Review: "The Metabolism Miracle Update"

This book, "The Metabolism Miracle Update" was well-written and clear.  I appreciated the new information (none of which conflicts with the first plan).  This new information is in the form of some enhancements in the program.

My only issue with this book (the reason that it gets only 4 stars) is that I felt that it relied too heavily on the author’s website.  The author maintains a fee-based online community .  This book frequently recommended joining the community.  It began to feel as though I’d paid $7.00 for an ad for the website.

Still, the new information is helpful and valuable.  Therefore, it was well worth the purchase price.

One major issue:  The description states, “Learn about bogus low carbohydrate foods that can thwart your program.”  And this is technically true: you do learn about them, you learn that they exist.  And the author mentions two examples.  Then, the reader is told that there is a more extensive list of these bogus low carbohydrate foods on the website.  The website that you have to pay to read the list.  I was disappointed in that.

All in all, this is another good resource in your Metabolism Miracle or Diabetes Miracle arsenal.  If you are utilizing this plan, it wouldn’t hurt to own this book.

Review: "A Tragedy at Midnight"

               The other night, while scrolling through Amazon Prime Instant Video, I came across the film “A Tragedy at Midnight” (1942, Republic Studios).  The film revolves around a “Radio Detective” and his wife who are involved in a murder investigation when the Detective himself is framed for murder.  If you are wondering what a “Radio Detective” is, he’s basically a True Crime broadcaster who, in this case, has a better solve rate than the police themselves.

               While I was watching this film, I was immediately struck by the similarities to the Nick and Nora Charles series (1934 – 1947, MGM Studios), similarities which I will address later, and had to verify which came first.  When I went to check IMDB for the date, I found another little oddity about this film:  the Amazon Prime runtime was listed as 54 minutes while the IMDB runtime was listed at 68 minutes.  Fourteen minutes of missing film!  Research led me to a quick resolution to this conundrum, the original film was 68 minutes long but was cut down so that it would match TV runtimes when it started to air on television.  Amazon Prime Video runs the TV version, as does Neflix, evidently.

               During my research on the runtime discrepancy, I found several reviewers who stated that this was of great concern because it set up who several key characters were for the viewer.  According to these reviewers, this was of great detriment to the viewer.  I have to respectfully disagree here.  I found no difficulty following the plot or understanding the relationship of all characters to the protagonists.  I think that the missing fourteen minutes might seem far more relevant to someone who had watched the film in its entirety and now feels the absence of the deleted scenes.  And I might agree with them if I saw the missing scenes myself, but as it stands now, I fully understood the relationships of all characters, and I found the setup easy to follow.  The additional scenes might be fun to watch, and might add more meat to the story, but their absence doesn’t ruin the film.

               As to the casting, this film stars John Howard (who I recognized from “The Philadelphia Story) and Margaret Lindsay (who I recognized from “The House of the Seven Gables").  I really liked Lindsay in this film, and I feel that she, for the most part, carried it.  Howard, who I think was a really handsome man, didn’t play that way in this film.  He had his moments of being amusing or heroic, but, for the most part, his styling combined with an uncharacteristic smirk, gave him a feel of being a poor man’s Clark Gable.  Gable was just far better at pulling off that mustache and that smirk.  He had the charm to make the smirk seem, well, charming.  With Howard, it just plays as inappropriate, even condescending at times.

               Now, for the elephant in the room.  This film is VERY similar to “The Thin Man” series.  It is done to such an obvious point that I thought that this film might have come first.  I thought this for two reasons.  The first was that the production quality was not as good as “The Thin Man”.  These lower production issues made the “A Tragedy at Midnight” feel older than “The Thin Man.”  The second reason was that the parallels were so obvious that it was hard to believe that any studio would be that obvious about their knockoff.  

So, yes, the comparisons must be made between this film and “The Thin Man,” the banter, the wife who feigns jealousy, but who sometimes really is jealous, right down to the husband calling his wife “Mommy.”  It’s there.  Anyone who tries to tell you that they don’t see it must not have ever seen Nick and Nora in action.  And it’s not poorly done here.  It’s fairly well done.  It’s just not well done to the standard of William Powell and Myrna Loy.  And we shouldn’t expect it to be.  Powell and Loy had a really rare and special chemistry together.  It was an amazing thing to see.  Amazing in ALL of their films together, not just their Nick and Nora films.

               He was charming and debonair.  She was beautiful and quick as a whip.  They had a biting humor that was based on a mutual respect for each other, both in character (Nick and Nora’s relationship was so fun BECAUSE they were a couple who truly respected and valued each other) and in real life.  So much so in real life that when Powell got cancer, he continued to perform in the films while undergoing treatment, even though he was warned that doing so might dramatically shorten “the time he had left”.  He ended up living almost half a century after that.

               But that’s neither here nor there.  I’m not reviewing “The Thin Man.”  I’m reviewing “A Tragedy at Midnight.”  The problem is that the comparison has to be made.  It is always made.  It will always be made.  This film was a direct homage (or a total rip-off, depending on the opinion of the person discussing it).  You could actually see Powell and Loy in these roles.  You could see them doing it better.  But that’s not this film’s fault.  It’s not Howard and Lindsay’s faults.  You just have to chalk it up to Powell and Loy having better chemistry.  You have to chalk it up to that and move on.

               Because despite being Nick and Nora imitators, despite the missing scenes, despite the perma-smirk, this is actually a good film.  I really enjoyed it.  It was humorous.  It was fun.  It was entertaining.  The resolution made sense.  How that resolution was made (Green versus Blue – not a spoiler, you won’t understand until the main character tells you) was ridiculous.  I just found it difficult to suspend disbelief for that little bit, but the actual Who in Whodunnit made sense.  The motive made sense.  The movie was fun and made sense. 

               I think that my favorite scene was the “Shadow Scene”.  You’ll know it when you see it.  I thought that was cute and clever, all while being a little silly.

               Despite all of the things that should be drawbacks (especially for me, as a Nick and Nora obsessed fan), I thoroughly enjoyed “A Tragedy at Midnight”, so I give this film a 4/5 (or an 8/10 in IMDB).  This movie is like Nachos:  a little corny, a lot cheesy, and completely fun to devour.

               

Review: A Raging Storm

A Raging Storm by Richard Castle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



“A Raging Storm” by Richard Castle is the second novella in the Derrick Storm trilogy. The most common complaints that I’ve heard about this book is that it is formulaic, trite, pulpy. All of these things are true. It’s also entertaining as hell. Seriously, not every book that you read has to be highbrow literature. Sometimes, you just want a little pulpy, ridiculous entertainment.

Enter Richard Castle.

For a more indepth review of this novella, you could just check out my review of the first book in the series “A Brewing Storm,” because there’s not really much more to say about this second book than what was said about the first.

Now, for the things that are not in my review of the first novella. Here are the things that are especially relevant just for this book:

First, this book has a nice overview of the “A Brewing Storm”. It’s not so indepth as to feel like rewarmed rehash, but it is enough that if you haven’t read the first book, you won’t be lost in this one. Of course, they’re novellas, so why not take the two hours to read the first one. But, if that’s not in your schedule, or not in your budget, there is enough of a recap to keep you from being lost (you will lose a little bit of character development, though. I’m not sure that this matters in pulp fiction).

Second, they do resolve the cliff-hanger from the previous book. So, for those who felt that it would be dragged out over all episodes, not to worry: the cliff-hanger is resolved; the overall myth-arc remains intact. Also, a new cliff-hanger is introduced to lead the reader into the third book.

Finally, I found the characters more likable in the second installment. Frankly, I feel that this is due to their being more fleshed-out. This is partly because the first book allowed some of the details that function as character building blocks for this book. It is also partly because, as the characters become more familiar with each other, they let their guard down slightly and expose more of themselves to one another (therefore the reader).

All in all, I found this book to be a solid piece of ghost-written pulp mystery, and worth the read when you are interested in a bit of light crime fiction.




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Review: The Metabolism Miracle

The Metabolism Miracle by Diane Kress

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I've never really been a fan of Low Carb diets, but when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (DM), my doctor suggested that I look into a Low Carb diet for weight loss. Atkins and South Beach have never really set well with me (I think that the carb level is far too restricted, and that they don't have a solid plan in place for returning carbs to the diet when the weight is lost).

Then my mother suggested the Metabolism Miracle. It is the only thing that really works for me (I've tried DASH, which I highly recommend, but with my DM combined with some food allergies, I found it difficult to meet the requirements of DASH while still maintaining my Blood Sugar.

Kress has come up with a Carb-controlled Lifestyle Plan. I don't call it a Low Carb diet, because Kress has made a complete plan, not only for Weight Loss, but for Weight Management after weight loss goals are achieved.

It is important to note that this diet APPEARS to only allow you 5 net carbs every 5 hours. This is a common complaint that I hear about the Metabolism Miracle plan. However, if you read the book closely, you realize that that isn't factual. The diet allows you 5 bonus carbs every 5 hours. You still get carbs out of the "Free" foods that you get to eat. Vegetables have carbs. Anything that has fiber has carbs. This diet allows you a sizable list of foods that you can eat WITHOUT counting their carbs (meats, veggies, nuts, dairy, etc), but requires that with all other foods, you limit them to 5 net carbs per five hour block. So, you get more than 5 carbs, you just only get 5 carbs from foods that require counting.

Their are only two negative points about the book, as far as I am concerned, neither of which is significant enough for me to subtract a star from my rating.

The first draw back is that the book is LOADED with anecdotes. Anecdotes about Kress's clients. Anecdotes designed to clarify points and rationales about the diet. I think that they are a bit excessive. I didn't really need THAT many success (and failure) stories to drive home the points of the plan. I don't deduct a star for this because I realize that many people PREFER to read many stories to provide anecdotal evidence for proof of concept. I'm not one of those people, but I do think that many people prefer it.

The second (and final) drawback to the book is the title. "The Metabolism Miracle" makes this sound like another crash diet or fad diet. It is not, it is a complete lifestyle, designed to promote healthy living, long term, in the real world. Unfortunately, the title may turn some people away, as it sounds very "fad."





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Review: Gone Girl

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



It is difficult to review this book without giving away any spoilers. I found the book both well-written and entertaining. I found the main characters (Nick and Amy) to be both unlikable and easy to bond with at the same time. This fact is somewhat disconcerting.

Both characters are extremely flawed, and it is difficult to decide for whom to root. Both had intellect and stamina worth admiring. Neither had moral fortitude worthy of admiration. The author did an excellent job writing in each character's voice. It was evident from the reading who was speaking (and not just from the chapter titles), each character had a unique and specific voice.

Their relationship was complex and intriguing. At times I sided with one, other times I sided with the other. In the end, I shrugged my shoulders and sided with Boney.

The author dealt with some fairly intense relationship issues in a way to make the book engrossing and thrilling. I am one who can put a book down and walk away for a month, then come back and pick up where I left off. That was not the case with this book. I had great difficulty putting this book down at all, much less for any length of time.

In reading the reviews, I see that many people HATED the ending. Without adding spoilers, I believe that this was no mistake on the part of the author, but was actually intentional. The characters are so fully irredeemable that no other end would have suited them appropriately.

The book is well worth reading, although I would not use this book as relationship advice.



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Review: A Brewing Storm

A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



First, let's start with the fact that I gave this book 3 stars. That is not an indictment of the book itself, it's just that the book was not one of my favorites. I liked it, but I didn't "really like" it (which would be 4 stars) or "love" it (which would have been 5 stars). I liked it. It was a solid read.

Spy fiction is not my thing. Private Detective's are. This was a little of both.

Short Fiction is also not my thing. This was a novella, which made it just long enough for my taste.

The book was solidly written by a ghost writer. It is not fine literature, but it was a fun read. I applaud that. I'm a fan of fun. I think that if all of the books in the world were fine literature, the world would be a beautiful but boring place.

Most of the negative reviews of this book were complaints that the book was "part of a book" or "unfinished" or "a trick to get you to buy the next book." But those things don't worry me. I'll address each of them in kind.

First, the book is not "part of a book". It is a stand-alone novella in a novella trilogy. That means that the book should have some resolution at the end, while still leaving enough loose ends for it to run into the next book.

I'm going to use one of my favorite trilogies as an example* (and, mind you, this trilogy is no LOTR): In "Lord of the Rings", Frodo does not reach Mordor at the end of the first book (because one does not simply walk into Mordor). There is resolution in the first book on some of the smaller plot points, but the final objective carries forward into the next book. I don't think that anyone would complain that "The Fellowship of the Rings" is not a complete work of fiction. But it is part of a trilogy, and was designed as such, so therefore the most central plot point carries further into the following books.

So it is with "A Brewing Storm". The first book's mystery is solved (what happened to the money and why). But the overlapping myth arc is not solved (who is the source of the "conspiracy", if it should actually BE a conspiracy.

The novel is designed to be a stand-alone novella in a larger trilogy, and is successful in doing so.

The novella is NOT unfinished. See my points above. It RESOLVES the current mystery, while giving a hook for the overall arc.

And finally, the book is NOT A TRICK to get you to buy the next book. It's DESIGNED to be part of a trilogy. Just like a TV series is designed to be a series. So, when you watch a series, it not resolving EVERYTHING in EVERY episode is NOT A TRICK, it's the nature of writing for a series. It's WHY you make it as a series, and not as a stand-alone film. My example for this is "The X-Files"*. In this series, each episode (or couple if they are two-parters) resolved the current case, but we still don't know who is behind the conspiracy. We still don't know what the Cigarette-Smoking-Man is up to or all about. That doesn't make it "A TRICK", it makes it writing for a series.

That is what this book does.

The book is a fun read, if you take it for what it is supposed to be: Light Fiction and a part of a series (specifically a trilogy). If you like spy-craft (of which there is a little) and detective fiction, you will likely like this novella. Be prepared to read all three, if you want to know the final answers.

*I realize that comparing this book to LOTR or The X-Files is near-sacrilege in some circles. I fully recognize this. PLEASE DON'T REVOKE MY NERD-CARD.



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Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I realize that the trend is always towards a series of books. And this is a trend that I fully support. This book is part of a larger series, which was obviously intended at the time of its writing. I have no issue with any of that.

This book is a complete story, that is strong enough to stand all on its own. It is clever and well-written. I find the dialogue, both in the present and in the past, both in America and in Britain, to ring true. I find this to be quite a feat. It is often difficult for an adult writer to accomplish believable teen dialogue. The fact that this writer was able to do so over two centuries and two continents is really impressive.

The only issue that I have with the novel (and it is what keeps it at 4-stars instead of 5) is that it feels, throughout to be expository. Throughout the reading, I kept thinking, well, now, if the story doesn't start soon, we'll have no book in this book.

And, yet, the book IS there. The story DOES progress. It does have rising action, it does have a climax, it does have brief falling action, and even more brief denouement. All of the elements are there, and in the proper order. All are well-written and entertaining.

Yet, for some reason, I continued to feel that this book was the mere exposition for a much longer book. I recognize that the first book in any series is heavy on expository data for the rest of the series, but this one just felt, although it is fully a stand-alone novel, like it was not part of a series, but part of a larger book.

I can't explain this feeling. And I can't describe in any way how the author could have avoided this issue or altered the book to correct the issue. It's just a feeling I had during reading, and it is a feeling that I can't pin down.

Also, I felt that the photographs were formatted well for Kindle.  I was able to view them easily on my Kindle Paperwhite.



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Review of "Profile of a Killer"

I had never heard of the film or any of the members of it's cast before finding it in the Amazon Prime Instant Video library tonight.  For a film with an unknown cast (at least to me), I found this film to be surprisingly good.  The acting was quite good and the concept was, while not entirely novel, an unusual approach to the serial killer sub-genre.  While I say that the concept was entirely novel, I mean just that.  It was a novel approach, but not entirely so.  It was something that isn't done everyday, but there are elements of it that you have seen before.  Frankly, I found it a refreshing take on the subject.  (I am a bit hampered here by my desire to avoid spoilers).

The film does have some gore, although most viewers of films about serial killers will find said gore to be mild.  If you are new to the sub-genre, however, I would recommend trying another film first, especially if you are faint of heart.

I found the writing to be, for the most part, entertaining and believable.

Quite well done, and I would recommend "Profile of a Killer" to anyone who enjoys thrillers and is not squeamish.

Review: Armed and Outrageous

Armed and Outrageous by Madison Johns

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I felt that the mystery itself was well-thought out. I had few issues with grammar, punctuation, or spelling (although there were a few issues there). What I objected to was the characteristics attributed to the elderly. The author claims in her foreword that she has worked with the elderly for years and assures the reader that the elderly truly can behave this way (adding the caveat that the exaggerated some behavior because she wanted her characters to be "over the top').

I can accept that. She wants her characters to be modern and sexually active (something that many younger readers may have difficulty accepting). She wants her characters to be wild and "cool" (like pot smoking and drinking). She wants them to be badasses (with the fighting and gunplay).

I'm OK with all of that.

What bothered me was the stereotyping. The SERIOUSLY INACCURATE stereotyping. The main character keeps her teeth in a class of efferdent. She has dentures at 72, which isn't uncommon, but it isn't the norm nowadays, either. With my grandmother's generation (the generation that would have been Agnes Barton's PARENTS' generation, this was the norm. But Agnes's generation is that of the Baby Boomers. I have several people in my life of this age group. I have 9 people in my life who I know closely enough to know their medical and social history (I will call them my "sample" for the purposes of this review). My sample consists of 5 women and 4 men. Their ages range from 65-75. Four members of this sample are couples (2 of the men married to 2 of the women). Two of the remaining women are not currently married (either widowed or divorced). The remaining woman and remaining two men are married to people outside of the sample (for whom I don't know these statistics)

ALL of the members of the sample still have their own natural teeth. Only one of them has any dentures, and that's a partial plate from when she was in an accident as a teenager.

She talks about how MOST of the seniors in this retirement community want to be in bed by 9 pm every night. Of the nine people in my sample group, only 2 of them like to be in bed by this time. Those two are a married couple. The other 7 in this group go to bed at various times AFTER 9 pm.

The author portrays sex at this age as somewhat of a rarity. The main character acts like no one would ever want to have sex with her again at the age of 72. Her best friend is 80, and will basically take whatever she can get in the sex department, because it's so rare to find. Of my sample, 7 of the members are currently sexually active. The other two are abstinent by choice, as neither is currently interested in joining the dating pool.

The author portrays seniors as being bad drivers. This is spoken of specifically about one character. I can live with that part, because maybe Eleanor is just a bad driver. And Aggie blames it on her age. OK, I can handle that. But later, Agnes pulls into a parking lot, and proceeds to tell the reader that every car in the parking lot was dinged and dented because most of the drivers in this retirement are senior citizens. THIS was the part to which I took the most offence. Evidently, other readers had similar qualms. Additionally, our main character actually drunk drives home from a party.

Firstly, a study just came out this last week that showed that seniors have a much LOWER incidence of accidents than younger drivers (including the age 26-45s). Of my representative sample, two members are aggressive drivers, two are frequent dent and dingers, and THE OTHER FIVE are excellent drivers. One of them has never had a ticket, in over 50 years of driving, and has only had one accident (when a deer hit her car - I specifically say that the deer hit her car, because the damage was all to the windshield and roof, because the deer jumped on top of the car, it never contacted the bumper). 2 of these drivers had issues with driving under the influence, but it was when they were younger, and none of them has driven under the influence in over 20 years. 7 of these group members have not had an accident in over a decade. The other two are (of course) our frequent dent and dingers.

The author also portrays gatherings with these characters (like their monthly card night) as a time for comparing battle scars. Everyone is talking about their aches and pains. Bowel movements and their frequency are considered normal discussion for characters of this age (the main character actually says that they talk about this EVERY month when the get together). In my sample, the only real discussion of aches an pains that I've seen occurs when someone has recently had some sort of major illness or procedure (example: chemotherapy heart bypass). I've never heard any of them sitting around talking about bowel movements. And their discussion of medical issues seems no more or less intense than people of my age (30s & 40s). I, myself, had a major surgery about 3 years ago, and afterwards everyone constantly asked me for medical updates. After a while, it subsided. I see the seniors in my life discuss their health issues NO MORE AND NO LESS than other adults.

There were some minor writing issues in the book, a few were distracting for the reader, but most were easily overlooked. It was the ridiculous stereotyping that I had an issue with.

I was also bothered by how disrespectful anyone under the age of 30 was. It seemed like if you were under 30, you were a rude, disrespectful jerk. I have not found this to be the case in the real world either.



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Review: When Christians Get It Wrong

When Christians Get It Wrong by Adam Hamilton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I found this book to be thoughtful and insightful. I am quite inspired after reading it. I feel that Hamilton has an interesting perspective for both Christians and non-Christians alike.

While the book is obviously written from a Christian perspective (Hamilton is a Methodist minister), it is not overly preachy.



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Review: The Big Four

The Big Four by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It's hard to explain about this book. It was far off what you come to expect from Poirot. It was more spy adventure than cozy mystery. And this was the first time that I have ever been bored by a Christie novel. Not extremely bored, but I was able to put it down rather easily. Typically, I read an Agatha Christie novel over the course of a few days. This book took me over a week. Obviously, I wasn't devoting as much time to it as I would other novels.

It was fine. It just wasn't great.



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Review: The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes (Updated)

Anyone who has run across my posts in the Kindle forums is probably already aware that I plug the book The Lodger.  Mercilessly.  I plug this book so often that one might think that I wrote it, or at least that I have a published edition of it for sale in the Kindle store.  I don’t.  With the way that I plug this book, one might also think that it is the best book that I have ever read.  It wasn’t.  What it was, was the most surprising book that I ever read.  Not the storyline, don’t worry, no spoilers here, it was just the book itself that was surprising.

You see, it was the first book that I read on my first Kindle.  I wanted to take advantage of all of the free public domain books that were available to me, and I selected one at random.  Well, not quite at random.  I searched for the keywords “Jack the Ripper”.  I don’t really know why, it was just the first thing that popped into my mind (should that worry me?).  This book came up as a public domain book, by an author of whom I’d never heard, and there was a free edition available.  So, I downloaded it.  And I read it.  And I loved it.

I have said that this was not the best book that I’d ever read, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable, five-star read.  When I downloaded it (wirelessly, for the first time to a Kindle, which was exciting enough), I expected to read this old book that would be interesting enough and not too boring.  I mean, really, it was almost a century old, and I’d never heard of the author.  Sometime during the course of my life, especially when I was working on a degree in Literature, I had at least heard of EVERY good author from that period, surely.  Right?  Wrong.

This book did not turn out to be a somewhat antiquated, only a little boring, read.  It turned out to be a page-turner.  So much so, that Dobby (my husband, for those of you who are new to my blog) started saying things like, “I’m not sure that this whole Kindle thing was a good idea” because I was giving him so little attention.  He’s learned to cope with that now.

I’ve explained about my personal experience with this book, but what you really want to know is more about the book itself.  I aim to please:

This book is set in London in the time of the Whitechapel Murders.  The main characters are a middle-aged couple who own a rooming house.  They rent out a couple of rooms to a young man whom they’ve never met prior to his becoming their lodger.  The suspense of this story comes from their suspicion that he may indeed be Jack the Ripper.  So, is he?

No, of course he isn’t.  Oh, wait, yes he is.  Not really, I’m just kidding.  Or am I?

The fact of the matter is that it isn’t relevant.  Well, I’m sure that it is to the middle-aged couple, but it’s not really relevant to the reader.  What is relevant in this book is the couple’s CONCERN that he might be.  In the end, we find out the truth one way or the other, but that is not the interesting part.  To be honest, it wouldn’t really matter to the reader whether or not we ever know.  It’s the suspense, the agony, the suspicion, and the excitement that matters.  That’s what the story is about.  “Whodunit” doesn’t matter; what matters is how the main characters feel about it.  This is what Lowndes does unbelievably well.

So, I highly recommend that you check out The Lodger for a suspenseful, pleasure read that won’t cost you a dime.

The Lodger is also available in in other formats.

Check out the Paperwhite here.  

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of  basic Kindle is available here (I recommend the Special Offers - saves you money and is unobtrusive).

For comments, questions, and feedback, the author may be contacted at:  unkemptruminations@comcast.net

Review: The Chink in the Armor

The Chink in the Armor by Marie Belloc Lowndes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have a fascination with Marie Belloc Lowndes. So, when I was looking for a nice, somewhat creepy read after finishing the fourth book of the Chloe Boston series, I turned to my old friend Marie.

The Chink in the Armour promised to be a creepy one; I mean really, it started off with a visit to a fortune teller. That visit didn’t reveal a pleasant fortune either. It was an eerie fortune, steeped in suspicion of the soothsayer. It was a nice start.

Now, I won’t reveal whether or not the suspicious oracle was honest or a hoax. That would ruin the story for you. I hate spoilers. I don’t want to be the personification of one.

I did find that the story was less creepy than I expected. It was not the full beginning to end inducer of willies that The Lodger was. But it did start off making my hair stand on end a bit, so that was nice.

The book then turned into many things. It was part voyage of self-discovery. It was part liberation of the female lead character. It was part buddy joint. It was part mystery. It was part thriller. It was all well-written and well-done. So, while it wasn’t the creep-fest that I was expecting, it was a book well worth reading.

It, again, leaves me wondering why it is that I had never heard of Lowndes until I got my Kindle. It makes me wonder why she isn’t taught in the school system. And she’s not considered worthy of that, why she hasn’t at least developed the popular following that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has received.

Please, do me - and yourself - the favor of reading Marie Belloc Lowndes. I would recommend starting with either "The Chink in the Armour" or "The Lodger" (review to follow someday soon). And please let me know what you think about the author. I would love to hear your opinions.

As always, I can be reached on Goodreads, or at unkemptruminations@comcast.net



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Review: The World's Greatest Books, Volume 8: Fiction

The World's Greatest Books, Volume 8: Fiction by Arthur Mee

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I was not a fan of "The World's Greatest Books" series. They are digests, but pose themselves (or at least did back when I purchased them) as anthologies. The digests are so "digested" that there is very little of the original work left.

I prefer to read my books unabridged. I occasionally read a digest to as a preview sampler for other works, but with classics such as are contained here, I don't really feel that I need a sampler.

While I downloaded several of these, under the impression that they were anthologies, I will not be reading any of the others.

For someone interested in testing the waters of the pieces of classical fiction contained, these books might be a good choice. I saw nothing wrong with them as digests, I just prefer to avoid abridged fiction.



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Review: Partners in Crime

Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thought that for the most part, this was well-written. This edition (ASIN B000FCK684, published by Harper Collins) had quite a few typos and editing errors. I did not find them overwhelming or distracting from the book.

I love Christie's writing, but as I am not a fan of Short Stories, I didn't like these as well as her full-length works. It may be my preference for long fiction, or it may be that Christie was more adept at longer fiction. It may have been a combination of both. It wasn't bad, it just didn't ring my bell.

I typically sit down an read a Christie book within 24 hours, but this book took me over a week. So, there you go.

It WAS an excellent way to acquaint myself with other mystery writers who Christie respected and by whom she was influenced. I am starting to read some of them now.

Overall, it was light fun, but not quite as gripping as her longer works.



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Review: The Amethyst Box

The Amethyst Box by Anna Katharine Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a bit shorter than I expected, and it wasn't quite the mystery that it is presented as. It is more like a romantic crime story.

It also offered a compelling look at male friendship. I found the story to be entertaining and at times to have suspense. I liked the modus operandi of the incident.

Definitely worth my time.



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Review: Night Stalks the Mansion: A True Story of One Family's Ghostly Adventure

Night Stalks the Mansion: A True Story of One Family's Ghostly Adventure by Constance Westbie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Often, the complaints that I see about this book are mostly about hte facth that it isn't "The Amityville Horror." They are right, it isn't. It is not as well done as "The Amityville Horror." That, however, does not negate it's value.

Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read, but some of the details are a bit unclear.



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Review: The Loudwater Mystery

The Loudwater Mystery by Edgar Jepson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book was originally published in 1920. It is well-written and entertaining. Some of the word choice may be antiquated for today's reader, but I did not find that this was prevalent.

I thought that this book had quite the surprise ending, as good murder mysteries should. I am rarely surprised by the reveal in a mystery, I've usually got it figured out by the time the author reveals it. If I haven't got it completely sussed, I at least have strong suspicion. That was not the case with this novel. I was quite pleased to be surprised.



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Review: The Boddy in the Snowbank

The Boddy in the Snowbank by Jenna Bennett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I have seen other reviews that have blasted this story because it is too short. In my opinion, this story is short and sweet. But I did find that it really read more as a synopsis, or perhaps a plan for a longer piece of fiction, as it is only a few pages long.

I also understand that this short story was written as part of a blog challenge. That being said, I could see how the premise could be expanded by the author to form a longer work.

The fact of it being based on the board game "Clue" is a cute one.



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Review: Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health

Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



There are a couple of pieces of data that I feel could use updating (discussion of Shettles, etc), but for the most part, I found this book to be an invaluable resource.

I really feel that this book should be required reading for all women. I think that often, education on feminine health focuses too much on menstruation and hygiene products (and those are important), and not enough on what to expect during the rest of the cycle (which is equally as important).

This book and the charting involved can really help a woman get to know her body.



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