Adults Read Too

SKULL DUGGERY, by Aaron Elkins.

SkllDggry10 Fast-reading and tons of fun, this latest Gideon Oliver (the Skeleton Detective) mystery was very popular at our house. This time around, Gideon and wife Julie go to Mexico so that she can help out a cousin. Settled happily at the relatives’ beautiful dude ranch outside of Teotilan, in Oaxaca, Gideon encounters a skeleton almost immediately! (No surprise; this is what he always does.) This time the skeleton is of a girl…only it’s not, our Professor decides. And there’s another skeleton found in the desert. Julie’s relatives, the Gallaghers, gradually become more and more involved in what is not an ancient set of murders at all, but very modern ones instead. If you enjoy this mystery, you’ll love ALL of the Gideon Oliver series.

Carol Burnett, One More Time, A Memoir

Carol Burnett began this memoir in the mid ‘80s as a letter to her three daughters—stories she wanted them to know for sure. The letter grew into the book we have today, enhanced by some wonderful photos. If you loved watching Carol on television, as I did, you will enjoy every page of this warm, honest autobiography/memoir.

Lee Brothers: Simple, Fresh, Southern: Knock-Out Dishes with Down Home Flavor, by Matt Lee and Ted Lee

The Lee brothers have other cookbooks, but this one focuses on seafood and vegetables that are quick to prepare. But not just seafood! Their pork tenderloin recipe with fig and Madeira gravy sounds like a winner. This is not a “basic” cookbook, but a good specialty selection for times when you want something different, yet easy.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

A novelist, anthropologist, and folklorist, Hurston lived from 1891 to 1960, but has achieved the fame she deserved only in the last 30 years or so. Now, this wonderful book is read by high school freshmen in hundreds of school districts. It’s the story of Janie Crawford, a light-skinned black woman, who gradually figures out who she is as she goes through three marriages. She learns, among other things, that people “got tuh go to tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves.” The writing is so good I have to stop and re-read passages. Amazing.

Bonobo Handshake, A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo, by Vanessa Woods.

Here history, science, tears, and laughter mix in a factual story that has its readers raving. (I am always a sucker for “animal stories.”) This is a fine example, educating us about Congo critters, mainly the little-known Bonobo ape, while entertaining us at the same time. Highly recommended.