Relative Fortunes by Marlowe Benn
Fiction: Mystery, Historic, E-book
I actually started reading this in April, and just didn't feel like reading a book that dealt with sexism in the 1920's on top of everything else that was happening. Julia has to go to NYC to get her inheritance when it is released on her birthday, but her half brother is contesting that she even gets one according to their father's will. Meanwhile a friend's sister dies, possibly from a suicide, and the family's actions after that are very odd. While some of it could be explained by trying to hide a suicide in a society family, given the way the family hated this suffragist, Julia thinks it was murder. As she is stuck in the city, penny less until the will issues are resolved (and possibly after too,) she agrees to help her friend find out the truth.
K is for Knifeball: An Alphabet of Terrible Advice by Avery Monsen, Jory John
Fiction: Humor, 80 pages
This ABC book is not for children. It is filled with dangerous and ill advised activities, things like: let a drifter into the house and burn your dad's wallet.
Household Tales by Brothers Grimm
Fiction: Children, E-book
This is a large collection of stories from the Grimm brothers. There is a lot of overlap of things that happen in multiple stories or even slightly different variations of the same story. It was not as gruesome as I would expect, but there were many ones where I have to question the lesson of the story. Also what is with all the true brides of princes asking to spend the night with the prince and the evil female (witch, rival princess, etc) who is cool with this, even if they do give the prince a sleeping potion? How horrible would an actual dress as bright as the sun be? What's with all the being just handing out great magical items to anyone that passes by who is the least bit nice to them?
H. H. Holmes: The Life of the American Ripper by Hourly History
Non-fiction: History, Biography, E-book
The man best known as H. H. Holmes, (he was born Herman Webster Mudgett) was America's first serial killer. Although he is not as famous as Jack the Ripper (who lived during the same time), he killed more. (Although, we can't say exactly how many he killed as few of the bodies were found/identified and he lied constantly. Also a descendant of Holmes think that he might have also been the Ripper.) This book errs on the side of a smaller body count of the confirmed murders and adds the fact that a number of people just disappeared. It also follows the theory that he only said he was renting rooms to swindle people and not the theory that he actually did have people renting rooms. (As his castle aka murder mansion was located near the Chicago's World Fair, so a number of people who believe in a large murder count believe that he rented rooms to young, single, people who wouldn't be as much missed, just so he could murder them and steal what money and valuables they had.)
James Cook: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History
Non-fiction: History, Biography, E-book
A short Bio of James Cook. It covers his most famous discoveries as well as parts of his life and personality that are less well known.
