It’s been a while since I read one of the Daisy Dalrymple Mystery books by Carola Dunn so I was happy to come across Corpse at the Crystal Palace. Family is visiting (think kids) and Daisy has planned what should be some fun family outings. All seems to go well until a body is found in a restroom, nannies (yes, more than one) are seen fleeing the scene, and the twins are the best eye witnesses. A grand romp of a read!

Tall Reader often brings me wonderful teen or tween reads, most recently one called First Test, by Tamora Pierce, the first in the series The Protector of the Small Quartet. Until recently, girls have not been permitted to train to be a knight. That has changed and Keladry is the first to rise to the challenge. And a challenge it is as many of the instructors (one in particular) and other students are sure a girl cannot succeed. Follow her as she deals with her first year in training.

Reading Hermit With Dog

The Norman Case is one of those included in the MNOP Markham Sisters Collection of short mysteries, by Diana Xarissa. I love these stories … mysteries, yes indeed, but without a body or murder. :-) The B&B run by the sisters always has interesting guests, some welcome, others that will not be allowed back. This time things are missing from local retailers, nothing of much value ever, but still, it’s worrisome to the store owners. Who is the thief?

Bells and Smells is Book Twelve in the Falconer Files Murder Mystery series, by Andrea Frazier. The Reverend Florrie Feldman has been sent to the small town of Ford Hollow, which looks to be a nice, small, sleepy little town. Now, rivalries are to be expected, neighbors not getting along, and so forth, but why is someone killing off the members of the choir? It will be up to Detective Inspector Harry Falconer and trusty (if often oddly dressed) Detective Sergeant Carmichael to find out. Wonderful character descriptions, one in particular that is most unpleasant.

Reading Hermit With Dog

Women really do belong in the kitchen, and here is a book that proves just what they can do there! A Woman’s Place: the Inventors, Rumrunners, Lawbreakers, Scientists & Single Moms Who Changed the World With Food, by Deepi Ahluwalia & Stef Ferrari, and illustrated by Jessica Olah is a wonderful collection of short biographies of these amazing women. Some introduced new foods to the world, some used food to support protests (and the suffragettes), some taught us how to prepare foods from other countries properly. They brewed beer, made ice cream (cheaply enough so everyone could enjoy it). They advocated for lunches in schools so students could learn better, one invented the automatic dishwasher!

I have now read a fair number of books about books, book stores, and so forth. They have been most enjoyable and The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: a Memoir, a History, by Lewis Buzbee was no exception. Just what is so appealing about a book, or reading, or spending time in a book shop? (See if you agree). This was one of those books where I found myself nodding in agreement on a regular basis.

Reading Hermit With Dog

I’m not quite sure how I stumbled upon Just One Damned Thing After Another, by Jodi Taylor, but what a wild read it was! (It could also have been called ‘something WILL go wrong, and at the worst possible moment’)! It’s science fiction, and fantasy, and history, and adventure, and romance … are you getting the picture? ;-) Think dinosaurs, friendships, betrayals, and so much more. It is Book One of The Chronicles of St. Mary’s.

Ginger and Basil are on the case again in Murder on Eaton Square, the 10^th in the Ginger Gold Mystery series by Lee Strauss. A wealthy man has died. He was sick, but was his death hurried along? And who inherits? Then there is a second death … and the prime suspect is … well, that I can’t tell you because I promised no spoilers, but wow, what a twist! Love how Ginger keeps going against convention.

Reading Hermit With Dog

Recently Canadian Reader, Constant Reader and I have all been talking about hummingbirds. They both keep feeders out year ‘round for the local hummers. I had no idea they stayed around year long which made me think I needed to do some reading. Constant Reader recommended The Complete Book of Hummingbirds, by Tony Tilford. It proved to be an excellent read. Lots of information but never too ‘sciency’, making it perfect for this novice, and with incredible photographs. The colors on these wee birds are amazing, and there’s even one photo with the hummer sticking his/her tongue out!

I have mixed feelings about The History of the World in Fifty Dogs, by Mackenzi Lee (with illustrations by Petra Eriksson). On the one hand, some of the word use was strange to me (showing my age here) as if written for those current with modern slang, etc. That was a bit off putting, but probably only to me. On the other hand, I applaud the idea using dogs as a journey through history, and the time and the effort the author put in to her book. I did read it from cover to cover, after all. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

I may have discovered a wonderful new series! At least it started out well and I have ordered book #2! Set in 1957, in the small town of Cavendish, Lord Harrington and his wife love their lives. The huge family house is a hotel (they live in a smaller house elsewhere on the grounds), they give parties for local holidays or celebrations, and listen to mysteries on the radio. In the days leading up to Halloween, Lord Harrington finds a body, of someone no one liked, and, on Guy Fawkes Night the body on the bonfire was not a manniken. Just what is going on? And let’s not forget the odd symbols under the floor mat, or the strange bits of pottery. You can get started on this series with Lord James Harrington and the Winter Mystery, by Lynn Florkiewicz.

The setting is Paris, just before the Nazi invasion and Estella Bissette is on her way (reluctantly) to the U.S. She was actually born here and therefore is able to easily get on a ship headed this way. And so begins an amazing story. How she finds her way, learns about her past and discovers … well … you’ll have to read the book because I promised no spoilers! The Paris Seamstress, by Natasha Lester was a great read, covering several generations, and with some wonderful characters and descriptions of time and place. There is some bad stuff, too, so be warned (and be sure to read the author’s note in the back).

Reading Hermit With Dog

Canadian Reader and I got to talking, well, emailing, about (of all things) place mats one evening. The comment was made that some were too small for the silverware to go along side … but wait, aren’t they a standard size? There was not much on the ‘net so I looked for a book and found one that looked hopeful: The Vintage Table: Personal Treasures and Standout Settings, by Jacqueline de Montravel. There was nothing, nothing at all about place mats! Still, it was a most pleasing read about what goes into a nice place setting, how to arrange plates, chargers, soup bowls, silverware and so forth. See if you recognize any of the vintage pieces!

I’ve read other books on the Lipizzan horses, but Ghost Riders: When US and German Soldiers Fought Together to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Horses in the Last Days of World War II, by Mark Felton, is by far the most ‘military.’ The amount of research that must have been done boggles the mind! In a POW camp are a thousand horses, or more, including not only the Lipizzans, but many prize Arabians and other breeds, all stolen to create an equine ‘master race’ (from the front flap). If the Red Army gets to them first, they will all be destroyed. And so ‘Operation Cowboy’ is formed to save them all. Imagine moving that many animals … over country filled with land mines, damaged by bombs, and filled with refugees as well. Lots of detail on how all this was done makes for an interesting if somewhat ‘textbook’ sort of read.

Reading Hermit With Dog

Georgiana Rannoch (23^rd in line for the throne) is on her honeymoon. Her husband has planned it, and promises something wonderful, but she does not expect it to take them to Africa! Naturally, not all goes as planned when, after a wild party, one of those who was there (and was among the wildest) is found dead on the road home. Turns out, both Georgiana and her husband are there for other reasons. She has been asked (by the Queen) to keep an eye on her son and ‘that American woman’, and he, well, we don’t know exactly why he’s there! Love and Death Among the Cheetahs is one of the Royal Spyness Mystery books by Rhys Bowen. Wonderful descriptions, but I’m glad to live here and not there!

I was pleased to discover that the next Markham Sister’s Collection (MNOP) was out in print form. It didn’t take long to read the first story: The Moody Case. The B&B is full (it’s really just two rooms), this time, unusually, with two single men. They don’t know each other. Or do they? There are some strange things going on in the small town of Derbyshire and the Markham sisters are determined to find out the what, why, and who. These are fun little mysteries by Diana Xarissa.

Reading Hermit With Dog

Small town librarian Ann Beckett has had an interesting day. It starts with rescuing two cats trapped in a flooding culvert and ends with a blind date … who is dead. Checked Out is the first in The Village Library Mysteries series by Elizabeth Spann Craig. Turns out her blind date was not such a nice guy. All that and more comes out as she and the local police solve his murder. We meet up with some charming local residents, as well as get to know the new library cat.

From library cats we move on to police dogs in Dachshund Through the Snow, one of the Andy Carpenter Mystery books by David Rosenfelt. Andy’s wife loves the Christmas season (she’s sure it’s meant to last three months), and she loves fulfilling the wishes from the local Wish Tree. This year one in particular stands out, a little boy wants his father to come home. And so begins the hunt for the truth of a young woman murdered fourteen years earlier. These are light, easy and fun to read, court-room mysteries. Oh, and one of Andy’s clients this time is a dog!

Reading Hermit With Dog