I finished Marion Davies by Fred Laurence Guiles, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Marion was an incredibly interesting woman, and I found it interesting to compare her experience with that of Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe- all three being women who are remembered for their connection to the powerful men in their lives rather than for their own considerable accomplishments. I need to find examples of Marion on film, I'm enamored of her vitality and generosity. She seems to have lived her life with a joy and grace that you don't see often, and it did me well to read of her. In my last post I expounded my theory of the two different kinds of mystery novels. One you have a chance of solving mid-book, the other you just have to wait through to the end. Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple novels tend to be of the first variety (which is nice, I like those). Damsel in Distress, which I finished today is of the second. Phillip, the ertswhile suitor of Daisy has fallen in love with an American heiress, and goes to Daisy for help when she is kidnapped and held for ransom. It's an interesting case, but less compelling than the previous books, since there's really very little chance of solving the mystery before the end. Theres some action as Daisy gets herself in and out of dangerous situations, but it's not my favorite of the series by a long shot. I also read Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, but since I think it may end up being one of my favorite books of the year I'm going to think about it over night and write about it tomorrow. Current Total: 12 Just Finished: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Next Up: The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald