Soviet Deserts and Mountains by George St. George

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Although the political boundaries changes since I added this book to my home library, the desert, foothill and mountain wilderness still forms a geographical bridge between the Middle East and Far East. I enjoyed the text by George St. George as much as I enjoyed the pictures of a region:

"After about three miles, however, the novelty of walking in a glacial riverbed began to pall. I was drenched and my shoes were falling apart. I am an adventurous type--I spent my youth tramping over the Siberian tundra--the the Bartang crack was, as far as I was concerned strictly for cockroaches."

And yet, he finds the answer of why people would live in such inhospitable wilderness: freedom.



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A Field Guide to the Familiar: Learning to Observe the Natural World by Gale Lawrence

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book rates 5 stars for it is worth keeping on your shelf for reference. It is divided into seasons to help the beginner observe what might be happening at any given moment at the home of the reader. I recommend it to parents of inquisitive children. There are plenty of illustrations by Adelaide Murphy.



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The Hard Way by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Yes, I'm out of order; but, I'm caught up on my Jack Reacher series.



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The Enemy by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another Reacher novel that is worth the time to read and think about.



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The American Seasons by Edwin Way Teale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a book to be savored and re-read at your leisure. I would like to suggest Teale's description at the end of an autumn day would do well to describe this book.

"During this journey we had wandered as we wished. We had changed our plans to suit the day. We had, for the space of a whole glorious autumn, been time-rich."



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New Spring by Robert Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a prequel to what is now a thirteen book series that I am reading because my husband enjoys it. I could give it five stars for world-building, but fantasies annoy me when it takes this reader more than one line to understand that with the new chapter I am reading about a different set of characters in a different part of the world. That's just me but it is enough for me to say, 3 stars only!



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An Uplifting Murder by Elaine Viets

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is another entertaining cozy mystery from Elaine Viets. I recommend the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series to those who enjoy series like this. I prefer to read her series instead of Stephanie Plum series by Jane Evanovich. Yes, it is a personal preference; but give this series a try and tell me which one you prefer.



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Without Fail by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is another one of the well-written and entertaining Jack Reacher series. I read this during the time the murders and woundings occurred at a political rally in Arizona, and its aftermath was prominently reported in the news. Those current events gave this work of fiction, written in 2002, a feeling of immediacy.



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Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this one more than I have enjoyed others because I enjoyed watching Reacher work with members of the 110th MP unit.



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