Travel books are common these days, some of you may even have one or more on your shelf, tucked into your back pack, or a piece of carry on luggage. What if no such thing was available for a trip ... a big trip, possibly the biggest one you might ever take?

That's where The Prairie Traveler: a Handbook for Overland Expeditions, by Randolph B. Marcy, Captain U.S. Army comes in. Originally published in 1859, it contains maps, illustrations, and itineraries of the principal routes between the Mississippi and the Pacific. (from the cover) And what a wonderful guide it is! There are chapters on what equipment to take, from the type of wagon to the best animals for pulling ... and how to repair, maintain, feed, and care for them, too. It will teach you the best packing methods, how to purify water, how to deal with bites, saddle sores, colic and weather of all kinds. There is also a chapter on meeting with, and getting along with Indians (proper term for the times). There's lots more, too. :-)

This was a best selling handbook at the time, I suggest doing an image search to see all the different covers.

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The Yorkshire Vet: In the Steps of Herriot, by Peter Wright caught my attention because of where this man worked ... (hint is in the title) ... and then I learned he worked for, and with, the real James Herriot! This is a nice autobiography about his experiences doing just that. From childhood, to school, to landing a job exactly where he wanted to be and doing a job he loves ... which, it seems, is now a popular tv show!

Most of us are familiar with brands, and probably have a favorite or favorites that we buy on a regular basis. Do you know how some of them got started? A Secret History of Brands: the Dark and Twisted Beginnings of the Brand Names We Know and Love, by Matt MacNabb tells us just that. And dark some of them are! There's cocaine in Coke, of course, but did you know many had a Nazi connection? To be fair, some were 'make (product) for us and you will live', but others had founding members who supported Hitler. Bayer continues to be controversial to this day. Kellogg's Corn Flakes may be a healthy product, and good for the digestion, but other ideas by Mr. Kellogg, having to do with other bodily functions, not so much! Just to leave a few surprises, there are a few other products included here, too. :-) Not a bad read.

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There's a common story line to Publishable by Death, the first in the St. Marin's Cozy Mystery series by ACF Bookens: small town, small bookshop, can it make enough to survive? After that, it's just a nice, well written little mystery that I quite enjoyed. Book shop is in a former gas station, with a connection to the Underground Railway. Good characters, too, some with a connection to the time when mixed marriages were against the law. Loved the community feel with the other shop owners, and especially all the dogs. ;-)

The Gang of St Bride's, by Emily Organ, is the 9th in her Penny Green Mystery series. There is a lot going on here! Penny will soon be married, which means she will have to give up her job as a journalist because a married woman cannot have a job (more on this in the book). Her father has been found in the amazon (after a 10 year absence with no contact) but does not want to return home. Two bodies, both young women, are pulled from the river. And there is a gang of thieves busy at work ... they pick pockets, snatch purses or bundles ... usually from women ... and the thieves are all female ... ! Seems such gangs were not all that uncommon, be sure to read the historical notes!

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There are consequences for breaking the law, we know that, but what if it was an elephant, raccoon, birds ... or even a tree ... then what? Mary Roach tackles that question in Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law. It's an ongoing issue, there are records from 1659, from Italy, when legal proceedings were filed against caterpillars! Basically what this is, is a way to figure out how humans and animals (or trees) can survive together. Humorous, frustrating, sad ... it's an interesting read.

I think I was hoping for a wider diversity of errors in Tiny Blunders Big Disasters: Thirty-Nine Tiny Mistakes That Changed the World Forever, by Jared Knot, but most of them were political, or battle errors. (Although that does make a certain sense). ;-) There were a few, such as a key that was not passed on to a crew member of the Titanic, or a couple of fires (one on that same ship). A bit of a slog, sometimes, but also most interesting at others so it balanced out. There were a few typographical errors, too.

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Murder at the Ritz, by Jim Eldridge, is the first in a new series by him, this time taking place in various hotels in war time London. Great characters, intensely descriptive scenes of living in a city being bombed, and a good mystery, but, for this reader, the deaths were described in too much detail! If this doesn't bother you, then you will enjoy this read, and most likely the ones to follow in this series. :-)

I usually start at the back of a book, reading the acknowledgments and any historical or author's notes, however, in The Curse of Braeburn Castle, the third of the books featuring Lennox, by Karen Baugh Menuhin, it was requested that we read the book first, so that is what I did. In making repairs to an old castle in Scotland a skeleton is found. Wearing a crown. Archeologists descend, and Lennox is summoned. There are curses and ancient legends, and family secrets. And of course, soon a body, and then a second one ... the skull with the crown goes missing, a crucifix is found, and one of the guests (well, not really a guest because she arrived uninvited) is a medium. It's also just a few days from Halloween! Lots of history in this one, but still with the touches of humor I've so enjoyed in this author's other books, and a wonderful conclusion. This is a great series!

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Even though most of us these days live in a city there are animals of all kinds all around us (as well as trees, plants, etc.). Learn about our interactions with everything from birds to gophers to coyotes and bears (and more) in The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild, by Lyanda Lynn Haupt.

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One last holiday read today. A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries is one of those nice collections of old stories edited by Martin Edwards. Some are by authors with a familiar name, others are reprinted here for the first time so the author should be new to you. And, as with all collections, I liked some better than others. :-) I think my favorite was the one about the cat, or maybe the title story ... let's just say it's accurate!

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It's the Depression and life is hard. Dance marathons are a way to make money, but it's hard, and the competition is fierce. Is it worth killing over? This is the question newly appointed Boston ME Haley Higgins must determine. Especially when a second death occurs. And it's the wife of the first victim. Helping her investigate is journalist and good friend Samantha Hawke. Death by Dancing is part of the Higgins & Hawke Mystery series by Lee Strauss.

The Black Cat Murders, the second mystery by Karen Baugh Menuhin was even better than the first! Lennox is supposed to be at a wedding, he's had an invitation and two telegrams, which he is ignoring. However, when he gets a call that there has been a death, one that was at first considered an accident but now, not so much, he has to go and do a bit of sleuthing. A stage has collapsed during the final scene in an opera (put on for the wedding party). The soprano (think Wagnerian soprano) has fallen on the tenor. Could this be 'death by soprano'? There are other bodies, of course, and family secrets that emerge (you'll chuckle at one of these), and some great new characters that I hope we'll see again. Keep an eye on Miss Busby!

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The Charlatan Murders, by Jennifer Berg is one of her Elliott Bay Mystery books. It's 1955 and a well respected and wealthy woman (who is also a very successful business person) has been murdered. There are lots of suspects as it happened during a family gathering. The family does not get along well! There are also staff persons who might have something to gain from her death. Newly appointed Detective Michael Riggs is assigned to the case. His brother (deceased), he is reminded by his boss, was a great detective but the same is not expected of Michael. Also, this is a 'high profile' murder, so, um, he'd best 'be careful' who he arrests ... All in all, not the best way to start a new job! It was fun to return to this series and I'm hoping for more.

Before Ray Bradbury wrote his wonderful science fiction and fantasy stories, he tried his hand at hard boiled detective stories. "Written in the '40's when I was in my twenties" (read the author's notes at the back), he tells Chandler and Hammett not to worry! Killer, Come Back to Me: the Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury is a collection of Bradbury that I'd never read. (Well, most of them, there are a couple that were familiar here). I've not read a lot of the hard boiled type detective stories, so I really can't compare, but while I enjoyed discovering some 'new' Bradbury, I'm glad he went on to write other things!

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