Happiness by Danielle Steele

"Happiness" by Danielle Steele - It's a choice!

This book is published by An in 2024 and has 336 pages.

Sabrina Brooks is a psycho-thriller author of best sellers. Her works come from her horrendous marriage with a psycho husband for 5 years. Now divorced and famous, she lives with her two dogs in Berkshire, USA. One day a letter arrives informing her that her uncle (father's brother), a Viscount in England, has died leaving his property and house to her. Her uncle's attorney (Greyson) convinces her to visit before deciding to sell the property off. 

Will she like the property? Will she keep it? Will she be attracted to the handsome attorney? Is he available? Will she meet someone else?

Sabrina is very uncomfortable with the title of Lady Brooks. But in England she deciphers the distant and cold behavior of her dead father. She understands the family background. She finds the roots. Greyson is in an unhappy marriage. He promises to get out but his wife is not going to give up so easily. Sabrina also meets Caleb, a recently widowed screenwriter.

This story is very straight forward without any unexpected twist or turn. It's actually predictable. It's also relatively short. So, when it ends you don't get the satisfaction of having read a complete story. There could have been several possibilities to spice up the things, but author ignites them and delivers a simple and sweet story.

Danielle Steel stories are mostly happy ending and middle to affluent class with strong female protagonist. She doesn't write series, so each one brings something new.

My favorite sentence from this book:

Happiness is not a gift, it's a choice.

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What didn't I like?  Too simplistic.

What did I like? Happy ending.

Not a must read.

The lost city of the monkey God by Douglas Preston

"The lost city of the monkey God" by Douglas Preston - True story ! 

This book is published by Head of Zeus in 2017 and has 336 pages. 

Since the days of Spanish conquistadores rumours have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden deep in the Honduran interior. Indigenous tribes warn the legendary city is cursed. To enter it is a death sentence. They call it the Lost City of the Monkey God.

A mission is launched to do LiDAR surveys of potential areas. LiDAR is a technology that can see what's on the ground and below it by penetrating the dense foliage off the tree canopy. The sites (T1, T2, T3) are identified in Mosquitia, Honduras. Now it's time for a physical mission. A team of archeologists, journalists and army personnel is put together. Author is the chosen journalist.

Will there be able to land and survive in the Virgin jungle? What dangers will they face? Will they survive? Will they find the lost city of Monkey God?

It's a fascinating account with encounters with fer-de-lance (a very poisonous snake), Jaguar, sand flies, mosquitoes, insects etc.  It's the story of discovery. Story of a place not visited by any human in almost 500 years. Story of a curse.

When the Spanish conquerors landed in Americas, they brought with them their diseases. Local population had no immunity to these foreign diseases, mainly Malaria and Leash Menises. Local population died en mass and Spanish survived. Local population saw this as wrath / curse of God and abandoned cities. Up to 90% of local population died. This resulted in extermination of civilizations and races. It was the most brutal extermination of mankind, anywhere in the world.

The visiting team discovers a city. It's not established if it's the City of Monkey God, but they find a city. It's neither Mayan, nor Aztecs. It's a mysterious Pre-Colombian civilization. But the curse strikes and some team members become victims of Leash Menises.

By the end of the book, the excavation has just started. So, what is revealed there remains unknown.

It's a good account. Despite being a nonfiction, author captivates you with his account and with the possibilities. A couple of things that didn't sit well with me are:

It is not established if the city the found was indeed the Lost City of Monkey God. Then why give that name to the book?

Author has spent a lot of time in the history of the diseases and their history. Although diseases are essential to understand why the Native American civilizations became extinct, the book delves into it too much in detail. If that was shortened, it would have made the v book crisp.

Why did I read this book? Nonfiction for a change.

What did I like? The account

What didn't I like? As mentioned above.

Read it for a change.