~ The Starling & Swift series
by Mary Jane Hathaway or M.J. Mandrake or Virginia Carmichael
This author has never disappointed me. Her writing is clean, full of excellent literary and poetic references and well-written. I was so excited when I found out she recently released a set of cozy mysteries. The main character is an interpreter for the deaf on a cruise ship, so the six books are set in various Caribbean type locations. Bonus points for the service dog who plays a huge role in the books! I also could enjoy all the fun canine references for a dog lover like myself. I continue to heartily recommend anything written by this homeschool mama under any of her three pen names. (The first book in the series is called Murder at the Mayan Temple.)
~ Trixie Belden and the Happy Valley Mystery #9
by Kathryn Kenny
We're slowly working our way through the Trixie Belden mysteries. I read them as a girl and they certainly have not lost their appeal to the girls in this house. It holds all of their attention well, so this is the ninth one I've read aloud to them. Trixie and her friends are fun, hard-working and respect their parents and each other. This is the first book that had the barest hints of romantic boy-girl relationship dynamics in it and I really used it to stop and talk about our family's thoughts on the matter. Overall, another great classic from my girlhood that I enjoyed sharing with the Blossoms.
~ The Princess Bride
by William Goldman
The movie is one of my favorites, so I really wanted to get around to reading this book. I am firmly in the "Book is better than the Movie" camp and this book reinforced my stance there. I found the characters to be highly entertaining. In fact, I felt that I got to know the characters quite a bit better. Even if you've never seen the movie, you'll enjoy the quirkiness of this timeless story.
If you have a good book recommendation, feel free to email me!
Dominique
