The Turn of the Key/ Ruth Ware/ 336 pgs

I enjoy most of Ruth Ware's novels but I'm still unsure what to think of this one. The construct of the novel doesn't work at all: a female prisoner writing to a lawyer she's never met, telling him every excruciating detail of what led to her being imprisoned. However, by the end of the novel it's clear why this construct was chosen (I still don't think it works). Rowan Caine works at a daycare in the baby room. She happens across an ad for a live-in nanny in Scotland and decides to go for the job. She hints that she has an ulterior motive for wanting the job. In a whirlwind, she sends off her application, gets an interview, quits her daycare job, and steps in as the 5th nanny to the Elincourt girls, ages 8, 5, and toddler plus a 14-year-old teenager who enters the story towards the end of the book. The Elincourts are architects and both mum and dad are off to work out of the country as soon Rowan arrives. Their house, a Victorian, has been mostly modernized, especially as a "smart" home. Creepy things start to happen almost immediately and Rowan is left in no doubt why the other nanny's left. The creep factor is mostly well done though I expected even more of the "smart house driving me crazy" stuff. This whole story is build up to Rowan explaining to the off-page attorney that she did not cause the death of "that little girl." (not a spoiler--the child's death is mentioned at the get go). There is a LOT of build up here with very little payoff. Oh, there are twists at the end, one that probably could have sufficed for the whole book and another, final one that just left me disturbed and unsure how I felt about the whole thing.

A Duke by Default/ Alyssa Cole/ 376 pgs

Why yes, I am on an Alyssa Cole reading binge. However did you guess? This is one of her contemporary romances in the Reluctant Royals series. While the writing was fabulous as always, I didn't love this one as much as her other books. Portia was a bit of a wild child in the first book but after seeing how her behavior hurt her best friend, not to mention herself, she has her life back on track. She accepts a sword-making apprenticeship in Scotland. The sword-maker, Tavish, is initially thoroughly unimpressed with Portia. But she's a social media/marketing whiz and soon she's doing all the right things for his business and they are falling for each other. Then the duke part of the plot enters the picture and the book went downhill from there. I have nothing against dukes and in fact love historical romance, which is littered with them. But Cole makes some very basic factual errors in this plot line and as a history major, I just couldn't go along with it. The sword-making business and the romance plots are both outstanding. I just wish she would have left the duke plot out.

Trainspotting / Irvine Welsh (Scottish author) / 344 pages

Trainspotting is a collection of short stories that take place around the late 1980s in Edinburgh, Leith, and London.  Jumping from different perspectives-- sometimes first-person point-of-view, sometimes third-person point-of-view-- between junkies, psychopaths, British snobs, and even the Gothic teenage cousin of one junkie, we are given a neutral view on the relationship between heroin, its users, and the world around them, without demoralizing or moralizing any of these things.  It's as if the author were giving us the chance to decide for ourselves whether we should sympathize or disagree with any of the characters.  One of the recurring characters, possibly the main guy, is Mark Renton, a young University dropout and heroin cook who seesaws between getting on the wagon for his family's sake and off the wagon for his nihilism's sake; this conflict is notorious for its one scene where Renton goes through withdrawal symptoms, such as hallucinating the ghost of a baby crawling on the ceiling towards him.  There's a lot of heavy dialect and slang in this book, but once you figure out what each word means (ex. "ken"="know", "bairn"="baby", "nowt"="nothing", etc.), you start to get the hang of it.  There's also a lot of dropping of the four-lettered "c-word", more than any other swear word you can think of, so if you're not into that kind of language, watch out.

Nevertheless, off to see the movie now.

The Prince Who Loved Me / Karen Hawkins / 355 pgs / Historical Fiction

"Prince Alexsey Romanovin enjoys his carefree life, flirting—and more—with every lovely lady who crosses his path. But when the interfering Grand Duchess Natasha decides it's time for her grandson to wed, Alexsey finds himself in Scotland, determined to foil her plans. Brainy, bookish, and bespectacled, Bronwyn Murdoch seems the perfect answer—she isn't at all to the duchess' taste.

Living at the beck and call of her ambitious stepmother and social butterfly stepsisters, Bronwyn has little time for a handsome flirt—no matter how intoxicating his kisses are. After all, no spoiled, arrogant prince would be seriously interested in a firm-minded female like herself. So . . . wouldn't it be fun to turn his "game" upside down and prove that an ordinary woman can bring a prince to his knees?"

I got this sweet, little romance in a swap, and I needed a break from serious reads and thoughts. The best short description of this I can give is Cinderella meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days plus your usual romance sexy times and set in Scotland. There were a few times I wanted to slap the prince (as you do), and I always need some suspension of disbelief because romances aren’t really realistic, but overall it was fun!

The Bookshop on the Corner: a novel/ Jenny Colgan/ 332 pages

The Bookshop on the Corner written by Jenny Colgan presents in interesting idea.  The Birmingham, England library is closing branches, downsizing it's and collection and going hi-tech.  Media specialist are in and librarians are out.  Nina hopes to retain her job as librarian, all the while collecting the spoils of discarded books.  After losing out to friend Griffin, for the one job opening and having her book collection threaten serious structural damage to her roommates home, Nina embarks on an adventure.  Up in the Scottish highlands is an old van, perfect for Nina's idea of a rolling bookstore.  Her stock?  All those discarded library books.  After a few mis-starts, Nina gets her van up and going.  All that is to find romance.  Will it be midnight train engineer, Marek or sheep farmer Lennox who fulfills her dream?  This is a light read that presents some interesting concepts and presents Scotland in a very nice light.  

In Bed with a Highlander / Maya Banks / 359 pages

The title and cover of this book are far more scandalous than anything actually contained in the pages.  This is a typical historical romance featuring Marin, an unrealistically innocent young woman who has spent the last ten years in a monastery hiding from those who would force her into marriage for her dowry.  Little is said about Marin's mother, but her father is brother to the king of Scotland.  Marin is their illegitimate child.  Marin is portrayed as fiercely protective and having a young teen's expectations of love and marriage.  Having been taught the ways of the world by a nun at the abbey, she is scandalized by her husband's actions on their wedding night.  She is even more shocked when seeking advice from women in the clan who suggest that "anything decent in loving isn't much fun."  It's an enjoyable read though not particularly well-written.  Kirsten Potter's narration is beautifully done.  Her accent make the story enjoyable to listen to.

An Echo in the Bone / Diana Gabaldon / 820 pages

Having almost caught up with the author of the Outlander series, I can safely say this has been the most enjoyable series to read.  I find it amazing that while describing time travel and more bad luck than any one family should ever have to contend with, the author keeps the characters themselves realistic.  Beware reading further for spoilers.


One thread that has been running through the last few books was whether young Ian would ever return home - in this book he finally does.  Relations between the Frasers and John Grey come to a head.  While resolving some cliffhangers from past books, this one opened up several new cliffhangers.  I can't wait to see how they are resolved.

Death of a Liar/M. C. Beaton/261 pages

Hamish MacBeth's new case involves more than just murder. There's a lot going on in the small village of Cromish, one of the outlying parts of MacBeth's territory. Religious scams, smuggling, and drugs are all part of the crime. In addition, there are two new possible love interests, as well as two former fiancées to distract Hamish.


Another delightful cozy by the master!

Voyager / Diana Gabaldon / 870 pages

In this third book of Gabaldon's Outlander series, Jamie must face his worst fear - sailing across the ocean - in pursuit of the pirates who kidnapped his 15-year-old nephew.  Claire won't be kept at home and accompanies him on his pursuit, getting into trouble along the way.  They tour the Caribbean islands of the 18th century during their chase and meet an old acquaintance they thought long dead.  This book exposes the many cultures and cultural attitudes of the 18th century while exhibiting the timeless love story that anyone would want to relate to.

Dragonfly in Amber / Diana Gabaldon / 743 pages

This is the second installment of Gabaldon's Outlander series.  The beginning of the book was a bit jarring; the end of the first book leaves our heroine Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser safely in Scotland with her 18th century love, but in the beginning of the 2nd book, she is driving with her daughter in 1963 Scotland.  After the first couple of chapters we get a flashback to explain how she ended up back in the present (or more recent past to us) and who her daughter's father is.  The series is Dr. Who meets Braveheart.  Fans of either who can appreciate a strong female character will love this book,

Outlander / Diana Gabaldon / 627 pages

In the foreword to this book, the author recounts that her publisher told her this book would have to be a word-of-mouth book because it was just too weird to describe.  While there is some truth to that, I shall do my best to describe it.  This is primarily a historical fiction with some time travel and a heap of romance thrown in.  Gabaldon doesn't shy away from describing any of the practices of 18th century Scotland in excruciating detail - whether it's the punishment of a young thief by nailing his ear to a post or the use of herbs and plants in both medicine and magic.


Gabaldon covers a slew of social issues throughout her fiction.  You'll find Elizabeth Beachamp's reactions to domestic violence, corporal punishment, homosexuality, relationships between husbands and wives, and fealty between lords and subjects expressed in a refreshingly honest way.  I personally liked the juxtaposition of religion, magic, and science in 18th century Scotland and the question that Gabaldon raises of whether we have progressed or regressed in our thinking about those subjects.


Overall, it is a great read, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber.

Death of a Policeman/M.C. Beaton/264 pages/2 December Challenges Met

Hamish Macbeth knows that his police station in his perfect little town of Lochdubh is in danger of being closed down. Detective Chief Inspector Blair would like nothing better than to get rid of Hamish who has a way of solving the murder cases that come his way and making Blair look foolish in the process. When the undercover policeman that Blair sends down to spy on Hamish gets murdered, Hamish first has to prove he didn't do it and then find who did. The trail leads back to a restaurant where both Blair and his boss, Superintendent Daviot dine regularly. Is there a connection? Meanwhile, Hamish's fellow police officer and housemate finds himself attracted to more than one lady but suffers nothing but heartbreak trying to catch one lady between engagements and another one before she leaves his life for good.

Another fine Beaton mystery.