My Current Interest

Mathematics /Artwork by Kate Dorsey      Doesn’t everyone want to be loved for who they are?  I would certainly think so.  But that is not a love always easy to find.  Especially if you are a scientific woman in the 19 th century.      Lady Violet Hughes, AKA Lady Greycliff, is not like other women.   Or at least that is what 1842 London society tells her.      In truth, Violet has found many women like herself.   Women with an interest in math and science.   All who must keep these interests a secret.   Which is why Violet opens up her house to these women.   At Beacon House, they are free to experiment and study what truly interests them.      The only problem with this situation is Beacon House is under attack.   Violet has been entrusted with a very important assignment.   An assignment given to her by her step-son, William, Viscount Greycliff, “Grey”, who works for t...

     The end of The Book of Lost Names almost made me cry.  I was fine until the last few pages.  Then something happened and I was almost a goner.  It would have been a mix of tears, too.  Because the ending was happy and sad all at the same time.      Eva Traube must escape.   She, her parents, and all the other Jews in 1940s Paris are at risk of being rounded up.   Taken away.   To never be seen again.      Eva tries to warn her father, Leo, about what is going to happen.   She learned about the roundup from a trusted friend, Joseph Pelletier.   But her father will not listen.   Sadly, he is taken early the next morning.   By chance, Eva and her mother escape being captured.   They were across the hall taking care of a neighbor’s children.      Knowing she and her mother, Faiga, need to get out of Paris, Eva goes to her father’s boss for help.   He gives...

     Marple did change when the actress portraying Miss Marple switched to Julia McKenzie.   The basic premise remained the same, but the way the investigations were handled was definitely different.      Miss Jane Marple is always up for investigating a mystery.   She doesn’t directly look for one, or at least that is how she makes it seem, but others would disagree.   An awful lot of mysteries fall at her feet. Behind the Door /Artwork by Kate Dorsey      The difference with the last three seasons of Marple is, unlike with the first three, the police are often willing to not only listen but also work with Miss Marple.   One exception is “A Caribbean Mystery”.  The police don’t want to hear anything Miss Marple has to say in that one.   But others are more than willing to have her help.      Another change is this Miss Marple rarely, if ever, does the doddery old woman bit.   Even if sh...

     If you’re looking for a different kind of mystery, Murder on Millionaires’ Row is definitely it.   I would call it a paranormal historical mystery.   Is there even a category for that?   Paranormal, yes.   Historical, yes.   Mystery, absolutely.   Combinations of at least two of these genres, certainly.   But all three?   Well, now there is one.      It’s 1886 and Rose Gallagher, a maid, is in love with her boss.      Well, maybe “in love” is too strong of a term.   Infatuated would probably be more accurate.   Either way, when Thomas Wiltshire disappears, Rose becomes concerned.   While most employees would be happy to have their boss away, Rose sets out to find Thomas and bring him home.      Everyone is shocked when Rose actually manages what she set out to do.   She finds Thomas, despite his having been kidnapped and hidden away.   His return home ...

     While the mystery in Word to the Wise is good, it is the situation surrounding the mystery that is important to read about.  It is a situation that needs to be taken seriously.  A situation that is often discarded or seen as someone overreacting.  Beliefs held until it is too late. Book Stack /Artwork by Kate Dorsey      Lindsey Norris tries to be nice to everyone who comes into her library.  As the library director, this is usually a good thing.  In the case of Aaron Grady, it is not.      At first the attention Grady gives Lindsey seems innocent enough.  A note expressing appreciation for the help she gave him.  Flowers following to reemphasize the sentiment.  But then things go to far.  Grady shows up at Lindsey’s home.  He follows her wedding dress shopping; an event held out of town.  With each further incident, Lindsey tells Grady his behavior is inappropriate.  He r...

     Season two of The Heart Guy was hard for me to get through.  After watching the first disc, I was not excited to go on with the rest of the season.  But I did, and the season improved.  Until a specific character showed up, making me question my continuing with the series at all.      Life at the hospital in Whyhope has not been easy since Hospital Administrator Penny Cartwright (Hayley McElhinney) left.   The new administrator, Nora (Helen Thomson), is mean, conniving, insulting, and a bad doctor.   She is a malpractice suit waiting to happen.   Actually, I’m surprised there wasn’t a malpractice suit after she gives Dr. Hugh Knight’s ( Rodger Corser ) father the wrong blood, permanently damaging his kidneys.      Wanting to get rid of Nora, hospital employees Ken Liu (Charles Wu) and Betty Bell (Belinda Bromilow) ask Hugh to help them come up with a plan.   Hugh agrees, but ends up being blackmail...

     I don’t know about you, but group projects were definitely not my favorite thing in school.  This was especially true when I wasn’t able to choose the group.  There was one group project that was particularly horrific.  It is probably why even today when I hear group project or teams, I cringe.      Nina is spending her last semester of high school in a radio class.   The class’ major project is to create a weekly radio show.   Without anyone in the class she truly wants to form a group with, Nina ends up working with two students she does not know well, Sasha and Joydeep, and someone she has a past with, Jamie Russell. Give Us a Ring /Artwork by Kate Dorsey      Jamie is a childhood friend of Nina’s.   They haven’t hung out together in years because of something Nina did on a school fieldtrip.   This past event makes it awkward for Nina and Jamie to work together now.   Without any other options...