At the time of this posting I am working on clearing away 'stuff'. Mostly paper stuff this time, articles I've clipped and filed, that sort of thing. Stuff that really doesn't have meaning for anyone else ... so, if I've not accessed it for years (maybe decades), why keep it? There are many books out about decluttering, and I've read several of them, but Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward With Your Life, by Matt Paxton (with Jordan Michael Smith) is one of the best. Many of the things we have are connected to memories, but you don't have to keep that item to keep the memories, yes? This book offers wonderful ideas on how to do just that!

Do you like reading about veterinarians and the animals in their care? I do! Philipp Schott lives and works in Winnipeg, and, it seems, writes. How to Examine a Wolverine: More Tales from the Accidental Veterinarian is his second book. Dr. Schott has worked on all kinds of animals, from bees to a huge Burmese python (pet animals, not farm). The interactions are funny, heart warming, sad ... and don't forget the owners, those can be different as the pets! A good read.

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Tall Reader recently shared two dog books with me. Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me, by Cynthia L. Copeland was my favorite. Full of wonderful pictures and wisdom about (and from) dogs it produced many chuckles and nods of agreement from me as I read it.

Dog Songs: Thirty-five Dog Songs and One Essay, by Mary Oliver, was almost as good. 'Songs', in this case mean poems and while these did indeed tell a story, I really do prefer poems that rhyme! I read these together, which seemed fitting, and was just the thing for a rainy (and chilly) spring evening.

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Based on true events, The Girl From the Channel Islands, by Jenny Locoat, is both a grim and powerful read. Hedy Bercu fled Vienna in 1938. When the Germans come, it turned out the Channel Islands were not worth defending, so Hedy, a Jew, is trapped. Since she speaks both German and English, she is hired as a translator. She catches the eye of a young soldier and they become friends. This is dangerous, for both of them, on many levels. Things get worse as the war goes on. Still, there are a few things that can be done, quietly, to resist (or defy) the Nazi officers.

The second Inspector David Graham Mystery, The Case of the Hidden Flame, by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall has the Inspector moving to the small island of Jersey. All hope of a few quiet days of getting used to his new job, new co-workers, and the way things work on the island is dashed when a body is found just yards away from the hotel where he is staying. Sadly, the man who finds the body recognizes the victim ... it's his fiance. Also, where she was found is curious ... she had serious problems with her hips (surgery was forthcoming) so there is no way she would have gone for a walk, let alone one involving a steep flight of stairs. Finding out the who and the why makes for an interesting read as the Inspector gets used to his new surroundings.

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Where do you start when all the contents from a museum go missing? Granted, it's a small museum, but still, everything but the desk where the receptionist sits, and the fern in the corner? Find out in The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral, by M.L. Longworth. It's set in France, folks, so expect wonderful descriptions of food (much like the Bruno mysteries). :-) Good characters, fun read.

"A cozy Mystery (with dragons)" Really, how could I pass this up?! Dragons do exist, and, they are still among us, it's just the most humans cannot see them. They like helping their human friends, and they like baked goods. (No poppy seeds please, they make dragons sneeze, which can start fires). Baking Bad is the first in the Beaufort Scales series by Kim M. Watt. The vicar of a small town has been murdered. A town where the Women's Institute is still very active and insists on helping out (with their dragons), much to the annoyance and frustration of the Detective Inspector Adams. How it is all solved is a delightful, often funny, read. Don't skip the recipes at the end, there are fun bits of dragon lore there!

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I've done a bit of reading on vets and the animals they care for, but this is the first time I've read about zoo vets. The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes and Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and Their Patients, edited by Lucy H. Spelmen and Ted Y. Mashima was a great read! Each chapter deals with one 'patient' and is written by the attending vet. There is a wide range here, from the size of the animal (including a goldfish) to the problem it is having. Add to this many of these animals were not in a cage but roaming free so how do you even find them, let along diagnose and treat them? All in all, a fascinating read.

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Murder at the Mansions, by Sara Rosett, is the seventh in her High Society Lady Detective series. The author loves Agatha Christie, and often patterns her books after those by Dame Agatha. She explains this at the back of the book. This time it's a body in a rug. Or is there? Only one person has seen it, and it was just a foot sticking out of a rolled up carpet. Did she really see it? And where did the rug and the body go? Follow the clues, consult the map of the mansion provided in the front of the book, think carefully and see what you can figure out. Great fun!

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Murder in Cold Mud is the second Churchill & Pemberley Mystery by Emily Organ. After the success of their first case, they are hoping for something exciting again, but instead have been hired to find out who destroyed an onion crop! A small onion crop. It actually turns out to be quite serious as someone seems to be murdering not just vegetables, but gardeners. Why? I find I am not enjoying this series as much as the Penny Green series by this author and will stop with this book, but others may enjoy it so I am including it here ... and (as of this writing) there are six in the series. :-)

Canadian Reader recommended a new series to me: An Inspector David Graham Mystery, by Alison Golden (and Grace Dagnall). The Lavender Bed and Breakfast is a delightful little B&B with beautiful gardens. Amelia, one of the owners, is working in one of the flower beds when she hears a piercing scream. When she checks things out, though, no one else claims to have heard anything, including the woman in the room where Amelia is sure the scream was from. The next morning that woman was found dead. Enter Detective Graham and his crew who, with no witnesses, no motive, and very few visitors at the moment, are hard put to find out the who and why. The Case of the Screaming Beauty is a good start to a new series.

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Tall Reader found a most interesting read to share with grand-kids: Fighting Fire! Ten of the Deadliest Fires in American History and How We Fought Them, by Michael L. Cooper. Fortunately I was given a chance to read the book, too. It's for tween readers so it won't take you long. Nicely researched and with excellent photos it describes each fire in some detail and how it was fought. The author also included what was learned from most of them so that buildings and boats became safer.

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It's been a while since I've read any of the Invisible Library books, but the author, Genevieve Cogman, did such a nice job of including little bits of information that are reminders of what has happened before I didn't feel totally lost. In The Dark Archive Irene has taken on a new (and much younger than thought) assistant. The training should be easy, right? Instead there are kidnappings and assassination attempts. An old enemy (one Irene is pretty sure she killed) is back, and a new, even bigger threat to the Library as well. A fun series for sure, combining fantasy and steam punk, adventure and chaos, alternate worlds (in this case, the city of London) and the power of friendship.

Reading Hermit With Dog