78.
Title: [Night of the Living Deed]
Author: E.J. Copperman
Pages: 336
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 17, 2013
Rating: **1/2

A (bitter) divorcee and her young daughter buy an old Victorian on the Jersey shore with the hopes of running a sustainable guesthouse, and soon find that the previous owner and a detective haven't quite made a full exit.  As a whole, the novel is one-dimensional, and there is no shred of sympathy to be had for any of the characters.  I was hoping for another crossover between my favorite genres, but this series will not be it. 

79.
Title: Student Essays
Author: 114 Students
Pages:  1,500
Genre:
Medium: Electronic
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 21, 2013
Rating:


80.
 Title: [The Importance of Being Earnest]
Author: Oscar Wilde
Pages: 
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: November 15, 2013
Rating: ****1/2

This was my first semester teaching The Importance of Being Earnest, and my first time in a long while teaching Wilde.  Generally, my students had been complaining about the number of tragedies we read, and most appreciated a turn to comedy.  It went over fairly well, and I focused on an argument of vanity as part of our class analysis, emphasizing that the characters are essentially replicas, that all speak in the voice of Wilde, and that the work is an expression and act of vanity in itself. It was very interesting to read it in the context of his immediate trials, too. 

81. 
Title: The Norton Anthology of Short Stories, [The Oxford Book of Essays], Literature: An Introduction, Pratchett, Roach, and a Poe in a Pear Tree. 
Author: Several
Pages:   38 short stories and articles, 16 poems, misc. chapters on grammar and rhetoric
Genre: Varied
Medium: Electronic
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 27, 2013
Rating: 

82. 
Title: [No Way to Kill a Lady]
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 368
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: November 24, 2013
Rating: ****

When dynasties fall, colorful characters - and deeds - come out of the woodwork.  In No Way to Kill a Lady the reader is treated to a skeezy cousin, a crumbling castle, and a body in an elevator.  This is one of the more compelling mysteries in the series, with satisfying family melodrama to accentuate a rather curious murder victim. 

83. 
Title: [Little Black Book of Murder]
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 384
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: November 25, 2013
Rating: ****

The most recent book in the Blackbird Sisters mysteries is a bit of a mixed bag.  There is conflict in Nora's job that challenges the suspension of disbelief, and creates a position greater for her than one could believe she has.  However, Martin offers wonderful personal resolution on several fronts, making the novel satisfying in the long run.  

84.   
Title: [Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman]
Author: Elizabeth Abbott
Pages: 512
Genre: Nonfiction, memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 10, 2013
Rating: **

 From the title, I assumed it would be a history of the position of mistresses, looking at laws, social expectations, and the changes in affairs throughout history.  Abbott does address much of this, but through encyclopedic memoirs of historically known mistresses.  What begins as an enthralling look at the lives of women who, by choice or (more often) force, find themselves in the beds of married or emotionally unavailable men, becomes as odious as the mechanical sexual chores by the time Abbott reaches Hitler - and there's still another half to go.

Though I have no qualms with the research, which seems thoughtful and as complete as it can be, Abbott's writing is sophomoric, as she uses repetitive catchphrases to describe the same individuals (for example, repeatedly calling Jackie Kennedy "the world's most eligible widow" in the space of a few pages).  The text systematically dismisses wives - unless they becomes mistresses themselves - and shows little sympathy for the men in these relationships, unless it is to reveal them as foolish for their parts in the affairs. 

These stories - from Hagar to Eva Braun, through Marilyn Monroe and on to Simon de Beavoir - are already well known, so much so that the text as a whole is shallow for not giving the reader something more.  Additionally, Abbott butchers the mistresses of literature, writing Cliff's Notes to pad out a chapter that discusses everything from Jane Eyre to The Scarlet Letter, which contributes little and confuses the previously-established focus of the book.

Although some chapters were very interesting, the book as a whole was a chore to read for someone who is already familiar with most of the material.   

  
85. 
Title: [Claimed: Club Sin]
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Pages: 239
Genre: Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 2013

86. 
Title: [Scarlet]
Author: Marissa Meyer
Pages: 464
Genre: Science Fiction, YA, Revised Fairytale
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 24, 2013
Rating: ***

Initially, I was greatly disappointed with Scarlet; I did not find the novel to be nearly as compelling as the first, and I found the character of Scarlet to be forced and awkward, as the association with the fairy tale is clumsy at best.  However, once the parallel plot sequences involving the emperor and Cinder become more developed, the novel shifts, and becomes much more cohesive and thus entertaining.  I was pleased to see Cinder gain a few allies, and to see not only some of her past, but a plan for the future as well.

87. 
Title: [Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond]
Author: Kim Harrison
Pages: 528
Genre: Urban fantasy, short stories
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 30, 2013
Rating: **

This is a book for the uberfans, of which I am not one; Into the Woods is a collection of short stories, many of which detail how Rachel and her friends come to be. The stories themselves are sentimental and lacking strong development, providing some detail and intrigue for those who are deeply invested in the Hollows characters, but with little to interest those who may be less enthralled.  In this case, the low rating is indicative of audience: I am not the reader for whom Harrison is writing this collection. 

56. 
Title: [Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology, and My Harrowing Escape]
Author: Jenna Miscavige Hill
Pages: 416
Genre: Autobiography
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 2013
Rating: ****

I picked up Hill's memoir on a LibraryThing recommendation, and like the original review I can't help but scoff a bit at the author's claim to a "harrowing escape" - a phrase which inspires images of midnight excursions by leaky raft as one flees a communist state, perhaps, as opposed to arguing with family and inlaws. 

What I appreciated and enjoyed about Hill's story is the information she provides on Scientology - the practices, the beliefs, and the politics. This story could potentially describe any number of cults, and for that I found it supremely interesting and engrossing. However, the narrative itself is often alienating (no pun intended); it's difficult to feel sympathy for someone who already feels so very sorry for herself.  I applaud her efforts to shed light on the institution and its often nefarious practices, but many times in her story it seems that Hill's negative reactions are not to the abuses she experiences growing up in the church as a child or young adult, but rather that she would be exposed to this same abuse as the niece of the church's leader. 

Overall, the story is enlightening, and worth a read.

57. 
Title: [Some Like it Lethal] (#3)
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 320
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 2013
Rating: ****

58. 
Title: [Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die] (#4)
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 288
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 2013
Rating: ****



 59.
Title: [Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too] (#5)
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 272
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 2013
Rating: ****

60. 
Title: [A Crazy Little Thing Called Death] (#6)
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 368
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 2013
Rating: ****

As a typical cozy series, I find I can review most of the books as a whole.  Obviously, I enjoy them - I enjoy the parties, I enjoy the clothes, and I enjoy several characters.  However, Nora Blackbird is a ninny; her sisters and Mick are far more entertaining.  My real problem so far is a question of consistency; one of my biggest pet peeves in serial fiction is a lack of consistency, particularly in character development.  I enjoy watching characters evolve and grow and even take nose-dives into a dark abyss now and again, but one cannot simply be the upright, sensible prude of the family ... and then have sex in a phone booth. Or kiss other men while seeing someone exclusively. I understand that Nora's sense of self and propriety are supposed to be terribly at odds with her personal life, but there are several moments when one has to question just how strict her moral compass truly is. 

61. 
Title: [Murder Melts in Your Mouth] (#7)
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 304
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 31, 2013
Rating: ****

This last read was far more satisfactory than most of the others in the series.  The pacing of the mystery was strong, with a highly satisfying conclusion. emotional and personal matters develop in a far more natural fashion, and for once Nora seems like an actual person.  However, I spent the whole day craving chocolate.

Fun New Cozy Series

51.
Title: [How to Murder a Millionaire]
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 272
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: June 28, 2013
Rating: ****

Although Nora Blackbird is a daughter of a highly distinguished Pennsylvania family, she is on a blacklist: her coke-snorting husband is murdered by his drug dealer, and her parents have left the country as tax evaders after blowing through the family fortune, taking some of their friends' fortunes with them. Faced with needing a job for the first time, she turns to a sympathetic family friend who owns a newspaper, and gives her a job writing for the society page - a place she knows well. When this same family friend is found murdered the police find themselves floundering in a world of manners and social decorum grounded in old bloodlines, and turn to Nora to help them work through the niceties. 

This cozy mystery grounds itself more in parties, couture, and gossip more than actual mystery, and I was shocked to find myself 90% through the book - and facing the murderer - before much was really discovered.  Apparently accessories can be very telling.  Still, I enjoyed some of the eccentric characters, and look forward to seeing the mess of the next book. 

52.
Title: [Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds]
Author: Nancy Martin
Pages: 272
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: June 30, 2013
Rating: ****

The second in the Blackbird Sisters series, Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds features the murder of a high society kleptomaniac, with missing jewelry, abusive relationships, and high society drama galore. The pacing is improved, but still requires some practice.  The relationship between Nora and Mick progresses, but still seems to come out of nowhere - for someone who is supposed to be "all wrong" and whose actions are so offensive from the first, Nora falls too easily and too quickly, making a suspension of disbelief overly difficult.  Still, he proves a likeable character, so I'll overlook the hasty beginning in favor of a little more consistent development later.