Still not sure what to do with her life, Maggie has agreed to move across country to fill in at a book store run by her friend (and former college roommate) who will soon be on maternity leave. Turns out, there are rules (rigid rules) about this book store. The owner is the grandson of a famous author so the small town has been made into a tourist destination for him. The bookstore can only sell his books, books he liked, and classics ... and nothing after 1968. Curious events make this even worse, so, in an effort to keep the store going Maggie comes up with some unusual ideas to bring in money. Things come to a head when she discovers a secret about the famous author. The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, by Shauna Robinson, was a rather fun romp through books (with delightful twists on some classics), bookstores, and rule breaking.

If it seems like you've been reading the name Jana Deleon on a regular basis in my blogs, you have! Her Miss Fortune Mystery series is absolutely captivating! Fortune is looking forward to her first Mardi Gras (keep an eye on Gertie!), and what a celebration it is! Things take a turn when she spots her father. Who is supposed to be dead. Bullets and Beads is a bit darker than the other books in this series, but still a read that will keep you turning the pages.

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Were you taught how to properly set a table? How to introduce people to each other? Basic table manners? I sure was, but The Art of the Table: the Complete Guide to Table Setting, Table Manners, and Tableware, by Suzanne Von Drachenfels does that and more, much, much more! You'll learn about the history of tableware, silverware, serve-ware, glassware and more ... where they come from, why that particular shape, how they are used (and how that has changed). A most interesting read, but I suggest reading it in-between other books, it's a bit much to read all at once!

Shaun Bythell never expected his first book, The Diary of a Bookseller to be popular, especially not as popular as it was (translated into many languages) ... but it was, so he wrote another one on the same subject ... about owning and running a small, used bookstore in a small town in Scotland. It was a fun read, too! In Confessions of a Bookseller, you'll deal with the weather, with finding and purchasing books, with a grand variety of customers (regulars and tourists). Buyers want a deal, sellers think all their books must be priceless and are insulted when he won't take them. There are local festivals and gatherings, what sounds like good food (and some bad) as well as life events. Written in the style of a diary or journal, it covers one year of running his bookstore.

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The Irving File, one of the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery books by Diana Xarissa had a bit of a twist ... yes, they are working on a cold case, but this time there is an observer from 'across' who wants to see how the team does what they do. He has been tasked with setting up something similar and hopes to learn why this team is so successful. Along with the case they are working on, Bessie is worried about a friend of hers ... a single woman (of a certain age) that suddenly learned of a nephew she never knew she had ... she owns property and has a bit of money ... is it a scam? Just a fun series.

And talk about a fun series! Here's another entry in the Miss Fortune Mystery series by Jana Deleon: Swamp Santa. It's Fortune's first Christmas in Sinful, and what a production it is! When Santa ends up dead the children are distracted by Gertie's parrot. (I have missed one book here, only available as an e-book, but know that Gertie now has a parrot. Owned by both drug dealers and nuns. Makes for interesting comments from said parrot). The man in the Santa suit is not who it's supposed to be (a good thing, actually, as it means the local person is still alive) ... but who is he and why is he in Sinful at all? And posing as Santa? Lots of twists here (with many laughs).

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Now, for something different, but still a mystery, try City Under One Roof, by Iris Yamashita. It's grim, folks, but well written and with some interesting characters. Set in a small town, in a remote part of Alaska, all the residents live in a large condo facility. It's a tourist town, so once winter sets in, the population dwindles to about 200. And once the tunnel in and out (one way, direction changes every 30 minutes) closes for the winter everyone is pretty much stuck. A teenage girl finds a severed hand on the beach. And then a boot, with a foot in it. Cara Kennedy, from Anchorage comes up to check things out, hoping for a quick trip, but gets trapped when the tunnel closes due to bad weather. Case becomes more complicated than was thought. Since Point Mettier is so remote the folks that live there year 'round usually have a reason for coming there ... you'll learn some of these. One was a surprise ... to the character as well as the reader! Nicely done.

The members of Swamp Team 3 are on vacation. In Florida. Ida Belle and Fortune are looking forward to restful days on the beach, with drinks in hand. Gertie plans on hooking up with an eligible man for a nice dinner ... which she does ... and then he is found dead the next morning. The (lazy, very lazy) deputy is sure it's an easy case, Gertie did it, and he can arrest someone who is NOT local (which will help his run for Sheriff). Naturally, this does not go over well so Swamp Team 3 steps in to solve the case. Look for more great characters and fun (and funny) romps as they do so in Fortune Furlough, one of the Miss Fortune Mystery books by Jana Deleon.

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Seems the small town of Sinful, Louisiana goes all out for Halloween with a week long celebration. Fortune is volunteering at the "Hay Bale of Horror" maze as the executioner with a head block and a hatchet ... and a fake body where the head comes off. It's hot, even at night, and tradition is for everyone to take a 30 minute break at the halfway point. Everything seems fine ... until Fortune realizes the body is no longer a prop, but the real thing. With a removable head. And so begins Swamp Spook, by Jana Deleon, in her delightful Miss Fortune Mystery series. We soon learn the victim was already dead from a heart attack before the beheading. He was on meds for his heart condition though, and wife, daughter, and butler say he was taking them on a daily basis. Autopsy shows there were NO meds in his system ... Celia, of course, immediately calls in the state police, which merely complicates things. Another fun romp with Swamp Team 3, this time working officially as they investigate things, although maybe not always using the most legal of means ...

At least three people have laughed, out loud, several times, while reading this book. (I know this for sure, they read this at my house)! It came from Tall Reader (who also laughed, I'm told). Goodnight Trump: an unauthorized Parody, by Erich Origen & Gan Golan. Be sure to note the details in the pictures and read the afterword at the end.

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I have always been impressed by Search and Rescue folk, and especially those with dogs. These volunteers go out in all kinds of weather and over all kinds of terrain to search for the lost and the missing. Sometimes they will drive for hours to get to the site. A Dog's Devotion: True Adventures of a K9 Search and Rescue Team, by Suzanne Elshult and James Guy Mansfield is a book about one of those volunteers. Even better, it's set here, in the pacific northwest. Read how Keb, a yellow Lab, is trained for both live and dead finds, and some of her searches. I loved reading about how closely bonded Suzanne and Keb are, and how they work together (along with, mostly, Guy, the co-author). I came away more impressed than ever!

The recommendation for the book My Online Privacy for Seniors, by Jason R. Rich came from Kiwi. It's a good read with with lots of information on being safe whether checking email, shopping, paying bills, sharing photos and so on. It covers several types of devices, programs, and operating systems so you can read just the sections that apply to you.

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Riding Reader gave me a book recently that was outside what I normally read but the title looked ... intriguing ... so a chance was taken (but the receipt was kept) ... turned out to be a very interesting book! The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit by John V. Petrocelli. Seems there is more false information floating about than ever before due to the speed that stories (factual and otherwise) can travel over phones, tablets, computers ... and I suppose, even watches these days. (!) Much is not true, or not completely true, but once it's out there folks tend to accept it as fact. What we need to do, the author says, is to think it over, ask questions, ask for references and so on. There are some great examples here (they were the most fun to read) of how to recognize this said bull shit (it's not always as obvious as you think) and how to avoid it. All in all, not a bad read. :-)

Okay, so Gary Goodman does admit, right up front, he really isn't the last bookseller, but he's close! The Last Bookseller: a Life in the Rare Book Trade is how he got into selling (and looking for) rare books in the first place, the boom years ... and then the downfall of these unique stores due to the internet, eBay and so on. Nicely written.

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I picked up A Deadly Bone to Pick, by Peggy Rothschild because there was a dog on the cover,. (And then, the blurb on the back sounded good ... ) Former police officer Molly Madison and her dog have moved across country to start a new, quieter, life. She is looking forward to a smaller town and warmer weather ... but, of course, you know that won't happen (well, the warmer weather did). Almost immediately they encounter a large, slobbery St Bernard/Poodle mix who routinely gets out of a fenced yard. Molly soon solves that mystery and, since the owner is busy and works long hours, offers to walk the St. Berdoodle for him. On a walk along the beach, Noodle digs and pulls up a hand. A severed hand ... and so it begins ...

It was good to get pack to Three Pines, and Gamache and his crew, and this time, in A World of Curiosities, by Louise Penny, we get to go back in time and find out how he meets Jean-Guy Beauvoir. It's a grim beginning ... a body, abused children, and a case that will haunt them for decades, up to the present day, actually, where it will come to a haunting conclusion. On the way there is a real painting (look it up, it's interesting), and a copy of that painting, with some ... interesting changes ... found in a locked room in an attic. It will keep you reading!

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The newest Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery finally arrived on my 'to be read pile' ! Myrtle's father is in the hospital for, of all things, to have his tonsils out. This renders him speechless so when he is sure he has witnessed a murder, he has to come up with other ways to say so. Add this to the case he was already working on ... someone who may, or may not, be the last surviving (think shipwreck) of a wealthy family. Is she really due all that money (the city would rather it came to them, of course). There are squeaky shoes, and dark hallways, cover ups and stern matrons ... all that make In Myrtle Peril, by Elizabeth C. Bunce a worthy addition to this series.

The Wild Robot Escapes, with words and pictures by Peter Brown, finds the robot Roz on a farm, helping with chores (including managing other robots) after she was 'reclaimed' by the company who built her. She had a wonderful life and good friends on the island where she'd washed up after the ship she was in sank in a big storm, and wants to return. Since this is not 'normal' robot thinking, she has to hide this from her new owner. Eventually she does find help, but then there's the long journey back which includes lots of water to cross. How she does this makes for another fun tween read.

Fortune is now a true resident of Sinful, Louisiana ... she has retired from the CIA and is ready to start her new life. Naturally, this being Sinful, it does not happen quietly! There is a murder at, of all things, a fishing competition. The victim was not all that well liked so there are lots of suspects but an overly zealous ADA has decided that Ally, a good friend to Swamp Team 3 is the prime one. Reel of Fortune, one of the Miss Fortune Mystery series, by Jana Deleon, is another fun romp as they figure who really killed the unpopular Hooch.

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