I learned of this book when reading Dinner with the President. It took a bit to track it down, and it is a used copy with some torn pages (and missing paragraphs), but Hot Dogs and Cocktails: When FDR Met King George VI at Hyde Park on Hudson was worth it! There's a lot more here than the title implies, it's about the tour the King and Queen took across Canada first, then down to meet with FDR. It's beautifully written, author Peter Conradi is also known for The King's Speech (along with Mark Logue).  King George VI was hoping to get confirmation that the US would offer assistance to England against Hitler. FDR decided to keep it causal, and have a picnic ... and serve the royal couple hot dogs ... on paper plates! It caused all kinds of furor! (Eleanor made a wise observation that it was learning/trying something different on your travels that were the things you remembered). FDR was wise, and had something more traditional also prepared, but it turns out George and Elizabeth loved the hot dogs (once they were taught how to eat them), and the King tried a few beers as well!

This turned out to be a book I picked up that was something different than what I thought! It looked like stacks of books ... mysteries, history, biographies, and so on. Well, it was, but much different than what I was expecting. My fault, entirely for not reading the cover more carefully. I was thinking it was going to be about the sort of books I read, and it wasn't. Bibliophile Diverse Spines, by Jamise Harper & Jane Mount, and illustrated by Jane Mount is an intense collection of books by authors "of backgrounds different from your own." (pg 9) Authors who have been marginalized by white society. So, there are books by Asians, Blacks, Latinos, LGTBQ and more. Be sure to check out the map on page 110-111, I spent a lot of time there! I am embarrassed to say I've only read three of the books I found here, but I have added several to my list. :-) An unexpected, interesting read.

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Proof that great minds think alike! Canadian Reader and I both picked up The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, by Alexandra Benedict as gifts for each other! :-) An excellent read, but no cozy. Author likes Dickens, keep that in mind. She also has puzzles and so on scattered throughout the book (it's all explained in the front) so that makes it fun, too. Lonely, curmudgeonly, but well known crossword puzzle setter, Edie, receives a package ... containing six puzzle pieces and a message. They show part of a crime scene (including part of a body) and the warning that there will be more if she doesn't figure out the puzzle in time. There are more bodies, and the threats are getting more personal. Edie reaches out to the one family member to help. Secrets from the past surface, bad/sad memories and so on (remember, the author likes Dickens). A rather grim, but overall it was a great winter read.

Remember the phrase "and now for something completely different" from Monty Python? Well, that's what this book was ... for me, at least! It is NOT a mystery, not even close. I think (gasp) it can be considered a rom com! When the woman in charge of, well, most everything, at the school her kids attend cancels all the events leading up to Christmas, Melody decides to step up and take over. She enlists the help of family (including twin boys, aged 10) and friends to help. The results are funny, and uplifting (mostly) and, well, romancy. The Christmas Cookie Wars, by Eliza Evans was a nice read, although not the type of book I am likely to read again. It was Christmas, though, and it looked fun! ;-)

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Christmas is coming, so is a baby, as well as a conference "Presumed Innocent" that is talking with, and about, folks that have been convicted of a crime they did not commit. Most are there to learn more about the process, how to exonerate someone, investigation techniques and so on. With the exception of one ... who has the reputation of beliveing that everyone who is convictied is GUILTY, period (including several who are there) and is vocal about it, and obnoxious. He has a blog that spreads 'dis-information' ... he is removed from the conference and things quiet down. Until his body is found in Meg and Michael's back yard. This will be a challenge, pretty much everyone attending had motive to kill him. Rockin' Around the Chickadee is another in the Meg Langslow Mystery series by Donna Andrews.

There are relatives coming for Christmas that Lord Edgerton would just as soon avoid, so when he learned of attacks on a rich old viscount (with those who might inherit his fortune on location), he uses it as an opportunity to head out ... with his trusty grandson, and dog. It's December, and snowy, very snowy ... so yes, this will become a 'snowed in' mystery. :-) Someone does end of dead, of course, but not the expected victim. Everyone has a motive, the viscount has been less than honest with who will inherit what, so who knows that? and when? The Christmas Bell Mystery, part of the Lord Edginton Investigates series by Benedict Brown was a fitting read for this time of year. :-)

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Here is an interesting spin on history: the impact of the outdoors on women, oppressed women, of all kinds. Included are Harriet Tubman, Sacajawea, Louisa May Alcott as well as an amazing Native American basketball team (who beat (gasp) men's teams). From slavery to the children being torn away from family to be given a 'proper' (white) upbringing to an era where women were not only expected, but forced to act in a certain way, this is a fascinating read on the impact of being comfortable and indeed, reveling in, the outdoors had on their lives. Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation, by Tiya Miles is a history read like no other.

I have a chiropractor who helps keep me moving, eases my back pain, and so on, so, when I found Funny Bones: True Tales from a Chiropractor That Will Crack You Up, by Dr. David Friedman, I thought I'd give it a try. It's a good book to read during ads, waiting for the pizza to arrive and so on as the jokes, etc., are better in small doses. Some of the puns are just plain bad (but then, isn't that a characteristic of puns?), others will make you chuckle.

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 I was finally able to order a Vinyl Cafe book I've had my eye on for a while, it came down in price! This is the last of them as Stuart McLean died in 2017, so I read it slowly, one story at a time so as to make it last longer. :-) The Vinyl Cafe Celebrates contains stories that have not been in other collections, as well as a few favorites that have. If you were a fan of his radio show you will hear his voice as you read. Made me laugh, made me cry ... made me smile.

The terrier of the title in The More the Terrier, by David Rosenfelt, started the whole thing ... he showed up at the home of Andy Carpenter (reluctant lawyer) and when the dog was returned to his owner Andy learned the son was in jail, for a crime he did not commit. There are all sorts of 'dark' connections here and it will be hard to prove the innocence of this young man. There are the usual bits of humor you expect from this author too, so it was a nice read. (One in particular should make you laugh out loud). This is part of the Andy Carpenter series.

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Here's another excellent read from the box from Wandering Reader: Sherlock Holmes: the Montana Chronicles, by Dr. John H. Watson, M.D. and edited by John S. Fitzpatrick. (Pay attention there!) Holmes and Watson are in the states, and have been called to Montana by a friend of Holmes to defend a man accused of murder. (He's originally from London, so that's the connection). Then, there's a threat to a race horse, ghosts ... and more all in this enjoyable collection of short stories. The 'editor' is from Montana and includes photos from the time frame of the stories.

Tall Reader shared a book with me recently that came with a warning ... it's hard to put down! It was a most compelling book, and based, she said on a true story. The Forgotten Orphan, by Glynis Peters tells of a (rather dismal) orphanage during WWII in England. For some reason, one orphan was badly treated. She had a twin brother who was adopted out, but she was not allowed to know where he went. She was never brought forward when possible adoptive parents visited and when the building was going to be taken over by the military for wounded and recovering soldiers, she was left behind. What she does next is the story is amazing.

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Mom was right ... there is a better way to teach history than what usually happens in schools! She would have enjoyed this book, I'm sure: Dinner with the President: Food, Politics and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House, by Alex Prud'Homme. It covers most of the presidents from Washington to Biden and was an excellent read! It was Washington who requested the title "Mr. President" as he didn't want anything royal in the title for the leader of the new country. At the time of the first dinner with him, many folks were frontier folks and did not know how to use utensils and ate with their fingers, others, wanting to break from any fancy British etiquette were inclined to change how they used utensils,or even ignore them. The Hoovers both spoke Mandarin and would do so in public if they wanted to keep their conversation private. FDR fed hot dogs to the King of England, on paper plates! King George had never seen them and had to be instructed on how to eat them. He loved them, had several. With beer! (FDR had the kitchen prepare something more formal, too, in case the hot dogs didn't go over well). Some presidents liked to cook, or their wives did, others were less involved. Some had elegant dinners, others more casual. Some treated the staff well, some dismissed or ignored them. On 9/11, when the area was cleared of all visitors and tourists and there was a heavy presence of military and security, the kitchen staff got busy preparing meals (did this on their own, they weren't asked) and in a 24 hour period of time served over 800 meals. Just a fascinating read.

If you like history, ancient history, and have a fondness for the UK, then you should enjoy Secret Britain: Unearthing Our Mysterious Past, by Mary-Ann Ochota. Evidence of towns, burial sites, hoards of gold, and other objects as well as human and animal remains are explored and explained, all with good pictures! They are unsolved mysteries, many of them: we know the where (obviously), the what (mostly) an item is and/or what it is made of, better methods of dating give the when, experience can tell the how it was made and sometimes even the who determined ... what is missing a lot of the time is the why, and that is often a question in the narrative. A thought provoking read. :-)

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Also in the box from Wandering Reader, and my favorite, was Murder on the Middle Fork, by Don Ian Smith and Naida West. A new setting here ... Idaho, in 1918. Did not like the one of the main characters, he was a horrible man ... an abusive husband. Wife had married him to escape an abusive father. They are working an exhausted gold mine so the location is barren and isolated. There is a local man with a nice farm, a German (remember, this is 1918, think WWI) and he is not well thought of, even though no one has bothered to get to know him. A plot is made to take him out and take over the farm. Things take a strange turn and the ending is unlike other mysteries I've read. It's based on a true story. The descriptions of the mountains, and weather and forests and so on are what I enjoyed, they are wonderful and remind me of my time camping in the high country.

As much as I am enjoying the Albert Smith's Culinary Capers mystery series by Steve Higgs, I will also say that I am starting to worry about Albert, and that holds true for the Cornish Pasty Conspiracy, the 13th in the series. Albert is old, after all! He cannot take a beating the way he once could, nor too much hard physical activity. And, he's figured things out, there is a master criminal he has dubbed the Gastrothief behind all the crimes he's investigating, and now he is on to Albert! Rex is along, to help, of course, and he gets into some unusual situations as well. A fun series.

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Evelyne Redfern is working in a munitions factory in war time London when she is pulled off the line and sent to work in the cabinet war room of Winston Churchill by a friend of her father. There is concern that top secret information is leaking out and she has been tasked to look for how and who is passing it along to the Nazis. She is the first to come across a body, one of the other typists in the war room. This sets things in motion for a well written, exciting mystery, the first in a new series, by Julia Kelly, A Traitor in Whitehall (an Evelyne Redfern Mystery). Excellent descriptions of war torn London, working underground, rationing ... kept me up late! :-)

Here's what was an unusual PI (at least for this reader) ... a mother of a three month old baby girl! Formula for Murder looks to be the third in the Maternal Instincts Mystery series by Diana Orgain, so we're jumping into an already developing character here, and after asking someone who had actually been a mother it made more sense to me. :-) Now, Christmas is coming ... the first with the new baby so Kate has a lot on her mind. She and her daughter are in a serious hit and run accident. She can recognize the driver should she see him again, and got a glance at the license plates. They belong to a car belonging to the French Consulate and so have diplomatic immunity. However, as this reaches a dead end, they see two local reporters leaving the building and later, one ends up dead. That starts the investigation for real, then, along with determining what story she was working on the young man involved in the hit and run is found dead. Is there some sort of cover up going on? Not a bad read. This was in the box of books sent from Wandering Reader.

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I learned of this book in one of the books I've read recently about books, bookstores, and so on: The Last Leaf: Voices of History's Last-Known Survivors, by Stuart Lutz. The author got hooked on talking to old people as a child and went on to work with historic documents. He started learning of folks that had survived or witnessed various events from what we take to be 'long ago' and started interviewing them. Here are those stories, and what a fascinating read! Here you'll meet one of the last women married to a Civil War Vet (that is NOT a typo!) ... she died in 2008! Someone who was there for the Scopes Trial. One of the first people to see a television program. One of Houdini's last assistants. Highly recommend and hard to put down ... consider yourself warned!

I like several of the CSI type shows so What Lies Beneath: My Life as a Forensic Search and Rescue Expert, by Peter Faulding looked like a slam dunk! ;-) It was, for the most part, many of the rescues his team works on involved removing protestors (more complicated than you might think) but I found the search for bodies more interesting ... probably due to too many tv shows and books ... Faulding has put together a world renowned team of experts and equipment who can search underwater (their specialty, actually), in fields and gardens and so on. Many of the missing bodies are now cold cases, some decades old. He works well with other teams too, local police and other search teams. Interesting for sure, but be warned, very grisly, too, given the nature of the work.

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Wandering Reader recently sent me a box of books ... which arrived on a nasty, stormy day (bringing to mind the post office slogan about that) as I was just finishing up the book I was reading. Naturally I decided the next read had to come from that box so I closed my eyes and pulled one from the pile. It was Murder in House, by Veronica Heley, from her Ellie Quicke Mystery series. (a quick search shows it as #10). Ellie and her hubby are not well, they both have colds, but someone is refusing to leave the church (hubby is a vicar) so they know they have to intervene. Ursula is a student at the nearby university. A friend has died, and another is missing. The death was reported as an accident, a young man got drunk and went off a balcony. Thing is, Ursula says, he didn't drink. She is concerned about her missing friend, too. There has been no word from her, her phone is off (turns out it'd been smashed), and her parents could care less. There are direct connections to a powerful and ruthless family here. This is a grim, grisly mystery with some truly horrible events, but it's also a good story with some characters you will come to like (remember we're jumping in with book ten). :-)

It was easy to just grab another book off the 'Wandering Reader pile' and it was Last Will and Testament, the first Virginia and Felix mystery by E.X. Ferrars. A woman has died, she is old, it was not unexpected. She is rich and owns a large house. Relatives gather, relatives who either did not visit, or only visited grudgingly, expecting a nice inheritance of some sort. They are in for a surprise! There is no money, and the bank owns the house ??? When and how did this happen? Then the one last thing of value disappears, as do the housekeeper/cook and gardener (married couple). A nice traditional mystery this is. :-)

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Bundled together here are two oldies but goodies: Parnassus on Wheels, and The Haunted Bookshop, two classic novels in one volume by Christopher Morley. The first is about a bookshop on wheels, with a nice little living area tucked inside. Helen, on a whim, buys it (the intended new owner was her brother who had written a best selling novel) and sets out on the road to sell books. There is a dog, and a sweet little mare named Pegasus. And the former owner, who helps her get started. He returns in the second book, now the owner of a book store in Brooklyn that stays put. In both, the love of books and sharing them, of finding the right book for the reader comes through. These are magical stories.

Murder on a Country Walk is the sixth Julia Bird Mystery by Katie Gayle, who, if you remember is actually two authors! (Kate and Gail) It was another fun read about Julie and her overly happy and enthusiastic dog, Jake. When he seems 'off' they go to the vet who diagnoses him with Happy Tail Syndrome (a real thing!). The vet is popular and well liked so when it is her body that is found off the side of the trail it is first determined to be an accident. It's not, of course. Later a second body appears at the same location and the hunt is on, as the saying goes. As for motives for the first, well, there's the mother (with a gambling problem), and the assistant (who was worried about keeping her job), a local breeder ... or maybe someone else.

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Every so often there is a story on the news about some amazing, rare find of *something* in an attic, a suitcase, behind a desk and so on. Author Rebecca Rego Barry challenged more than 50 passionate rare book collectors to tell the story of their favorite find (not necessarily the one that made the most money) and where that find was made. Some of them really are unexpected! Rare Books Uncovered: True Stories of Fantastic Finds in Unlikely Places is a great read!

Conversations with Kiwi recently about how people can believe things that seem to be so obviously false news resulted in this recommendation: The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family, by Jesselyn Cook. While the focus is the tragic effect QAnon has had on five families, it can also be applied to pretty much anyone who feels lost, abandoned, confused and is looking for somewhere to belong. This is what QAnon offers. The author explains how folks can be convinced to believe the stories they read on this site to the point of ignoring friends and family, of asking questions or doing any checking/research on their own. By cutting them off from others, they pull them into a cult like group, telling them they are safe and that everything will be okay if they follow along with the things they are told. Frightening, to say the least! Well written and researched.

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Getting back to a Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews was great fun! As if having one of those reality channel 'make over' shows in town working on a house in the neighborhood, wasn't enough, somehow a flock of feral turkeys have arrived as well. There are lots of them, they are big, can be mean, and are destroying yards. The house undergoing the remodel has been closed off to everyone for now because the crew did not know what they were doing and load bearing walls have been removed. The manager/boss/head guy is missing. As are the funds to pay anybody. Then the body of the wife of the homeowner (not well liked) is found in the shed. Between a Flock and a Hard Place will keep you guessing and laughing as Meg and the helpful members of her family figure things out.

Keeping to the theme of 'getting back', it was time for a return to the Isle of Man so I plucked Visitors and Victims by Diana Xarissa off my shelf. It is the 22nd in the Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy series. Fenella's nieces, Margaret and Megan, have come for a visit. They are eager to learn more about where their Aunt Fenella has been living the past two years. On their first night out, though, they come across a body. It is someone they had met just that night at a pub. What was he doing in the alley? Can they help figure out the crime? Will they meet Mona?

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Henry Ward Beecher said it best: "Where is human nature so weak as in a bookstore?" This is so true for me, I never come out of a bookstore without at least one book! Seems they've been around for a long time and a delightful history of that may be found in The Bookshop: a History of the American Bookstore, by Evan Friss. Benjamin Franklin had one! There are small stores, that spill out onto the city street, huge mega-stores, and quirky independent stores (some that cater to just one subject). At one time some of the fancier stores such as the Bon Marche included one. Their demise has been predicted several times due to tv, the internet, electronic books (even radio at one point), and yet ... they are still around, thankfully. This was a fascinating, enjoyable, hard to put down read. :-)

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The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald started out as a nice read, one I could put down and do other things, and then turned into quite the engaging read that kept me up late. Set in the small town of Great Diddling ... where there is no coast, no lakes, nothing to draw any tourists ... and with a curious and quirky population. A writer of note as moved there, hoping for inspiration for her next book (she's on a deadline). There is a tea at the one large mansion (filled with lots of books) during which there is an explosion. The body is that of someone no one likes, so there is not much concern shown over that death, and, there are lots of folks with motive. Three women claim responsibility and sell their story to a different newspaper for money (which they need). The interest in the murder convinces the head of the town council to have a book festival ... in less than two weeks! She sends out invitations and adverts saying there will be panels with famous authors, a surprise event, and more, even though she has not yet figured out exactly what is going to happen. How this is all pulled off makes for a wonderful story!

The Three Dahlias is the first in a series (Dahlia Lively) by Katy Watson. Dahlia Lively is a character in a series of books written in the 1930s.(Think Miss Marple). She has a huge fan base even in these modern times. There has been a movie, a tv series, and now, a second movie is about to be made. There is a convention to celebrate all this, held at Aldermere, where the books were written. There is much excitement! And, of course, a body. The three actors who have played (or will play) the character form an uneasy alliance (at first) to solve the crime based on how Dahlia would have done it! Not a bad start. :-)

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Magda Alexander writes delightful traditional cozy mysteries. Murder at a Funeral is #9 in her Kitty Worthington Mystery series. Kitty is due to get married, in just a few weeks, but first, the biological mother of Robert (her intended), is to be reburied next to his father. It should be a small, quiet affair ... until the vicar doesn't show up and a body does. It is a woman no one really likes, in the chapel, dressed in the vicar's clothes. Robert is asked to help, which means Kitty will too. There are lots of suspects since the victim was not popular, and Robert's brother is one of them. They need to figure it all out, and on a tight deadline as the wedding is now just days away.

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The image of a plaid tea pot caught my eye on the cover of Murder in the Scottish Highlands. It is the first in the Ally McKinley Mystery series by Dee Macdonald. Ally, recently retired, has opened a guest house in an old, Scottish malthouse. She is settling in nicely, making friends with the locals and all ... and then (you know this is coming) ... a body is found, in her courtyard ... as she investigates (with the help of her Labrador puppy, Flora) she learns that the victim was claiming that he is the proper Earl of Locharran. Is he? Could he prove it? And then what would have happened?

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Recently, when I was making an on-line order, I was told that with another 10 dollars, I could get free shipping. Fortunately there were books! Today I Learned: Over 300 Strange-But-True Facts That You Probably Didn't Know, from the Willow Creek Press was a fun read of bits of trivia. Some I knew, but then, I am fond of trivia books! Some I did not, which made this a fun read. You will learn things like, the Empire State Building has its own zip code, bullfrogs do not sleep, Elvis was originally a blond, New Jersey grows two thirds of the world's eggplants .. and so on!

Since the books were on sale when I had to make up that 10 dollar difference in my order, I also got Today I Learned: Over 300 Strange-But-True Facts That You Probably Didn't Know, Volume 2. It also was a lot of fun, with just a few cross overs from volume 1. Baby porcupines are called "porcettes", the first ad to air on tv was in 1941 (for watches), figs aren't vegan because there are dead wasps inside ... and more. If you love bits of trivia, you will enjoy these books. :-)

These books inspired me to check and see if there is a national trivia day. There is! January 4th! That's too long for me to wait to post them, though, so enjoy them early and be prepared for next year!

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It's been a while since I read a book by Louise Penny so I was pleased when Kiwi loaned me All the Devils Are Here. There are the familiar characters we've come to love from Three Pines, this time in Paris (with Penny's wonderful descriptions) and there are bad things are happening! Stephen is seriously injured when hit by an automobile, Armand determines it is no accident, but why was Stephen targeted? Clues send the investigation to the Paris Archives where the old war records are kept. Apartments are ransacked, artwork is slashed ... someone is looking for something, but what? Unexpected, and unpleasant documents surface, proof that Stephen is not the man everyone thought he was, but are they even true? I found this book ... uncomfortable to read, not because of the writing, with Penny that is always wonderful, but because of what is happening! Plan to stay up late.

After the intense read of Louise Penny I opted for something a bit lighter and went with Eton Mess Massacre, the 12th book in the Albert Smith's Culinary Capers series by Steve Higgs. Albert is convinced there really is a gastrothief (his name), but no one else believes him so he is on his own (with Rex) to track him down. When a chef, the one most likely to win the annual Eton Mess competition, is found dead, Albert (who cannot cook, remember) steps into his place. He gets help from an unexpected place (as does Rex) as he tries to prove his claim as to how and why all the deaths and missing people from various small towns are connected. As always, there are recipes at the back.

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I'm not quite sure why this book caught my eye, but it did, and it proved to be a good read! The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare, by John Lisle. In 1942, Lovell was, er, recruited to head up a then new department of the government to help in the war effort in many ways, including bombs, of course (one idea was to attach small ones, with a time delay, to bats. Seriously). Other items were more interesting, at least to this reader: forgery, camouflage, trickery, misdirection ... think James Bond for some of these! Do note, this was also a grim read, this was war time after all and the author's descriptions of some events are vivid and troublesome. I suggest skimming the notes at the back with each chapter, there are many interesting details therein.

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Here's a book (first in a series) with a fun twist: the main character and her cat and dog can understand each other! Leta, recently widowed, has retired to the Cotswolds. Not long after her dog and cat (Dickens and Christie) were able to join her, she comes across a body. The local police are not all that friendly or helpful, so Leta and some of her new friends (and their pets) set out to solve the murder. Bells, Tails & Murder, the first in the Dickens and Christie Mystery series, by Kathy Manos Penn was a most enjoyable read.

Kent Coast Oyster Obliteration is the 11th title in Steve Higgs Albert Smith's Culinary Capers mystery series. In an area where wine is made in England, three growers have gone missing. Albert is sure it is the work of the Gastrothief and heads there to see if he/she can finally be caught. He is also puzzling over just how theft of oysters might happen ... the plot thickens, as the saying goes, because now the criminals know Albert is on the trail, and they know exactly who he and Rex are. The police are starting to take more of an interest, too, more than just Albert's children who have been helping out on an unofficial basis. Things are heating up!

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IF I were to travel this would be the sort of guide book I'd take along: Bored in the USA: a Field Guide to Best-ish Stuff in America. There are no authors to credit, and I did note a few errors, but overall I quite enjoyed this ... enough so that I sat with my tablet at hand to look up some of the places mentioned! (Warning, at the moment there is just one review, a poor one, on amazon. Personally it sounded as if that person wanted a more traditional guide book ... just my take, though). It's full of oddities and fun facts such as the future birthplace of Captain Kirk, a matchstick museum (amazing), the diving lady neon sign, the one state that has more hogs than people ... one state really is flatter than a pancake (there was a study) ... a signpost in Maine includes Norway, Naples, Peru and others which are all cities in that state! Nebraska, land locked, has a navy. (In1931 the lieutenant governor wanted to gift friends with meaningless government titles). There is the neon sign graveyard, the toilet paper hero of Hoover dam, and a grave yard for ice cream flavors. One state has an official question. There are also more traditional entries for parks and museums. Made me chuckle! ;-)

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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally takes place in the time when women were property, and according to law, could be beaten (as long as the rod was a certain size), committed to asylums and so on. They could not vote, own property, and any money they had was controlled first by their fathers, then went to their husbands when they married. Lady Petra is lucky in that her mother left her money to her daughter (her father is fine with this), and, as long as she stays on their land, she can (gasp) ride astride, in her brothers clothing! She has also declared publicly that she has determined never to marry. Her uncle is not so ... understanding ... and sets out to 'do something about it'. Some of Petra's friends have gone missing, even said to have died, but Petra discovers otherwise. Then there is the 'doctor' who can diagnose and treat female hysterics, melancholia, and so on, usually in his asylum. (Perfect for an inconvenient wife). Warning: things take a grim turn at one point, and I'll admit to doing some skimming, but this was overall a good mystery and I learned a lot about an era I only knew in passing.

Tall Reader recently enjoyed a visit from the grandkids, who came with books to share! Some of those, a trilogy, are now on my stack of books to read! The first was Thunder Cave, by Roland Smith. Jacob is living with his mother and step father, not the best arrangement, but he's still in touch with his father who is tracking elephants in Kenya. When his mother is killed when she is out jogging he learns his step father wants to send him to family in Nebraska. Instead, Jacob cashes out his life savings, and heads for Kenya (long story short here, he knows how to do this safely). He ends up becoming dehydrated, which is how me meets Supeet, a Masai, who helps him, and they become friends. Lots of adventure, great characters, some history on the area and the Masai, all in all a great read! Written for ages 10 and up, adults should enjoy it, too. Tall Reader and I did.

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I am starting this post with a rant. I have read two books now that claim to be cozies, they say so right on the cover, and yet, both started with a graphic, violent scene. Not they were not good mysteries, they were, both of them, but ... to my mind, and according to the definitions I found, they are NOT cozies! Cozy mysteries are considered gentle books, set in a small town. There is no graphic violence, no profanity, no explicit sex, and the crime usually takes place somewhere else. When I tried to find a definition of 'cozy thriller' (a term I heard a few months back now) the hits were the same as above, with one site adding that a cozy thriller was a contradiction in terms! (I agree).

My reading friends and I are aware that a cozy mystery is a hot item at the moment so publishers, authors, marketers are trying to cash in on that, but maybe there needs to be a new term? A small town mystery, perhaps?

The second book I've read that has done this is Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, by Rebecca Thorne. This is so not a cozy in the traditional format! There is violence, foul language, sex ... however, it is an excellent read and one of my favorite books of the year! I love the characters, and the writing, and the setting ... the two main characters, Reyna and Kianthe each leave jobs that, well, without spoiling anything, they shouldn't and head for a small, remote town to open up a book and tea shop. How that happens makes for a grand adventure that should keep you reading far into the night. This is a fantasy mystery, too, there are dragons, and a griffon, and magic ... :-) This is the first in the Tomes & Tea series and I will be looking for the second.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Here's a nice little cozy with some fun elements (buried treasure, painted rocks): Something Fishy This Way Comes, by Gabby Allan. It's part of her Whit and Whiskers Mystery series. There's a glass bottomed boat, too! Set in a small town, with a golf course, the main means of transportation is a golf cart. Whitney is setting up for one of the buried treasure hunts (comes with a map) (often hides things like engagement rings) when a body is discovered. Two local birdwatchers are nearby, arguing over a bird. There are tire tracks on the body. It is determined to be a suicide, but .... there is a long standing feud between families who have lived on the island for generations,(many in law enforcement who might 'influence' things), and the victim didn't golf, so why was he even on the course at all?

Seems I find it hard to resist the Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy books when they are on my TBR shelf ... Umbrellas and Undertakers just jumped into my hands! This time it's the death bed conversation from an undertaker who says he overheard a confession (years ago) to murder that jump starts a cold case. Fenella and Daniel are trying a new restaurant (if it can even be called that yet), it is an odd place, then there is a fire in the kitchen ... so much for a quiet lunch. And there is the confession, where does that lead? There is a wife, and an ex-wife, children (adult age), lovers ... money ... author Diana Xarissa has written another hard to put down cozy! :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Lots of folks visit our national parks every year. Some leave comments. Some are ... less than positive and maybe a bit baffling! Author/illustrator Amber Share has put together a collection of them in her book Subpar Parks: American's Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors. The comments should make you ask 'what were they expecting?' ... Glacier Bay is cold, White Sands is sandy ... and so on. Along with the one line reviews/comments is a history of each park, suggestions as to when to go, and how much the author enjoyed her visit. Her enthusiasm is evident! :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Here's a good book to read around Halloween: Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop, by Emmeline Duncan. It says on the cover it's the first in a new series. :-) The small town of Elyan Hollow, Oregon has a Halloween theme year 'round. It is close to Halloween now, and the excitement is building as there are lectures from favorite authors, games, and mazes ... which is where a body is found. There is a film crew in town working on an upcoming spooky show of some sort. They, well some of them, do not make themselves welcome! Family secrets emerge, and decades old feuds, the list of suspects grows ... and grows.

Canadian Reader left this on my TBR shelf: The Dog Across the Lake, one of the Paws and Claws Mystery books by Krista Davis. I've read others by this author, but not yet this series, and even though this is not the first, it was not hard to figure out the characters. This time the small town is designed to be a destination for folks who like to vacation with their pets, and boy, does the staff cater to them or what! (There are recipes for pets with allergies in the back, too). When a strange dog appears the mystery begins, and then a body is found, in a tent across the lake. Turns out the dog belongs to Holly's cousin, who has come as a surprise for his grandmother's upcoming party. He is with someone hiding out from an abusive husband, who may or may not be tracking her. Lots of twists and turns!

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Did you care for your parents, or perhaps grandparents, or really, any 'old' person when you were young(er)? Were there things that totally frustrated you, and/or made no sense? Things you vowed you'd never do? Steven Petrow (with Roseann Foley Henry) did. And kept notes! As a reminder, and as a sort of guide to others, they wrote Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old: a highly judgmental, unapologetically honest accounting of all the things our elders are doing wrong. At least one of the authors has now reached one of those 'certain ages' and is trying hard to NOT do some of the things found here. At times funny, at times a bit scary (will I do that??) (or worse, am I already?) I laughed, I rolled my eyes, I shook my head ... and probably shared too much with my guest who was visiting when I read this!

Have you ever been, mm, bewildered by the Brits? They seem so patient, courteous, and hard to rattle ... then there's the weather, and politics ... and well, just so many things. Understanding the British: a hilarious guide from Apologizing to Wimbledon will explain all these and more. At times redundant, at times funny, I spent a nice afternoon reading this book. My favorite take away? There are at least 25 thousand roundabouts in England.

Reading Hermit With Dog