The Sheen on the Silk, by Anne Perry

Perry steps outside of her usual setting of England to Constantinople in the 13th Century (1273-1282). It may be that because I do not know as much about this region of the world or this time period that I found the book a little less engaging than other Perry novels.

The main character, Anna Zarides, has disguised herself as a eunuch to attempt to find the truth of her brother's involvement in a murder. She hopes that through finding this she will be able to free him from his sentence to a monastery in Palestine.

I trust Perry's historical background, but not the particulars of the plot she is unraveling. I was engaged enough in the intricacies of the schism between the Eastern and Roman Catholic churches to want to attend carefully and do some background reading. I will be giving it to my friend who attends our local Greek Orthodox church and look forward to comparing impressions.

Dance for the Dead, by Thomas Perry

I tripped across Thomas Perry as I was searching to find a free audio book to download to my new Droid phone. His novel The Face-Changers had a "teaser" available, but I've been unable to download the complete book as an audio file. What I did hear was enough to get me started on his collected works.

I've read the first two books in his "Jane Whitefield" series. there are six books in the series. What I've read so far makes me want to continue to read the others. Yes, they are "suspense" novels--but not quite detective fiction, since Jane is not a detective. I hope I am learning something authentic about Seneca Indians. Since Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York--the center of the remains of the tribe--I am hopeful that the work include some truth. Since Perry has a Ph.D. in English Literature I trust that he has done the appropriate homework. The dreams and visions of the ancestors are intriguing enough that I want to continue reading more.

Whitefield is a person who "disappears" people in trouble. She does this outside of the legal system and without much support from others. In all the work there is a relatively strong sense of ethics.

So, in spite of all the "good for you" aspects of the novels, they are also thrillers that make your heart race. They aren't really good bedtime reading--bedtime will be pushed into the wee hours of the morning.

Definitely adult books--I would not recommend them to high school readers. But, I would let some of the most mature know that I am reading them. While adult, the sex and violence are restrained, fit well within the story line (not gratuitous) and are balanced well by the rest of the book.

The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd

What do you do when global climate change really hits home hard and you're an average teen-age girl trying to keep her band together? After having read a number of post-Apocalypse books recently I valued the more whimsical approach Lloyd takes to the topic. Make no mistake--she is serious about exploring the changes that climate change is likely to bring to our world, but does it in a way that isn't quite so desperate. The format of the book also includes some interesting and engaging graphics. There are notebook pages "taped" into the book, emails, advertising, and other "artifacts" that lend reality to the book.

The "science" behind the book is largely hypothetical--but seems within reasonable bounds of the imagination. The book begins with the issuance of carbon "credit" cards. Each member of the family is issued a card that tracks their carbon usage.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan

I can' wait for the next book!! Riordan just keeps getting better in his artful weaving of contemporary culture, issues of adolescents and coming of age, and Greek Mythology. Spreading across the United States and into Canada Riordan creates believable settings and dynamics against a background of mythology and supernatural events. This new series begins in a most promising manner with a new character, Jason, who arrives at Camp Half-blood with amnesia. The rest of the book takes our new set of demigods through a quest to free a goddess and once again save the world.

I made good use of my Scholastic Mythlopedia's (as set of 3 reference books about gods, goddesses, and their relations). Of course with myths Riordan's interpretations may not be the same as the authors of the Scholastic series--but the information does help flesh out some of the generally accepted "facts" about the various gods and goddesses.

This book with make a great gift to any 9-11 year old on your shopping list. I think it would also work from somewhat older students who have enjoyed the Percy Jackson series or who are fans of other books of mythology.

There are laugh out loud portions in the book. It would make a great read aloud with your own children.