Belated Christmas

Because I procrastinated, DeeAnn's Christmas present finally arrived. I'd actually researched how to buy a telescope, but when we saw the one I thought would be best, we decided it was just way too big and bulky. We wanted one we could throw in Harvey and take it camping with us. So I found this one but it was on a long back order.


Well, it's here. Now we are just waiting for a cloudless night to see some stars! We did look at the moon one morning. Fascinating!

Review - Mr. Monk on Patrol

Mr. Monk on Patrol by Lee Goldberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another great Mr. Monk book. His disorders and obsessions are still as clever and annoying as ever as are his detective skills. It's great to see him in different settings and situations.

Be warned however, the ending is a cliffhanger. It appears the only way to find out the answer is to read the next book in the series.

Book summary (courtesy of Goodreads.com):
Everything has been going well for former SFPD lieutenant Randy Disher in Summit, New Jersey, where he lives with Monk's previous assistant, Sharona, and works as the new police chief. But when the city's leadership is arrested for fraudulently inflated salaries, Disher suddenly finds himself as the acting mayor.

Now, Disher has to manage the police department and shoulder the day to day responsibility of running a town that is in the midst of a wave of residential robberies. In desperation, Disher reaches out to the one person he knows can solve the crimes: Adrian Monk.

When Monk and his assistant, Natalie, arrive in New Jersey, Disher makes them temporary police officers. Summit is about to become the cleanest and most symmetrical city on Earth. But then the string of home burglaries escalates to arson and murder...and someone tries very, very hard to send Monk and Natalie back to San Francisco in coffins.

I'm now working on The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan.

Review - Only Time Will Tell

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have liked Jeffrey Archers' books in the past and this was no different. I love the British history and insight into life during the beginning of World War II.

It's a great story of beginnings and how Harry Clifton rises from the docks to become someone. Who that person he will become will be made known in the next books of the series and I look forward to reading them.

My only complaint about the book was Archer's use of a different font to tell the story from a first person perspective. The book is told from the perspective of several characters and the first few pages of the section is from their perspective alone. Then it builds on the story but from a different angle. I found it an effective way to tell the story but made for difficult reading to use a sans serif font which is difficult to read quickly.

Summary of the book (courtesy Goodreads.com):
The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.

Now I'm reading Mr. Monk on Patrol by Lee Goldberg.

Review - Icebound Land

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this title though not as much as the previous titles in the series. Even though I am a librarian I was frustrated with waiting for the next book to come back so I bought the rest of the series. Now I can read it at my pleasure.

Here's the summery (courtesy of Goodreads.com):
Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise--even defy his King.

Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will's friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged constantly by freelance knights' but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon he begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. Even so, will they be in time to rescue Will from a horrific life of slavery?

Fondue

Taking the tradition from friends, we hosted our first fondue party last Friday. We invited the Minors, who have met us in Disneyland a couple of times, and they were lots of fun.

Our food included a cheese fondue (Butterkase, Fontina and a little Parmesan, vegetable broth, spinach and artichoke hearts, and a dash of Tabasco) served with bread and chips, entrees cooked in a vegetable broth (chicken, shrimp, steak, and potatoes), a tempura batter (for making corndogs, zucchini, and onion rings) in canola oil. For dessert: chocolate fondue and warmed carmel sauce for the strawberries, apples, and marshmallows.

We learned a few things, like pre-boil the potatoes so they cook faster in the broth. We need to buy another fondue pot (electric) but overall, we think the night was a success.