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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Here is book four in the Mysteries of Max series by Nic Saint: Purrfect Heat. A popular celebrity chef is in town to film an episode of his popular show "Kitchen Disasters" (where he trashes every eatery he visits). He is found dead, stuffed into a large oven. There is a long list of suspects so the cats get busy with their investigation so they can help out Odelia. There is a new cat this time, too, and not a nice one at all, so they also have that to deal with. Oh, and Odelia's Grandmother also has a new, um, interest in her life, should someone that old really have a lover? Another laugh out loud read in this series. :-)

Murder of Innocents, book 14 in the Redmond and Haze Mysteries by Irina Shapiro is another grim but good read. Author doesn't pull any punches, the 'bad stuff' is really bad! This time it's the murder of two young children. Redmond and Haze are called away from London for this, to an ancestral mansion a with long history of all kinds of complex relationships going on between staff and family. Then another body is found, that of an abusive husband. Are the deaths connected in any way? Relationships are a bit complicated here, notes might help! ;-)

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Murder and theft of a valuable object are not what Ms Mia needs as the Desert Sunrise Resort is getting ready to celebrate new ownership (hers, partially) and the find of an ancient flute in a nearby dig. And then there's the fire at the stables. The former (soon to be fired) manager decided that 'no one wants to steal old stuff' and canceled the additional security Mia had ordered for the exhibit. Same with the horses, even though someone had been stealing a horse at night on a regular basis. She would be found in her stall the next morning again, but exhausted. What is going on? And why is one returning patron so upset when one of the last rooms was finally closed for much needed renovation? Ms Mia and Murder at the Desert Sunrise Resort by Jennifer Branch is another great read in this series. Loved all the twists and turns.

Here it is, the last of the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer: The Choir Director Wore Out. The sad thing is, it's the last title, the good thing is, it was a decision made by the author so all the loose ends are tied up, all story lines are resolved and so on, so there it is a satisfying conclusion to his wonderful stories. There's a lot going on this time, a renaissance festival (with realistic hangings), new businesses opening (with amazing ribs) and a new priest ... from France ... who is also a very popular writer of mysteries! And, of course, deaths ... but natural or otherwise? A fitting finale. :-)

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