Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

I really did not want to put this one down. Thank you Nancy!!! The book takes place in England and is a sort of coming of age story of Maisie Dobbs. Her mother dies and her father has her go work for a family he knows. This family sees talent in her other than being a house maid of sorts. The way that Winspear lays everything out just makes you want to keep reading. Maisie ends up helping in the war effort and afterwards starts her own business, but how she gets there makes you keep on going. The depth of character and how you are drawn in, wanting more, was wonderful. Winspear had me right to the end and I really can't wait to read more. This is the first book in a series.

Time on Ice by Deborah Shiparo and Rolf Bjelke

Subtitle: A Winter's Voyage to Antarctica -- I am very glad that people take trips and do adventures like these because I really don't think that I ever would. This was a trip they really had planned out and knew they wanted to spend the whole winter in Antarctica. Their boat would freeze into the ice and they would be stuck there. Much planning was done. They built themselves up physically because they were going to be doing a lot of skiing and exploring during their time down there. The boat was outfitted to endure the winter and the rough weather to get there. The food provisioning was amazing. They were going to be out of touch, with no resources around for a long time. They did a wonderful job telling their story, the trials and tribulations and their opinions on where things are today environmentally and such. They are very big into leaving things in their natural state and in telling how things really are not like that in Antarctica. It was an amazing adventure and I am very glad they shared it with us.