The Scent of Murder is the start of a new series by Kylie Logan. It opens with a cadaver dog in training finding a body (good dog!). Underneath all the goth makeup and odd costume, it turns out the handler/trainer knows the victim, she was a graduate of the school where Jazz works. How she ended up in an abandoned house and in such ‘get up’ makes for a good start. Lots of interesting twists and turns! I would have liked more with the dogs, but that may come with future books. :-)

Something new and fun from Lee Strauss (and this time,with hubby, Norm Strauss) comes in the form of short stories. First available only as an ereader, it recently came out in print form: Lady Gold Investigates Volume 1: Companion Stories to Ginger Gold Mysteries. There are fun little mysteries (no bodies this time) involving a stolen stole (sorry, just couldn’t resist that) from a manikin in Ginger’s store, and a boy that has gone missing from the Child Wellness Project that Lady Gold and the Reverend Oliver Hill run. Might one of the wealthy patrons to her store have actually shoplifted? And who might be snatching young boys off the street … and why? Most enjoyable!

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Here’s a look at a year in the life of a small, used book store in the tiny, out of the way town of Wigtown, Scotland: The Diary of a Bookseller, by Shaun Bythell. Entries include customers (good and bad, regular and tourist) and the comments they make (after one too many remarks of how much cheaper a book is on Kindle, the author bought a used Kindle, shot it, and framed the remains). He has an eccentric staff, you might wonder why he keeps them on, and yet, they’ve been there for years. The internet provider fails on a regular basis causing them to get poor marks for response time. How and why he chooses the books he buys is here, too. My favorite was the elderly woman who brings in a book of photography … pictures of a rather risque nature … Shaun thinks he has someone who is interested so he buys the book and as the woman is leaving, she taps the cover of the book (showing a picture of scantily clad young women) and says “see how long it takes to figure out which one is me” and walks out! A nice read.

A recent show about the great Chicago Fire sent me looking for a book. Did you know there were several other fires in that part of the country at the same time? Was there a ‘weather’ reason? (And not a cow?) In looking for more information I found The Great Chicago Fire, by John Boda and Ray Johnson. It is part of the Images of America series I like so much which means it’s full of wonderful photographs of Chicago before and after.

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Maybe I should have waited a bit longer to read the second Higgins & Hawke Mystery, by Lee Strauss, because there is no release date for the third yet! A woman has jumped from the common house tower in Boston (hence the title: Death at the Tower). At first there is no reason to think it wasn’t suicide. Funds are in short supply, so there is no autopsy … until an anonymous tip comes in that she was pushed. Assistant ME Haley Higgins opts to do an autopsy on her own time, and agrees, the woman had been pushed. Can she convince others? And what did this woman know that got her killed? Another wonderful mystery … and I want the next book NOW! ;-)

It all starts with a vacant house in Fairmile Green and new owners that make extensive changes … just imagine the noise and the dust! Then the peacocks arrive, more noise, noise that does not end at the close of the work day. There are threats, and attempts, but is it to kill or merely injure? Glass House is Book Eleven in the Falconer Files Murder Mystery series by Andrea Frazier. Of course there is eventually a murder, and as Falconer and Carmichael investigate, all sorts of interesting things about the new owners surface. An excellent series!

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Look! I found enough picture books for an extra post! :-)

Britta Teckentrup creates wonderful picture books and Ocean: a Peek-Through Picture Book is no exception. I love these books, where something is revealed from one page to the next. This time it’s an ocean teaming with life. Readers of all ages should enjoy these books!

An outside, night time game of hide-and-seek turns into a glorious moon light dance for Amani in The Night is Yours, by Abdul-Razak Zachariah and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo. What a feeling it must be, to dance under the moon!

In looking for books about mounted police I came across Calliope: the Tale of a Police Horse During the Blitz, by Diane Condon-Boutier and illustrated by Elisabeth Gontier. It’s one on the Tails of War series which are based on the animals that have received the Dickin Medal of Honor, which is given to those who have assisted humans during war time. Calliope, and her human, Officer Edwards, routinely patrol the neighborhood where there is a school, and many of those students are friends. One student, with red shoes, stands out … she and her mother are from France, and her mother has an ‘interesting’ job with the government. Told from the perspective of the horse, this is a good read for younger readers as well as those who might read it to them. :-)

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If you’ve every considered having a tea party, especially one with a bookish theme, this is the book for you: A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere, by Alison Walsh. Each entry includes a book title, a short selection from that book, and a recipe for a sweet or savory inspired by the same, along with a recommendation for a ‘tea pairing’. Lots of fun!

Here’s another entry in the quirky little series called Object Lessons from Bloomsbury: Bookshelf, by Lydia Pyne. It’s all about bookshelves (obviously) … how they are built, how they are used (think chained books), and how they’ve changed over time. And what else is put on such shelves? It’s often more than just books, whether it’s something ‘official’ if it’s in an Archive, or just fun if it’s a home book shelf. What can be found on your bookshelves?

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It’s back to the Isle of Man for Aunt Bessie Observes, by Diana Xarissa. This time Aunt Bessie does not actually find the body, but she’s there when someone else does. The Markham Sisters are visiting (they are featured in their own series by this author) and one of them thinks she recognizes the dead man. This gets things going as there may be ties to a charity event they worked on at home, and there is one scheduled to start in just a few days here. The Sisters and Aunt Bessie jump in to help, not only with the investigation, but with the charity auction as well. Aunt Bessie Observes is the fifteenth Isle of Man Cozy Mystery.

The title first caught my eye: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I had heard (and read) about Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project (see April 12, 2014 post). I had not, however, heard of what next caught my eye … there were people in Kentucky with blue skin. Author Kim Michele Richardson did a fascinating job of weaving together the power and desire of people to learn and read with the overwhelming poverty of the era (1930’s), and the appalling and frightening treatment of those who were different. (Not to mention the horrible working conditions for the miners). Compelling, overwhelming in parts, quite an amazing read. One of the best characters is the mule.

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If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes then I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy this book. I did, but I am not a true, die-hard fan so do not want to deliver an ultimatum that could be incorrect! From Holmes to Sherlock: the Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon, by Mattias Bostrom, and translated from the Swedish by Michael Gallagher, takes you from early Arthur Conan Doyle and how he created Sherlock Holmes, through silent films, radio plays, talkies, stage shows, satires, parodies, animated versions up to the the more recent shows Elementary, and, Sherlock. A most interesting history of an enduring character.

The folks at DK put out amazing books and Engineers: From the Pyramids to the Pioneers of Space Travel (editor-in-chief is Adam Hart-Davis) is one of them. This is a great book to read little bits at a time as you read others. The entries are short, packed with information, and there are pictures are well!

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I’m doing a one book post today because I know this author! And yes, I am giving her special treatment! :-)

It took a while, but Book Two of The Ninth Circle, Icestorm, by Theresa Dahlheim, is finally out! It often seems that part two of something is dark and somewhat bleak, and that’s the case here, but it’s still a most compelling story and I found myself reading far into the night. Young sorcerers and sorceresses are discovering their powers. (Not everyone wants them to succeed). They each have a tutor or mentor and not all of them are very good at what they do (this is most frustrating, but remember this, it’s supposed to be that way)! Interesting characters (you won’t like all of them), and great descriptions of events (I don’t want to say too much here) such as a battle where most magic is not possible. The author has created a very interesting world! A word of warning here, there are disturbing things that happen. They do all fit in with the story, but I thought a ‘heads up’ was prudent. This has all the earmarks of a grand adventure!

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Decorating a Room of One’s Own: Conversations on Interior Design with Miss Havisham, Jane Eyre, Victor Frankenstein, Elizabeth Bennet, Ishmael, and Other Literary Notables, by Susan Harlan is a clever and witty discussion of rooms from well known literature. There are ‘asides’ and allusions to the book in question so it really helps to have read it, but if you have, you are in for a treat! (Love the comment that many of the mirrors in Count Dracula’s castle seem to be defective)!

The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales From the Wild Side of Wildlife, by Lucy Cooke combines history (accurate and otherwise), a bit of folklore, mythology … and more. It’s a great read about how our views of animals have changed, from what they eat to how they survive and so forth. My favorite chapter is about hippos … I had no idea they are related to whales! And sloths? How can anyone think they are a failure of nature when they’ve been around for eons?

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It’s back to the adult, more seasoned and experienced man in The Vanishing Man, by Charles Finch. This time there’s a missing painting (that shows up in a most unexpected place), a family secret (that might or might not involve William Shakespeare) and a mysterious new character who can find things when no one else can. I rather like him, he can just sort of blend into the background and go unseen. Once again Charles Lenox is up against ‘society’ and what is deemed proper behavior or manners. Good characters again, and a good mystery, too. This is part of the Charles Lenox Mystery series.

It’s the summer of 1924 and Britain is celebrating the Olympics. A young lawyer is found dead, having inhaled a deadly concoction of salt water. Why was he killed? And what are all the postcards (all blank, all the same picture) about? The Saltwater Murder is the seventh Posie Parker Mystery, by L.B. Hathaway.

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