christianreader | February books

February total: 5
2010 total: 11

La's Orchestra Saves the World (2008) - Alexander McCall Smith
It is 1939. After Lavender "La" Stone's husband leaves her for another woman, she retreats to a house in the country. She finds solace contributing to the war effort; working as a land girl and conducting an amateur orchestra. This is a standalone non-series book. The story was sweet, but it rambled on in a few places and some of the side storylines felt completely unnecessary. I like AMS's slice of life stories with many, many characters and I thought he should have either gone that route or trimmed down the side plots. He can write quite poetic, beautiful, heartfelt stories, but for some reason it felt forced in places in this story. I enjoyed the story but wished it had been edited more.

The Sunday Philosophy Club (Isabel Dalhousie Mystery: #1) (2004) - Alexander McCall Smith
Philosopher, editor of Applied Ethics, and woman of independent means, Isabel Dalhousie witnesses a man fall to his death from Edinburgh concert hall's balcony. As the last person to see him alive, Isabel feels it her moral duty to investigate the matter. This one starts out seeming very much like an old fashioned cozy mystery, but a little way into the story I soon realized I was going to spend far more time finding out about Isabel's philosophy, daily life, friends, and possible love interest, than actual detective work. I've come to expect this from AMS, but I don't like Isabel nearly as much as his other detective: Precious Ramotswe. I'm not rushing out to find the next one, but AMS's novels are like comfort food to me, and if I run out of his other stories I would probably try this series again.

Daddy Long-Legs (1912) - Jean Webster
Aspiring writer Jerusha Abbott has grown up in an orphanage, until an anonymous benefactor sends her to college. His one stipulation is that she writes to him regularly. The epistolary novel is completely one sided. The benefactor, dubbed "Daddy Long Legs" never writes back, but Jerusha's --or Judy, as she likes to be called-- letters are rich in detail, fanciful, affectionate, and witty. This book is utterly charming and I would love to read the sequel: Dear Enemy.

My Brother Michael (1959) - Mary Stewart
While on vacation, Camilla Haven writes to a friend, “Nothing ever happens to me.” But only a few hours later, an extraordinary train of events leads Camilla to Delphi, to charming Simon Lester, and to solve a mystery buried fourteen years in the past. Mary Stewart writes the most delicious descriptions. The setting itself is like another character. Good combination of adventure, mystery and romance, with a subtle sense of humor. Love these books!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Year 6) (2005) - J. K. Rowling
Harry finds an old textbook that belonged to someone known as the "Half Blood Prince," which helps him excel at Potions class. Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Harry explore Voldemort's past in order to discover the dark lord's weakness. Halfheartedly, I had previously seen a few of the movies and never really understood what the big deal was, but the books have many little interesting details and so much more depth. I love to listen to these audio books.