2016 book list
32. Lavender Laughs at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
HB, school story, my copy, reread, 281 pages
Lavender Leigh lives with her aunt, going to assorted countries around the world, and appearing as the heroine of the 'Lavender Laughs' series of books. Now she is all on edge, strained, suffers from insomnia, petulance, temper and lack of appetite, as well as growing at a great rate, thereby heading for Neurasthenia. So off to school she goes, where she must learn to fit in with others and make do with 4 dresses instead of nine. There's hockey, snow, a cooking incident involving fruit cake and waffles, and the birth of Joey's son Stephen 'Green', oh, and Lavender cuts her hair. No fete, no play. By the end of the term, Lavender is learning to stand on her own feet and becoming a true Chalet School Girl. (Lavender Laughs in Antarctica and finds out about the Stargate program???) (4.5/6)
33. The Princeton Murders by Ann Waldron
pb, crime, not keeping, 259 pages
With recipes for a Faculty Brunch! Thank goodness there are only three frankly uninspiring recipes.
McLeod Dulaney is an investigative reporter for Tallahassee's paper. She's also the recipient of the Pulitzer prize, which gets her to Princeton to teach a writing course. Soon, two professors are dead and McLeod and some of her students investigate the deaths, originally thought not to be murder, until there's a third death. A nice number of suspects, with decent motives, so it took a while for me to settle on who I thought did it and why. I found the characters engaging. I'd read the next one in the series, if I ever found it. (4.5/6)
34. Razzamatazz by Patricia Burroughs
pb romance, 182 pages, not keeping
I could not relate to the heroine, Kennie Sue at all, only the mystery surrounding the hero, Alex, kept me going till the end, and even then it was tame. She goes to Reno for a holiday she won, except it fell through. Waiting to fly home to Texas, she allows herself to be picked up by two men, and wakes up next morning married to one of them. Silly woman. Copyright 1988 is its excuse. (2.5/6)
35. A Weekend to Remember by Miranda Lee
pb romance, 180 pages, not keeping
Aussie romance, set in NSW, and I've visited most of the places mentioned and stayed in Leura in the Blue Mountains for a holiday. Hannah's a secretary, newly divorced from her dreadful husband. It's lucky he's a plastic surgeon as their two boys board at King's College, which is very expensive. She caught him in a compromising position with one of his patients (one of many affairs). Hannah's boss Jack, is engaged to out right bitch Felicia, but luckily gets hit on the head with a roof tile, develops amnesia and can't remember the last six weeks, during which time he'd proposed to Felicia, who was having an affair already and only marrying Jack for his money (and stamina in bed, even though he's not very classy). Hannah pretends she's his fiancée, and spirits him away to the mountains to recover. All hell breaks loose when Felicia and Hannah's ex hubby arrive at the cottage. All is eventually resolved, of course. (3.5/6)
2016 Totals
books read: 35
Pages: 9202
Rereads: 5
Keeping: 10
Books out: 120 (did some sorting in the study)
Books in: 153 (that includes the Clunes purchases, but I've bought none since then)
HB, school story, my copy, reread, 281 pages
Lavender Leigh lives with her aunt, going to assorted countries around the world, and appearing as the heroine of the 'Lavender Laughs' series of books. Now she is all on edge, strained, suffers from insomnia, petulance, temper and lack of appetite, as well as growing at a great rate, thereby heading for Neurasthenia. So off to school she goes, where she must learn to fit in with others and make do with 4 dresses instead of nine. There's hockey, snow, a cooking incident involving fruit cake and waffles, and the birth of Joey's son Stephen 'Green', oh, and Lavender cuts her hair. No fete, no play. By the end of the term, Lavender is learning to stand on her own feet and becoming a true Chalet School Girl. (Lavender Laughs in Antarctica and finds out about the Stargate program???) (4.5/6)
33. The Princeton Murders by Ann Waldron
pb, crime, not keeping, 259 pages
With recipes for a Faculty Brunch! Thank goodness there are only three frankly uninspiring recipes.
McLeod Dulaney is an investigative reporter for Tallahassee's paper. She's also the recipient of the Pulitzer prize, which gets her to Princeton to teach a writing course. Soon, two professors are dead and McLeod and some of her students investigate the deaths, originally thought not to be murder, until there's a third death. A nice number of suspects, with decent motives, so it took a while for me to settle on who I thought did it and why. I found the characters engaging. I'd read the next one in the series, if I ever found it. (4.5/6)
34. Razzamatazz by Patricia Burroughs
pb romance, 182 pages, not keeping
I could not relate to the heroine, Kennie Sue at all, only the mystery surrounding the hero, Alex, kept me going till the end, and even then it was tame. She goes to Reno for a holiday she won, except it fell through. Waiting to fly home to Texas, she allows herself to be picked up by two men, and wakes up next morning married to one of them. Silly woman. Copyright 1988 is its excuse. (2.5/6)
35. A Weekend to Remember by Miranda Lee
pb romance, 180 pages, not keeping
Aussie romance, set in NSW, and I've visited most of the places mentioned and stayed in Leura in the Blue Mountains for a holiday. Hannah's a secretary, newly divorced from her dreadful husband. It's lucky he's a plastic surgeon as their two boys board at King's College, which is very expensive. She caught him in a compromising position with one of his patients (one of many affairs). Hannah's boss Jack, is engaged to out right bitch Felicia, but luckily gets hit on the head with a roof tile, develops amnesia and can't remember the last six weeks, during which time he'd proposed to Felicia, who was having an affair already and only marrying Jack for his money (and stamina in bed, even though he's not very classy). Hannah pretends she's his fiancée, and spirits him away to the mountains to recover. All hell breaks loose when Felicia and Hannah's ex hubby arrive at the cottage. All is eventually resolved, of course. (3.5/6)
2016 Totals
books read: 35
Pages: 9202
Rereads: 5
Keeping: 10
Books out: 120 (did some sorting in the study)
Books in: 153 (that includes the Clunes purchases, but I've bought none since then)