Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Fiction - 3 stars
My guilty pleasure, the Sookie Stackhouse Series, takes precedence over Agatha Christie this summer. I could not hold off any longer on reading the next books in the series. I enjoyed this one, but it was not my favorite. Bright spot? The entrances of Quinn, weretiger extraordinaire, and of Claude, the exquisitely beautiful fairie with a rudeness problem. LOL!

New addition to the page

If you haven't looked at the blog page in a while, please note that I've added some links to literary websites on the right. These are my favorite reference pages when choosing books for the kids or even me. PJ Haarsma's program "Kids Need to Read" is a wonderful resource, and his site has some really fun things, too. Also, from the pic above, Rory's Book Club (from the Gilmore Girls - I think Megan has gotten most of her reading inspiration from Rory) has a pretty comprehensive list of classics and modern fare that will keep me reading for years.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Fiction - 4 stars
This first venture into the Agatha Christie novels proved to be a quick, satifying read full of well-crafted suspense. Before it was published as a novel, Murder on the Orient Express was published as a serial in the Saturday Evening Post, from July 1 to September 30, 1933. I can only imagine the wait for the next chapter in those days to find out who the culprit was in this quiet, provocative thriller. I can see why Christie published more than 130 novels, and why Hercule Poirot is such a classic literary figure. With his analytical skills and his obvious sense of morality, Poirot is the classic detective hero.  Great summer read!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Fiction - 4 stars

I loved this book! It is the story of the Price family, a Georgia family who moves to the African Congo on a mission trip in the early 1960s on the brink of modern Zaire's "independence" from Belgian control. Told from the perspectives of the female Prices, each chapter gives a different perspective on the same historical events, and this makes for a fantstic read. You truly get to know the characters as they remain consistent throughout the book. Kingsolver describes life in rural Africa with raw, vivid, and heartbreaking detail.  It spans two + decades, and is a truly satisfying tale. I am so glad Zachary is reading this for school as it gave me the chance to borrow it for a little while.