The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: In a fictional city

First Sentence:  If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.

This novel is the first in the author's A Series of Unfortunate Events series.  This series has thirteen books.

I believe this book has one of the greatest opening sentences.  The author announces that there will be no happy ending.  And he delivers.  There is no happy ending.

In this novel, the author does a good job of introducing the protagonists:  the Baudelaire orphans.

Violet is the eldest.  She is an inventor.
Klaus is the only boy.  He is a reader.
Sunny is a baby.  She likes to bite things, and people.

The antagonist is the evil Count Olaf.  He is an actor.  And he wants to gain control of the Baudelaire fortune.

The story tells of the Orphans' terrible bad luck.  Their parents have perished, their how has been destroyed by fire, the orphan's have been placed in Count Olaf's care by the incredibly stupid Mr. Poe.

The Baudelaire orphans are the heirs of a fortune.  They cannot access the fortune until Violet comes of age.  This fortune is why Count Olaf is so interested in the children.

There is no happy ending.  However, the orphan's do know how to use their intelligence to evade the Count's evil plot.

For me, the best part of reading this book is the fantastic voice the author uses in the form of the fictional narrator Lemony Snicket.

I plan to read the series in order.

                           

Holes by Louis Sachar

Genre: Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature

Setting: A boys correctional camp near a dry lake bed.

First Sentence: There is no Camp Green Lake


I am a big fan of the movie "Holes"  For me it is an example of well written fiction.  It's a nice tight story with no loose plot lines.

I decided to read the novel to discover the author's original story.  I was surprised to see how close the novel and the film were to each other.

Reading the book was just like seeing the movie again.

There are a few minor differences, but nothing that that distracts from the original plot.

Although the target audience for the novel is children and young adults, I think adults would appreciate reading a good story, well written.

There is a sequel to Holes titled Small Steps.

                                                          

1914: The War Years Book One by James Farmer

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: England and France during 1914.

First Sentence: All went quiet on the Ypres front.

This novel is the first in the author's War Years series.  This series currently runs to five books.

It is 1914.  The Keeton family, like all families in lower class Leeds, are struggling to make a living.  With five boys there are plenty of mouths to feed.  The oldest boy is working.  The two teenage twins are working when they can, and hustling cigarettes.  Only one boy is getting an education.

Then war breaks out in Europe.  And the four oldest boys join the army together.

Now they need to learn how to survive the horrors of war.

Will any of them survive until the end of the year?

For me this was an interesting book.  The author gives us a view of what life was like in the working class neighborhoods.  I enjoyed it.



                                                   

The Ways Between the Worlds by: Alys Clare

Genre: Historical Mystery

Setting: Eleventh Century England, After the Norman Conquest

First Sentence: Come to me! I need you!

This novel is the fourth in Alys Clare's Norman Aelf Fen series which currently runs to seven books.

It has not been very long since the Normans have conquered England.  Along with a new set of rulers and laws the Normans have brought  a fervent belief in Christianity.  Although many have accepted Norman rule, there are those who cling to the old ways of magic and power.

Our main character, Lassaire, is learning to be a healer.  She is also learning how to use and control the magic of the old ways.

One day, in a nightmare, Lassaire receives a dire message.  It is from her Norman warrior friend Rollo.  He is in grave danger.  She can't help him because she can't tell where he is.  When his cries stop, She believes he is alive and safe.

At the abby where Lassaire's sister is a nun, there are two horrible murders.  It seems that the two victims have been sacrificed in the old Celtic manor.

Rollo has been tasked by the king to investigate a rumor.  It seems that the king's ship army might have been destroyed by a practitioner of the old ways.

Once again, Lassaire hears Rollo's cries for help.

Can it be that the deaths, Rollo's cries and the old beliefs are somehow connected?

I have read the first four books in the series.  I have enjoyed them all.  I like the way the author is developing Lassaire's character and her relationship with Rollo.

I suggest that you read the books in order.

For me this was a great read.

                                                 

Music of the Distant Stars by Alys Clare

Genre: Historical Mystery

Setting: Eleventh Century England, After the Norman Conquest

First Sentence: Dawn.

This novel is the third in Alys Clare's Norman Aelf Fen series which currently runs to seven books.

Our main character is Lissaire.  She lives with her Aunt Edild.  Edild is teaching Lissaire to be a healer.  She is also learning another skill.  She is learning how to use what we would call ESP.

One summer, Lissaire's beloved Grannie dies.  She has lived a good life and it's time for her to pass away.

Then one day, Lissaire makes a terrible discovery.  When she visits her Grannie's grave, she discovers that the body of unknown girl has been placed in the grave.

Who is she?  Why was she placed in the grave?

Blame is soon attached to a young man named Derman.  He is a simpleton, with the body of an adult and the mind of a child.  To make matters worse, Derman has run away.

As the plot develops, we discover that there are several people with a motive to kill the girl.  This is strange because she is universally loved by those who knew her.

And then another body is found.  It is Derman.  Is his death somehow connected to the young girl's death?

In the last few pages of the novel, the plot becomes delightfully tangled.  And at the final reveal, I was completely surprised.

This was a great read.  The author has crafted a great historical mystery.   It's a stand alone novel, so it can be read out of series order.



                                                          

Mist Over the Water by Alys Clare

Genre: Historical Mystery

Setting: 11th Century England, a few years after the Norman Conquest.

First Sentence: It was raining.

This novel is the second in the author's Aelf Fen Norman series which currently runs to seven books.

Mysteries often spring from secrets.  Actions often seem mysterious until the secret is revealed.

So it is with our main character, Lessair. She finds characters whose behavior is mysterious.  And in the end discovers a hidden secret.

Lessair is an apprentice healer.  And she can sense the supernatural.

An urgent request for help.  A cousin has injured his foot.  But why had Lessair been summoned when the cousin could have asked for help from the nearby Ely Abby?

Soon, Lessair becomes entangled with a family secret involving her friend Sibert and the death of his father.

Then,  while investigating this secret, she learns of a deeper and more dangerous secret.  This one could bring war and death to the land.

This was an interesting book.  The liked the way the author switched back and forth from first person third person points of view.


                                                              

The End of All Things By: John Scalzi

Genre: Science Fiction

Setting: In outer space, aboard spaceships and on various planets, in the distant future.

First sentence: So, I'm supposed to tell you how I became a brain in a box.

This book is the sixth in Scalzi's Old Man's War series.  This series is unique in that it is a collection of free standing novels and novelettes placed in the Old Man's War universe.  We don't follow a main character.  But we see the main story arc from different points of view.

This  book is a collection of four novelettes.  In them we observe the main story from both a human and an alien perspective.

Basically, the plot revolves around the relationship humans have with the hundreds of non-human species in the galaxy.  Many of these species have aligned themselves into a governmental entity called the Conclave.  Humans are represented by the Colonial Union and its military arm called the CDF (Colonial Defense Forces).

Humans are not very popular in space.  They have been fighting the Conclave for years.  It turns out that the Conclave is not as evil as the Colonial Union would have humans believe.  And the Colonial Union is not very popular on Earth.  It turns out that the Colonial Union has been misrepresenting the real political situation in the galaxy.

Now, there is a new political entity called the Equilibrium.  The Equilibrium wants to gain political control by destroying both the Conclave and the Earth.

So, the Conclave, the CU and Earth need to find a way to defeat the Equilibrium.  Failure would mean the end of all things.

I am a big fan of John Scalzi's novels.  I especially like his action sequences.  For me, the story slowed down when we had aliens with difficult to remember names discussing political issues.

But, overall, I felt that it was a very enjoyable read.