It's the first day at Jade Mountain Academy and Moonwatch is not sure she wants her mother to leave her there. She has an 'ability' not seen in Nightwing dragons for decades. Would her wing mates accept her? There is a new and terrifying prophecy making the rounds, as well the challenge of getting former enemies to learn to get along. Moon Rising, the sixth in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland is another hard to put down read. I am really enjoying the natural feeling to the dialogue here, it's something I always found hard to write. :-)

Miki and Julie grew up in the harsh interior of Alaska. Like many young girls, they were horse crazy but understood that dogs were the best way to work the trap lines, transport supplies and so forth. Until some one asked "Have you heard of Icelandic horses?" Riding the Wild Side of Denali: Alaska Adventures with Horses and Huskies (I read the revised second edition) by Miki and Julie Collins is the story of their adventures with these amazing equines. And the dogs, of course.

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Book five in the Wings of Fire books, The Brightest Night was every bit as hard to put down as the earlier books. With the shocking news about the prophecy challenging the ideas about how to stop the war, finding a renegade group of Outclaws, and Sunny finding out why she is different from others in her tribe, there's much to learn! And who, or what, are the scavengers?

Cancelled by Murder is the second Postmistress Mystery by Jean Flowers. I do enjoy these small town mystery stories, it's fun getting to know the characters, the small shops, etc. This time there is some dissension in the ranks, though, which leads (of course) to murder. Love the post office history and trivia Ms. Flowers always puts in her books.

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It's been some weeks now since I've had picture books to post, but look at what I have for today!

Kiwi brought two books to share on our last visit, one an old favorite for both of us, and one that was new to me. I read The Library, by Sarah Stewart and with pictures by David Small, a long, long time ago, which means I had not read it since I started my blog! I am pleased to see it again after so many years and include it here now. It is the story of a girl/young woman/adult who reads. And reads. And reads. She does not want clothes, she does not want shoes, she wants books. Soon the number of books overtakes all the space in her house. Love how she resolves the problem!

The book that was new to me from Kiwi was The Boy Who Was Raised By Librarians, by Carla Morris and illustrated by Brad Sneed, and it was delightful! It's all about a boy, Melvin, who spends all his time in the library. He is interested in absolutely everything (so where better for him to be?) and the librarians who are always ready and able to help. His interests only expand as he grows up. Again, loved the ending.

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Here's a promising start to a new series: Cruel Candy, by Mildred Abbott. It's in her series called A Cozy Corgi Mystery, and, not surprisingly, there is a Corgi! The main character, Winifred (better known as Fred) has moved back home to open a bookstore. Things get complicated when her dog, Watson, discovers a body in the vacant store space.

Canadian Reader kindly left two of the Aunt Bessie books for me and I've tried to space them out so I won't have too long to wait for the next visit and more of the series. Aunt Bessie Decides, the next in Diana Xarissa's Isle of Man Cozy Mystery series was, perhaps, the funniest of the books so far. It starts with an .... interesting performance of a not quite Shakespeare troop doing "Much Ado About the Shrew", which leads to, of course, a body.

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The Hidden Kingdom is the third in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. The prophecy continues to unfold ... but wait a minute ... the names are unfamiliar ... just who are these new dragonets? Are they imposters? Or spares? This time it is Glory who discovers her tribe is not what she has imagined them to be. And what about the impending War? There is cause for concern here: Tall Reader and I recently purchased the boxed set of eight of the titles in the series (there are more coming soon) ... will the chores get done? The errands? These are hard books to put down.

And proof of that is in the reading: I went directly from book three to book four: The Dark Secret. This time the adventure is taking place in a dark and mysterious kingdom, one the other tribes know very little about. Why are they so secretive? Why are dragonets vanishing from the nearby rain forest? Starflight finally gets to meet his father and while they share a love of scrolls, that's about it, much of what his father does baffles Starflight. The war escalates, there is a new Queen, and a surprising twist to the prophecy.

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For the book Fields of Friendly Strife: the Doughboys and Sailors of the WWI Rose Bowls, by Timothy P. Brown, I'll admit right up front here: I did not read it all the way through! I got bogged down by all the football stuff. That being said, what came before was wonderful. What the world was like for these young men: many were born before the turn of the century ... the 20th century: most were from rural areas so they would have known how to milk a cow, or hitch up a team of horses; few houses had electricity, etc. The author was a good writing style so I am including it in my blog because for those of you who like the football stuff, you're going to have a great read!

The second of the Wings of Fire books, The Lost Heir, by Tui T. Sutherland reminds me of two old axioms: you can't go home again, and, be careful what you wish for. In order to gather all the Dragonets in the prophecy together, royal eggs were stolen. Now the young dragons are beginning to wonder about their parents. Tsunami has long wanted to go home again, reconnect with her mother, and meet her family. This seems to be finally be happening, but of course, things do not go as planned. The adventure is building nicely (there are several books in this series) and as before, the interaction between the characters is excellent, I love how this author handles dialogue! Tall Reader and I will be reading more! :-)

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I quite enjoyed The World's Columbian Exposition: the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, by Norman Bolotin & Christine Laing as it was rather like an early version of a virtual tour! There was even a photo where figures had been added in ... just like something being "photo-shopped" these days, right? ;-) This was a huge undertaking, so big there is no accurate accounting of every display and exhibit. It boggled my mind when I then considered how far many of them had to travel to come, and what travel was like in 1893. There were camels for the 'Wild East Show', and mule teams as part of Uncle Sam's "Corps of Kickers" (although these were just statues). The Washington building was cited as being one of the most interesting, while the 'street in Cairo' was considered rather scandalous because of the belly dancers. Great pictures, interesting read! (For other books on the Columbian Exposition, see the post for February 14, 2015).

Less than two decades later there would be something closer to home: Alaska-Yukon -Pacific Exposition: Washington's First World's Fair: a Timeline History, by Alan J. Stein, Paula Becker & the HistoryLink Staff. The UW campus was determined as the best site (close to transportation, electricity, etc.) ... however ... due to the law stating that there could be no alcoholic beverages with two miles it would make the AYP the only dry world's fair in history. Once again there were wonderful displays and exhibits from all over the world. A team of sled dogs pulled the first log of the Arctic Brotherhood Building into place on November 10, 1908. There was an exhibit of the new incubator, featuring real babies that were swapped out on a regular basis. There was an airship fraught with problems but in spite of this Seattle became a center for air transportation. The suffragists used the fair to promote their goal of votes for women. (Washington became the fifth state to grant women the vote in 1910). And, my favorite story, the widow of AYP executive director John Chilberg, Anna, was the unofficial first lady of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair! (She thought her husband would have loved it).

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London Calling, by Sara Sheridan, is the second in the Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series. This time there are jazz clubs, a missing debutante, and an underground business of, well, 'interesting' photographs and pictures. There's a great new character, too. Love all the twists the author puts in her stories. :-)

The newest in the Northwest Cozy Mystery series, by Dianne Harman, is Murder at Le Bijou Bistro. When a death (by chocolate cake) occurs at a popular restaurant, it is determined it was intended for someone else: either retired mobster Al De Cuco, or his new wife, Cassie. In an interesting twist here, the reader is given the names and motives of several possible murderers. See if that helps you figure out who did it!

I was surprised to see this as a 'draft' rather than a published post!  Sorry about that!

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Kernel of Truth, the first in a new series by Kristi Abbott, is set in a gourmet popcorn shop in a small town. Such a store had never been in Rebecca's life plan, but when her life changed, she came back home and started over. Near her store "Pops", is one owned by her life long friend and mentor which sells amazing chocolate foods, and they are making plans to go into business together. That all changes when Ms. Bittles if found dead on the floor of her office. A good start for this series,... and ... if you like popcorn, there are recipes!

I will be handing Class Reunions are Murder, by Libby Klein, over to a friend who is heading for a major class reunion this year. ;-) Had she not received a request from a good friend, Poppy would never had gone to this reunion. One of the chubby, geeky, kids who was bullied by the popular group, she did not have fond memories of high school. Of course she's the one to find the body, and a former 'in crowd' classmate, now on the police force, is determined to see that she is convicted for the murder. To complicate matters her aunt seems to be the target of an aggressive social worker who is eager to see Aunt Ginny placed in an assisted care facility. There were some unexpected twists here that gave me pause. Again, a nice start to a new series.

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Do you have a dog? Do you feel a special bond with him or her? Many people believe there is spiritual connection here, and that is taken under study in Dogtology: Live. Bark. Believe. (A Humourous Exploration of Man's Fur-ocious Devotion to Dogs), by Jeff Lazarus. Clever and funny, I was laughing out loud at times. Loved the word play, spoofs on philosophies and so forth. There's also a cat book out by this author, but I've not read it. ;-)

Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries & Lore, edited by Paula Guran, is a collection of fantasy and science fiction. Like all such books I loved some, liked some, and skipped some. A few I thought were extra special: In the House of Seven Librarians, by Paula Klages; Summer Reading, by Ken Liu, and Exchange, by Ray Bradbury. Paula Klages is the author of Green Glass Sea, from my post of April 22, 2014, if you've not read it, I suggest you do so, it is excellent. Ken Liu is a new author for me and I loved his take on a library, and reader, of the future. And Ray Bradbury, well, it's Bradbury!

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I will admit right up front here ... I picked this book up because of the first line of the first chapter: "On the day that he was due to retire, Inspector Ashwin Chopra discovered that he had inherited an elephant." How could I resist that? What followed was a delightful read as Inspector Chopra adjusts to his new life ... being retired, and responsible for an elephant. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, by Vaseem Khan is a charming read. Loved the ending! Looks like it is the start of a new series, too, the first in A Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation books.

Was it fate? I found Behemoth: the History of the Elephant in America, by Ronald B. Tobias on the same day as the book by Mr. Khan! Well written and well researched I must add this warning: this is a hard book to read as there is much about cruel and inhumane treatment of animals, mostly, but not limited to, elephants. The sections on the use of elephants in advertising and tourist attractions (huge, elephant shaped buildings housing offices, apartments, restaurants, etc.) kept me going. Not for the faint of heart.

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I jumped into the middle of the Kate Shackleton Mystery series, by Frances Brody, because I loved the title: Death of an Avid Reader. Set in post World War I London, Kate is a detective of some sort (I'm sure I'll learn more details as I read more of the series). This time she is sent in search of a baby put up for adoption many years ago. There is a puzzling death in the library, too. All the elements necessary for a great story! Canadian Reader has read and enjoyed this author, too.

If you've enjoyed the earlier books in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, then you'll like this one, too. The Cat in the Baskervilles, by Vicki Delany, brings together a once popular British actor now past his prime, a former lover, the young understudy (who was not told he'd be the understudy), and a mysterious stranger with a man bun. What could possibly go wrong? This is a great cozy series.

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The building of Grand Coulee Dam brought thousands of jobs to Washington during the Depression. It would create productive land that would feed millions. It was also the destruction of the lifestyle of people who had lived on the land for generations. The parents of Lawney L. Reyes, author of B Street: the Notorious Playground of Coulee Dam lived on the land that would be lost to flooding. It would be the second time they have been 'displaced'. Hoping to earn enough to support his family, his Dad moved them to B Street and opened a Chinese restaurant. Even though he hated to cook and had no idea what Chinese food tasted like! This is an excellent, and sad, read.

Here is an excellent choice to put with the book mentioned above: Grand Coulee Dam, by Ray Bottenberg. It's another in the Images of America series I like so much, with all those wonderful photos. While B Street told more about the people involved in the construction of the dam, this is all about the work.

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