Book Review: Cape Light by Thomas Kinkade

Cape Light (Cape Light #1).  Thomas Kinkade & Katherine Spencer.  Berkley (2002). 368 pages.  Genre:  Christian Contemporary Fiction.

First Lines:  "It was hard to come back again.  This time, for some reason, it was harder than usual."

Summary:  Jessica Warwick is returning to Cape Light, a small village on the coast of Massachusetts.  This is where she grew up, but she left as soon as she could.  She needed to get away and make a fresh start.  She has been living in Boston and loves city life, or so she tells herself.  Lillian Warwick, Jessica's mother has been ill and Jessica has returned to help care for her.  Emily Warwick, Jessica's sister and the mayor of Cape Light has been shouldering the burden of caring for their mother.  Lillian is not the easiest person to deal with.  She is often negative and difficult to please.  But both Emily and Jessica do the best they can.

"The Warwick family helped found the village back in the mid-1600's and had earned their first fortune as the leading shipbuilders along the nearby stretch of coast.  Several generations had lived in a large house in town, near the harbor."

But after a scandal involving Mr. Warwick, the family was forced to move from the house.  It was a humiliating time and is much of the reason Jessica needed to leave the area.  However, most of the people of Cape Light welcome her back.  Gus and Sophie Potter are hosting their annual party on Memorial Day weekend.  Jessica arrives in town just in time to attend.  

As Jessica spends more time in Cape Light and less time in the big city, she begins to question whether she truly wants to return to Boston.  Especially when she is reacquainted with Sam Morgan and begins spending time with him.  Her relationship with her sister has also grown and she realizes she will really miss her when she leaves.  In Boston she doesn't have many friends, but here she shares history with many of the people in town.  Can she give all of that up to return to Boston?  Should she?

My thoughts:  The cover of this book is absolutely beautiful!  Of course it is one of Thomas Kinkade's paintings.  He says he wrote this series because he was often asked about the people that lived in the houses and villages that he painted.  This series is his answer.

The story is primarily told through the perspective of Jessica, but there are several storylines involving other members of the village.  

Charlie and Lucy Bates own the Clam Box, a local restaurant famous for their clam rolls and blueberry pancakes.  Charlie cooks while Lucy waits tables.  A new coffee shop, The Beanery, has just opened and Charlie is not happy about it.  

Sara Franklin has come to town for a visit.  She did some research on her birth mother and discovered she lives in Cape Light.  She would like to watch her from a distance to see what kind of a person she is before she decides whether or not to introduce herself.  As the days pass and she finds herself still in town, she decides she needs to find a job.  She checks with Lucy at the Clam Box and is put to work immediately.

Reverend Ben Lewis and his wife Carolyn are soon to become grandparents.  However, there is a damper on their excitement, because their son Mark has been away for a while and they are not sure where to contact him.  When he left, he was bitter and upset.  Carolyn and Ben would love to be reunited with him again. 

There is an election coming up for mayor and Charlie Bates has announced he will be running against current Mayor Emily Warwick.

I was immediately drawn into the story and the town.  I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters along with their joys and struggles.  The main storyline involving Jessica is the only one that was really finalized in this book.  Several others were left unresolved and I assume (and hope) that they will be picked up in the next book in the series.  

Cape Light sounds like a lovely place to visit.  The descriptions of the town and some of the homes were delightful.

"The small colonial-style house looked quite old - maybe it was even a historic house - with bay windows on the first floor, flanking a covered entry, and a row of small, rectangular-shaped windows upstairs."

"...the house was a sedate gray-blue with cream-colored trim, dark blue shutters, and a brick-red door.  Window boxes overflowed with flowers and trailing vines, and tall rosebushes tumbled over a white picket fence."

The Warwick Estate - Lilac Hall:

"...planned the building of Lilac Hall, in the style of great houses he had seen on a grand tour of Europe.  The stone, along with the stone masons, had been imported from Europe.  Intricate carvings surrounded the windows and entrances.  The house had over forty rooms in all..."

I recommend this book if you enjoy stories about life in a small town, stories that take place in New England, or stories about strong families and friendships.  

Book Review: The Children of Henry VIII by John Guy

The Children of Henry VIII.  John Guy.  Audiobook. 2018. Genre:  Non-fiction, History.

Summary:  Henry VIII was not the heir to the throne as he was the second son.  His older brother Arthur was to become King when their father, Henry VII, died.  Arthur was married at the age of 15 to Catherine, the daughter of King Ferdinand of Spain.  However, just a year later Arthur died after an illness leaving Catherine a widow.  Because of the importance of an Alliance with Spain, Henry VIII, at the age of 12, was promised to marry Catherine.  However, he did not marry her until a few months after his father's death when he had become king in 1509, seven years later.

It had been brought to Henry's attention by his advisors that the best way to safeguard the Tudor Dynasty and reinforce Henry's kingship was to produce a male heir.  Unfortunately, Catherine was unable to produce the heir Henry longed for.  She did however, give birth to a healthy baby girl named Mary, who would later become the first female monarch.  Meanwhile, Henry took on several mistresses.  One of them, Elizabeth Blount, became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  This convinced Henry that he was able to reproduce.  A few years later he became infatuated with Anne Boleyn.  However, Anne wasn't so easily convinced to have sexual relations with the king.  In fact, she refused unless he divorced Catherine and married her because then any child she produced would be heir to the throne.  Therefore, Henry declared that his marriage to Catherine had never been legitimate because she was his brother Arthur's wife before she was married to Henry.  After a battle of almost 6 years, Henry married Anne Boleyn.  Unfortunately she also was unable to produce a male heir.  She did give birth to a daughter who would later become Queen Elizabeth I.  When Henry had had enough of Anne he accused her of adultery.  She was convicted and beheaded.

Henry would marry four other women in his quest for an heir.  He was able to produce a male heir with his third wife, Jane Seymour.  He was named Edward and would ascend to the throne when Henry died.  Edward was only 9 years old when Henry died.  Edward died at the age of 14.  He was ill and before his death was able to draw up a "device", like a will, that shut out his half-sisters from succession and named his cousin Lady Jane Grey as his heir.  However, after nine days, Mary Tudor, the rightful heir to the throne, declared herself queen.  

Mary had a fierce devotion to the Catholic faith and much of her reign was taken up with fighting to eradicate Protestantism.  Even going so far as having her half-sister, Elizabeth, thrown in the tower.  She did finally release her and Elizabeth became queen after Mary's death. 

As much as Henry VIII wanted to secure the Tudor Dynasty, it would end with the death of Elizabeth.  All three of Henry's legitimate children were childless.  

My thoughts:  I became interested in learning more about Henry VIII after watching the 1966 film, A Man For All Seasons.  The film is based on a play written by Robert Bolt and deals with King Henry VIII attempting to annul his marriage to Catherine and the opposition he faced.

This book was told in narrative form and was easy to follow.  The lives of the children are included when they enter in the larger story and are interwoven with the life of Henry, as well as his wives and the struggles in the kingdom at the time.  John Guy includes quotes from other literature and documents when appropriate which makes the story more interesting.  I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Saul Reichlin who has a wonderful British accent that is perfect for this book.

If you would like to learn more about the Tudor Dynasty or England in the 16th century, I recommend this book.

Book Review: The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

The Murder on the Links.  Agatha Christie. 1923. 227 pages.  Genre:  Mystery.

First Line: "I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blase of editors, penned the following sentence:  ''Hell!' said the Duchess.'"

Summary:  Captain Hastings has just returned to London, where he shares rooms with his friend, Belgian ex-detective, Hercule Poirot.  Nothing interesting has come in the post for some time.  Poirot laments, "...nothing of interest arrives nowadays.  The great criminals, the criminals of method, they do not exist."  But wait!  There is a letter that was overlooked.  It is from a Mr. Renauld and is begging Poirot to come to him, he is in urgent need of a detective.  Hastings and Poirot catch the next train (and boat) to Merlinville-Sur-Mer, France.

When they arrive at the home of Mr. Renauld they find that they are too late.  Mr. Renauld has been murdered.  Poirot is well acquainted with the Commissary of Police, Monsieur Lucien Bex and finds him already at the scene of the crime.  M. Bex is delighted to have Poirot assist on the case and is sure Mrs. Renauld will wish to retain his services as well.  They are expecting Monsieur Giraud from the Paris Police as well and are sure that Poirot and Giraud will work well together.  However, Poirot is not so sure about that.  Giraud goes about his investigation in completely the wrong way.  He uses all of his senses to gather clues.  Poirot thinks that method is inferior to using "the little gray cells".  

Mr. Renauld was found stabbed in the back, lying face downwards in an open grave on the golf course near his home.  When the servants at his home came down to start work for the day, they found the front door ajar and soon discovered that Mrs. Renauld had been gagged and tied up.  She was quite weak and on hearing the news of her husband's death had to be sedated.

As Poirot and Hastings begin to investigate, things just don't add up.  And there is something vaguely familiar about the details of the case.  Will Poirot's "little gray cells" be able to solve the mystery and bring the killer to justice?

My thoughts:  The crime seems pretty straight forward - two masked men enter a home, tie up the wife and take the husband by force.  But as the case unfolds, it becomes more and more complicated.  

I always enjoy Poirot and getting to know him better.  Hastings, who is not always quick to see what Poirot is seeing (much like the reader!) was portrayed as a little too slow at times in this one.  But that was a minor concern.  The addition of M. Giraud as Poirot's nemesis was interesting and humorous.  Giraud leaves no stone unturned - literally - when he investigates a crime scene.  Hastings finds it fascinating to watch him.  But Poirot thinks his methods are inferior and doesn't hesitate to make his opinion known.  Giraud clearly dislikes Poirot and is also not afraid to make this known.  There is a race between them to discover the killer.

The mystery is complex and full of twists and turns.  Until Poirot explained the case, I was in the dark on several points.  There is also a bit of a romance in this one.  As always, Agatha Christie doesn't disappoint!  Highly recommended.

Quotes:

"Elsewhere, I have described Hercule Poirot.  An extraordinary little man! Height, five feet four inches, egg-shaped head carried a little to one side, eyes that shone green when he was excited, stiff military moustache, air of dignity immense! He was neat and dandified in appearance.  For neatness of any kind he had an absolute passion."

"'I know you by name, Monsieur Poirot,' he said.  'You cut quite a figure in the old days, didn't you? But methods are very different now.'   'Crimes, though, are very much the same, ' remarked Poirot gently."

Book Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray.  Oscar Wilde.  Bantam Books (1982) (First published 1890). Genre:  Classic.

First Line: "The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the most delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn."

Summary: Lord Henry Wotton is visiting his friend, Basil Hallward.  Basil has been work on a portrait.  Lord Henry thinks it is the best work he has done and that he should sent it to Grosvenor to be put on exhibition.  Basil says he is going to do no such thing and won't tell Lord Henry why.  Lord Henry is rather wily and charming and is able to get out of Basil that he feels there is too much of himself in that painting.  He feels as though he would be putting his soul on display.  Basil says that when he first met Dorian Gray, 

"A curious sensation of terror came over me.  I knew I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself."

Now Lord Henry is intrigued and insists on meeting Dorian Gray.  When he does, he finds him fascinating as well.  Dorian Gray loses his interest in friendship with Basil and thinks Lord Henry is the one who is more interesting and becomes strongly influenced by him.  Unfortunately, Lord Henry is rather careless when it comes to morality.  He says things like;

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.  Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

and

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul."

and

"Beauty is the wonder of wonders.  It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances.  The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible... Yes, Mr. Gray, the gods have been good to you.  But what the gods give they quickly take away.  You have only a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully.  When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you, or have to content yourself with those mean triumphs that the memory of your past will make more bitter than defeats.  Every month as it wanes brings you nearer to something dreadful."

When Basil finishes the portrait of Dorian and allows him to see it he is at first delighted.  But as he remembers what Lord Henry said about his youth going away, he becomes sad and afraid.  He declares, "If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!  For that - for that I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!"

Lord Henry brushes it off as a silly thing to say, while Basil is shocked and insists that Dorian should not talk that way.  But Dorian has now become obsessed by the desire to remain young and beautiful.  As the story progresses we see how this worship of youth and beauty completely consumes his  soul.  

My thoughts:  I didn't know much about this story before starting it and I think that was a good thing.  However, I almost gave up on it after about 50 pages.  It seemed strange and I wasn't sure where it was going.  But around 60 or 70 pages in, the story picks up and I could see where it was headed and wanted to know how it turned out.

Oscar Wilde writes great dialogue that is quite humorous at times.  This story does contain some humor in the character of Lord Henry, but there is not much humor as the story progresses.  It is a dark story in many ways.  The destruction of a soul is not pretty.  Oscar Wilde seemed to have some good insight into what a journey down this path might look like.  He keeps the story moving along and you never feel you are stuck under the heavy weight of darkness.

Throughout the story Wilde references so many other writers and works of literature, which was fun.  Oscar Wilde's writing is a delight to read.  Even though this is heavy subject matter, I am glad I persisted and finished the book.

Quotes:

"I am too fond of reading books to care to write them, Mr. Erskine."

"Some large blue china jars and parrot tulips were ranged on the mantelshelf, and through the small leaded panes of the window streamed the apricot-coloured light of a summer day in London."

"What is marriage? An irrevocable vow.  You mock at it for that. Ah! don't mock. It is an irrevocable vow that I want to take. Her trust makes me faithful, her belief makes me good."

"But the picture? What was he to say of that? It held the secret of his life, and told his story.  It had taught him to love his own beauty.  Would it teach him to loathe his own soul? Would he ever look at it again?"

Book Review: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less. Terry Ryan. Simon & Schuster (2001). 351 pages. Genre:  Biography.

First Lines:  "The ordinarily sleepy town of Defiance, Ohio, emitted an industrious hum on hot days, a subtle pulse of activity - like the buzzing of distant bees.  It was late Indian summer, a little too warm for an October day, in 1953."

Summary:  Evelyn Ryan was the mother of 10 children.  Money was tight so she began using her love of language to enter jingle contests.  At that time almost every brand had a jingle and in order to keep them fresh, they would hold contests requiring entrants to provide a line or two of a jingle.  The winners would receive prizes.  Sometimes the prizes were small.  But other times there were several prizes awarded to one winner.  

Evelyn was constantly working on jingles for whatever the current contest was.  She kept a notebook nearby as she worked around the house.  She loved to iron because that is where she could do her best thinking.  She would keep her notebook on the end of the ironing board to jot down her ideas.  She won many prizes, from a couple of dollars to cars, appliances and thousands of dollars.  She kept the smaller prizes in her closet and would use them as needed to replace items around the house or as gifts.  

My thoughts:  The book is written by one of the daughters of Evelyn Ryan and so is told from her perspective.  Evelyn was a woman who never gave up.  She would enter many contests and not win anything, but she never let that dampen her spirit.  Mr. Ryan worked in a machine shop where he made, "...$90 a week, barely enough to pay for food and rent."  Unfortunately, he was also an alcoholic and spent too much on his nightly consumption of liquor.  Evelyn didn't let this defeat her either.  She just continued to take care of her family and do the best she could to make ends meet.

Most interesting to me was the peek into life in the 1950's in Ohio.  

"In the days before credit cards, few people in Defiance had a checking account.  Bills were paid in cash and in person."

"She was always trying to replace the dilapidated family Chevy with something a bit more dependable.  Just to start the car most mornings required a ten-person push so Dad could pop the clutch and rumble off to work in a cloud of blue smoke."

"Back in Defiance, the rest of the Ryan family, gathered around the TV to watch Bruce on national television, saw nothing of the show.  The blizzard ruined the reception, and 'snow' was all we were able to pick up.  We sat inches in front of the TV for the entire hour anyway, unable to hear or see a thing."

I felt sad for the family as they lived with alcoholism.  Mr. Ryan missed out on so much.  But I was encouraged by Evelyn's resilience and ability to keep going even when everything seemed to be against her.  

I would recommend this book if you enjoy memoirs, history of America in the 1950's or stories about overcoming obstacles.  

Book Review: The Pomeranian Always Barks Twice (Furever Pets Mystery #1) by Alex Erickson

The Pomeranian Always Barks Twice (Furever Pets Mystery #1). Alex Erickson. Kensington (2019). 297 pages. Genre:  Cozy Mystery.

First Line: "The hum of two small wheels on hardwood brought a smile to my face as I hefted a bag of dog food from the floor."

Summary:  Liz Denton runs a pet rescue company with the help of her son, Ben.  They are on their way to pick up an elderly Pomeranian from a man who will be moving into an assisted care facility.  When they arrive at Timothy Fuller's home, they are surprised to see the other pet rescue service in town.  Pets Luv Us usually prefers puppies and kittens, so it is strange that they would be here.  They also find Mr. Fuller's son and his wife there.  Courtney Shaw, owner of Pets Luv Us, insists that she is there to pick up the Pomeranian.  Liz explains that Mr. Fuller called her to pick him up.  As they argue, Mr. Fuller becomes more and more angry.  Finally, he asks them all to leave - without the dog. 

Courtney and Liz agree to discuss the situation and come to an agreement.  On the way out, Ben notices an attractive woman at the house next door to Mr. Fuller and asks his mom to pick him up when she comes back.  She agrees and heads to Courtney's house.  When she arrives, Courtney seems pleased to see her and quickly agrees that Liz can have the dog.  Liz wonders what all the fuss was about.  

When she returns to Mr. Fuller's house, she finds the driveway filled with an ambulance and police car.  What happened?  Mr. Fuller has been murdered and her son is the prime suspect.  

My thoughts:  It was the title and cover of this book that caused me to want to read it.  We had a Pomeranian that looked very similar to the one on the cover.  The artist did a great job in capturing the personality of Poms.  

It took me a while to get into the story.  It felt a little unrealistic at first and I didn't feel like I knew the characters well enough to really care about them.  But, eventually I was hooked and had to know how things came out.

The Denton family consists of Liz, who runs the pet rescue company; her husband Manny, who is a veterinarian; their son Ben, a twenty-something young man who wants to become a veterinarian and Amelia, their daughter, who is attending college and lives at home.  Liz cares deeply about her family and about pets who others may not want.  The family has a disabled cat named Wheels.  She was born with useless back legs and now has a set of wheels attached to a harness that help her get around.  They also care for other pets temporarily while they are waiting to be placed.

The mystery was good with lots of suspects.  Mr. Fuller was not well liked and was mean to those closest to him.  This gives several people motives.  He is also rumored to have hidden some money in his home and several people know about this.  Liz does a lot of talking with people to try to figure out what happened and clear her son.  She does contact the detective on the case quite often as well.  

The mystery is solved in the end, but there were a few questions left unanswered.  

Even with the slow start and the unanswered questions, this was an enjoyable read and I will give the next book in the series a try.

Our Pomeranian, Daisy - 2/6/07 - 1/28/20

Book Review: Missing Pages (Secrets of Mary's Bookshop #8) by Vera Dodge

Missing Pages (Secrets of Mary's Bookshop #8). Vera Dodge.  Guideposts (2013). 264 pages. Genre: Cozy Mystery.

First Lines:  "'Mommy, look!'  A little girl with wide dark eyes and a mop of dark curls stood in the gutter on the side of Main Street, pointing up at a giant paste and paper elephant."

Summary:  It's the fourth of July and Ivy Bay is holding its annual parade followed by fireworks over the bay.  The whole town turns out for the festivities as well as many visitors.  Among the visitors are Mary's son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.  Mary's sister, Betty, had a hand in  most of the floats in the parade.  One of the floats is carrying the July Queen.  This year, rising high school senior Amanda Branson was chosen as queen.  Mary had the pleasure of getting to know Amanda when she worked an internship at her bookstore.  The July Queen float is quite unique.  It is meant to look like a fairy forest with several sparkly trees surrounding one large tree in the middle.  The trunk of the tree is big enough for the chair that Amanda sits on to pass through.  As the float moves down the street Amanda's chair moves through and around the tree as if she is on a lazy-Susan.

As the parade is winding down, the onlookers move toward the beach in preparation for the fireworks.  Mary heads toward the docks looking for her friend Henry.  On her way, she spots a young woman coming toward her on the other side of the street.  She seems familiar, but something isn't quite right.  She realizes the woman's gait is definitely Amanda's, but her hair is all wrong.  Instead of Amanda's brown hair, this woman has blonde hair.  Mary calls out to her, but the woman ignores her and disappears into an alley.  Mary finds this strange, but continues on her way to the docks.  

When she finally meets up with her sister to help tear down the floats, she learns that Amanda has gone missing.  It seems that near the end of the parade route, the truck pulling the float that Amanda was on had a mechanical problem.  Amanda went into the tree trunk and never came out.  Everyone assumed that it was jammed.  But when the float finally came to a stop, Amanda had vanished.  Where could she have gone?  Did someone take her?  

When no one, including her mother or her boyfriend, know where she has gone, the police get involved and so does Mary.  When Mary tells the police chief about the woman she saw who she thought could have been Amanda, he doesn't take her seriously because the woman had the wrong color hair.  Mary is not sure how to explain this, but she persists.  Will they be able to find Amanda before it is too late?

My thoughts:  I love the cover of this book!  I wish I could visit the shops in that quaint town.  This particular story has a slightly different feel than some of the others.  It feels slightly darker as it deals with someone who has gone missing.  The mystery is introduced very early on in the story, so there is less about Mary's personal life and more about the mystery.  This was fine, just different than some of the other books.  Because Mary's family is visiting, she is not working at her bookshop and only stops in once or twice.  Most of her time is spent following leads, not spending time with her guests.  This bothered me a little, but she was good about contacting them and keeping them updated on when she would meet them.  

The mystery was good with lots of clues and surprises along the way that kept me guessing.  Mary's  granddaughter even gets involved when she learns of something that one of Amanda's friends has not shared with the police.  Everything becomes clear by the end.

The descriptions of the area near the docks with the alleys and buildings was very vivid.  I have never been to Cape Cod, but I could picture what it was like.  When reading an interview with the author at the end of the book I learned that she spends time at the Cape as often as she can and has been visiting since she was a child.  Well, that explains the vivid descriptions!

This was an enjoyable read in a quaint setting with an interesting mystery.