136. Andrews, Donna. Owls Well That Ends Well. 326 pages. 12.7.09.

Donna Andrews' Owls Well That Ends Well is a pratfall of a novel. That's not to say that it isn't entertaining - on the contrary, it's very amusing - but the antics of Meg Langslow's suspect pool reached new heights. As part of the buyer's agreement for their new house, Michael and Meg organize a large yard sale to unburden themselves of the previous owner's goods, while generating a small profit for the deceased's family. On the day the 30-family yard sale opens up a local scalawag/antiques dealer is murdered in Meg's barn, and everything goes downhill from there. As a police investigation goes underway on one side, a carnival springs up on Meg and Michael's front lawn, with suspects darting to and fro. In the end it all adds to the charm and chuckles, and the Meg Langslow books continue to be an endearing series.

135. Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. 104 pages. 12.5.09.

When the usurping Duke exiles his niece Rosalind (daughter of the overthrown Duke), she and the present Duke's daughter Celia steal away to the forest of Arden to prevent their separation. Rosalind, newly infatuated with a young wrestling champion named Orlando, disguises herself as Celia's brother, and the two set up household not far from where Rosalind's father holds his Robin Hood-like court in the wilderness. Full of the accidents, cross-dressing, wit and hurried couplings that define so many of Shakespeare's comedies, As You Like It is a delightful play to read.

In 2007 my mother in law gave me a set of Shakespeare that was published in 1901. The original set is actually missing As You Like It, and somewhere along the way someone substituted a Yale publication of the play from 1965. This edition claims to make an effort to get back to the "original" format of the play, and therefore excludes almost all stage directions. This is the first time I've read the play since grad school, and I could still hear some of the lectures echoing in my head. I was personally stuck by the reliance on duality to define identity, not unlike what Becket will do centuries later in his works Waiting for Godot and End Game. It was very interesting to take another look at the play, and I enjoyed reading it on several levels.

134. Adrian, Lara. Ashes of Midnight. 368 pages. 12.3.09.

I did not find Ashes of Midnight to be as entertaining as previous books. The characters have grown increasingly flat as the series continues, and the plot drags from the very beginning. The Midnight Breed series has lots its momentum.

133. Collins, Paul. The Book of William: How Shakespeare's Fist Folio Changed the World. 219 pages. 11.28.09.

The Book of William by Paul Collins is a Shakespearean travel narrative, tracing the unique history of one of the worlds most influential books. From its relatively lackluster beginnings to its current $5 million price tag, the path of Shakespeare's first Folio contains plenty of twists and turns, and Collins likewise pulls his audience from 17th-century London to the bank vault under the Folger Library, and finally to obscure theatres and a large university in Japan. The Book of William is better suited for the enthusiast than the scholar; I believe anyone with a remote interest in the Bard and his published work will find Collins' account entertaining.

132. George, Jean Craighead. My Side of the Mountain. 177 pages. 11.26.09.

My Side of the Mountain is a young adult classic which chronicles a year in the life of Sam Gribbley. Sam leaves his overcrowded home in New York City to seek out the farmland of his ancestors, and learns to survive on the land in the company of a cast of wild creatures. My Side of the Mountain serves as a guidebook at times, as Sam informs his readers what plants are edible, how to make a bed, and how he manages to make leather for his deerskin suit. It is a charming story for young children.

As an adult reading the novel to my toddler I have one problem - comma splices. Oh, the comma splices! I am not a grammarian by any stretch of the imagination, but the errors in George's novel make it very difficult to read out loud.

I finished the last of my current Donna-Andrews-stack this morning.


131. Andrews, Donna. We'll Always Have Parrots. 340 pages. 11.25.09.

When Michael is required to attend a convention for his cult-classic television show Meg tags along to offer support and peddle a few swords. But much to everyone's (not-quite) dismay, the "star" of the show ends up dead in her hotel room with an army of suspects running around.

One of the things I like most about Andrews is her ability to balance character development with plot. She introduces fairly well-rounded characters in each book, but doesn't lose herself in fleshing them out more than necessary. Readers are given just what they need to follow a sometimes-complicated network of interactions, and Andrews has a large pool from which to pick her murderers.

130. Andrews, Donna. Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon. 297 pages. 11.23.09.

Another delightful Meg Langslow mystery. An unfortunate accident with a hammer inspires Meg's brother Ron to enlist her help in figuring out who is sneaking about at his gaming company, Mutant Wizards. After the murder of one of the programmers Meg finds herself tripping over geeks, gamers, and therapists as she tries to keep first one innocent and then another out of jail. The personalities of the programmers match many of the professional geeks I know, which once again added another level to my enjoyment. On to the next!

129. Andrews, Donna. Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos. 293 pages. 11.20.09.

I am really enjoying Donna Andrews' "Meg Langslow Mysteries" because there is something for me to relate to in every one. In Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos Meg tackles the murder of a crooked game developer at a reenactment event in Virginia. While my own interests run to Renaissance Fairs over war reenactment, I was tickled by the emphasis on details such as the difference between corsets and stays, and how difficult it can be to snoop around in petticoats. Reading these books is just plain fun.

128. Andrews, Donna. Murder with Puffins. 290 pages. 11.19.09.

Another charming Meg Langslow mystery. In Murder with Puffins Meg and Michael find their romantic diversion interrupted by a hurricane, the unexpected company of family, an island full of enthusiastic bird watchers, and an inconvenient murder. I really enjoyed Andrew's book for her protagonist - I like Meg for her flaws and realism, and can really relate to the role she plays in terms of family dynamics. My one quibble is that the book is a bit dated; the amazement inspired by and attention focused on digital cameras is a bit much. However, it is ultimately a very small detail, and the book as a whole is very enjoyable.

126. Adrian, Lara. Veil of Midnight. 368 pages. 11.6.09.



127. Roach, Mary. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. 300 pages. 11.16.09.
In Spook reporter Mary Roach delves into the world of paranormal research to bring to light modern science's tenuous relationship with the afterlife. Like Stiff and Bonk, Roach's writing is peppered with anecdotes and diverting travel stories, although her own voice is far more aggressive towards her subject than her other two publications (born from Roach's own skepticism, no doubt). While Spook is both interesting and entertaining I believe Roach is at her best when she approaches more quantifiable subjects, leaving Spook at the bottom of the Roach-stack.