Writings, Wanderings

Nancy Drew. I'm not joking when I say it is possible I have read 100 of the many books written about the teenage girl detective. (Some research turns up over 300 titles across the various lines.) While nearly all the stories were enjoyable reads, some titles stand out more than others. One of my favorites is actually a set of three, the Passport to Romance trilogy (released in 1992 by Simon & Schuster) These three books set their mysteries against the backdrop of fantastic European destinations. Nancy and her friends first travel to Switzerland and then head on to Italy before finishing their touring in Greece. These books tantalized my imagination with their touches of the culture of these countries; I especially remember details from Rendezvous in Rome  with its mention of the Etruscans and a daring chase through the Coliseum. Each book wrapped up its own mystery, but the trilogy introduced a romance arc that also kept me reading. I had to find out if Nancy chose her ...

Three novels read in the month of December! The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie was a smooth read and probably my favorite of the month. The characters were not overly developed but I read Christie for the plot, the mystery. As usual, I didn't guess the murderer, but it is always fun to see how the events tie together once the puzzle is laid out. The book also brought up the issue of mental illness and PTSD long before it was talked about in mainstream conversation which I found interesting. The Cost of Betrayal was a set of novellas by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason. While I enjoyed these reads, I did not feel that they were of the same caliber as the full-length novels I have read by the first two writers. Reflecting a few days after wrapping up the book, I think my favorite novella ended up being "Betrayal" by Dee Henderson. I feel as though the blurb was a little misleading but the story was interesting. In both "Deadly Isle" by Dani P...