Whistling in the Dark - Lesley Kagen

I had mixed feelings while reading this book. It is supposed to evoke the feelings of a bygone fifties neighborhood but it is told through the eyes of a ten-year-old. It is the voice that gets annoying at times, I think. I can't put my finger on it. The kids are naive but at the same time not. I don't know. They are kind of likeable though and I found myself liking the book in the end. Even though the ending is hollywoodish. Sally O'Malley and her younger sister Troo are left to fend for themselves when their mom is sick during a summer when a murderer is on the lose. Sally is also trying to deal with the death a year earlier of her father. 6

By hook or by crook : a journey in search of English / David Crystal

Love books about the English language (actually languages overall). This one is ok. Learned some new things. Laughed a little. Came away with a renewed sense of the amazing intricacies of linguistics. 7

The People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

Hannah is an Australian rare-book expert and is commissioned to restore a famous centuries old Jewish book which had been lost but is found anew in Sarajevo towards the end of the Bosnian war. Hannah deals with the details of the book as well with personal demons relating to relationships with her mother and non-existent father. The historical fiction aspects and the way the story is presented to the reader is very appealing. However, some of the dialogue of the modern day people is trite. Overall, after a slow start, a great read. 8