One Bear's Opinion: My Life in France

My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme

I grew up watching Julia Child cooking on tv, but never actually knew more than that about her. This was an interesting book, fun to read and full of little bits of things to learn about Julia Child's life. I was a bit disappointed that there was not much mention of her life in the OSS, but the War was over before she lived in France, so I can understand why it was not mentioned.

The story behind Mastering the Art of French Cooking made me want to get a copy, but then I wondered if I would be owning it own the book or owning it to actively use it. More thought is needed before I invest in any of Julia Child's books. But I can highly recommend My Life in France. It's one of those really nice books that is sectioned nicely for dipping in and out, like at restaurants where waiters will come by and bring food, or in waiting rooms where you may be called to the back at any moment.

One Bear's Opinion: Four glasses of French Wine with a hearty dinner of Boeuf Bourguignon shared with good friends

Happy Reading Everyone,

Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I saw promotion for this book, and it looked like something I would enjoy reading and as it turns out, it was. It was a very good book, very hard to put down once the action got moving. And the mystery was quite well crafted and intriguing as well. I was on the wrong track for a good while, solving along with the investigators in the book, which is always fun for me as a reader. The characters became friends, though I am still not sure what to make of Elizabeth.

The only pause I have in recommending everyone head out right away and get a copy it is that the author, while a seemingly nice gentleman, especially on Pointless and panel shows, has proven himself no friend of bears. This is a problem for my bear conscience. I want people to read the book, but I really don't want people to buy the book. So here's what my bear brain thinks is the best option: if you have a friend, see if you can borrow the book to read. Or if, like me, you have already bought the book, loan it out to as many friends as you possibly can.

One Bear's Opinion: Four (and a half) G&Ts from a can with a Lime Drizzle Cake

Happy Reading Everyone, 

Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: Sprinkle with Murder

Sprinkle with Murder
by Jenn McKinlay

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The mystery was fun and intriguing. I was on the wrong track until near the end. The problem was I didn't really like the main characters. They are people I'd talk to on the plane, just not the kind of people I want to have over for dinner or a movie night.

I wanted to like the book, because I wanted to like the series. Unfortunately, I do not really like the characters. I am sorry about that. I am sure there are plenty of other people who love this series, I am not one of them.

The mystery was really well crafted and quite engaging. And the book we well-written. Everything points to a book and series I should like. But I don't.

One Bear's Opinion: Three cups of diner coffee with a day-old cupcake

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: The Passion of the Purple Plumeria

The Passion of the Purple Plumeria
by Lauren Willig

I really enjoy the books in the Pink Carnation series, They are fun, exciting, and thrilling to read. I have a couple of issues with them. I wish the publishers had somehow made the current story more easily recognizable in the text, perhaps used a different font for the current story or numbered the chapters differently. I dislike the abrupt switch from one story to the other, but that's just my opinion as a reader, and I notice it each time I read one of the books in the series.

Running complaint handled, now to The Passion of the Purple Plumeria. Miss Gwen has always been one of my favorite characters, and I love that she got to tell her story. I'm not quite sure where the wandering over-arching plot is going from here, but I am excited to see how the author finishes up the story. She seems to have written herself into a corner with the main and familiar characters.

The plot was fairly easy to guess as I read it, and there were no real surprises. Well, there was one surprise, but I'll not say anything about it, lest I give away spoilers. Underneath it all, this was a love story rather than a spy story, but the Pink Carnation novels all have an undercurrent of love story to them. The spy aspect is a more a subplot than a main one.

I find them interesting as they are connected by recurring characters more than the main characters, and each book tells the story of a supporting character. It's a fun way to connect a series. The thread of the Napoleonic spies runs through the series, but the characters change in each installment. The ones who were main characters in one novel are relegated to supporting roles in the next. It's a fun concept, and I am enjoying it. I am sorry there are only two installments left. There are many friends in the series who deserve their stories to be told and I am sorry not all of them will get the chance.

One Bear's Opinion: Four glasses of lemonade with a plate of iced cakes while "watching" Artaxeres

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: The Silent Speaker

The Silent Speaker
by Rex Stout

I've seen the Timothy Hutton production of The Silent Speaker, but it's been years, and all I really remembered was the wax cylinder recordings. And I remember thinking how much state-of-the-art technology has changed since the War.

So going in, I knew the wax cylinders were important, but not how or why. It was fun to rediscover the mystery. And it was fun to have an adventure with Archie. I can't say too much, but if you're a fan of Nero Wolfe & Archie's interaction, there is a fantastic scene in this book. It's worth it to read for just that moment.

It was a lot of fun to read, and now I'm going to have to go re-watch the television adaptation to see how well it was compared to the book.

One Bear's Opinion: Five bottles of beer, followed by a visit from Dr. Vollmer, because by then you'll need it

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: Not Quite Dead Enough

Not Quite Dead Enough
by Rex Stout

Another collection of a couple of Nero Wolfe short stories or maybe novellas, I'm not exactly sure where the cut-off is, it seems to be a grey area to more people than just me. And another good visit with Archie. In these, Archie is a Major in the US Army. It's wartime and for the time being he's assigned to handle Nero Wolfe. It's an interesting assignment and I think Archie thinks so too, but he'll go with it. Good thing too, or there wouldn't be the short stories for this book.

I enjoyed "Not Quite Dead Enough" more than "Booby Trap," but both were interesting. It's a fun book and a fun visit with the gang in the brownstone on West 35th Street.

One Bear's Opinion: Four bottles of beer and a dinner with no discussions of business.

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: Black Orchids

Black Orchids
by Rex Stout

Any visit with Archie Goodwin is a good one. And this was a satisfactory visit with Archie. It was two short stories that were connected by the Black Orchids. Other than the flowers, there was no connection.

I always feel short stories are a teaser tasting, so it's nice to have a collection to savor, rather than just one short one to tear through quickly.

"Black Orchids" tells the story of how Nero Wolfe came to be in possession of the flowers, which was fun, because...spoiler alert...Nero Wolfe leaves his house! You know any time that occurs, something is bound to happen.

Individually the short stories were fun, together they made for a lingering visit with old friends.

One Bear's Opinion: Five bottles of beer, after a dinner of Saucisse Minuit

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: The Three Emperors

The Three Emperors: Three Cousins, Three Empires, and the Road to World War One
by Miranda Carter

This is a hefty book, in every sense. It's a long book, with a hefty feel, and the subject matter is complex, complicated, and heavy. It took me a month and a half to read it, though I did read a couple of other books at the same time. This book benefits from having a "fun" book to read at the same time.

I have read other biographies of Tsar Nicholas II, but this one was different in that it wove the stories of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tsar Nicholas II, and King George V together. Their stories were woven together, as they were all related to each other, but this book did a good job linking their stories, and the path to World War I.

Reading the book, I realized just how inevitable World War I was. Though none of the monarchs truly wanted it, their actions set the series of events that could only lead to the War in motion.

The Three Emperors is written much as another book I read was written. Both this book and Imperial Requiem, about the lives of wives of the Emperors, were written with each chapter covering events in the lives of the Emperors in a particular period of time. It's an interesting way to write the story, and the way I have long believed we should teach history. Because the lives of the Emperors were intertwined and events happened concurrently, it's far easier to keep the timeline straight if it's presented in actual time, rather the reader having to piece it all together from separate stories told individually.

Even though the book, and its subject matter, was heavy, I found myself laughing out loud in reaction to some of the tales the author includes. I found it a bit clunky in the writing and it could have used a bit harsher editor, but it was a good book to read. It's an easy-to-read account of a very hard-to-read time in history. Having read other biographies, and knowing history's ending to the story, the end of the lives of the Emperors came as no surprise. The author treated the history with as much respect and reverence as possible. It's not a happy ending, but it's reported as well as possible.

One Bear's Opinion: Five strong glasses of whisky, and then another five.

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
by Fannie Flagg

I've been a fan of Fannie Flagg ever since I saw her on re-runs of Match Game. She is one of my favorite panelists on the show. And even now, I will always stop and watch an episode with her if I'm flicking past and see it. But I had never read one of her books, despite being educated in the South, and, on paper at least, the perfect market for her books.

I had a hard time getting into the book. I found it slogged a bit until a big plot point. It really did take about 2/5 for the story to pick up and start moving. Once it took off, it moved quickly and rewarded the time it took to get through to the good parts.

Reading Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man really was like a visit with good friends. Once I got into the book, I really enjoyed it and I am happy to have met Daisy Fay and her friends. It was a great visit. I can highly recommend spending time with the citizens of Shell Beach, especially once you get to the part where the story takes off and pulls you through it quickly.

I do wonder why the decision was made to change the title of the book. I think that Coming Attractions was a better, more descriptive title. But then I wonder quite often why publishers make decisions to change the title of certain books.

I will definitely read more of Fannie Flagg's work. I am sorry it took me to discover her books.

One Bear's Opinion: Five milkshakes and a big bucket of fresh popcorn

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: In Peppermint Peril

In Peppermint Peril
by Joy Avon

This is the first book in a new-to-me series. It had been on my wish list for a while since a friend mentioned reading it. I finally got it and I read it in 2 days!

In Peppermint Peril was an engaging, clever mystery with friendly, likable characters. It was fairly light and fluffy, but I read books like this one because they are light and fluffy. Books read for entertainment do not necessarily have to be serious and scholarly tomes. Sometimes it's great to have some "escapist fluff."

I liked the characters, though Daisy did get on my nerves a bit. Well, let me rephrase that, Daisy's owner got on my nerves a bit with constantly taking the dog everywhere. The dog was more like a purse rather than a living creature. I like Callie and Daisy, but sometimes Daisy should stay in the house, unless she is going to be a part of the mystery the way Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, & Tee Tucker are, it's perfectly all right, and preferable, to leave her at home sometimes.

On the whole In Peppermint Peril was a fun, quick read. And I enjoyed it so much I bought the next-in-series as soon as I finished reading the first one.

One Bear's Opinion:  Four cups of Lady Grey tea and a plate of shortbread while reading a Brother Cadfael mystery

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion: Final Sentence

Final Sentence
by Daryl Wood Gerber

I hate to be negative in my reviews and I do question the value of negative reviews for other readers over hurting the author's feelings. But the truth is this book was just not very enjoyable for me. It was an interesting enough mystery, lots of twists and turns and false starts/leads. There was too much unnecessary name- and title-dropping for my pleasure. The biggest problem though was that I couldn't generate any real feelings for the characters through much of the book, then about ¾ of the way in, it got to the point where I really just didn't care what happened to them. In all honesty, I read to the end only to see if my guess was correct about the killer (it wasn't). I like to support authors as much as possible, but this series is just not for me.

One Bear's Opinion: Two cups of coffee made this morning and left on the desk all day because you got distracted, and a couple of store-brand cookies, slightly stale from sitting out.

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: Date with Death

Date with Death
by Julia Chapman

Date with Death, and in fact the whole Dales Detective Series, was recommended to me by a Twitter friend. And then when I got the book and posted about it on Twitter, the author was lovely and responded. All of which made me want to read through the book quickly, but not too quickly. As it happened, life kind of got in the way and my reading time was interrupted so I had plenty of time to read and consider the book.

First off, let me say I know very little about English geography. For example, I’m pretty sure Manchester is on the coast near Liverpool, unless it’s really over where the maps say Newcastle is. And I was sure that Leeds was a quick drive from London, 90 minutes tops. So the book was a challenge for me from the beginning, at least in figuring out where places really are. Thank heaven for the atlas!

And while I’m here, let me mention the very nitpicky thing I noticed about the book. I couldn’t decide whether Tolpuddle was a Greyhound or a Weimaraner. He was referred to as both, which was difficult because they are not really similar looking dogs to me; their faces and heads are quite different. The illustration on the cover of my edition features a Weimaraner, so I think that’s what he is, but I’m still not really sure (illustrations are not always accurate). As I said, it’s nitpicky, but it is one of those things that bothered me reading the book.

Anyway, to the book. I instantly liked Delilah and I think I like Samson, but I’m not sure. Much of that will depend on what might or might not be revealed in later books in the series. I’m hesitant to really like him because I don’t want him to turn out to be a first-class jerk when the backstory is finally explained. So for now, Samson is nice enough to talk to in the Fleece, but I’m not going to be anywhere alone with him just yet.

The mystery itself was interesting. I was on the right track through the book, but I was not quite right in the end and that’s the best kind of mystery for me to read...the ones where I’m almost correct in my guess, but still not exactly right. It was a fun read, a bit more harrowing than most of the cozy mysteries I read, but certainly nothing that would give me nightmares or keep me awake if I stayed up too late to finish it.

The gang in Bruncliffe is a friendly bunch of characters, even though I might need to deck one or two of them if I met them in person. But most seem really nice and would be fun to have over for a game night. I am looking forward to the other books in the series. I hope they are just as good as this one.

One Bear’s Opinion:  Five Cups of Strong Tea, and a big slice of only slightly squashed cake

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: Murder on Trinity Place

Murder on Trinity Place
by Victoria Thompson

Ahh, I've caught up with the series. It's always a bit sad to finish the last book in a series and have to wait for the next one to come out. The wait is so much longer when there is not a book to read in between. I try to set the series up so that I am one book behind so I always have one to read while waiting for the next, but I was so excited by having two new books in this series that I read them both back-to-back. It meant a nice long visit with Sarah, Frank, Maeve, and Gino, but now there will be a long time between visits.

The Century has turned in Sarah's world (or has it?) and someone got murdered during the festivities. That's the set up for the book and it was a fun ride to the end.

I had the murderer picked out pretty early, but it was fun read along and discover how and when Sarah and the gang figured it out as well.

The information on "swill milk" was interesting, and I wish the author have done an epilogue to follow up with that plot point.

But the real star of this visit with the Malloys, et al. was the sub-plot. No spoilers here, but it's a fun and rewarding part of the story. Read this for the sub-plot if nothing else.

One Bear's Opinion: Five glasses of brandy and a plate of funeral potatoes

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: Murder on Union Square

Murder on Union Square
by Victoria Thompson

Sarah Brandt Malloy and Frank Malloy are some of my favorite characters. I always enjoy my visits with them. This one was a fun outing with them. Saying too much will spoil it for readers who have not read the rest of the series, so I won't say too much.

It was obvious this mystery was crafted specifically to plug a plot hole from earlier books in the series, but that does not make it any less enjoyable a read. It was a fun visit to the world of turn-of-the-century Broadway theaters with all the sniping, jealousy and grease paint that brings with it.

This is one series where it really is important to read them in order, so if you haven't started from the beginning, I think it's best you check out Murder on Astor Place and come back to this review when you have read the intervening 19 books. You won't regret it.

One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with some popcorn at the theater

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: Over My Dead Body

Over My Dead Body
by Rex Stout

I had seen an adaptation of this book as part of the Timothy Hutton Nero Wolfe Mysteries series before I read it. That is both good and bad.

Seeing it first meant I knew the plot and whodunit before I read the book so the denouement was not as surprising as it would have been otherwise. But it also meant I could pick out the parts the adaptation chose not to include. And I understand that tv adaptations cannot include every minute point in the book, but the parts that were left out or adjusted left me scratching my head.

Seeing it before reading it meant that I had someone's idea of what the characters should look like before I could meet them and imagine them on my own. Having seen the Timothy Hutton productions before we started reading the series did influence my mental image of Archie and Saul, though my image of Nero Wolfe and other other characters does not necessarily match the casting director's.

Anyway, about the book. Over My Dead Body filled in some background on Nero Wolfe before the reader meets him in Fer-de-Lance. That portion of the story is interesting but secondary, or even tertiary, to the main plot. That teaser bit of information just serves as the impetus to get the story moving. I am hopeful that it will come back around in future books, but I am not sure it does.

The mystery was quite interesting, and if I had not already seen the production, it would have been clever. But knowing the ending going in meant I read it on the lookout for information that led to the ending, rather than trying to solve it along with Nero and Archie.

On the whole it was an enjoyable read, and much better than the television production made it seem that it would be. Nero Wolfe mysteries are always worth a read (or a watch), and this one is no different.

One Bear's Opinion:  Five Bottles of Beer and followed by one of Fritz's dinners, including a chocolate cake

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: The Road to Granschester

The Road to Grantchester
by James Runcie

The story of how Sidney Chambers got to be Sidney Chambers, this is a prequel to the Grantchester mysteries. And I am glad I read it, but disappointed by the fact that there were no mysteries in this story. I can see how mysteries might not have worked in some parts of the story, but I did miss the mystery aspect of the other Grantchester books.

What appealed to me about the Grantchester books was the mysteries. It was fun to try and solve them along with Sidney. This book tells the story before Sidney got to Ely and it was an interesting tale of becoming the Sidney Chambers I know from the other books, but there was still the disappointing lack of mysteries.

I'd like more adventures with Sidney Chambers and friends, though it seems now as though the author has written the stories from beginning to end. Re-reading is an option, but still, I'm greedy enough to want new adventures and visits with Sidney.

The Road to Grantchester is definitely worth reading, and it's always nice to get "the rest of the story," but be warned, there is no mystery element to this so while it's the Sidney we know from the Grantchester mysteries, it's not at the same time.

One Bear's Opinion: Four Glasses of good white wine over dinner with Amanda

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: Poirot's Early Cases

Poirot's Early Cases
by Agatha Christie

This volume was a collection of short stories, including my all time favorite Poirot story, The Affair at the Victory Ball.

Visits with Poirot and Hastings are always fun and worthwhile, and this visit was exceptionally satisfying. There are 13 short stories, 3 of which I had read previously as stand alone volumes. It was a nice mix of plots, including current cases and Poirot relating earlier cases to Hastings.

I like short story collections because they are easy to dip into and out of, especially for when you have just a little bit of time to read, like when you are standing in line, or in a waiting room. The quick stories are perfect for limited attention spans.

I definitely recommend this volume for any Poirot fan. Downloading it to your Kindle App on your phone would be an excellent idea, so you always had some Poirot handy for those moments when you need a quick visit with friends.

One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Tisane and a big box of chocolates

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: Sleeping Dogs Don't Lie

Sleeping Dogs Don't Lie
by Chloe Grace

I did not like this book.

Let me repeat, I did not like this book.

I realize it was a short story to fill in the back-story for the characters in a new series, and in that, it did fairly well. But I did not like the story. And the way this short story finished, I have no real desire to seek out the new series, despite liking the main character.

On paper, this book had everything going for it for me to like it: a lovable canine detective character with an owner who loved him, a set up for a murder, and a good number of suspects. And then, the story took a turn and I did not like it. All the good things that drew me in were wasted or not used to the best of their ability to advance the story. And in the end, I did not care one bit what happened to any of the characters with the exception of the dog.

The set up for the first-in-series book was not intriguing enough and I just don't care. For that I'm sorry, because I wanted to like this series. I wanted to find a new series with friendly animal characters. But alas, for me, this is not the series.

One Bear's Opinion: Two Glasses of Lukewarm Water and a couple of bland, boring, mass-produced, generic cookies

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan

The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot is on holiday, but as usual it turns into a working holiday when there is a robbery he is asked to assist in solving.

I had seen the David Suchet adaptation of this story before I had read it, which means I knew the plot of the short story, and whodunnit as soon as I read the set up. This was one of the rare ones in which the adaptation was better than the original, in my opinion. But maybe because with short stories, I always want there to be more, I want a longer visit with my friends, and the television adaptations can flush out the visit a bit longer and make it feel more satisfying.

This short story was a quick, fun read, even knowing what was going to happen. Visits with Poirot and Hastings are always fun. I'd definitely like to have tea and a chat with Poirot, if not a whole dinner's worth of conversation.

It's definitely worth keeping a few short stories on your Kindle or App for reading when you're out & about and there are few better than Poirot for taking your mind off the dental appointment you're about to have or the inane breakfast show television in the hospital waiting room.

One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tisane, with a tray of sweets

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion on: The Corpse at the Crystal Palace

The Corpse at the Crystal Palace
by Carola Dunn

It's time for an adventure with Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher. And it was a great fun adventure!

Daisy took her family and friends out for a day at the Crystal Palace in London. And knowing Daisy, only one thing can result from that:  murder. This time it was an attack on Daisy's twins' nanny and the murder of another nanny (or was it?) and Daisy's step-daughter Belinda was caught up in the action, too.
 
All your favorite friends from Daisy's world were there, and some new ones. It was an intriguing murder, and the solution was ingenious. But there was a long, round about investigation to get to the conclusion, with many, many red herrings and many, many false starts. In short, it was a Daisy kind of investigation.

It would have been more fun if Belinda and the boys had more of a role, and maybe have less of a role for some new characters, who I hope hang around as friends. I hope that there will be more Daisy adventures, especially after this one took a long time to come out (or so it seemed to me). And I think there are some plot points that I'd like to know about. I'm hopeful the author will wrap those stories up in the next adventure; I do so hate to be left with questions. But mainly I just want more adventures with my friends.

One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Strong Russian Tea, and some snacks while checking out the Monsters at the Crystal Palace Gardens

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver