A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Recommended to me by a library patron and having read this author's previous work entitled Rules of Civility, I was looking forward to reading this author's latest entry.

This title has an interesting premise. The main character, Count Alexander Rostov, has been sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across from the Kremlin. What follows is an interesting and sometimes funny account of his relationships with his fellow tenants. There is a point in the storyline when the Count must unencumber himself from some of his secure feelings in order to help another person.

Reminiscent of the children's story Eloise at the Plaza or the broadway show Grand Hotel, this entry can be easily compared to the old adage "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Ladybookbug!

The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans

Mr. Evans is a very prolific author. Some of his novels have been made into movies. One of my favorites was his series "The Walk" which was about a young man who lost all of those things that society holds up as predictors of success. He decides to traipse across the United States in search of new meaning to his life.

This novel begins with a similar theme. The main character is Alex. Through the encouragement of friends, he decides to explore the arena of online dating. In his perusal of the net, he discovers an interesting blog. He finds he is attracted to the author's entries and becomes determined to locate the author. He is able to isolate the town and with a list of females who have the same initials as the blogger, begins to hunt for the mysterious author.

This is a light novel. By that I mean no violent circumstances are presented. Mr Evans is noted for a style of writing that focuses on everyday life experiences without a need for explicit details. This indeed is an author who books are sold based on the quality of his stories. This title is the third in a series entitled "The Mistletoe Collection."

Happy Reading.

Ladybookbug!