For a non-fiction book that reads like a grand adventure full of brave and remarkable characters go with Code Girls: the Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy. Amazing research here, and of top secret jobs (even well into her 80's one code breaker was reluctant to talk of what she did), too. Loved learning how they worked on the messages they'd intercept from the enemy ... and what they'd look for to crack the code.

While reading D-Day Girls: the Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, Helped Win the War, by Sarah Rose might prove a bit too intense when partnered with Code Girls (I read some light fiction in-between), they are both excellent reads. Dark, intense, brutal ... and powerful, awe-inspiring, and just plain amazing, D-Day Girls follows several women and men through their training and then their work for the Resistance. Be sure to at least skim the notes and bibliography section, the amount of research will blow you away!

Are you a serious bird watcher, or know someone who is? Then you, or they, should enjoy The Field Guide to Dumb Birds in North America, by Matt Kracht. I'm not much of a birder and I still chuckled while reading this book. :-) Presented in the format of the usual field guide, there is the 'dumb' name for the bird (along with the real one) and some silly facts as to why they are dumb. Too much use of some swear words for me, it would have been just as funny, if not more so without them, I did enjoy this on a cloudy afternoon with a cup of tea and a dog snuggled up close.

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Lady Gold Investigates, Mystery Collection of Short Stories Volume 3 is the last of these delightful short stories that are companions to the Ginger Gold Mysteries, by Lee Strauss. Written with her husband, Norm Strauss these are fun, short mysteries that involve missing people or objects (in one case here, a lucky cricket bat). I hope there will be more.

I loved the first book I read by Ben S. Dobson (The Flaw in All Magic) and eagerly looked forward to the second in his Magebreaker Series: The Emperor's Mask. Some one is killing the non-magical citizens of the kingdom. Why? And what else do they have in common? This was a bit too 'political' for me ... until it wasn't! The main characters, Kane and Kadka, are pulled into the investigation and the action picks up! Somehow the killer is getting into and out of the bedchambers (where the murders take place) without leaving any sort of evidence, magical or otherwise. How? A grand adventure!

Here's the first in what looks to be a fun series! A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder, by Dianne Freeman takes place in London in 1899. At the age of 27 Frances is a widow (she will not use the term 'dowager'). (Wait until you discover how, and where, her husband dies). She has moved into town, leaving the family estate to her late husband's brother and wife. Now, Frances is an American. Her mother brought her to London to 'marry a title', which she did. The main attraction being her money. In something that is 'just not done' her solicitor kept her money in her name, meaning she does not have to share it with the brother-in-law, and that makes him angry. Lots of fun twists here. Her younger sister and aunt (who is a hoot) arrive so the sister can 'marry a title', too. Unconventional characters make for a most enjoyable read.

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Word books are a lot of fun, and The Little Book of Lost Words: Collywobbles, Snollygosters, and 86 Other Surprisingly Useful Terms Worth Resurrecting, by Joe Gillard is one of the best. Some you will recognize (due to lots of reading and watching PBS) others will be new. The author gives the origin of the word, partners it with an old painting, and then gives a present day definition. I am rather fond of 'snollygoster' (a dishonest or corrupt person, usually a politician) and 'snuggery' (a small, cozy space).

It took many years but I finally got my hands on a copy of Canajan, Eh? by Mark M. Orkin with illustrations by Isaac Bickerstaff. It's a used copy and the dust jacket is missing, but it's in excellent shape and was fun to read again. Here are words and definitions that are uniquely Canadian. I love the regional dialects, the author expresses those well! It would help to know a bit about Canadian history to enjoy this book.

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Remember Harry Potter? And author J.K. Rowling? Well, she writes under another name, too ... Robert Galbraith ... and what a difference! Intense, and gritty, with some interesting twists here and there, The Cuckoo's Calling is the first in the Cormoran Strike series. There's been a death that was determined to be suicide, but one person does not think so, and he hires Mr. Strike to prove it was murder.

Some years back now, I read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and loved it. Recently, I came across this: Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics ... how exciting is that?! Seems other young readers across the country think they could have done as well, or better, than the team that won that first challenge ... so ... Mr. Lemoncello comes up the Library Olympics so more teams can compete. Author Chris Grabenstein does a great job of combining good old library knowledge (Dewey Decimal Numbers) with modern age computer sleuthing, video games, 'state of the art' equipment (a hover ladder instead of the traditional wooden ladder). I'd like to think that tween readers would enjoy this book. :-)

Sherlock and Winston, the Corgi dogs, are back for another adventure in Case of the Ostentatious Otters, one of the Corgi Case Files books by J.M. Poole. It seems their reputation for solving crimes precedes them when they are on vacation in Monterey and they are asked to help with an old case. Naturally the dogs are willing to help! There is a sunken ship, missing coins, and a deadly (and very small) poisonous octopus. Loved the interaction with the otters in the title!

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Did you ever draw a blank when taking an exam? Did you ever put down an answer that you knew was wrong, but wanted to put something in that big blank answer space? Or, perhaps you given tests and seen some of the crazy answers students gave. Either way, you should chuckle when you read F in Exams: the Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers, by Richard Benson. Some of the answers were very clever, I hope they were given at least one point.

There are wonderful phrases and catch words from other languages, ones that cannot really be translated into English (but might have an equivalent as all humans experience similar feelings, etc). In Other Words: an Illustrated Miscellany of the World's Most Intriguing Words and Phrases by Christopher J. Moore was a totally engaging book ... it kept me reading into the night with the short "I can read just one more page" sort of entries. I especially liked esprit de l'escalier (es-SPREE der less-Kal-iay) from the French which is that witty remark that comes to you after the fact, basically, when you are walking down the stairs and away from the meeting! Haven't we all had the 'Darn, I wish I'd said ...' moment?

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Mycroft Holmes, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse was dark, gritty, violent ... and perhaps I should not have read it immediately after an Aunt Bessie cozy! It was good, a grand adventure if you will, that takes the reader into the seamier sides of Trinidad, and the deaths of several children. I loved learning that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not just a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, but used those observational skills to improve his basketball game. :-)

Murder at High Tide is the first in the Rosa Reed Mystery series by Lee Strauss and her husband Norm. Rosa is the daughter of Ginger Gold and is a WPC (Woman Police Constable) in London. She is recovering from a wedding that did not happen (her choice) in Santa Bonita, CA, where she has cousins. Naturally she gets involved in a murder case. Not a bad start!

Canadian Reader clued me in to the new Scottish Bookshop Mystery: The Loch Ness Papers. This one deals with family, expected and unexpected, an old book, and the controversy over whether or not Nessie really does exist. There's a death, of course, and a wedding and some fun twists and turns from author Paige Shelton. Oh, and some fun bits involving accents, Scottish and Texan!

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I am curiously fond of tugboats and ferry boats so plucking Crossing Puget Sound: From Black Ball Steamer to Washington State Ferries, by Steven J. Pickens off the shelf was an automatic reflex. It's a nice history of this service in our state, with wonderful photographs (note: some have been colorized), the various routes (old and those in use now,) and, at the end, a bit on each vessel mentioned, what the name means and how/why it might have changed and where the ferry is now. I pretty much read this in one sitting. :-)

Pacific Northwest Trivia: Washington, Oregon & Idaho has a second subtitle: Weird, Wacky and Wild ... which fits! I do enjoy this type of book ... short entries, lots of fun bits of information ... it was a great read for these 'stay at home' days we are experiencing at the moment. I learned something new about each and every state! Four authors put this book together: Lisa Wojna, Gina Spadoni, Mark Thorburn, and Tyler Mudrey and I think, because of that, there is a bit of an overlap in the entries from time to time, but over all, a most enjoyable read.

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End of the Lane is the start of a new series and author, at least to me. It is the first in the Dear Abby Cozy Mystery series by Sonia Parin. Abby has left her old life behind (big change in work, nasty surprise from boyfriend) and moved to Australia. As she is driving from the airport to her new home and job at a small town newspaper, she picks up a stray dog wandering along the highway. She checks in at her new apartment, finds a vet to check out the dog, and heads out to meet her new boss ... and finds him dead. She finds herself helping with the investigation. Let's just say it's an interesting way to meet her new neighbors.

As I've mentioned before, Canadian Reader usually comes this way in May. That will not happen this year, and it's possible that even the December visit could be postponed. So, this is the last of the books by Diana Xarissa I have on my shelf (well, unless the next collection of the Markham Sisters is published) until we meet again. I quite enjoyed Aunt Bessie Tries. She is approached by someone at a baby shower who is convinced someone is trying to kill her. Several unusual things have happened (and continue), but are they really threats or just accidents? I can't say too much without spoiling things here! I will say, though, that she has a dreadful family!

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There was a flood, caused by the collapse of a dam, near Los Angeles on March 12, 1928. It was huge and caused a lot of damage, and yet, it's something that is not remembered, even in California. Floodpath: the Deadliest Man-Made Disaster of 20th Century America and the Making of Modern Los Angeles, is the result of an interest, tons of research, interviews, hiking to the area, etc. on the part of author Jon Wilkman. A rather fascinating read! A leak in the dam WAS reported, and the proper people DID come out and take a look and determined it was safe, dams do leak from time to time (as had this one). Boy, were they wrong!

This was a fun read, even for a dog person: My Life in a Cat House: Tales of Love, Laughter, and Living with Five Felines, by Gwen Cooper. These cats all have their own personalities, quirks, issues ... and each is different in how they interact with the humans in their lives. The author sometimes takes on kittens that would have a hard time getting adopted: there's one who has three legs; and one who is blind (she's written books about just him, too). The blind cat once attacked and scared off a burglar.

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