Lost in a Good Book

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

When I’m under the influence of a well-written book, nothing else exists. I’d gladly give up eating, sleeping, and taking care of my family if I could just stay under the spell of the magical words.

When I was about seven years old, I borrowed a book from the library ( I wish I could remember the name of that book) that captured my interest like nothing before it. It was about a girl who lived in a small town near a river (I lived in a small town near a river!), and the descriptions of the setting and the characterization of the girl were so vivid that I believed I had met her during my wanderings around my town. When I finished the book, I told my mother I was going to go look for the girl, because I wanted to be friends with her. My mother nodded and said, “Okay,” probably happy that I was going outside. (It was a different time; the kids in my neighborhood often left the house in the morning and went exploring all day with our mothers’ blessings.)

After a couple of hours of searching, I realized that, as real as the girl seemed, she was a character in a story. The book had undoubtedly been written years earlier, so even if she had been an actual person, she would be a teen or even a grownup by now. And she could have lived by a different river in a different state. I trudged home, disappointed that I couldn’t enter into the story; it was over.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio; My Name is Barbra, by Barbra Streisand; Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel. These are all books that made me lose track of time. When I was forced to do some other urgent thing, all I could think about was how soon could I get back to my book. I was addicted. I wanted to abide in the worlds of the stories, to know the characters more deeply, to ponder what I might have done in their shoes. Turning the last page was almost painful, a loss. I wanted more.

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Review of Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell

Posted on May 12, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Autopsy is the 25th installment of the Kay Scarpetta novels. It came out in 2021, and it was the last book I read that year. I didn’t review it then, and I had to reread it to review it now, because I’d forgotten so much of it.

Forensic pathologist Scarpetta has returned to a former position, Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia. Her husband, Benton Wesley, is now a forensic psychologist with the Secret Service. Readers who have ever worked for an incompetent boss will sympathize with Scarpetta, whose predecessor was a former student of hers (and a poor one at that) and is now her superior.

In the course of the novel, Kay conducts three autopsies (two carried out under her direction by two astronauts in space in a secret orbiting laboratory) and revisits one done during her absence (that was ruled an accidental death but she suspects was actually a murder). The deaths are all connected, and the plot is complex and multi-layered.

To make matters worse, early on, Kay is almost killed when she tastes a wine that was gifted to her by the Secretary General of Interpol, with whom she had a meeting months ago.

Other beloved characters in the series also figure prominently in the book. Pete Marino, Kay’s former police officer/investigative partner, and his wife, who is Kay’s sister Dorothy, have also moved nearby. Kay hires Marino as a consultant to assist her with her investigations, and they fall back into their comfortable collaborative work relationship.

Dorothy’s daughter, Lucy, lives in Kay’s guesthouse. Lucy is a computer genius, a master of all things technological, and works in some capacity for the government, but I can’t figure out for which agency, maybe the Secret Service, like Benton. Sadly, Lucy’s partner Janet and their son Desi died during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Lucy spends hours on the computer consulting an AI entity with Janet’s image.

There’s a lot going on in this book — corporate espionage, experiments in space, an annoying television reporter who keeps hounding Kay, the murder from months ago that Kay’s boss does not want her to investigate, and by Chapters 37 and 38, Kay mistrusts her own abilities as an investigator. Is she on the wrong track? What is she missing?

As in many of Cornwell’s books, the action covers only a few days. Kay’s work is exhausting. It’s interesting to see how Kay conducts her investigations.

Cornwell has independently studied forensics in depth. She actually worked at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia for 6 years, first as a technical writer and then as a computer analyst. Her experience and detailed research make the work that Kay, Benton, Marino, and Lucy do seem true to life.

I’m a little disappointed with the ending, because two of the murders were perpetrated by a character whom I did not notice in the book. I feel a little cheated. However, Autopsy was still a worthwhile read, even the second time through. Someday I’m going to go back and reread the entire series from beginning to end.

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Flower of the Day: Climbing Over the Wall

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck
Climbing over the wall; cat's claw vine
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In the Meme Time

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Some positive memes for you:

Have challenges in your life?

Feeling vulnerable?

Reluctant to take the plunge?

Feel free to share these memes in your social media.

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Review of The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

The Dragonet Prophecy is Book 1 of the popular middle grades series Wings of Fire. I read it not because I have any interest in dragon fantasy, but because I wanted to look at top books for that age level.

In the early chapters of the book, I thought the storyline was way too cutesy for me. Dragonets are dragon children. The prophecy is about five dragonets who are destined to end a long-fought war. The presumed dragonets of destiny were stolen from their families when still in their eggs, and are being kept and trained in a cave under the mountain.

The dragonets are tutored in the history and traditions of the dragons, and also in dragon warfare. Most are reluctant about their role. They would much rather be out in the real world. They engineer an escape, which results in their capture by the evil dragon queen, Scarlet, who holds daily gladiator tournaments among her many captives.

The story gets interesting for me when the main character, a dragonet named Clay, tries to get himself out of the terrible situations he’s forced to deal with by not fighting, or at least defending himself and his friends without killing his opponents. I’m concerned about the abundance of violence in this book, but having the readers be privy to Clay’s inner struggles about causing pain to another dragon redeems the book for me. Kids are exposed to all kinds of violence in videogames, but do any games explore other avenues of conflict resolution besides killing your enemy?

I can see how this story could capture the imagination of a middle grader, and despite my original misgivings, I recommend The Dragonet Prophecy.

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Faith

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

The older I get, the more important my spirituality is to me.

A few years ago, I thought I had the God thing down pat. I knew all the doctrine, I was well versed in scripture.

Then I started studying the Bible with a different group of people, who turned everything I believed in upside down.

At first it was deeply disorienting to have everything I believed in questioned.

But you know what? God is bigger than any book, even the Bible. There is so much more to Him than what you can write down. He will surprise us for eternity.

I used to think that faith was having the right set of beliefs. But what if that belief set is based on limited human understanding?

Now I think that faith is trusting God — trusting that he is good, that He loves us completely and unconditionally, as St. John says: God is love. Trusting that He will transform us into the people that He created us to be. (What a challenge to trust, in this world where people are so committed to hurting each other!) I will be learning to trust and practicing being in God’s presence for the rest of my days.

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Reviews of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and Game On (Tempting Twenty-Eight) by Janet Evanovich

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

I resisted reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series when it first came out (2005) because I don’t like Greek mythology. And when the first movie came out (2010) I still resisted it, because of the mythology thing. I assumed it would be boring.

I never opened The Lightning Thief until recently, when I decided to find out why this is a best seller among middle grades children’s books. If I had read the first three sentences years ago, I would have been hooked:

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

“If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close the book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.”

That might be the best opening in the history of literature.

Percy Jackson is twelve years old. He’s been expelled from every boarding school he’s ever attended (roughly, every year), because strange things happen around him, things he always gets blamed for. At the end of sixth grade, his current school informs him that he’s not invited back for the next term. He has a tough time getting home, and when he does, his mother senses that he is in danger, and insists on taking him to a special summer camp for his own safety. Sorry if this sounds sketchy. I am skipping over a lot of details because I don’t want to spoil them for you.

While at summer camp, he learns his true parentage, finds out he’s been falsely accused of a crime, and is sent on a quest to find Zeus’s missing master lightning bolt and return it to Mount Olympus. In ten days. Otherwise, war will break out among the gods.

This book has it all. Weird encounters that don’t get explained until later. People who are not what they seem to be. Strange creatures. Mythological history. Danger and suspense. Friendships and betrayals. And through it all, humor.

I can see most kids really enjoying The Lightning Thief. Reading it as an adult, I was on the edge of my seat. Rick Riordan keeps this novel moving along at a fast pace. His characters are multi-faceted and likeable (except for the villains, understandably), seemingly ordinary (or seemingly handicapped) kids who accomplish things that adults would find challenging and life-threatening. The Lightning Thief deserves its reputation as one of the best books for middle grades. That’s high praise from someone who does not like mythology.

Game On by Janet Evanovich is the 28th installment in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie is a fugitive apprehension agent (bounty hunter) tasked this time with finding a dangerous international hacker.

You’d think this would be an action/suspense kind of a novel, and it is some of that, but mostly it’s a hoot. Whenever I read a Stephanie Plum book, I have five expectations. One, that Stephanie’s current car will blow up. Two, that her sidekick, Lula, will pull out her gun at some point with unfortunate/hilarious results. Three, that Stephanie will accompany her Grandma Mazur to a viewing at the local funeral home. Four, that Stephanie will have a romantic interlude with either with cop Joe Morelli or security specialist Ranger. Five, that I will laugh out loud at least once.

An added bonus for me is that the action takes place in Trenton, NJ. 38 years ago Greg and I lived not far from Trenton. Two of our kids were born there. So I recognize some of the locations Evanovich uses in her books.

This time, another apprehension agent, Diesel, is also looking for the murderous hacker, Oswald Wednesday. Stephanie doesn’t know if she and Diesel should partner up or compete with one another to find Wednesday first. I won’t tell you if they get their man.

About my expectations. I ticked off all 5.

Game On is not profound. But it is a fun read.

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Scripture Break #76

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck
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In the Meme Time

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Some positive messages.

I hope your today is special.

You are unique.

Feel free to share these memes on your social media.

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Two Great Books for Middle Grades Readers and Older

Posted on April 14, 2026 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers

I didn’t think I would like this book, because all the characters are animals. But once I got used to these animals talking like humans, using phrases I wouldn’t expect from an animal, I allowed myself to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the story. (Those of us who are of a certain age might remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, which rocked the literary world in 1970, about a seagull with a passion for flying fast.)

Johannes is a free dog (as opposed to a kept dog) who loves to run fast. He lives in a large urban park, where he plays an important role–he is The Eyes, who sees all that happens in the park, and reports to the three wise bison who live within a fence and who are the Keepers of the Equilibrium. They decide what to do if something disturbs the equilibrium of the park. All the animals contribute to restoring the equilibrium.

Of course, several things happen to disrupt the equilibrium. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so I will be very vague. Johannes finds out that he has a mixed heritage. The animals discover that there is a much wider world than exists in their park.

The beauty of the book is the wisdom of the animals, and their concern for each other. (Well, all the other animals think the ducks are stupid, but mostly they care about each other.) They make elaborate plans to do two impossible tasks on behalf of Johannes and the bison.

The book is beautifully illustrated. Shawn Harris added Johannes to 10 classical landscapes. The originals are credited in the backnotes.

The Eyes & the Impossible won the John Newberry Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. But you do not have to be a middle grader to read this book. As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed Johannes’ world. I was in awe of the beauty, the suspense, the humor, and the philosophy. Go ahead, treat yourself and read it, no matter your age. Also, the print in the hardcover is large enough to read without reading glasses.

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

I bought this book because I remembered the buzz about it when it was first published in 2012, and especially in 2017 when it came out as a movie:

I didn’t read it then or see the movie because I was afraid it would break my heart.

You will feel for Auggie, but you won’t be heartbroken.

The story is told from several points of view–Auggie’s, Via’s (Auggie’s sister), Summer’s (a girl who decides to sit with Auggie in the cafeteria), Jack’s (who becomes Auggie’s best friend), Justin’s (Via’s boyfriend), and Miranda’s (Via’s former best friend). All of these kids have wonderful, believable voices. Even when they make unfortunate choices, you forgive them because you understand.

Palacio does a wonderful job of making the book realistic. She doesn’t pull any punches. She shows just how unkind the world can be toward someone who looks disturbingly different. She portrays mixed feelings very well. But it’s not all harshness. There’s much laugh-out-loud humor and just plain good storytelling. The book also offers hope, and models how to be kind. And even though this book was written for children, teens, adults, parents, teachers, and oldsters will also find it engaging and a worthwhile read. I surely did.

Here’s an interesting interview with R.J. Palacio.

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