Sunday Post #86

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. 

Hello again friends. This has been a good week, with lots of blue sky although the temps have been cold. Still waiting for the warm up but I know it's close. 

My birthday is Tuesday and I'm looking forward to (hopefully) some new books to read, as I'm not into anything right now. Need some new stuff! 



BLOGOSPHERE FUN: 

Here's a production snippet from Mako Mermaids. A fun show. 

Sunday Post #85

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. 

This week has been good, a bit of reading and I've been binging on Mako Mermaids. We've had a bit of a warm up, what a difference a month makes. A few weeks ago we were freezing, now we're getting 50's and it's nice. Ready for the warm weather- it's about time! 
Like jazz? Here is dave Koz and friends playing a classic. Great stuff! 

The Sign of the Crooked Arrow

This one of the more enjoyable Hardy Boys books I've read. This one start off with the boys investigating an abandoned car at a local shop. The boys look for clues and quickly find a connection between the car and a slew of jewelry store holdups that their dad is working on. That is, by the way, one of the thing I like the least about these books- the two threads that invariably are related, in a way that strains credulity. These were, however, written to a formula, after all, so you just have to go with it. 

They quickly find that a crooked arrow seems to be a promising lead. Their quest takes them into a rough part of town, and in the meantime their dad is shot- with a poisoned arrow! It's quickly discovered that the thieves are using cigarettes with a sleeping agent to knock out their victims. 

In the meantime they fly to their cousin Ruth's ranch and find other clues that show a connection to the jewelry store holdups. Naturally the robberies and the disappearance are related! They arrive at Crowhead Ranch and it doesn't take them long to make enemies, as well as friends, and to suspect that someone at the ranch is a bad actor. The ranch hands are a colorful bunch, including Terry, a cowboy who burst into song whenever something interesting happens. After someone takes a shot at Frank with a arrow, they suspect it's poisoned and go to Santa Fe to have analyzed. After a bunkhouse brawl and a flash flood, they get another clue- the crooked arrow shows again. The story ends on a rousing note after a chase by dogs, a fire at the ranch and a posse. It's silly as usual how the gang operates in both locations but this one was fun. 

The Secret of the Lost Tunnel

The boys search for long lost gold after the descendant of a Confederate general requests their aid. Along with Chet, whose passion this time is photography, they head to the South.  

As usual  the story start quickly. These are such a quick read, you can knock them out in a sitting or two, and there's always something happening. The boys and the general travel down to a southern town in an unnamed state, and begin their search. They are, of course, threatened at every turn by some nasty criminals, and find themselves in some hair raising situations. The general's forebear, Beauregard Smith, lived on a plantation which is now in ruins, and they must decipher various clues and avoid numerous pitfalls if they are to survive and find the treasure. The food is good in this one, and again seems to be presented in a southern flair (I had to look up pompano, wasn't familiar with it). There are the usual observations- the boys are good at everything they do.  

There are some good moments in this one. The girlfriends show up on the eve of their trip south, and bring over refreshments (soda pop!), and again these were written in a different time! Also they stop at a gas station and an attendant fills their gas. More Americana!  

So this one is good, a bit silly at times, probably average overall but it started off good and I had high hopes. It suffers a bit towards the end with some of the eye rolling moments, but it was a fun, quick read. Will the boys find long lost Civil War gold? You probably already know the glimpses into an earlier time are the draw for me, more than the mystery. 

The Mystery Off Glen Road

I decided to read this as part of my retro re-reading project. I read these as a kid after reading all (or most) of the Hardy Boys books, and was looking for something else. I remember enjoying them a lot, so thought it would be nice to go back and see how they hold up. It's fall, close to Thanksgiving time, and the Bob- Whites of the Glen are finishing up their clubhouse. They have been working on it, putting on a new roof and other repairs as well- so when a storm blows through the area, they are worried. With trees going down and high winds, they are nervous that something might go wrong. And unfortunately, something does.

They wake up in the morning to find the clubhouse demolished by an evergreen that went down. Determined to fix it, they don't have any money for supplies. Brian does, although it's money he was going to use to buy an old car. He bravely designates the money for the group, and Trix comes up with an idea to get the clubhouse repaired and get his car. Trix  decides that she and Honey can work as gamekeepers on Honey's dad's game preserve- turns out the current gamekeeper has just quit. Trix and Honey go to work patrolling the area. They quickly suspect a poacher is on the prowl, when they see a strange man they don't know and later find a deer carcass. Trix, determined to prove herself as a gamekeeper, doesn't tell the boys (or any adult) about her suspicions, and when Trix and Honey discover a cabin in the woods, have they found their poacher?

I have not read these in many a year, so I remembered only bits. I had vague memories of the group being tight, so I was surprised how much flack Trix got at times- but it's all good fun (for the most part). Mart, her know-it-all brother irritated me a bit. The group is a fun part of these stories, they all work together and have good, old fashioned value. The pace here is a bit slow, compared to the Hardy Boy books I've been reading, but this is more realistic, and there is more characterization here .   I remember as a kid being drawn to the whole clubhouse thing, and it was fun to revisit these earlier times. A nice read.