'The Nightingale' by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah (3.5)

There is definitely no lack of novels set during World War II, so you ask yourself ‘why read another?’ I usually look for a topic of nuance not covered in earlier books. This particular book is quite similar to ‘All The Light We Cannot See’ as it is set in France during the Nazi occupation. My feelings are also similar: the plot was compelling and interesting, but something was missing. I can point to two things – first the major reveal (the identity of the narrator) seemed obvious and annoying. Second, the behavior of several characters was hard to believe. When you start to disbelieve and dislike major characters (who are supposed to be sympathetic), you tend to become less engaged in their outcome. In this case one of the characters, Isabelle, is very strong and the reader wants her to ‘win’ regardless of her faults. Unfortunately, with her sister, Vianne, one is less sympathetic and I found I didn’t care at all what happened to her. Given our recent trip to the Pyrenees, I really enjoyed reading about the Resistance taking people from France into Spain. We visited a refugi 2 miles from the French border that housed many escapees during the war.

'Service of All the Dead', Colin Dexter

Service of All the Dead, 4^th Inspector Morse Series, Colin Dexter (3.0)

We’ve enjoyed the young Inspector Morse on the PBS show, ‘Endeavor’, so I was interested to read one of the original books from the series. Oddly I was a bit disappointed. I’m not sure if it was because I read the 4^th in the series (it was the only free one I could find), but the main character came off as less likable than the young version. He was still a complex character with the sharp insight of a good detective mixed with a taste for opera. The mystery was interesting, and the outcome, given the myriad of possibilities was a bit surprising. Unfortunately Morse came across as a bit snarky and elusive. He played games with his partner (not at all like the young Endeavor Morse) and I just didn’t like the characters enough to follow them to their next case.

'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder

Sophie’s World, Jostein Gaarder (5.0)

I read this book in the late 90’s and have wanted to reread it for some time. At 500+ pages – and mostly being a book about the history of Western philosophy - it is takes a bit to get through. But if you are at all interested in philosophy, it is worth the time. As a reader, you are learning about philosophy as it is being taught to a 14-year-old girl. The author starts with the girl receiving strange letters and postcards asking a philosophical question (‘why are we here’) followed by a letter explaining the concept from the point of view of Socrates or Aristotle. Eventually she meets her teacher and the lessons go into more depth. Not only do you learn about different philosophers with approachable language, the plot of the book (yes, there is a subtle plot) is written in an Alice in Wonderland way that also helps illustrate some of the concepts. About half way into the book, there is a particularly difficult philosophy to grasp and the author does something quite mind blowing to ‘show’ rather than just ‘tell’. This book is not for everyone, but I hope those who choose to take the adventure find it as remarkable as I did.