The Mysterious Affair at Styles, by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the Queen of the Golden Age detective novel. Although she did not invent the formula — a murder occurring within a small group of intimates, all of whom have a motive for the crime, and the intervention of an übersleuth with insights far superior to those of the plodding police — she [...]

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Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story, by Leonie Swann

I thought it would be interesting to blog this title because the premise is so bizarre. I wasn’t looking forward to reading it, though. I’m not crazy about the idea of animals as sleuths. I was pleasantly surprised, however. Three Bags Full is not cutesy but quite tongue-in-cheek. The sheep act, for the most part, [...]

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A Rule Against Murder, by Louise Penny

This is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache’s fourth outing in Penny’s Three Pines Mystery series. This time the milieu is not the Village of Three Pines but the Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious Quebec country inn. Gamache and his wife are there enjoying a relaxing 30th anniversary vacation, which is rudely interrupted by the murder of [...]

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I am Murdered: George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and the killing that shocked a new nation, by Bruce Chadwick

Here in Williamsburg, we’re all familiar with George Wythe. He lived here for 30 years and his original house still stands in Colonial Williamsburg. He’s known as a Williamsburg representative to the House of Burgesses, an early proponent of American independence, first Virginia signer of the Declaration of Independence, a delegate to the Continental Congress, [...]

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A Visitor for Bear, by Bonnie Becker; illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

A Visitor for Bear is like a mix of the best of Beatrix Potter and Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. Yes, this conjures up an odd mental picture, but trust me: you’ll love it. Bear does not like visitors. There is a large sign on his door to prove this, “NO visitors allowed.” He is quite happy [...]

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The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson

After waking from a year-long coma, Jenna Fox is lucky to be alive. She is seventeen, although the only reason she knows this is because her family has told her so. She can’t remember her friends, yet she has no problem reciting Thoreau’s Walden word for word. She has been told she hates history, but [...]

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The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt

One of the Newbery Honor Winners of 2009, The Underneath tells a rare story that will appeal to readers old and young alike. If you enjoy dog stories such as Because of Winn-Dixie and Shiloh you will enjoy The Underneath. The language is poetic and if you like to read of swamps and bayous and chocolate [...]

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The Black Book of Colors, by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria

Illustrations are, hands-down, my favorite part of a book. When it comes to children’s books, they can be simply breathtaking, ingenious in their creativity or hilarious in their portrayal of the story. I could go on and on. But what if you are blind? Yes, there are books in Braille. But those don’t usually provide [...]

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Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

You can almost hear a voice-over describe the plot of this book, “In a world with seven kingdoms, the girl with one blue eye and one green has the Grace of killing. Loved by some, feared by many. She finds solace in another who is Graced, and finds the courage to face the wrath of [...]

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The Great Debaters (2007)

This inspiring movie is based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at historically black Wiley College in Texas, who, in 1935, at the height of the Jim Crow era, started the school’s first debate team. Tolson, played by Denzel Washington (who also directed), recruits four students, including the future civil rights leader James L. Farmer Jr.  He drills [...]

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Inside Man (2006)

In this thriller from director Spike Lee, a well-organized group of thugs led by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) robs a bank in New York City. They don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, and they release smoke canisters, which is sure to attract attention. The police soon arrive, led by Detective Keith Frazier [...]

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Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

I’m a big fan of Peter Sellers, but only recently discovered this movie on one of the classic movie channels. I was instantly hooked on this great dark comedy of the Cold War era. The plot is set in motion when an insane U.S. general instigates war with the Soviet Union by sending a wing [...]

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Frost/Nixon (2008)

In 1977,  David Frost persuaded former President Richard Nixon to agree to a series of television interviews. There was a lot at stake for both men.  Frost was a well-known media personality who desperately needed a big break to jumpstart his career in the United States. Nixon needed a way to restore his image in [...]

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Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

I finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire a few weeks ago, and am so glad I did. It is truly an amazing film, well deserving of the eight Oscars it won, including those for best motion picture, cinematography and directing. Jamal Malik is an 18-yr old who is brought in for questioning by the police [...]

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Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson

I didn’t like the first three chapters of Case Histories. They were completely unrelated. It was like reading short stories or vignettes, which is fine if that’s what you’re in the mood for, but I wanted a novel. Then I read the fourth chapter and became a hopeless fan of Kate Atkinson. Took a little [...]

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Mister O, by Lewis Trondheim

In the wordless graphic novel Mister O, our protagonist tries to get from one side of the chasm to the other. He does this on every page. …and that pretty well concludes my plot summary. Mister O is a one-trick pony. His single-minded purpose is to traverse the chasm. It also happens that Mister O is [...]

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The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book opens with a mass murder in progress. The mom has been killed, the dad has been killed, the sibling has been killed: three down, one to go. Why can’t all children’s books start this way? Now if the victim-to-be had not been a restless toddler, this would have been a very short [...]

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Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?, by Jena Pincott

Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? Bodies, Behavior, and Brains: The Science Behind Sex, Love, and Attraction is a study by science writer Jena Pincott into the nature of human behavior. Or to cut to the chase: it’s a sex book! Note that it is not salacious. You can read this in public without offending anyone’s [...]

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