The Dark Cotenant Can't Darken Mrs. Pollifax
354403
Carstairs has gotten intel that the assassin Aristotle is going to be on a safari in Zambia to arrange his next hit.  Since no one even knows what he looks like, Carstairs knows this is a great opportunity to gather information.  He immediately calls his favorite innocent tourist.  Mrs. Pollifax's mission is to take pictures of the other people on the safari.  The CIA will use them to figure out who Aristotle really is.

But the first night of the safari, Mrs. Pollifax discovers that her film has been stolen.  Suddenly, things are personal, and she decides she will not only take the pictures but figure out who Aristotle is.  Can she do that when her fellow travelers seem so nice?  What secrets might they be hiding?

It's been years since I read this book, so I had forgotten most of it.  I was surprised to find how slow I felt the book started.  There is also a bit of background, but this time it didn't seem as much a part of the story.  Once she arrives at the safari, things pick up.  There are some fun moments along the way as well as a couple of great twists and a reunion with a character from another book.  Mrs. Pollifax is her usual resourceful is slightly naive self.  And several of the others characters are equally charming.

The book might not be quite as enjoyable as I remembered it, but it will still please fans of the series.
4443482
Trinket had absolutely no trouble staying out of trouble for most of her life but since she's moved back home it all just seems to be tearing down her door. Of course, she'll readily admit that most of it centers around her cousin, Bitty.

Bitty knows no such thing. It's not her fault that she's being accused of murder, for the second time in less than a year. Nor was it Bitty's fault, that the corpse was shot at the funeral. Oh, and the food fight at the Diva meeting? Well, that just wasn't how it seemed...

Ugh, Trinket has her work cut out for her this time... Maybe she should find a hobby or a job so she's not quite so available when Bitty wants to investigate.
2625806
As the village people seek revenge on Hugo, they kidnap Monica.  She wakes to find she has not been tied up or locked in an empty dark room.  She's in the living room of a small house sitting in a comfortable recliner.  Monica has learned her father's condition has taken a turn for the worse.  She has to return home to be at his side.  The villagers mean her no harm but want to protect her from the Beast as they believe he killed his previous wife and unborn child.  They tell Monica she looks so much like the deceased wife.  This story does not possess the fire of the previous episodes.  There is way too much filler descriptions rather than dialogue and action.
3666756
This is the 25th book in the Agatha Raisin mystery series and I've read all of them starting with the first Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.  It's hard to believe I've been reading them for 25 years and that Agatha Raisin hasn't aged in all that time. She started out as an amateur detective.  She is now a private detective who runs her own agency in the Cotswolds. In this episode her friend Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's wife, gets Agatha to support the local pantomime with murderous results. Agatha had two disappointing marriages but that doesn't keep her from looking for a new romance.  In fact she feels her life is incomplete without a man. She tries to fend off the process of aging and gets disturbed when she discovers a stray hair on her chin when she is trying to impress an eligible man.  These British cozies may not be great literature but they are a fast and entertaining read.
3080229
One needs to remove the biased glasses to see clearly..  If I have dark glass with dark mind and everything dark, I am only going to see everything dark.. Even White House will be seen to be black to me.
(As suggested by Amazon.. I'll keep below line. Thanks to Amazon coder.)
Full of hatred and wrong interpretation of Author..
1370183
When a domain's lady gets stuck in a bad marriage with a bad lord, that doesn't mean she's powerless to help her people. It just means she has to think a little harder....
4429212
Reading a Mrs. Pollifax story is a painless way to learn about places on the Earth that an ordinary person is unlikely to be able to visit .  Mrs. Pollifax's adventures take the reader so far off the beaten path that only Gypsies (or prisoners) go there!
1581183
Cats Prowl at Night, by A. A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner) Koshki Brodyat Po Nocham

Sales Engineer Everett Belder goes to see Bertha Cool about an uncollected judgment from a judgment-proof person; his wife has the property. Belder wants Cool to make a deal for less than the full amount. His creditor George Nunnely needs money quickly to keep out of jail! Chapter 2 shows Bertha's skill at diplomatic mediation. Belder's wife Mabel received an anonymous letter that can make trouble (Chapter 3). Bertha tries following Belder's wife, but she loses the car (Chapter 4). Belder's mother-in-law Theresa Goldring and her daughter Carlotta showed up; Mabel has missed seeing them (Chapter 5). Bertha is awakened by pounding on her door; Sergeant Sellers tells her a body was found in Belder's house. Bertha tells all to Sergeant Sellers (Chapter 7). Chapter 8 discusses the portable typewriter used for that poison pen letter. Could someone across the street from the office have observed Belder?

Imogene Dearborne, Belder's secretary, has filed a defamation of character suit against Bertha since Bertha's comments led to Imogene being fired (Chapter 10)! Chapter 11 is a short tutorial about a defamation suit. A stranger visits Bertha to get information; she is Carlotta's real mother (Chapter 13). Bertha retraces the route Mabel Belder took, and discovers where Mabel's car was hidden. Bertha now knows what happened (Chapter 16). Sergeant Sellers recapitulates the known facts, and the likely suspect (Chapter 17). There is a question of who gets the inheritance (Chapter 18). Bertha continues to dig up facts (Chapter 19). [Note how people assume the name given over the telephone is correct?] Sergeant Sellers shows up at Bertha's office to arrest Belder for murder. Another policeman guards Bertha in her office, they may or may not arrest Bertha as an accessory (Chapter 21). Bertha returns to Belder's house, discovers something, and is discovered (Chapter 22). When Sellers shows up the case is concluded (Chapter 23).

Some of the elements in this story were repeated in the later novels of Erle Stanley Gardner.
1866345
I cant belive that sophia cant be turned. I was already planing their wedding. Now in 30 years when i try to become a vampire, i cant get turned by Sophia
4587427
It is Year 6 for Harry Potter at Hogwarts.  At the beginning of this book he will learn the results of his O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level) exams, which will determine what courses he can take in his last two years.  Of course, his schoolwork is the least of his worries as the return of "He Who Must Not Be Named" has the wizarding world quaking in fear, not to mention the fact that Harry has been named Captain of his house's Quidditch team.

As we come to expect from Rowling, she expands and deepens the universe she's created.  Her greatest invention of this book is the "Horacrux" - without giving away any plot points, it is the key to understanding and defeating Voldemort.  As Harry and Prof. Dumbledore piece together the clues they need to start taking the battle to Voldemort, Harry also gathers information about a plot he suspects is being hatched by fellow student Draco Malfoy, whose father has already been sent to Azkaban Prison for attacking Harry at the end of Book 5.  There are, of course, many other subplots, as Ron finally finds a girlfriend (much to the irritation of Hermione), Harry forgets about Cho Chang and instead fixes his affection on another, and Hagrid mourns the loss of the Queen of the Spiders (who once ordered that Harry and Ron be eaten by her minions).

I, for one, was a little disappointed in Book 5, in which Harry was simply not likeable - he brooded and sulked his way through the book, abusing Cho and his Griffindor friends alike.  Year 6 Harry is back to his old self - sure he's frustrated that no one believes the "evidence" he's gathered implicating Malfoy and Prof. Snape in nefariousness, but life is otherwise pretty good for our hero.  Many reviewers have commented on how much darker this book is than previous books, but that is untrue.  Book 5 is much darker - Harry doesn't have to torture himself in this book, for example.  Finally, the suspense is kept at a high level throughout the book, especially after learning in Book 5 that Rowling is not afraid to kill off an important character.  Who will be next?

For my money, Book 4 (Goblet of Fire) is still the best of the series.  However, The Half-Blood Prince is a close second, and a great read.
2015490
This is a great addition to the series, bringing together characters from the three previous books: A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, and Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station. It would be a good idea to read them first so that you know who they are and why they are important to the story. Be prepared, though, for a story that is a little darker than the ones that precede it.
2372610
Love the Harry Potter series but this one was a little too dark for me.  But it is J.K. Rowling story!
3189796
Blues in the Wind by Whitney LeBlanc has the grand makings of a Gothic, Southern novel. The time span from the 1930s to 1950s encompasses family drama, The Blues movement, the politics of segregation and race issues, along with the convoluted dynamics of color and identity that is indicative of the inhabitants in the state of Louisiana.
Phillip Fergerson, though a product of mixed blood, is identifiable Colored; he cannot pass the paper bag test. He considers it a coup to marry the beautiful, unattainable Martha Broussard, whose milky white skin and white features are a sense of pride and joy and by which she sets herself apart from common Negroes. She, like her late father, revels in their Creole heritage. Her family, once wealthy landowners in Estilette, a town near Baton Rouge, lost their fortune to pure unadulterated racism. They might have looked white, but they are not, a bone of contention for her. Martha is a piece of work as she tries to direct the lives of her husband, her three daughters and son as well as her brother, Johnny "Lightfoot" Broussard.
Lightfoot, as he is called in the Blues world, is a thorn in Martha's side. Immersed in the world of that "low-down, gut bucket music", as she calls it, he challenges her mores and values of color and class. Equally frustrating to her is Lightfoot's black skinned woman, Naomi; who is known to practice voodoo. But this is one thing she has no control over; Lightfoot, a guitar player, loves his Blues and his woman.  Martha also concentrates on manipulating her children; Velma, Rosa, Lala, and Bobby. Velma has issues because she has short, nappy hair, a pasty complexion and Negroid features whereas Lala is light and beautiful with long straight hair and gray eyes. Velma, like her mother, is color-struck and mean-spirited.
By Phillip being the superintendent of Colored schools, the Fergersons have a special status in town. Frustrated and lonely in his marriage, Phillip seeks solace in Alicia, a professor at Southern College in Baton Rouge. He also leaves the Catholic Church when the priest questions his integrity and becomes a Baptist. Martha is horrified to say the least. Phillip continually finds himself disillusioned and at odds with the white hierarchy of Estilette. His children are trying to find their way, making decisions that torment their parents. To Martha's distress, Lala takes her piano playing from the Catholic Church to the Baptist Church and then to the juke joints, creating an irreversible breach between mother and daughter. Velma's lack of self-esteem leads her into a world of vices, while Rosa wanders into an affair with a priest.
I wanted to embrace this novel as soon as my book club sisters brought this book back from BEA last year, immediately identifying it as my kind of read. I wish I had not waited so long. The historical context of the time period and place was illuminated with a renowned cast of Blues folks that passed through the juke joints, such as Leadbelly, Bessie Smith and B.B. King. Also, other issues concerning the past, including the budding civil rights movement and the no-nos of the South; interracial dating and "disrespect of white womanhood" were manifested. A family saga that spans twenty years with all the complexities it entails, I knew it would be worth reading. There were, however, some inconsistencies in some of the delivery. LeBlanc, a Louisiana native, is also a scriptwriter, and a few of the scenes read that way. Many times, sequences of events happened quickly and were resolved in one paragraph. We were told, rather than shown, of some events leading to a subplot of which there were many, while others were left hanging. Despite these shortcomings, this is storytelling at its best, the kind of material of which great Southern novels are made.  I was reminded of the writings of George Washington Cable and Ernest Gaines, two other Louisiana storytellers. It is ashamed this book has not garnered more attention.
Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub
735128
No. She can't. Not even a little. This book was so breathtakingly beautiful. We pick up with some of our old favs from the first book and we meet our new guy. I love how we slowly hear about his story and how it ties in with our favorite Russian family. It's deep and I didn't think it would work at all. It just seemed so doomed but Tillie surprised me. We have a dark male lead with a strong heart and then we have a brave beauty who is looking for the soul wrenching love. Then we have these dark ppl who need to be stopped. I was so shocked at the ending tho and hope this means we will be getting another book? Plz Tillie. Anyways this book is dark but very Tillie classy so it's very worth the read. There are no words for how I felt for our main character. I loved seeing how we was apart of the first book. Way to go Tillie. It was as always a wild ride. Need more.
468325
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the 5th book in the 7-part series by J.K. Rowling, and so far it's my least favorite in the series. Why don't I like it? It was 870 pages long, making it the longest in the series so far. The story is very dark and rather depressing. The book's cover, instead of being very colorful like the other books' covers, is a gloomy shade of blue, fitting with the gloominess of the story. Without spoiling the story, I will tell you about some of the things that made this book so depressing.

In the very first chapter, Harry and his cousin Dudley are confronted by two dementors that enter their neighboorhood. Harry uses the Patronus Charm to fight them off, and gets in trouble with the Ministry of Magic for doing so. Harry attends a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry, where he narrowly escapes getting expelled from Hogwarts.

When Harry arrives at Hogwarts, things go from bad to worse. Because Professor Dumbledore was unable to find anyone who was willing to take the job, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints his senior undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Umbridge is the worst Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever! She doesn't beleive anything Harry says about Lord Voldemort's return to power, and she puts Harry in detention every time he mentions it. The detentions are literally quite painful for poor Harry. And that's not all. Umbridge eventually is appointed as the first ever High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, giving her extreme say-so in the way the school is run. She bans Harry and Fred and George Weasley from the Quidditch team and creates a bunch of "educational decrees," making the lives of the Hogwarts students very difficult.

Meanwhile, Harry is constantly having disturbing dreams about a corridor ending with a plain black door, and the rooms beyond. He eventually figures out that Voldemort is putting these thoughts into his head, and Dumbledore requests that Harry take Occlumency lessons to learn how to block these thoughts. But instead of blocking them, Harry figures out that he's seeing into the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, and that there's something hidden in the Department that Voldemort really wants. This eventually leads to the death of a major character, and the loss of this character makes the ending of the book very sad.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people who are easily depressed, as it will make them feel worse. If you do want to read this book, be prepared for the death of a character whom you've grown to love.
132926
Leonidas and Rosalyn's story continues in Touched by a Dragon.  But now there is a baby dragonling on the way.  Trying to remove the demon essence from Rosayln proves difficult.  To make matters worse the darkness is seeping into the baby.  Time is of the essence, can Rosaylns with blodd combined with the dragon and fae blood save mother and child?  Or will the treaty fall apart before their eyes?  I voluntarily reviewed Touched by a Dragon as an advanced copy from the author.
114799
Mister Black and Little Red are strong as ever. Their bond is impenetrable. So sorry for Isabel but the end result was so fitting for her. Can't wait for the next book in the series.