Despite my mom's best efforts I never caught the travel bug, I am a happy house hermit. I do enjoy hearing/reading of travels, though, and here's the book that caught my eye recently: There's No Toilet Paper ... on the Road Less Traveled: the Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure, collected and edited by Doug Lansky. There are some familiar names here, such as Dave Berry and Bill Bryson, and many I did not recognize, but all were good at humor! From a nudist beach, to eating strange things (think potato bugs), to goat races to much, much more it was a delightful read.

Given the previous title, it didn't take much for me to decide to then read How to Replace an Empty Roll of Toilet Paper: an Instruction Manual, by Nathaniel Erickson. What a hoot! Written in a 'serious' style it tells exactly how to replace this important item on several different types of holders. It also teaches how to put the fancy little triangle you might see on a roll of the stuff in a nice hotel. :-) Charming, silly, and fun.

And, this theme gave me the perfect place for this book! Why are My Nuts in the Toilet Water and Other Questions Older Men Need Answered by Allen F. Mahon. I've done a lot of reading an the aging process in women and decided I should see how 'the other half' does it! ;-) There are similar issues ... things that sag, drop, or fall. Hair in unexpected and unwanted places. Foods that cause, um, reactions they never did in the past. Sounds that emerge when sitting. Standing. Just moving ...! Memory issues and so on. All nicely printed in large type so it's easy for old eyes to read! Hysterical!

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This book has a familiar (sort of) author ... well, co-author. The Vaudeville Murders, the first Libby Seale Mystery is by Miriam & Joseph Zellnik, a brother and sister team of writers. Joseph wrote a recent entry to this post about the off Broadway opening of The Sound of Music. This one too, involves music in a way, and, it's set here, in the Pacific Northwest! (Oregon in the 1890's)! New to the area is Libby Seale who works as a seamstress at Crowther's Portland Variety ... at least until the murder. There's lots of interesting history here ... not all of it nice ... the other person interested in the murder (then another) is newspaperman, Peter Eberle. Together they will form a team. Sort of anyway, to solve the murders. A great start.

Death By the Book is the second in the Mercy McCarthy Mystery series, by Lucy Connelly. There's a literary festival going on, one that is very busy with lots of events. The main attraction, though, is James Brandt, who, face it, is not very nice. He's the one found dead from what looks like a falling bookcase, but folks are not convinced this is what actually happens. Then Mercy's dog sniffs out another body (in an odd location) who is Mr. Brandt's agent. Is there a connection? As the investigation goes on lots old secrets start to emerge involving the mayor, a chef and a botanist. What happened in the past?

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An interesting combination of the funny and the serious today.

Aging is not for the timid, that's true, but it also helps to be able to laugh at it, too, and you will do so when you read Old But Gold: Laugh-Out-Loud Life Lessons on Aging Gracefully, by Ian Montenegro. We may find technology frustrating at times, but we can also say what we want, and dress the way we want (for comfort, not fashion). It's wise to locate the restrooms whenever we go out, but there are many senior discounts these days. A most enjoyable read! :-)

I finally got around to reading The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations, by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. It's been around for a while now, and I've thumbed through it before but it just seem fitting, with what is going on these days, to actually read it. There is advice for everything from breaking down a door (indside and outside doors are much different) to delivering a baby. Jumping from a moving car to a hostage situation ... all the things that can happen boggle the mind! Most common first step seemed to be 'remain calm'.

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Agatha is working out the last of her prison term in the small town of Unlikely, New York. She is trying to keep a low profile (while thinking of how to escape, mostly for old times sake). She is much surprised then, when she comes home one day to find "Big Phyllis" in her kitchen (who really did escape) ... claiming she did not kill 'those men' and wants help in clearing her name. You don't say no to Big Phyllis! More bodies are discovered and Agatha begins to wonder if Phyllis might be the next victim. Along with Special Agent Kopp (retired) and his hacker granddaughter (and the dog, Chance) they set out to solve this quirky mystery. An Unlikely Escape is the second in the Unlikely Murder Club series by Gina X. Grant. It was a fun read, and the third is on my shelf!

This is a new series and author for me: Murder in G Major, the first in the Gethsemane Brown Mystery series by Alexia Gordon. I picked it because of the connection to music. :-) Gethsmane did not get the job she was expecting to get (wait until you find out why!) so has taken on the position of conductor of a rowdy bunch of boys, one she is expected to turn into an award winning orchestra in just a few months. The job (in Ireland) comes with a house. And a ghost. Gethsemane can see and talk to him. He was the composer of some of her favorite music before his death ... he says he was murdered and want her to prove it. That could prove dangerous. And don't forget about the orchestra! That's a challenge, too! I like that music (classical) plays in her head often giving a clue as to the situation to come. Not a bad start! :-)

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They're back, Swamp Team 3, and what fun it was to read about them again! Marsh Mystics is the newest (#30) of the Miss Fortune Mystery books by Jana Deleon. A yoga treat sounded like a good idea, until it wasn't, and a body was found. Carter, the local law enforcement, is under state audit, 'someone' thinks he's either helping out Fortune too much, or she's helping him too much so the ladies of the Swamp Team want to be careful ... so they go undercover. As nuns. Naturally, mayhem ensues. This is a fun twist on the locked room mystery.

Veronica is missing her good friend, who seems to have vanished without explanation but Veronica has learned more ... and is trying to determine just how she feels about all this (sorry, no spoilers)! To keep herself distracted, she takes on the mystery of a man found murdered at the Green Man Pub, one that she owns. He is a local banker, well respected, but recently has been obsessed with treasure hunting (part of the history of the area). Why? Was there really a treasure left after all these years? And who killed him? Family? Rival treasure seekers? Veronica Vale Investigates #8, Death at the Green Man, by Kitty Kildare was another good read in this series.

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In keeping with the recent theme of "Broadway" I did a search on Musical Mysteries and found this ... a brand new series, the first book just out, the second due next year! The Sound of Murder, Musicals are Murder #1, by Joseph Zellnik. The author is a Broadway nut and has done his research (for this and other projects) so all the information about the musical is accurate, which was fun (and I've read other books on The Sound of Music)! The murder and a some of the characters are fiction. He has done a wonderful job of interweaving them and for giving a good reason as to why such a murder would never have made the news (yes, I was wondering about that ...) ;-)

Ellie Harper needed a change in life, which is why she buys a bookstore without ever seeing it in person. She may come to regret that decision when she discovers what the store actually looks like ... peeling paint, chaotic shelves, and a lot of business that does not involve the buying of books, or even of money changing hands. And then there are the warnings telling her to "get out of town" ... and the possibility that the previous owner did not die from an accidental fall down the stairs. She starts finding clues that will lead her on a merry chase for the solution to all these questions. If you are thinking this sounds like a traditional theme for a small town murder mystery, you are correct! Murder in the Corner Bookshop, a Corner Bookshop Cozy Mystery, by Annie Shaw is a great start to her series.

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I'm thinking it's necessary to be a horse lover to read this book. It is beautifully researched and well written, but dense and detailed! I read it in short sections at a time in between my fiction reads because there was so much information to absorb! Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History, by William T. Taylor is, and I quote from Science and the cover here: "fantastically rich" :-)

This too may have limited interest: "The Broadway Sound" The Autobiography and Selected Essays of Robert Russell Bennett, edited by George J. Ferencz. If you have heard any of the musicals for the 1940's and 1950's then you've heard orchestrations by Mr Bennett. Listen carefully! There are times when the main theme might drop at the end of the phrase, and his 'answering' line may go up! For this musician (with a music teacher for a father) it was fascinating. The book however, is less so, and like the book above very detailed with lots of information. I will admit to doing a fair amount of skimming! The essays at the end, by Mr. Bennett himself were a bit more interesting, at least to this reader. I enjoyed his descriptions of what the different instruments and sections brought to the themes he was expressing with his music. Worth a try.

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