My Next Choice For An Audio Book

The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton

The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) is the first of five collections of mystery stories by G. K. Chesterton starring an unimposing but surprisingly capable Roman Catholic priest. Father Brown’s ability to uncover the truth behind the mystery continually surpasses that of the “experts” around him, who are fooled into underestimation by the priest’s unimpressive outward appearance and, often, by their own prejudices about Christianity. Combining captivating stories and insightful commentary, The Innocence of Father Brown is a delightful read. (Summary by Brian Roberg)

The Innocence of Father Brown (1911)

1. The Blue Cross (The Storyteller, September 1910)
2. The Secret Garden (The Storyteller, October 1910)
3. The Queer Feet (The Storyteller, November 1910)
4. The Flying Stars
5. The Invisible Man
6. The Honour of Israel Gow
7. The Wrong Shape
8. The Sins of Prince Saradine
9. The Hammer of God
10. The Eye of Apollo
11. The Sign of the Broken Sword
12. The Three Tools of Death

Book Review: Prentice Alvin

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 342

Genre: Fiction/Sci Fi/

Personal Rating 3.5/5

From the back cover:

Alvin's mortal enemy, the Unmaker, has found hearts and hands willing to do its bidding, while Alvin and the Prophet's people were making their last stand. Just across the Hio River from the town of Hatrack River was the first of the slave-holding territories - and they ran south all the way to the sea.

Both the United States and Appalachee have abolished slavery, while the Crown Colonies still deal in human flesh. But the slaves know that their hope of freedom lies just beyond the river; and the daring - or desperate - have often come within the range of Hatrack River's torch. Little Peggy is now sixteen, and has seen more of the world's evil than anybody rightly should - and when she "sees" a young girl and her infant son she isn't surprised by the cruelty the slave is running from. Peggy's father takes the risk of bringing the two back to the guest house, and in doing so creates the one path in all of Peggy's possible futures that may lead to happiness for both her and Alvin.

And so when Alvin arrives in Hatrack River to take up his apprenticeship with Makepeace Smith and learn to be a blacksmith, he finds that nothing is as he expected it to be. The would-be Maker is on his own, and the works of the Unmaker are close at hand.

Orson Scott Card's Tales of Alvin Maker have created a moving fantasy world from the dream of America and the simple magics of the people who settled her. Here is a world where folk magic is as much a part of life as hard work and religion, and where the red man and the white still have hope for living in peace with the land and each other. It is a fantasy unique to literature, yet as inevitable as breathing. It is a work that will live forever in your
heart..

Thanks goodness book three was better than book two. I was worried I had signed up using Tales of Alvin Maker for the Series Challenge after reading book two but book three turned around and in my opinion headed in the right direction.

This part of the saga focused on three main characters; Alvin, Peggy and Arthur Stuart. Peggy was the torch girl who pulled the caul from Alvin's face when he was born. They are destined to marry but Peggy can "see" they Alvin is going to marry her from duty and obligation and will resent their marriage. On the day Alvin arrives in Hatrack River Peggy runs away and "opens up" new paths into the future for everyone. Ones that may even include happiness in marriage for Peggy and Alvin.

Arthur Stuart is the little mix up boy. He is the baby of the black slave girl who ran away from her white slave owner who raped her. She used black magic and gave up her life so she could literally fly far enough away that the slave hunters couldn't find her. Alvin and Arthur Stuart become very close. By the end of the story, Alvin, Arthur & Peggy's futures paths are all crossed and dependent on each other.

This story or series will not appeal to everyone. You need to enjoy Card's style and a little bit of fantasy and magic. I am enjoying the setting which is an alternative frontier America. For example there is a large river named the Hio the represents the Ohio.

Excellent first sentence: Let me start my history of Alvin's apprenticeship where things first began to go wrong.

Book Review: Cruel & Unusual

Author: Patricia Cornwell

Pages: 407

Genre: Fiction/Thriller

Personal Rating: 3/5

Awards: Gold Dagger Award

From the back cover:

When convicted killer Ronnie Joe Waddell is executed in Virginia's electric chair, he becomes what should be a routine postmortem case for Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. But after Waddell's execution, the murders continue, as everyone connected to him begins to die-including a member of Scarpetta's staff. Then, when crucial records begin to disappear from her files, Scarpetta comes under fire for incompetence. Caught in a web of political intrigue, betrayed by those she trusted, Scarpetta must fight to free herself from murderous insinuations—and threats to her own life, To save her career, Scarpetta soon finds herself retracing Waddell's bloody footprints, following a trail that might lead to long—hidden secrets deep within the state government. Either the truth will set her free—or unleash upon her a punishment both cruel and unusual.

This book was OK! It was just your good old fashion satisfying read. Nothing spectacular. It was interesting enough to keep me going but no so great that I'm going to be running around recommending it to everyone I know. I wasn't able to figure out what was going on (so that was good) and everything was neatly wrapped up in the last few pages.

If you like thrillers/mystery/foresnic reads you'll enjoy this book. It isn't one of the best I've read but it sure isn't a dud!

Book Review: Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker II)

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 320

Genre: Fiction/Sci Fi. & Fantasy/Epic/Series

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

From the back cover:

It's the 19th century, and Napoleon is in command of an army in Detroit. Andrew Jackson is a lawyer from Tenezzy, and William Henry Harrison is the self-appointed governor of Wobbish just east of the Mizzipy River. And somewhere up north, in a small town called Vigor Church, is a young boy named Alvin who is the seventh son of a seventh son, with the power to shape the world around him. These are the tales of Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker, which takes place in an alternate American history where folk magic really works. And this is the story of the Red Prophet, where Alvin finds himself caught in a war between the Red men and the Whites on the American frontier.

Book II from Tales of Alvin Maker was not my cup of tea. If it wasn't the second book in a series for the Series Challenge and if I had not enjoyed Book I, I probably would have stopped reading. It's not that it was a terrible story, or horribly written (quite the opposite actually). It just wasn't my thing.

The focus of Book II is Alvin's relationship with the Red Prophet and Ta-Kumsaw (the Prophet's brother) and the impending war between the Whites and the Reds. I'm sure it is important for the foundation of the series but as a stand alone novel I found it boring. There was a lot of foreshadowing involved so I'm pretty sure you couldn't just skip this book and move on with the novel.

There were sections I found very interesting and hope to find more sections like those in the upcoming books. Alvin using his knack for healing, references to the Torch, who pulled the caul from Calvin's face when he was born. The prophet's visions of Alvin's future with the crystal towers were all topics i found interesting and wished were covered in more detailed.

I wouldn't abandon the series based on this book alone. It seems that many people really enjoyed book II. I'm however ready to move onto Book III.

Book Review: The Silver Rose

Author: Susan Carroll

Pages: 515

Genre: Fiction/Historical Romance

Personal Rating: 3.5/5

From the back cover:

From Brittany’s fog-shrouded forests to the elegant dark heart of Paris’s royal court, one woman must challenge a country’s destiny–and her own dangerous fate.

France, 1585. She is the youngest and most powerful of the “Sisters of Faire Isle,” women known far and wide for their extraordinary mystical abilities. Skilled in healing and able to forecast the future of those around her, Miri Cheney has returned to her ancestral home to take refuge from a land devastated by civil war–and to grieve for her family, driven to exile. But she cannot hide from the formidable new power threatening to seize control of France from the dread “Dark Queen,” Catherine de Medici–a diabolical woman known only as the Silver Rose. Miri has no choice but to turn to the one man she distrusts as much as she desires: Simon Aristide, the charismatic witch-finder who is now himself the hunted, and who has reluctantly made an unholy pact with Catherine. Miri must defy throne and family to save all that she loves most–and command a future greater than she could ever imagine.

Vibrant with stunning historical detail, alive with characters as richly passionate as they are compelling, The Silver Rose is a sweeping, exquisitely wrought tale from a mesmerizing storyteller.

This novel was different from what I would normally choose to read for myself. I was expecting something along the lines of “The Other Boleyn Girl” but it was different from that. Not bad different, just different. I also found the back cover description to be not quite accurate to what actually happens in the book. Doesn’t change that I really liked the story but it alludes to a story that doesn’t really happen “that way”. It states that Miri will “command a future greater than she could ever imagine.” Huh??? Where? What commanding future did I miss? A little melodramatic on the back cover in my opinion.

It turns out that I started with the 3rd book in the series. So I may have enjoyed this book even more had I read the two prior to this one. Those books would be “The Dark Queen” and “The Courtesan”. Both of which I have, I just didn’t realize they were a series until it was too late. Bummer.

This novel had a little bit of everything; magic, romance, history, action, animals, family, different cities, betrayal, witches, queens. It was a simple, quick, interesting read. Something nice and light to read between those heavier more serious reads. A good recommendation for the type of book it is. Don’t try to make it something more. I’m looking forward to going backward and reading the two books that came before this one.

Book Review: Seventh Son--Tales of the Alvin Maker

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 241

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Personal Rating: 4/5

Come fall in love with a magical America that might have been…

This is written on the front cover and is what first captured my attention. The Seventh Son is the first book in a series. It is mainly an introduction and probably a “set up” for the books that will be following. The main character is Alvin Jr. He is the seventh son, of a seventh son. This somehow holds extreme importance (for the boy). He is what several people think of as a “Maker”. This is somewhat explained but I’m sure will come into play in later books. He is capable of “seeing” things slightly different and is therefore able to do things/make things just a little better. We are also briefly introduced to something (not a person) called the Unmaker. It seems that Alvin will struggle with the Unmaker for a long time.

Most of the story is spent introducing and developing characters who have wonderful names like Taleswapper, and Thrower. Alvin Jr. has brothers named Wastenot and Wantnot, Calm and Measure. You are also able to figure out that the story is taking place in an America that is slightly different than the frontier America we are familiar with. Here folklore, myth and magic are realities. Traditional religion seems like it will also have a role to play.

I’m not doing this book justice with my review. I can say that I did want to go and pick up the next one right away but I’m making myself wait and read a few other books first.