A Book in Review: The Ape Who Guards the Balance

The Ape Who Guards the Balance By: Elizabeth Peters
Fiction: mystery, historic 542 pages
Book Count: 38

This book is part of a series which I have reviewed other book in the series here. This book is much later in the series then the other books I have reviewed. In this book they deal with the suffergette movement in England as well as trying to change female's place in Egypt in that time. There are many differnt enemies after the Peabody-Emerson family this time. And due to the ablities of the people after them they have to be on constant alert to survive.

A Note to Self: The Deeds of the Disturber

Book Count: 40

The Deeds of the Disturber By: Elizabeth Peters
Fiction: Mystery, history, Egyptology 289 page 1988
This is another book in the Amelia Peabody series. We have already reviewed a newer book in the series here. This one takes place in London and is centered around a mummy in the British Museum.

An Actual Report of a Book – The Serpent on the Crown

The Serpent on the Crown By: Elizabeth Peters
Historic Fiction, Mystery 543 pages (large print) 8th grade reading level copyright 2005


This book takes place in Egypt during 1922 and is about a mystery that finds a family of archeologist. It was written by a Ph. D. in Egyptology, so as one can guess it is really rich in information on ancient Egypt. However, the storyline of the mystery itself doesn’t require a large amount of knowledge of archeology or ancient Egypt. All one needs to know beyond common knowledge of ancient Egypt is that this story takes place before Howard Carter started to dig on that year. (1922 being the year that he found King Tut’s tomb.) But knowing a fair amount of info on Egypt makes the book more enjoyable. (Expect ones constant desire to yell at the book about the heir of Pharaoh Akhenaten.) All and all though we found the book a fun read and plan on looking for other books by the same author.

Books of November Part 2:

The History of Bread: From Pre-historic to Modern Times by: John Ashton
Non-fiction: History, Food, E-book
This book was written by an Edwardian English man, and you can tell.  It is good about telling the history of bread in Europe (besides the fact that the first bread was likely not made in Europe unlike the author’s opinion.) But it does insist that all bread in India is horrible (except the one region that also happens to be Christian.) And for some reason felt the need to point out that all theology about communion is completely wrong besides that of the low Church of England’s theology. (And also hot cross buns may be a sacrament?!?) But no matter how crazy the myth relating to bread of European background, there is no need to question it. 

Ad Limina: A Novella by: Cyril Jones-Kellett
Fiction: Sci-fi, Religion, 220 pages
If I wasn’t reading this for review on my YouTube channel, I would have stopped reading it on page 2.  But it was not as bad as the start made me think it would be.  It was clear that it was self-published or done by a small likely vanity press, but given that, it was over all an ok read.
This is the story of the 1st bishop of Mars,that was born on Mars.  It is time for his trip back to Rome (called the Ad Limina.) In fact he was way overdue for the trip, but this is the 1st time that the Pope hasn’t let him wait due to the problems with traveling to Earth for him.  He gets a ticket on a ship heading that way, but then things happen that lead him to many places he wouldn’t normally go to. 

Pilfered Promises (A Victorian San Francisco Mystery #5) by: M. Louisa Locke
Fiction: Mystery, History, E-book
This book takes place over Thanksgiving to Christmas, so I read it at the right time.  In this book Annie and Nate have already been married, she is still solving mysteries and he is growing the law firm he is in.  A local major department store hires her to find out who is stealing from the store and how.  And he is hired to be their lawyer.

The Painted Queen (Amelia Peabody #20) by: Elizabeth Peters, & Joan Hess
Fiction: Mystery, History, 544 pages
This is the last book in the series, because the author died before it was done and the other author finished it off based on what was done.  In this book there is a bust of Queen Nefertiti that has gone missing and had been given to a master forger, who is making copies of it.  Also there is a family of people named after famous traitors who are after Amelia.  And there is a missing Egyptologist.