Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for April, 2014…

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsell – My grandmother recommended this history of a little known, not particularly organized group of American – and one British – officers who made it their mission to save Europe’s cultural treasures during and immediately after the battles of World War II.  It was dense but fascinating, and I was particularly intrigued by the story against the backdrop of some criticism about the book and film focusing on art when so many lives were being lost in horrific ways.  (I can understand the point, but I also feel that our art and culture is what makes us human, and I’m glad that the “Monuments Men” were able to save so much of it for the generations to come.)  I’d definitely recommend this, but you have to have some time, patience, and tolerance for a lot of information.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor (Jane Austen Mysteries #1), by Stephanie Barron – This was a cute and fluffy mystery of the “cozy” variety.  I’m not sure how I stumbled upon it, but it was fun.  Barron casts Jane Austen as an intrepid sleuth who solves a murder, acquits a friend, and has a Lizzie-and-Darcy-like encounter.  The writing took some getting used to (I think it’s always tough for a modern author to mimic the writing style of a past period) but it was amusing.  I’m not sure if I’ll continue on with the series – I probably will, but I’m not rushing out for the next book.

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1), by Elizabeth Peters – The “indomitable” Amelia Peabody’s first adventure was a rollicking good ride.  A Victorian “spinster of independent means,” Amelia decides to do some traveling.  Trusty parasol in one hand, she makes for Egypt.  Along the way she picks up young Evelyn Barton-Forbes, quite literally, off the Roman pavement.  Amelia engages Evelyn as her “companion” because she wants someone to take care of, but it quickly becomes apparent that Evelyn is in charge.  The two women sail together down the Nile and stop at an archaeological dig led by brothers Radcliffe and Walter Emerson.  While they’re moored at the dig site, the women receive nighttime visitations from a mummy who seems bent on a reign of terror.  Nobody messes with Amelia, and she takes it upon herself to unmask the mummy and fix Evelyn up with Walter Emerson while she’s at it.  This was so much fun.  I recommended it to my mom, who picked it up and loved it too, and I went on to…

The Curse of the Pharoahs (Amelia Peabody #2), by Elizabeth Peters – (Unavoidable SPOILER alert!)  Amelia is now wife to Radcliffe Emerson and mother to the precocious toddler Ramses, and she and Emerson both are feeling a bit constrained by England when they receive a visit from one Lady Baskerville.  Her husband, an avid Egyptologist, was patronizing a dig when he died under mysterious circumstances, and she’d like Emerson to take over.  He agrees, grudgingly, but Amelia is looking forward to both the archaeological joys ahead, and to flexing her sleuthing muscle – because she’s convinced Lord Baskerville was murdered.  When Amelia and Emerson arrive at the dig, they discover that the matter is more complex than it seemed back in England, with no shortage of possible suspects.

The Mummy Case (Amelia Peabody #3), by Elizabeth Peters – Amelia and Emerson, accompanied by Ramses, head back to Egypt with the goal of excavating some pyramids, only to find themselves foiled by a malevolent government official.  Emerson takes out his frustration by being needlessly and annoyingly thorough in excavating the pile of rubble he does get, and Amelia turns to investigating the suspicious death of an antiquities dealer, the theft of a seemingly worthless mummy case from a collector, the possibility of a “Master Criminal” heading an antiquities theft ring, and the secretive antics of her all-too-precocious son Ramses.  Amelia is such fun, and I am loving my time spent with her and her wacky family.

Everyman’s Pocket Poets: Bronte, by Emily Bronte – As part of National Poetry Month and the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon, I picked up this little volume of Emily Bronte’s poetry.  I loved Bronte’s wild, weird imagery, although her fixation on the grave was a wee bit disturbing (but probably not surprising).  I definitely preferred Emily’s poems to her one novel, Wuthering Heights, which I’ve read several times and disliked more on each re-read.  Now I’d like to read her juvenilia.

Henrietta’s War: News from the Home Front 1939-1942, by Joyce Dennys – Henrietta is a doctor’s wife in a rural Devonshire village, who along with the rest of her social circle, is determined to do her part to help the effort on the Home Front during World War II.  In letters to her “childhood friend” Robert, somewhere amidst the fighting, she paints a vivid picture of the village life going bravely on.  She describes the antics of some of the local characters we all know – those people who sometimes cause us to shake our heads or roll our eyes, but who are part of the fabric of our everyday life – flirtatious Faith, bossy Mrs. Savernack, and kindly Lady B (my favorite) amongst them.  I loved Henrietta and my only complaint was that this book was much too short.  I could have happily read about Henrietta for hundreds more pages.   Recommended to anyone who enjoys epistolary novels, gentle fiction, or World War II stories.  I like all three, so this book was right in my sweet spot.

I can’t believe it’s May 14 and I’m only getting this post up now!  Sorry for the delay – I’d meant to post this on May 5, but was out of town and didn’t get it drafted ahead of time as I’d planned, and then had a crazy week at work when I returned.  Anyway… April was a fairly light month of reading.  Except for The Monuments Men, I didn’t attempt anything particularly meaty.  (Well, there’s the Bronte, too, but that was a short volume.)  Most of April was devoted to mysteries, and in particular to Amelia Peabody, so I can’t complain.  I have a post in the works about Amelia, and how she led me to a special discovery, so look for that next week.  And look for more Amelia in these monthly round-ups for many months to come, because we’re already good friends.  Henrietta provided the other April highlight, and I immediately picked up the second volume of her letters (which will be in the May round-up in just a couple of weeks).  The lighter reading was necessary as I got used to being back in the workplace.  I’m sure I’ll get back to some more challenging reads soon, but for now I’m just going easy on myself and reading whatever looks fun and not too punishing.  Which is usually mysteries, and mysteries, and mysteries.