MAY'S READING LIST

I didn't get very many books read this month.  In fact the month was taken up by reading just one book.


THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley (2009)

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison.  It is the summer of 1950, and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home.  A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak.  Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.  For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw.

One of my blog friends recommended this book on her blog.  I would like to thank her, but I can't remember who it was!  So if it was you, thanks!  This book was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I needed some stretching.  When I read the first chapter I thought, "Nope.  Not for me."  But the review I read was so good I went on to see what was so good about the book.  As I read it got better and better.  I usually can figure out who the culprit is before the end of the book, but this time I couldn't.  Surprise after surprise was revealed in each chapter.  I would definitely give this a thumbs up and recommend it to all mystery lovers.

WHY? (The War  Years):   A 26 Fairmount Avenue Book by Tomie  DePaola (2007)
While World War 2 rages across the ocean in Europe, young Tomie finds life changing in many ways.  His family still celebrates New Year's Eve, and he still helps Tom and Nana in their  grocery store,  but  he has to wear an extra sweater in class because the school is conserving heat, and blackout curtains cover the windows at home.

And even as Tomie struggles with arithmetic and penmanship, the war seems more real when Cousin Blackie visits on his way overseas to fly missions as a bomber gunner.

Then tragedy brings the war home to the dePaola family,  and all Tomie can do is ask, "Why?"

Recalling the most trying times at the Newberry Honor-winning address of 26 Fairmount Avenue, Tomie de Paola infuses his memories with his customary sensitivity and humor.  In his warm storytelling voice, Why? offers great  comfort  to  young readers struggling with similar issues about the world today.

This is the next to last book in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series.  Tomie de Paola does it again with his recollections of his life as a child during the war years.  Joe and I are looking forward to reading the last book of this series, but not looking forward to having the series end.