Reading Journal - February 24: A Georgette Heyer Novel, Mrs. Pollifax & an YA Read

What I read this week:



Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer

My thoughts:
I don't know if I've read a Georgette Heyer book quite like this one. It has a feel of a Gothic tale and is a much darker tale. Kate Malvern, a penniless orphan, goes to visit her Aunt Minerva at Staplewood. Though her aunt showers her with many wonderful things, Kate begins to realize that things aren't right at Staplewood. First is her uncle, Sir Timothy,  who lives in his own wing of the house, second is her cousin, Torquil who has excessive mood swings, and then there are these odd incidents that keep occurring. Thankfully Sir Timothy's nephew, Philip appears and slowly they unravel the mystery--and what a mystery!!

Cousin Kate starts off in Heyer's wonderful witty style and ends with murder, mayhem, and love. If you enjoy Heyer's novels this one needs to be added to your list.


Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle by Dorothy Gilman (audiobook)

My thoughts:
Mrs. Pollifax and her husband Cyrus head to Tiawan for a little vacation. At the last minute, Carstairs has a little courier job for her to do. Of course, her "little" job results in Cyrus being kidnapped and Mrs. Pollifax chasing him through the jungle to find him. There are lots of twists and turns and the bad guy is never who you expect. Excellently narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.



An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo

My thoughts:
From the author of War Horse, this YA story is set at the end of World War II in Dresden tells the story of Marlene an elephant who is allowed to stay with Lizzie's family. After Dresden is bombed they evacuate with Marlene and meet up with Peter, a Canadian from the RAF. They slowly work their way to the Americans defying sickness and attempting to avoid attention.As with War Horse, it takes a while for the action to happen, but the ending is very touching and makes up for the slow beginning.

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