The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession is by Michael Finkle. A very interesting nonfiction biography of the world's most prolific art thief. The story of Stéphane Bréitwieser and his girlfriend and the hundreds of pieces of art they stole over the course of their stormy relationship. The value of the stolen art is estimated to be around 2 billion dollars. He never sold any of it, but kept it in his mother's attic where he lived. This is a well written and fascinating look at a man's obsession and his downfall. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content). 

Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About Struggle and the Wonder of Being Alive

Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About Struggle and the Wonder of Being Alive is by Russ Ramsey. This is a magnificent nonfiction philosophical look at art and artists and what they can teach us from a Christian worldview.  The author looks at various artists, ancient and modern, their art and what we can learn from both the work and the lives of the artists. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended read!!

Ratings: Adult - 10 out of 10. 

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women is by Kate Moore. A hard to read nonfiction book. This is the story of the young women, and their families, who worked in America's radium industry. These women developed radium poisoning, but were lied to and deceived by those who understood the element was dangerous. It is the story of their fight for justice that most of them never lived to see. Don't read the first half of this book at meals. Moore's descriptions are well written, but horrendous to read. A excellent book!

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content). 

Disaster at the Vendome Theater

Disaster at the Vendome Theater is by M. L. Longworth. The tenth book in the realistic fiction Provencal Mystery series. Antoine Verlaque is about to become a father. His best friend Jean-Marc has taken a small part in a play put on at a local theater with two famous actors in the lead roles, who don't like each other very much. When the rude and nasty lead actor is found dead in a store room, the elderly leading actress appears to be the prime suspect. But did she commit the crime? The more Verlaque and Bruno look into the crime, the more secrets they seem to uncover which could lead to other suspects. Fans of the series will be pleased. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Death at Silent Pool

Death at Silent Pool is by Benedict Brown. The fourteenth installment in the historical fiction Lord Edgington series. The wife of a government official disappears and is believed murdered. Lord Edington and Chrissy are asked to solve the crime, but when they arrive at Silent Pool all of the suspects start to be murdered. Can Lord Edgington find the killer before everyone dies? This was an interesting plot and the ending was different from the expected "wrapped up in a tidy way." Fans of the series will enjoy this book. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10. 

A Novel Way to Kill

A Novel Way to Kill is by Benedict Brown. A novella that fits between books 7 & 8 of the historical fiction Lord Edgington series. Lord Edgington and Chrissy are invited to visit three eccentric sisters who are all famous authors. When their elderly father is pushed from a window, Lord Edgington must find the killer. Fans of the series will enjoy this short novella. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10. 

The Vanishing Museum on the Rue MIstral

The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral is by M. L. Longworth. The ninth installment in the realistic fiction Provencal Mystery series. When the director of a small local museum arrives to find the entire museum has been robbed - every single item taken - he is shocked. Now Verlaque must discover what the thieves were really after and why they emptied the entire museum. Verlaque is also trying to come to grips with the fact that he and his wife Marine are about to become parents. Fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy this book. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.