery author.
There was a complex web of characters in The Lantern's Dance. I sometimes had to page back to where these characters were introduced to identify who they were. Changes in perspective added to the complexity. There was at least one moment of confusion about the viewpoint character that I recorded in my notes.
The author notes that 2024 marks 30 years since the first Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes novel , The Beekeeper's Apprentice, appeared. So I would like to wish Laurie R. King a happy anniversary and felicitations on publishing this very labyrinthine mystery.
I received this book from the facilitator of an F2F book club that I attend. I have never previously read a book set in Fiji nor have I previously reaI received this book from the facilitator of an F2F book club that I attend. I have never previously read a book set in Fiji nor have I previously read a mystery where the doctor's examination was described. Usually, I only get to read the results of the exam at the coroner's inquest. I learned some Fijian vocabulary including "bula" which is the Fijian equivalent of "to life" or L'Chaim in Hebrew. Fans of the musical Fiddler on the Roof will recognize that Hebrew word.
What I liked most about this book was the cultural context. Readers who are interested in reading novels dealing with the complexities of class differences should read A Disappearance in Fiji. The police protagonist, Akal, was also appealing....more
I was given a copy of this book for review by someone unknown. I can't find the e-mail among my saved messages. It's a bit of a mystery to me. It coulI was given a copy of this book for review by someone unknown. I can't find the e-mail among my saved messages. It's a bit of a mystery to me. It could have been an employee of the publisher, an agent or a publicist.
This book is a collection of essays and excerpts. My review includes what I learned from this book that I considered most significant.
In "On Racial Justice, Black History, Critical Race Theory and Other Felonious Ideas" by Robin D. G. Kelley, I found out about Freedom Libraries for the first time. Freedom Libraries were established in the South because African Americans had to sue for access to public libraries in most Southern states.
I also found out about Black disability issues, how diabetes and asthma are related to pollution and a secret school for slaves in Natchez, Mississippi.
I read Five Biblical Portraits because I'm interested in what Elie Wiesel had to say about the Bible. I received a free copy of this book from the pubI read Five Biblical Portraits because I'm interested in what Elie Wiesel had to say about the Bible. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss. I have to say that I'm not overly fond of any of the Biblical personages in this book.
An 11 year old girl looking for her father is plunged into a dangerous world of theft and murder. I learned some things about construction that I hadnAn 11 year old girl looking for her father is plunged into a dangerous world of theft and murder. I learned some things about construction that I hadn't known. (view spoiler)[ Such as the fact that working with cement wears away fingerprints. How convenient that would be for a criminal! (hide spoiler)] The protagonist is forensic scientist Theresa MacLean who turns out to be quite courageous in this outing. I've never read any other books in this series, but I'll probably try another....more
I was very interested in reading a book by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren especially one about saving the U.S. middle class.
Warren believes that largeI was very interested in reading a book by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren especially one about saving the U.S. middle class.
Warren believes that large corporations who aren't paying their employees enough to live on are a major problem. I also learned what the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 is about.
Another problem that deeply concerns Warren was increasing Alzheimer's. I imagine that our aging population will have rampant Alzheimer's and other serious medical problems. Radical changes in diet could reverse this trend, but I don't think that will happen. So I am not optimistic about the future health of Americans.
The life of a late 19th century American woman who married wealthy like Isabella Stewart Gardner was apparently all about parties, international traveThe life of a late 19th century American woman who married wealthy like Isabella Stewart Gardner was apparently all about parties, international travel and art collecting. I was asked to read and review The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin and was provided with a free copy from the publisher via Edelweiss.
The artist John Singer Sargent painted Isabella's portrait more than once. It interested me that he chose to paint her as an old woman. It also surprised me that Isabella wanted a portrait of herself when she was old. Most women wouldn't want to gaze at an image of themselves when they were "past their prime" according to the dictates of society.
A lesbian personality of the time, Violet Paget, told Isabella in this book that everyone is born at the wrong time. That's not what I've observed. It seems to me that most people are conventional and definitely suited to their social context. If that weren't the case, conventional expectations wouldn't exist and no one would be defined as unconventional as Isabella evidently was.
Blackwater Falls is the fifth book I've read by Ausma Zehanat Khan. The first four were in the Rachel Getty/Essa Khattak series. Blackwater Falls is tBlackwater Falls is the fifth book I've read by Ausma Zehanat Khan. The first four were in the Rachel Getty/Essa Khattak series. Blackwater Falls is the #1 book in its series. Both series by Khan are mysteries centering on law enforcement protagonists. It's important to note that the Getty/Khattak series takes place in Canada. So Blackwater Falls is Khan's first novel that is situated in the United States.
The victim in this novel, Razan, was a high school student who was tested in aerodynamics to see if she qualified for an internship at Apex Dynamics which is a fictional company. In this novel's fictional context Apex Dynamics is a sub-contractor of Lockheed Martin, a real worldwide aerospace firm. Razan was chosen for the internship which means that she was miles ahead of me in physics. I would say that Razan was probably brilliant and that her death was a tragic loss.
I learned from the acknowledgements following the end of Blackwater Falls that Ausma Zehanat Khan lost her father in the year this novel was published which was 2022. I was sorry to learn this since I am a fan of this author.
It seems likely that any war or other type of conflict was probably used by male soldiers to take advantage of vulnerable civilian women. They probablIt seems likely that any war or other type of conflict was probably used by male soldiers to take advantage of vulnerable civilian women. They probably didn't know or care that this was a war crime. Nor did they give a thought to the trauma of the women in the aftermath of their heinous acts.
Christina Lamb did a service for woman survivors by obtaining their stories and letting the world know about these war crimes. This book was published three years ago. I wonder if it has had any impact in regard to the prosecution of wartime rape.
I was asked to read Sophia Lambton's novel, The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 1, by the author who had seen my reviews on my blog Flying High ReviewsI was asked to read Sophia Lambton's novel, The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 1, by the author who had seen my reviews on my blog Flying High Reviews . This is the first book in a series which explains why it's not as resolved as a standalone novel would be.
The protagonists are the sisters Isabel and Anneliese who were born six days apart. I expected to like Isabel because she is a musician, but the focus wanders away from music. I ended up liking Anneliese a good deal better than Isabel.
Although the prologue takes place in 1968, the first chapter opens in the 1920's when the girls were six. The novel ends in the WW II era. I expect that the second book will continue with this WWII progression.
Disability Pride by Ben Mattlin was a book that I downloaded from Edelweiss, which provides digital copies of books in advance of publication. MattlinDisability Pride by Ben Mattlin was a book that I downloaded from Edelweiss, which provides digital copies of books in advance of publication. Mattlin's book is scheduled to be published in November 2022. I feel privileged to have read it early.
I thought this was an interesting and insightful book, though I sometimes had a hard time figuring out what Mattlin intended to say.
It's been a couple of weeks since I read How Civil Wars Start. I knew that it would be a time consuming review to write. I learned a great deal from tIt's been a couple of weeks since I read How Civil Wars Start. I knew that it would be a time consuming review to write. I learned a great deal from this book--including that a country in the middle zone between democracy and autocracy is called an anocracy.
Athens, Greece is still often called "the cradle of democracy", but the patricians of the ancient Athenian upper class were more like an oligarchy. Oligarchy means rule by a faction. Both ancient and modern democracies have been divided by factions. Factions can be corrosive for democracies. I wouldn't recommend factionalization as a good strategy for a healthy democracy.
The U.S. is considered a partial democracy because the right to vote has been limited in a number of states. A partial democracy is vulnerable to civil war. The 19th century U.S. Civil War happened because we were a factionalized anocracy with a faction excluded from power--the Confederate South.
Walter explained how the last South African President of the apartheid era, F. W. de Klerk, avoided civil war by negotiating with Mandela. It seems to me that if South Africa could do that, so could we. After all, the U.S. isn't as close to the precipice of civil war as South Africa was then.
I received a copy of Cleopatra's Dagger by Carole Lawrence from a publicist back in January. Many apologies for the delay. I got behind with my reviewI received a copy of Cleopatra's Dagger by Carole Lawrence from a publicist back in January. Many apologies for the delay. I got behind with my reviews this year. With this review, I expect to be caught up.
Protagonist Elizabeth van den Broek became a crime reporter when she discovered a body wrapped as a mummy on a walk, and insisted on covering the story. She convinced the detective in charge of the case that if the photo of the body was put on the front page of The New York Herald , they would find someone to identify the corpse more quickly.
When a second body was found in the East River, Elizabeth was summoned to the scene via telegram. Detective Inspector Thomas Byrnes described her jewelry and how she was dressed. One of the policemen who responded recognized this second victim as a prostitute named Mary Mullins.
Eventually the mystery was resolved. We learned whodunit and why, but I found it anti-climactic.
If the author writes sequels in which Elizabeth continues to report on crimes, I would like to read them.
I learned whodunit fairly early on in A Good Kill by John McMahon, but the story is mainly about the man who took the killer down and how his action I learned whodunit fairly early on in A Good Kill by John McMahon, but the story is mainly about the man who took the killer down and how his action impacted him. I received a copy of A Good Kill from publicist Wiley Saichek. He requested that I review it.
The protagonist is Police Detective Paul T. Marsh, but he is called P.T. by the overwhelming majority of the characters. This is the third book in the P. T. Marsh series, but it's the first that I've read. I didn't have any preconceptions about P.T. when I began this book. Other reviews say that P.T. is obsessed by the death of his wife and son. I thought he had every right to be obsessed by that particular crime, and that his ability to become obsessed with his work was what made him such a good detective. He follows up on every bit of evidence.
A Good Kill had a suspenseful plot. I raced through it. I hope I will have another opportunity to read another P.T. Marsh novel in the future.
Crimson Angel is the 13th novel in the Benjamin January mystery series by Barbara Hambly. Benjamin January is a free Black man in 19th century New OrlCrimson Angel is the 13th novel in the Benjamin January mystery series by Barbara Hambly. Benjamin January is a free Black man in 19th century New Orleans. I've read several of the books in these series, but it was before I joined Goodreads. So I have no record of them.
The first thing you should know is that Crimson Angel isn't primarily about solving the mystery. You do find out whodunit, but it's more about the characters and their histories.
Benjamin January ends up going to Spain, Cuba and Haiti not mainly to solve a murder, but to find out why people were following and harassing both him and his wife, Rose.
I liked Crimson Angel more after doing research on it than while I was reading it. When I finished it, I thought it was a well-told tale, but the information I discovered afterwards gave it additional value.
I downloaded this book from Net Galley, and I am reviewing this book voluntarily. I liked this book, but didn't love it.
Sad to say, it took me twentyI downloaded this book from Net Galley, and I am reviewing this book voluntarily. I liked this book, but didn't love it.
Sad to say, it took me twenty days to read this book. I wasn't any busier than usual, but I wasn't reading at every opportunity. I'd forget to take my e-reader with me, or gaze out the window of the bus instead of reading. At home, I've been getting online instead of reading. I guess I didn't care enough about this book to make reading it a priority. I didn't find it compelling enough to finish it quickly....more
I received a free copy of this book, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
I have read and reviewed the previous volumes of the Kenya Kanga series. This lI received a free copy of this book, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
I have read and reviewed the previous volumes of the Kenya Kanga series. This latest one involves an intense personal issue for the protagonist in addition to the mystery and the wonderful Kenya wildlife aspect.
I have to say that the mystery became predictable about half way through the novel. Whodunit seemed obvious to me from that point, but the character relationships made the book very worthwhile.
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