Death at the Workhouse, the eighth book in the Penny Green Mystery series, by Emily Organ was a rather dark and grim read. Beautifully researched again (be sure to read the notes at the end of the book), and well written, it's about the horrible conditions where the poor are sent to sleep. The 'logic' behind these conditions is that they don't want folks to get too comfortable so they'll want to stay. (If you think that sounds 'political', you'd be correct). It also involved the selling of corpses to anatomy schools. Grave robbing and body snatching have been outlawed, but there are ways to get around those laws. Another excellent read in this fine series, but maybe not for a dark winter's day!

Here's a more happy read: Mrs. Entwhistle Minds Her Own Business, by Doris Reidy. This is an absolutely fun and charming series! We meet up with some characters from past books, most importantly the young women Mrs. Entwhistle discovered in labor, and ended up delivering the baby! There are lots of changes for lots of folks here, all done without the interference of Mrs. Entwhistle. (You believe that, right?)

Happy New Year!

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Every one of the Meg Langslow Mystery books by Donna Andrews has a bird in the title as does this one, The Gift of the Magpies. Christmas is just a few days away and the Caerphilly Helping Hands for the Holidays volunteers are busy helping out anyone who needs, well, pretty much anything done. In one case it's convincing a hoarder to let them clean out his house, and repair it so it is livable again. It's actually going quite well until he is found dead in his garage. There are relatives (estranged, distant relatives) who want the house and the 'treasure' they are sure is hidden there. There are others, still alive, (or their children) who remember the father, who ran a bank decades ago and they are sure he kept money from it when everything crashed. It must be hidden in the house, right? And then there's a strange women he met on-line who claims she has a Will. Can they get this all figured out before Christmas? This is a fun series. :-)

The war is over and each of the Kopp sisters has plans for what they will be doing next. Those plans all come to a screeching halt when their brother dies suddenly and they return home to help their (pregnant) sister-in-law. How are they going to get by? One of the sisters happens upon a job, a rather odd job ... I don't want to say too much here ... let's just say it involves photography. And THAT leads her to several women she believes are being swindled. Miss Kopp Investigates, by Amy Stewart (one of the Kopp Sisters novels) is how she does so. Based on a real family, don't miss the notes at the back!

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Two of those fun little seasonal 'feel good' books today. I always enjoy the displays at the bookstore with books like this, old and new. :-)

A grandfather visits a small bookstore in a small town. His is looking for a book about the Christmas Truce of WWI to share with his grandson, who is ill. He's not had any luck finding the book yet, but it's here ... not only that, but it has been on the shelf since Nora and Simon opened their store thirty years ago. He leaves feeling much better than when he came in. This gives the store owners an idea ... to send out books to those who might be feeling down. They invite viewers of their web site to nominate someone for this, from which they will select six. They pick out and wrap six books and include an invitation to their annual Christmas party (which may be the last, as their small, independent book store is struggling to stay open). Christmas by the Book, by Anne Marie Ryan, is the story of the impact these books made. Just the right book for these times!

In The Christmas Bookshop, by Jenny Colgan, Carmen has been laid off. She has little choice but to move in with her all too perfect sister. (The sister is not all that pleased, either). Since Carmen’s background is in retail, her sister sends her out to a little bookstore that needs help, if only to make it more appealing to a buyer. It's a struggle, for sure. (The first time she tries a story reading, she picks The Little Match Girl and all the children go home in tears. The mothers are not pleased). Slowly the bookstore comes to life and becomes part of the 'community' of other stores on the block. Interesting, sometimes quirky characters, the focus is more on interpersonal relationships than books (as in the book listed above), but still a good read.

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'Tis the time of year to read holiday, wintry, snowy stories! I found a few new authors, and even a 'first' in a new series! Karen Baugh Menuhin, Yehudi Menuhin's daughter- in-law, decided, at the age of 60, to write a book: Murder at Melrose Court. It is a wonderful start to her series involving Major Lennox, wondering what he might do now that the war is over. All the necessary elements are here: lots of snow, a body on the door step with a name on a slip of paper in a pocket, a gathering in a large mansion ... a very traditional setting ... but with some great twists and red herrings as Major Lennox figures out what he might do next. The second book is already on my shelf!

Another new-to-me author is Benedict Brown. This book: The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall: a 1920's Mystery, is one in his Lord Edginton Investigates mystery series. There some good things here: while it IS part of his series, he wrote it so that you don't have to have read all the earlier ones to enjoy this one. There is a list of characters at the back, which helps establish who they are. He promised (and delivered) there would be no spoilers (there are just vague references to earlier cases) so you can go back and start at the beginning of the series without knowing the endings. And again, lots of traditional elements: an invitation to a Christmas gathering. A large, remote, mansion. Snow. Phones lines are down, or cut. The owner is missing, and a note was found giving the staff (all of them, remember this) the week off. Why were these people all gathered together? Bodies are piling up. This was an excellent mystery, but I was seriously disappointed with one thing .... when you arrive at Mistletoe Hall, you park your car in a large open area. There is a stable nearby with two horses and a sleigh. The first to arrive hitched those horses to the sleigh and headed up to the Hall. The horses have been trained to return to the stable, where they are available for the next group of guests. The story takes place over several days. It is cold. And there was never any mention of anyone taking care of these horses! Now, maybe it's just me, but that really bothered me! I decided to go ahead and include this book here because it otherwise it really was a good mystery, but be warned!

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In 1938 there was a huge hurricane along the eastern coast of the U.S. Among the survivors were two giraffes! They were headed to the San Diego zoo, and the (gasp) woman director! (although she wouldn't be allowed such a title for many years). The journey was insured against blowouts, acts of God, tornadoes, dust storms and floods by Lloyds of London. That much is true, but the actual journey comes from the imagination of Lynda Rutledge in her book West with Giraffes. And what a journey it was! Think the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, Hobos ... a young man in need of a job, and a young, hopeful, determined (female) photographer.

Birdology: Adventures with Hip Hop Parrots, Cantankerous Cassowaries, Crabby Crows, Peripatetic Pigeons, Hens, Hawks, and Hummingbirds is by Sy Montgomery, written before her magical The Soul of an Octopus. It, too, is a wonderful read, especially (for me) the chapter on saving two recently hatched hummingbirds. 'Birdology', not to be confused with Ornithology, discusses what makes birds, well, birds. How they interact with each other, with humans, with other animals. What they eat (some like junk food just as much as we do), how they navigate, how they adapt to a changing world. If you've not read any of Sy Montgomery's book, I suggest you do so, soon!

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A Shot in the Dark, a Constable Twitten Mystery, by Lynne Truss, came as a recommendation from Canadian Reader. It took a while to 'catch on' to the fact that this was a comedy as well as a mystery, but after that, it was a great read! (A comment on the back, from the Daily Mail described it as "More Marx Brothers than Agatha Christie") A theater critic, a well known theater critic has come to a seaside resort to see a brand new (and rather unusual) play. He was part of an unsolved case from a few years back and has decided to tell what he knows to Constable Twitten, who is seated next to him. Alas, the critic is shot and killed, from the stage, before he can do so. And that's where the fun starts!

The cold case unit is doing well, solving mysteries from the past, so well, in fact that Andrew is considering buying a house on the island. Much to everyone's surprise, one of the houses he is taken to see is on fire. Naturally, he and the unit have to figure this out along with the two, yes, two murders they are trying to solve from the past. These murders happened two years apart, and in France, but the police there are sure they are connected. Are they? The Durand File, another in the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series, by Diana Xarissa, is another great read ... and like the others, won't take too long ... perfect for this busy holiday season!

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Lady Hardcastle and her trusty 'maid' Florence are off for a vacation on the beach. They are looking forward to walks along the seaside, evening concerts, and maybe a donkey ride. They are at a small, but elegant hotel with, mmm, an unusual collection of guests. Most are men, each sitting alone. They have dinner with a somewhat eccentric scientist who is doing 'something' for the government. He goes missing, as does a box he had hidden in his room. There is a murder (of course), but not just one ... who is killing off the guests, and why? Death Beside the Seaside, one of the Lady Hardcastle Mystery books, is another fun romp from author T E Kinsey. One hint: consider where each of the guests are from.

The Corgi dogs Holmes and Watson are back! This time in New Orleans. In Case of the Ragin' Cajun, by J.M. Poole, Zack's recent book has made it to the NY Times Best Sellers List and he has agreed to attend a promotional event ... but only if the dogs, Jillian and Vance and Tori can come, too. (Vance asked Zack to put his wife, Tori, in a book as an anniversary gift ... she became the main character of the book). An attack at the exposition (which includes a voodoo doll with pins) sends the gang off on a hunt to find out the who and the why. This is a new town with new smells, can the dogs work their magic? This is the 13th Corgi Case Files book.

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If you remember Mad Magazine (and enjoyed it) then here's a special treat! Mad Stocking Stuffer by "The Usual Gang of Idiots" and edited by John Ficarra and Charlie Kadau. What a stroll down memory lane! There's Spy vs. Spy, and a delightful spoof on the movie "A Christmas Story." There's a Mad look at Christmas carols, and an alternate version of the popular picture book "The Snowman". There's the politically correct "Frosty the Snowperson" and of course, the expected fold-in (although not on the last page). I took my time with this, reading over several days just to make it last longer. A happy and nostalgic read. (Note: my copy does say it's a reissue of a special edition, so some of you may have seen this already)

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George Bernard Shaw once said that the United States and Britain are "two nations separated by a common language." If you like PBS, or read a lot of English mysteries, or have done some traveling you will know how true this is. There are books that can help (and probably apps, too, but this blog is about books!) and one of them is Put the Kettle On: an American's Guide to British Slang, Telly and Tea, by Trish Taylor. The author mentions regional differences in 'British English' as well as terms that are old, but you might hear in an old movie, which makes this book all the more fun. There are words about food, and holidays, and a chapter that will make you chuckle ... insults!

Here is one of those 'single item' history books I enjoy so much: A Splintered History of Wood: Belt-Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers & Baseball Bats, by Spike Carlsen. Granted, I spent more time reading the chapter on musical instruments than on sports equipment (except for the caber, don't miss that section!), but there was much more here ... the first wooden tool, the connection between Steinway and the Pacific Northwest, and why there are no original Stradivarius violins. There's an interview with former President Jimmy Carter, and a church with an unusual staircase that was the result of some serious praying. A really interesting read. :-)

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