The Old Cape House by Barbara Eppich Struna

Vacation Read

Picked this book up while on vacation in Cape Cod.  I was intrigued by the the story itself - a mystery based on an old pirate legend, as well as by the author, Barbara Eppich Struna.  Turns out she and her husband lived in Northeast Ohio for a time, not far from my own hometown and my mom actually went to school with the author's husband's cousin!  Another unexpected surprise was when we happened upon a book signing at the Pirate Museum in P-town and actually met Mrs. Struna!!!

The story itself is enjoyable.  I always like a pirate story and also enjoy the writing style that volleys back and forth between the present and past (provided the author can do so without confusing the reader, which Struna did).

Struna has written a sequel The Old Cape Teapot which I also picked up while shopping at independent bookstores and am looking forward to reading.  (And I learned she's currently writing a third!!)

  The Thirteenth Tale  -  Diane Satterfield

                Historical Fiction


I am not sure why this novel is considered historical fiction, unless it is because it is a story about the history of the characters in the novel.  To me it would be more of a gothic novel.

Anyway,  it was more like having a story told to me rather than reading a book.  Miss Winter is an elderly women who has written 12 books in her life.  She invites Margaret Lea, an novice biographer, to write her true life history.  She tells it to Margaret in story form.

A very entertaining read with mystery, secrets, twins, and learning about oneself.    Never did find the historical connection.

   The Language of Bees - Laurie R. King

                         Series

I learned a lot about the colonies of bees and how the loneliness they feel will make them destroy their own hives.  How sad is that??

I also traveled by aeroplane to northern Scotland in search of a religious madman.    Who knew that madman would turn out to be related to one of the main characters in this series????
So is it Russell or Holmes who has a secret in their past.???

Another good book in this continuing series.!!!!

         White Guys  -  Anthony Giardina

                            New Author


Followed 5 boys , from childhood friends to adulthood. 4 of the guys move out of their hometown and up in their careers,  1 does not.   Learned how they all questioned their lives, choices and a devastating secret.    Not really taken from a true incident, but definitely patterned after a real-life happening.

It was just an okay book for me.




                       

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

Historical Fiction

I probably was expecting too much out of Chevalier's latest novel because I so adored her previous novels.  Not to say this one was bad; it just wasn't AS good as the others.

Even if it wasn't my favorite, it was still a good historical fiction read covering the Underground Railroad in Ohio (my home state!) and the Quaker faith.  I would have liked to have learned more about the Railroad, but instead the story focused on one Quaker, Honor, and the dilemmas she faces during a tense and difficult time.

Sadly, even though the time period of the novel is nineteenth century, so much of the racism and discrimination still takes place in our twenty-first century world.  Nothing saddens me more than seeing people (sometimes even those I care about) who treat others as less than the human beings we all equally are.

Quote: “...everyone has a measure of Light in them and though the amount can vary, all must try to live up to their measure.”

Errors and Omissions  -  Paul Goldstein

                    Debut

This was a legal thriller.  Not so much in the sense of courtroom suspense but more along the lines of moral suspense.

Michael is an expect in intellectual property law and a movie studio hires him to get an author sign off on the rights to a movie script he wrote back in the 1950's.  But that was back when actors, writers and movie moguls were being blacklisted by McCarthy.  So who really wrote this particular movie and what should Michael do that would be ethically correct??