Author T.A. Warger is back with another local history book. Murder & Mayhem in the Fourth Corner is the third book about true crimes from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Nicely researched and written, I have been enjoying this series, even with a rather grim and grisly subject! The author will 'set the scene' creating the motive, and then describes the investigation, trial and verdict for several heinous crimes. Do note: there was a problem with the layout, and sometimes a new chapter will start on the page before the actual chapter heading. A bit odd, but easy to figure out. ;-)

At the age of ten life changed dramatically for a young girl in England. In December of that year her uncle, wishing to marry someone deemed unacceptable for a royal family, abdicated his position as King of England. She remembers being able to hug her father when he left the room for his coronation, and then having to curtsey to him when he returned. That young girl, of course was Elizabeth II. There are treasures to be found on the bargain table at Village Books and this is one of them: Elizabeth: the Queen and the Crown, by Sarah Gristwood. It is a wonderful blend of text and pictures of a woman who has given her entire life in service to her country. There are some nice pictures of her wedding and coronation dresses (look at the detail on the latter, with Tudor roses, shamrocks for Ireland, a thistle for Scotland, and a leek for Wales!). And, in one of those fun/odd coincidences, there is a fiction book on my 'to be read shelf' about the wedding dress!

Reading Hermit With Dog