What has happened to the goose that lays the golden eggs? She is missing, but is it a kidnapping or murder? Dragon on Trial is the second in The Menagerie series for young readers by Tui T. Sutherland, and her sister, Kari Sutherland. The evidence seems to point to a dragon, but Zoe and Logan think he is being framed. Another fun romp through the realm of mythical creatures!

I will date myself here by saying that I loved the 'Fractured Fairy Tales' in the old Rocky and Bullwinkle show, so a book titled How to Fracture a Fairy Tale, by Jane Yolen easily caught my eye. What fun! There are variations (some quite dark) on many of the fairy tales we grew up with. There's poetry, too (read it out loud!). In the back there is an explanation what inspired the author to fracture each tale and I suggest reading that after the matching tale, I think it's a good way to go. :-)

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When Canadian Reader was due to arrive I put the first two Ginger Gold Mystery books by Lee Strauss in the guest room. Seems they were well liked as all eight of the ones I have here were read during this visit! I am following slowly behind as I just finished Book 4: Murder at Feathers and Flair. Initially hired to look for a missing actor, that case takes a back seat when someone (a Russian grand duchess) is murdered at the gala at Ginger's newly opened store. The plot thickens, as they say, when she finds a cryptic message in the pocket of a shawl left behind, and someone from her past reappears. There's fake jewelry and some great disguises, too. Canadian Reader and I are both enjoying this series and we think you might as well. :-)

The Mortal Word, the fifth in the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman seemed darker to me than the earlier books. The dragons and the Fae are trying to come up with a peace agreement, with the Librarians as neutral in-betweens. The murder of a dragon changes (and complicates) everything. There's a lot going on: poisonings, kidnappings, attacks .... complex but interesting. :-)

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Aunt Bessie is walking the beach, remembering a young man who was murdered there a year ago. Much to her surprise, she comes upon the widow, back on the island, it seems, celebrating her marriage (already?) to Alastair Farthington. He is rich, very rich, and used to getting his way. The rest of his sons and their wives are along as well. When one of them ends up dead Alastair wants Bessie to figure things out (you know, because the police are taking so long). She is not as easy to control as his family! Aunt Bessie Meets, the thirteenth Isle of Man Cozy mysteries, by Diana Xarissa was another good story with some new (and rather obnoxious) characters.

One of the books that came along with Canadian Reader was Death in Provence, by Serena Kent. Penelope Kite, divorced and with grown kids, decides to take early retirement and move from her home in England to a run down house in France. It will take a lot of work, but she can imagine what it will look like when it's finished. It's a bumpy introduction to her new (small) home town, especially after she discovers two bodies! (Not to mention the language barrier). Since she worked in forensics she feels she might know a few things the local police have not figured out (which does not go over well). Events from the past surface, and people are not who they seem to be, elements for a most interesting read!

If you don't want to wait until next December to read Christmas Mourning, then I suggest you read it when the weather is hot as it should make you shiver! Not only is there a lot of snow, basically isolating the small town of Castle Fathering, (no power, no internet, no phones), but there have been two murders as well. DI Falconer and his partner, DS Carmichael, resort to low tech methods to figure out the 'who dun it' in this eighth book of the Falconer Files Murder Mystery series by Andrea Frazer. Make special note of some delightfully silly (but very warm) hats, and a rather large dog named Mulligan.

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As my fellow readers know, I enjoy books with short tidbits of information. And, I seem to have a fondness for books about the Queen, too. That made Queen Elizabeth II: Crowns, Horses, and Corgis by David Arscottan obvious choice! :-) It includes the good and the bad, the tragic and triumphant, and of course, horses and dogs. I think there could have been more about the animals because I know the queen loves to ride and has lots of dogs, but overall this was a fun read.

Jefferson's Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America, by Catherine Kerrison must have taken years and years of research. Not only was she writing about women from a time when not much was recorded about them, but one was the daughter Jefferson had with Sally Hemmings, a slave, so there is even less to go on. Ms. Kerrison searched out old letters, and newspapers, and even a journal kept by the captain of the ship one of the daughters (and Sally) sailed on. The author admits to a certain amount of conjecture: while we might not know exactly the classes Martha (the oldest daughter) would have taken at the school she attended in Paris, we do know the curriculum from that time, and so forth. And as for Harriet? When she left Monticello she pretty much vanished ... she probably changed her name (and the author explains why), she probably married (the author tracks dozens of Harriets!) We may never know for sure what really happened. Well balanced and thought provoking.

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Canadian Reader has arrived along with a lovely stack of books! I jumped right back into the Isle of Man Cozy Mystery series with Aunt Bessie Likes, by Diana Xarissa. Aunt Bessie often helps John Rockwell and Hugh Watterson with their investigations. This time it's a cold case, a very cold case. Three young women went missing thirty years ago, could there be any sort of conclusion decades later? Oh, and there are wedding plans going on, too.

I’m thinking it’d be fitting to play the theme from The Twilight Zone here … as I was gathering up books to return to Canadian Reader, I discovered Book Six of the Isle of Man Ghostly series was missing. Tall Reader could not find it, neither could Canadian Reader. Where did it go? A replacement was ordered post haste! A stranger shows up at Shelly's door, claiming to be a friend of her late husband and is surprised to find he had died. Shelly has never heard of him, even in all the years she was married. Fenella thinks something is 'off' and when he is later found dead, she is even more sure. There is a group of strangers in town, rude and obnoxious, and with stories that don't quite work. Find out who can be trusted or not in Friends and Frauds, by Diana Xarissa. As always, the interaction between Fenella and her Aunt Mona (the 'ghostly' in the series title) is a hoot!

I'm pretty sure I never considering reading a book about sewing, embroidering, and/or a wedding dress, but I did, and I have, and it was excellent! The Gown: a Novel of the Royal Wedding, by Jennifer Robson was a captivating read about two of the young women who worked on Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress. William Hartnell and his Mayfair House of Fashion have done dresses for the royals in the past so it probably came as no surprise when his designs were selected for the upcoming ceremony. His two best and brightest embroiders, Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, were set to the task of taking his ideas and putting them into silk, thread, sequins and pearls. Coming from different backgrounds (remember WWII was recent history) they become friends. In 2016 Heather Mackenzie discovers a set of hand stitched flowers left to her by her grandmother. The story of how she makes the connections she does makes for a great read! A lovely blend of the real and the fictional, don't miss the 'about the book' section at the end.

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I rather enjoyed the first of the Pen and Ink Mystery series by Krista Davis so was pleased when the second book finally came out. One of the members of the weekly coloring club has found what might be a life changing find at a recent garage sale. She posts about what she found and then is found dead. Is there a connection? Is what she found truly as valuable as folks seem to think? There are lots of twists and turns in The Coloring Crook as all this is figured out. It took a while for me to get into this read, but when I was snagged, it was hard to put down!

Murder at Bray Manor, by Lee Strauss, is the third if the Ginger Gold Mystery series. Ginger Golds grandmother is distraught ... things have been moving around at Bray Manor and the only explanation must be a poltergeist. (!) When a letter arrives from her sister-in-law, Ginger heads for the country to offer some help. In order to bring in some much needed money, Bray Manor has been renting out rooms for various club meetings, and, is hosting a charity dance for the injured soldiers of the area. At the end of the evening, a body is found. Not believing in ghosts, Ms Gold is sure there is a connection. We meet up with a man from her past (not the best of memories) and learn a bit more about what she did during the Great War. I'd love to leave a clue here, but I did promise no spoilers! This is a great series.

It took about a year, but the next Lady Darby mystery is out! Happily married, and expecting, the future looks bright, until her past comes at her again. She was once married (arranged by her father) to a doctor (who wanted a wife who could draw) who forced her to draw the bodies he was dissecting. Even though she had no choice, and nothing to do with procuring the bodies, when the 'burkers' (body snatchers) are active again, there are those who are sure she has something to do with it. Proving her innocence makes for a great read in An Artless Demise, by Anna Lee Huber.

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Here's a book with the same title as one I used in the post of December 14, 2018, although with a different subtitle, and author: I'd Rather Be Reading: a Library of Art for Book Lovers, by Guinevere de la Mare. It's a rather nice little collection of essays, art, poems ... all about the joy of a bookish life. As a child, the author was at first determined NOT to learn to read, she was quite stubborn about it, until an amazing teacher changed her mind. (Find out how)! If asked, could you pick out your 25 most favorite books? How would you do so? And, I have a new favorite saying: 'less selfies, more shelfies.' YES!

Part of our Lives: a People's History of the American Public Library, by Wayne A. Wiegand is a dense and detailed book, but also a most interesting read. Early libraries were designed to 'improve' the lives of those who read their books, so collections were made up of non-fiction materials. (It was actually rather amusing how long it took for fiction to be an accepted part of the collection). There was a time when women needed a note from their doctor to check out a medical book. Men and women had separate reading areas. There were spittoons in the corners (think for a moment what happened when there weren't). I loved the little bits about how now well known people got their start in a local library. Or how some libraries were so popular that staff would be escorted to work ... by children, dogs, and in some cases, goats! I was saddened by how long it took to desegregate. W.E.B. DuBois was refused entry to a library his taxes helped support, and where his books were on the shelf. And I loved how branch libraries adapted to their neighborhoods, whether that meant offering ESL classes, or sewing machines.

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When a body is found in the old chapel of the Strict and Particular, DI Falconer and his young DS, Carmichael, are sent back to the small town of Steynham St Michael (there was a murder here before). Strict and Peculiar is the seventh book by Andrea Frazer in her Falconer Files Mystery series. Although the chapel is old, the body is new, and there was a message written on the wall nearby. And what about strange, hooded figures seen wandering about? Will it help that Carmichael and Falconer already know some of the people who live there?

While reading a richly detailed non-fiction book I decided I needed something 'lighter' to read between chapters. I opted for Murder at Hartigan House, the second in the Ginger Gold Mystery series by Lee Strauss. That might have been a mistake as I started by switching books at each chapter, but soon was reading just this book! Ginger Gold returns to her family home in England only to be told by the butler that in opening the house for this return, a body was found. In a locked room. In a house that had been empty for a decade. Ginger and her friend, Haley Higgins (now in medical school) set out to discover the who and the why. When they learn that on the night before the house was closed up her father had had a party, they decide to have one as well, inviting all those guest who were there then. This idea backfires when there is another murder. Or does it?

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Murder on the SS Rosa is from the 'other' series by Lee Strauss and is the first in her Ginger Gold Mystery series. They have a character in common, Haley Higgins, although here she is a nurse on her way to London and medical school. Her traveling companion is Ginger Gold, a (young) widow who did 'something' in WWI (we've not learned all those details as yet), so there is a lot more to her than the fashionable clothes and parties she loves. When it turns out the murder victim owed money to her late father, Ginger becomes a suspect. There are many others, however, and a short time frame to find the real murderer before the ship docks at Liverpool. I'm glad I have the second book here on my 'to be read' pile!

Remember Tui T. Sutherland and her Wings of Fire series? She's back, this time with her sister, Kari Sutherland, and the start of a new tween read: The Menagerie. When his mother unexpectedly leaves them, Logan and his dad move to the small town of Xanadu, Wyoming. There is something odd going on, and when Logan finds some unusual feathers in his room, he soon becomes part of it. Turns out, Xanadu is home to a top secret facility that keeps supposedly mythical creatures from the outside world. There's just one problem .... six griffin cubs have escaped. A wonderful story for younger readers with strong characters and great adventures, but older readers should like it, too. Tall Reader (who shared this book with me) tells me the 'grands' love it!

The fourth book in the Writer's Apprentice Mystery series, by Julia Buckley, is Death Waits in the Dark. Lena and Camilla are happily working on their next book when someone from Camilla's past appears, threatens her, and then is murdered. Decades old events surface, and friendships are tested as the who and why are determined. As much as I am enjoying this series, this one made me a little uncomfortable because the characters I've come to love are hurt (so be warned). ;-)

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