Port Mortuary, by Patricia Cornwell (2010)

This took me out of the world for a day and a half. (And I really wanted to get some academic work done instead of reading a novel.) It is a completely engaging book, one you won't put down. This is another in a series of the Scarpetta novels that Cornwell is known for. As usually there is a gripping plot and the main characters are fully developed and nuanced. To get the full effect of the book you would need to have read others in the series. Those of us who have followed the Scarpetta series delight in the additional new shades added to her cast. Scarpetta herself is the narrative voice and that device makes the ambiguity of the events entirely believable.

As always Cornwell gives us rich pictures of modern forensic medicine and other technological information. This particular book will be alarming to anyone who has hesitations about technological advances in offensive weapons. It also connects briefly to Apartheid in South Africa.

When you pick this up make sure your calendar is clear for a day or so--you won't be accomplishing much other than finishing the book.

Although this is an adult book, I can strongly recommend it for high school students. The violence is minimal and there is essentially no sex.

The Death Collector by Justin Richards (2006)

This period techno-thriller from the Victorian Era is not one that really grabbed me. Perhaps because I listened to in on cd rather than read it in paper. Richards is quite a prolific YA author and writes collaboratively with Jack Higgins. He has also authored a series, The Invisible Detective. Others have a much more favorable opinion of the book than I. I got good reviews from Kirkus and The School Library Journal. I may need to sit down with a paper copy and see if audio/print really does make a difference.

For younger adolescents there is some interesting horror in the plot--Zombies and reanimation. I will revise this review if I find the paper copy produces a different response.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The final book in a series of 3. I'd hear many comments from friends and librarians about the conclusion of the Hunger Games series. Most said something along the lines that "it was good, but really more of an adult book." It really is quite violent. I think it's one of those books that I would hesitate to recommend to students, but that many would read. It is no more violent than many of the movies they watch regularly or some of the "reality" shows like Jackass. To recommend it more completely as an appropriate YA read, the message Collins is sending about wars and conflicts is very appropriate for the age group.

I still think this series is a good companion/alternate read to books like Lord of the Flies or Animal Farm. It is more contemporary and deals more directly with the complexities of modern political systems in the era of technology.

I did not find it as an enjoyable a read as the other two books in the series (thus the 3 instead of 4 stars) but it is important, as a reader, to have the sense of completion.

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.