January Book Report

5 books read

“Before the Sun Goes Down” by Elizabeth Metzger Howard
Delightful little book about a one year period in the small town of Willowspring, PA in 1880. Electricity was the “new” fad coming to the towns, people still went about in horse and buggy or actual walking. The doctor still made house calls. Just a nice little slice of Americana.

“Magic Flutes” by Eva Ibbotson
Takes place in Vienna after WWII. A lot of the formerly wealthy Austrian nobility now have to seriously down-size. As in selling their castles, property, titles. This book is about an impoverished princess who has the chance to marry money and save the castle, but she’d prefer to *gasp* WORK for a living as a costume girl in a local opera company. Her life’s blood is in opera. Nice little romance that has a very satisfying happy ending.

“Nurse Into Woman” by Marguerite Mooers Marshall
A few chapters into the book, I thought this was going to be a soap-opera with tons of schmaltzy drama. I had almost decided to skim it, but it got better and became a real story. Nurse Grant is young and beautiful, and the best nurse there is. Because of past hurts, though, she decides she will never marry or have children. That way, she can’t be hurt again. But a handsome young sea captain, under her care for pneumonia, changes her mind.

“The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure” by Robert Arthur
This was one of the Three Investigators juvenile mystery series written with “co-operation” of Alfred Hitchcock in the 60’s. I used to read them and loved them. They’re still good little books. Easy on the adult brain, but I still find them enjoyable. In this one, the 3 boys solve the theft of a rare Japanese belt encrusted with jewels.

“So Far…” by Kelsey Grammer
I loved the TV show “Frasier” because it was so well written and clever. The pretentious Mr. Grammer sounds just like Frasier and a bit full of himself. It was an easy read.