Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

 

I really don't like mysteries, but I've made an exception for this series because I enjoy the "adventurous archaeologists in 1890's Egypt" premise. I love it when they're haunted by a mummy or trapped in a pyramid, or even just digging up cool artifacts. But this one just dragged on and on... Ugh. The beginning was okay-kidnapping a small child while their parents ascend one of the great pyramids. (Man, I kind of wish they would still let people do that, but totally get why they don't) But then the plot just kind of stagnates. I just don't get the appeal of two rich noble lovers trying to appease the brother, but they also just happened to wind up in Egypt together. Okay? The ending was really good though. More drama with the Master Criminal (gosh, that name is terrible) and awkward love triangles to boot! Still, not sure if I'll pick up the next one.

311 pages

Read Harder Challenge #3

Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5) by Gail Carriger

Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5)
by Gail Carriger

5/5

407 pages

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

What an excellent conclusion to this series.  I'm so sad it's over!  Thankfully, there is a series after this one which features her daughter.  Onward!

The Millionaire and the Mummies by John M. Adams

The Millionaire and the Mummies by John M. Adams

With his rags to riches background, Theodore Davis was perhaps the most famous archaeologist of the early 20th century. His discovery of many of the tombs within Egypt's Valley of the Kings ensured him a place in history. However, when Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamun, Davis would fade into obscurity, though his findings remain as important to understanding the history of Egypt and its pharaohs as ever.

363 pages.

The Butterfly Mosque by Willow Wilson

The Butterfly Mosque by Willow Wilson

In this memoir, Willow Wilson, who was raised by atheist parents, describes her search for religion after a serious illness. She was a college student when she fell ill, and as she began to investigate religions, she decided that she was a monotheist.  Islam seemed to her to be the choice she would be most comfortable with. She began to take college courses in Islamic Studies and other Middle Eastern courses.  After she graduated, she talked a girlfriend into moving to Cairo, Egypt with her to teach in an   English-language high school.

She converts to Islam once there, and begins to immerse herself in the culture and religion. It is a lot more difficult than she anticipated. She meets Omar, a young man who resents Western influences in his country. They forge a fast friendship, and begin to spend most of their time together.  In that culture, men and women do not date, so their relationship is challenging as they try to navigate the two cultures. Eventually they marry. Wilson records her struggle to forge a “third culture” that will accommodate her values without compromising them or alienating her friends and family at home, or those she comes to value in Egypt.

She offers insights into Islamic culture, distinguishing carefully between the radical fundamentalists who hate the West and the majority of peaceful Muslims. An interesting look at an often misunderstood and polarizing faith.

320 pages

Crocodile on the Sandbank

by Elizabeth Peters

This is the first book in the series following the exploits and adventures of the redoubtable Emilia Peabody Emerson. In this book, we learn how Emelia discovered a love of Egypt and archaeological excavation, how she met her husband, and how they thwarted a number of evil plots.

print: 273 pages

The serpent on the crown, by Elizabeth Peters

The Emmerson clan is back in action. Sethos has even become respectable and given up his trade in stolen antiquities to join them.
Inevitably, crime has found them, interrupting yet another archaeological season.

audio: 12 hours
print: 368 pages

Tomb of the golden bird, by Elizabeth Peters

Emelia and Emmerson are back in Egypt for another season of archaeology and crime. Emmerson has offended most of his colleagues, so he must settle for a less promising site, but a great discovery eclipses almost all the work in the Valley: the discovery of King Tut's tomb. Unfortunately, liberties are taken with the artifacts, and though the gold and treasure are quickly removed, the archaeological value of the find is quickly degraded through greed and carelessness.
Sethos seems to have turned a new leaf, and is now helping his government and protecting the tombs, rather than robbing them.
And there is a great danger, far bigger than just that of tomb robbers. Revolution is at hand. Not just in Egypt, but the entire region.
audio: 13.75 hours
print: 400 pages