Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the second book, Death is a Strange Country, in the Brunetti series years ago, and I bought this as a Nook book when it was offered at a reduced price. Death at La Fenice is the first of a 21-book series.
I enjoy these mysteries with enough descriptions of Venice to make it a supporting character. Commissario Brunetti is a man with a job to do, investigate the death of Maestro Wellhauer who was conducting at La Fenice. He has a different style from many of the headstrong, amateur detectives in other cozy mysteries I read, and I enjoy the differences this brings to this book.
I recommend it to readers of mysteries or to armchair travelers who want to know more about Venice.


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The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was published 35 years ago, and a current project of mine is to read all 25 books of the Shannara series in the chronological order of their events.

This is the book that started the series, and it is the book that opened the publishing genre of fantasy when the publisher thought there might be a market for readers who enjoyed Tolkein and wanted more fantasy quests.
I enjoy the characters Brooks creates and Brooks does an excellent job of writing battle scenes.
I give it five stars for it can be enjoyed by multi-generational readers without feeling dated.

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5 Steps to Personal Power by Patrick Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I trust Chet Day's recommendation and his special price for the download of this .pdf book.
There are many exercises within these five steps which are based on many techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy and neuro-linguistic programming to help break through limiting beliefsand continue new behaviors until they are habitual.
It is a good book to read and re-read.

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Deep Down by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a Jack Reacher fan, and I purchased this short story for $1.99 as an Nook book.
I like that Lee Child chooses to give his fans a back story for the short story. The time is 1986 and Reacher is called from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. for an undercover assignment.
I recommend it to fans of the series, and recommend new readers start with Killing Floor.

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Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a Free Friday selection from Barnes and Noble, and it is no longer free.
This book was written in 1932 so it feels like a period piece when it may have been intended to be contemporary. There is an inherited manor house and its new residents want to keep it. Locals warn them the manor and its grounds are haunted, and the haunting is a reason that good local help will be hard to find. Yes, this is light enough to read on the beach, during an airline flight, or during waiting room visits.
i recommend it to readers who prefer genteel mysteries.


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The new America's wonderlands: Our National Parks by National Geographic Society
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my National Geographic Society shelf in my home library for 37 years. I used it for reference when planning vacations before the internet made finding information easier. I finally read all the text this year.
Sometimes the text and information are dated. Sometimes the pictures are dated too. People may be in pictures for interest or to show scale, but the short shorts, tube socks and permed hair cuts occasionally date a picture.
The book can still be used to begin research or armchair travel.

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A Wanted Man by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated this Jack Reacher mystery as soon as I read the last one.
Child set the mood for a long car ride across the interstates in Nebraska and Kansas at night. The ride is boring and yet you need to stay alert so you do lots of thinking.
I recommend it for fans of the series.


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