Char recommended this, which combines two of my favorite types of books! The History of Mystery, by Max Allan Collins. What a great collection of books, authors, movies and TV shows! From Poe to pulps, comics (books and strips), children's mysteries (such as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys), to more 'steamy' adult fare, TV shows, movies, and even an interactive digital mystery, (circa 2001) this book has a bit of everything. Along with a nice history of the genre, there are pictures of book and magazine covers, movie posters, and even a few photos from TV and film. See if you agree with the lists the author provides of 'best comic book detective' 'best amateur sleuth tv series' and so on. :-)

Then it was on to some more local history books, one new, one old.

Regular readers of my blog (thank you!) know that I am partial to the Images of America series so when I saw a new, local title, I snatched it off the shelf down at Village Books! Cecil W. Jentges has gathered a wonderful collection of photos in Bellingham. It's a nice look at the past and how the town(s) have changed. I especially liked that the author included a chapter on the not so good things that happened here, too. If you haven't already read them, I suggest partnering this with Murder in the Fourth Corner (January 24, 2015 post) and The Brothels of Bellingham (June 3, 2014 post).

Logging was huge in this area in the past, and you can learn more in 18 Men and a Horse, by Donald H. Clark. It's one of the books published by the Whatcom Museum of History and Art. The logging industry opened up the land that became fertile farms. Be sure to check out when Bloedel Donovan park was in the planning stages!

Reading Hermit With Dog