Reviews

Masque of the Red Death, by Bethany Griffin is an intriguing re-production of Poe’s original version, “The Masque of the Red Death”. Griffin creates a world that has succumbed to an air-borne infectious disease, which leaves people dying on every corner.

In this dystopian/alternate world novel, The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, the country of Lundania is on the brink of war. The Queen, whose magical powers pass down through generations, is growing old and does not have a female heir.

A good ghost story works beneath the surface of our attention, shifting it now and again to a telling plot insight and then letting it sink back into eerie atmosphere. In the recently republished novella Mrs.

Gretchen realized at one point that her life was passing by like a fast train and that she was not focusing on things that are important or that matter to her. She reminds her audience that a person does not need to divorce a spouse and travel the globe to look for happiness or the real “self.”

If you are a resident of Julia Quinn’s London, you know the one social event of the Season to avoid is the Smythe-Smith musicale. Every year, four unmarried Smythe-Smith cousins gather together to form a string quartet and badly perform Mozart for the ton. Just Like Heaven is the first in this series.

Goblin Quest follows Jig, a weak and cowardly goblin, through his capture by a group of roving adventurers and his development into…a slightly less weak and cowardly goblin.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Joe Eszterhas’ memoir Hollywood Animal. I tried to read this book with an open mind, but in the end, ended up just about despising the author.

While reporter Adam Carlson is on assignment in Barrow, Alaska, he stumbles across the story of three trapped whales.  Big Miracle, a movie inspired by a true story, happened in 1988.  It shows actual footage of the events that unfolded in this remote part of Alaska. Footage includes Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Mike Wallace and it was a lot of fun to see these three icons from 24 years ago.

Susan Vreeland is known for her recurring use of art-related themes in her historical fiction books.  She makes a real painting the center of her writings.  Vreeland’s other books include Clara and Mr. Tiffany, Luncheon of the Boating Party and Girl in Hyacinth Blue. 

It is 1767 and rebellion is on the horizon. There is a great deal of unrest between the American Colonies and the British Crown. In the midst of this unrest, a young girl is murdered without a mark left on her body. That’s where Ethan Kaille, thief-taker and conjurer, comes in.