Thank goodness for the folks you will meet in Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine, by Olivia Campbell. Without these strong, stubborn, determined women, and a few brave men who agreed to teach them it would have taken much longer for women to be accepted in the medical profession. The attitude, the ever changing obstacles, and reasons why women couldn't become doctors will make you angry, or at least shake your head in disbelief. When they succeeded using the rules given to them (passing exams, for example, often with higher grades than the men), the rules changed, but only for them ... that sort of thing. Over and over and over again. Sometimes I found I just had to laugh at the stupidity of it all. Well written, with amazing research, it's a worth while read.

It took a while, longer than I care to admit, to get around to reading Returning to the Branch: Selected Writings, by Alan Rhodes. When I did, however, it was a most enjoyable read ... took me less than a day! :-) I love the 'wanderings' as the author rambles around favorite neighborhoods, down alleys, to some of the small, neighborhood parks or stops for a bit in a local eatery. I especially enjoyed the essay about blocking a developer and saving a habit for the blue heron. Oh, and blackberry stains!

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In The Fatal Flying Affair, a Lady Hardcastle Mystery by T E Kinsey we spend more time with Lady Hardcastles brother. He needs his sister, and her maid, to do some undercover, secrety spy type stuff (remember, they are not who they seem). They jump at the chance because it involves learning more about the new fangled machine, the aeroplane! Because it could have great importance in warfare (the rumblings of WWI have started), there's concern about spies, bribes, sabotage .... The author is a master at clever, witty dialogue and there's lots of that here! This series is thoroughly enjoyable.

Canadian Reader found, read, and then recommended Murder on the Golden Arrow, the first in the Kitty Worthington Mystery series by Magda Alexander. Having finished, well, Finishing School, Kitty, along with her brother (one must be chaperoned, you know) is on her way home from Switzerland. There is an overnight stay in Paris where they run into not only friends from home, but someone that makes Kitty's brother decidedly uncomfortable. Later, she dies on the train home. When her brother becomes a prime suspect, Kitty steps in to do a bit of investigating herself. However, it must be done Very Carefully as this is her 'coming out' year and she mustn’t do anything to jeopardize that! A rather fun start to this new to me series!

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There is a new character in Case of the Stuttering Parrot, by J.M. Poole (you've figured it out, haven't you) ... a parrot! A small, gentle grey parrot named Ruby. She and the dogs get along well. She has a few interesting things she learned from a previous owner, and does a startling good mimic of Zack's text message alert, but then she starts quoting Shakespeare. With a stutter. Now, parrots mimic, they say back something they've heard, so where is she hearing Shakespeare? And, while there is no active case at the moment, the dogs are already collecting 'Corgi Clues', and the humans have no idea why. There was a bank robbery, some distance away ... both the robbers and the money (a lot) have not been found. See how this all fits together in the 15th Corgi Case File book.

Christmas is coming, a busy time of year for the mail service. That has been severely disrupted by the kidnapping of drivers, theft of packages, and some rather dragon like damage done to the trucks. Not only that, there are counterfeit dragon baubles, dangerous ones, for sell on the internet. Now, dragons prefer keeping a low profile, would never resort to theft, and always make sure the real baubles are safe ... so who (or perhaps, what) is causing all these problems? Yule Be Sorry is the second book in the Beaufort Scales mystery series by Kim M. Watt. Don't wait until Christmas to read it!

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An esteemed Egyptologist has been found dead in his hotel room, but when the summoned help returns, the body is missing. He was a big man, the hotel was busy, how could it have been moved so quickly? Enter Penny Green, journalist. Things just look, well, odd to her as she starts to investigate (for the story, you know). The wife is not who she seems to be, neither is a PI hired by the dead hubby. And what about the Egyptian artifact left on the steps to the museum? Author Emily Organ has written another compelling read in her Penny Green Mystery series with The Egyptian Mystery, you will find it hard to put down.

The Case of the Missing Letter, one of the Inspector David Graham Mystery books by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall concerns, not surprisingly, a letter. It is hidden in a desk. A valuable desk, that may, or may not, have a hidden compartment. It is in the Jersey museum and has been for years, so why all the interest now? The night guard is found dead next to it, and the desk has been damaged. Then the man who was repairing said damage is found dead. Has the letter been found? What's in it? Step-siblings who have not spoken for a long time show up, does the letter affect them? Another good read!

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It is the Roaring Twenties. The 'modern woman' is emerging. She needs a safe place to live. That's where the hotel that is the title of this book comes in: The Barbizon: the Hotel That Set Women Free, by Paulina Bren. While there are some descriptions of what it looked like, inside and out, mostly this reads like mini-biographies of the women who called it home. (The research to do this is mind boggling!) Some were well known from the day they moved in, others arrived with just a suitcase, searching for more out of life. See how many you recognize!

I enjoy books with short entries about interesting subjects, it's a great way to learn 'little bits' about lots of things. Here's a book like that, but with a twist! Overstated: a Coast-to-Coast Roast of the 50 States, by Colin Quinn, does include bits about the history of the state, but also brings up some of the not so good stuff, too, along with sometimes scathing descriptions of the folks who live there. I took it all tongue in cheek and for the most part enjoyed it. I wish I could have heard the author giving some of these roasts as then I would have had his voice (and rhythm patterns) in my head.

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Finally! Here is the sequel to The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: The Man Who Died Twice. This time an old friend of Elizabeth's shows up, asking for their help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds (from the wrong person) and fears his life is in danger. Then a body is found (of course), and the plot thickens, as the saying goes. The friends, living in the Coopers Chase retirement home, are more than they seem (and that's an understatement)! The bodies start to pile up, what is going on here? Who can you trust? Is something said on a walk actually a secret message? Lots of fun here!

Here we go again, another fun romp in the Inspector David Graham Mystery series by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall: The Case of the Broken Doll. At least this time it's a cold case, the 10th anniversary of a missing school girl. Naturally a massive search took place, but all that was ever found was a leg from a doll. Times have changed, and so have ways to search and investigate. And find things Inspector Graham and his team did! What they discovered surprised everyone (and will you, too, I think).

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Author Lynne Truss offers up another quirky, fun book in the third of her Constable Twitten Mystery series: Murder by Milk Bottle. Three people have been murdered, and yes, it was, as the title implies, by using a milk bottle. Just when there is a big promotion of the benefits of milk is to happen, too. What do the three have in common? And why a milk bottle, of all things? Another fun romp with the ... er ... unusual police department of Brighton.

Do you ever think your family is crazy? Wait until you meet the one in The Case of the Fallen Hero, by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall (part of her Inspector David Graham Mystery series). The inspector is out for a nice early morning walk around the local castle when he hears a scream. Running towards the sound he finds a young woman kneeling at the side of a body. It's her husband, of less than 24 hours. Did he fall? Was he pushed? Then there's the mystery of the missing musicians. Where are they? Family secrets come out, not always nice family secrets. And what a conclusion! Wow!

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Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger, by Rosanne S. McHenry is a nice memoir of the camping trips (with an outspoken father) that inspired the author to become a park ranger. Short on both time (just one week a year) and money, her father is determined to make the most of every minute of their vacation time. (Sometimes, the night before they leave, they sleep in their clothes and on top of their beds so as to get out the door faster). It doesn't always go well (think poison oak), but there are also good times of hiking, and fishing and enjoying the outdoors. The author will go on to work in national and state parks and we read about some of those too. Her love of the outdoors is obvious and this is a good read if you do, too. :-)

I picked up The Orchard Mason Bee: the Life History, Biology, Propagation, and Use of a North American Native Bee for two reasons: to use as a gift, and because I like Brian L. Griffin's writing. I don't have a specific interest in bees, other than I know they do good things, but this was a nice little book to read ... just the right amount of information! In addition to the history, there is also a section on attracting and providing a home for these bees on your property. It is illustrated by Sharon Smith and the author.

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If you haven't been reading the Lane Winslow Mystery series by Iona Whishaw, I urge you to do so. Start with A Killer in King's Cove. If you have been reading them then you'll be happy to know the newest one is out! (It seems to take about a year). I love how the author includes a lot of history in her books. (Be sure to read the notes at the back). There's been a fire, at a local restaurant, owned by Italians (remember, these books are set just after WWII). Is it arson? Is prejudice the motive? The local book store was broken into, but carefully, with a minimal amount of damage, and just a few books were taken. Which ones, and why? There is the arrival, too, of an Indigenous man, looking for the homes of his ancestors. (You'll learn about how the Crown treated these people). And then there's the body found in a shallow grave. These elements and more all tie together to make Framed in Fire impossible for me to put down, so consider yourself warned!

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