The second of the Dales Detective Series was just as enjoyable as the first, also with some great humor! It's taking a while for Samson to feel (and be) welcome back in his home town, he left under, um, interesting circumstances. A resident of the local senior living facility shows up in is office one morning sure that someone is trying to kill her. Since she is old, with a touch of dementia and no real proof, he makes a note, but there's not much he can do. Until she ends up dead. Then there are other threats and attacks on residents of the same facility and the investigation heats up. Once again Delilah and her dog step in to help. There is also the search for the missing Ralph, but I've promised no spoilers, so .... ! :-) Date With Malice is by Julia Chapman.

I know you are not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but I really do like the earlier covers for the Enola Holmes books! Still, the story is just as good as I learned when I read Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche, by Nancy Springer. Brother and sister are working together now, and it is Enola who steps up to help when a young woman comes to ask for help in finding her sister, her twin sister. Family has been told she died, but Letitia is sure that as a twin, she would know that. The death was sudden, and the body cremated in a hurry, all with minimal records. This has happened to Earl, the hubby, before, too. Enola goes undercover in this tale, and it's down right scary, I tell you. As before, this is a hard series to put down.

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Lots of women helped out in lots of ways during World War II. Propaganda Girls: the Secret War of the Women in the OSS, by Lisa Rogak focuses on four from birth to death. Their job was to weaken the morale of the Axis soldiers. Creating false rumors was harder than you might think which made for a very interesting read. Detail was very important here, as was the paper a flier was printed on, or even how it arrived at its destination. How was this carried out, often behind enemy lines? Words could be changed in songs, or the tempo changed, or a subtle shift from major to minor all to make a once happy song more melancholy. The OSS had more leeway, luckily, as many of these changes, that maybe should have been routed through the higher ups, weren't, meaning they could be put in place more quickly and with less chance of being found out by the enemy. I read this in one day!

I do seem to come across some rather odd books I think! Weird War One: Intriguing Items and Fascinating Feats from the First World War fits the description. Peter Taylor did a great job scouring the collections of the Imperial War Museum for his books (yes, there is another one). One of the most unusual here is a portrait of President Woodrow Wilson ... done using 21,000 troops! (Taken from a high vantage point, obviously). There are chapters on deception and gadgets, communication, animals that were used, and what was done for fun. There was a shovel, made with a hole so a rifle could be aimed through it and it would also act as a shield. It did not work very well. There were classes in semaphore, the best means of communication from a ship, or in a noisy situation. Even civilians learned it. There were theaters completely underground so the show could go on even during hostile air raids. Most interesting!

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Here is the first in a new (to me) author and series: Date With Death, book one in the Dales Detective Series, by Julia Chapman. What a delight it was! There is humor as well as mystery here. :-) Samson O'Brien has been dismissed from the police force in London (we don't know why) and has returned to his small home town of Bruncliffe in the Yorkshire Dales (where the James Herriot books take place). He sets up a small detective agency, sharing the space with a local dating agency (yes, confusion does happen). A suicide (that isn't) leads back to the dating agency so he and the owner (Delilah, and her dog) work together to solve what become several murders. A grand start!

It seems I'm back on track with the Royal Spyness Mystery series, by Rhys Bowen now, with The Proof of the Pudding. Georgiana is pregnant in this one, and due soon. There is a new chef, from France. A certain kitchen helper (Queenie) is not amused, but Pierre can coooook! A neighbor, an author of creepy books, with the name Mordred Mortimer wants to have a dinner party to celebrate his most recent book and hires Pierre. There are thirty guest, most who do not know each other. One of the guests is Agatha Christie! A feature of Mortimer's mansion is the garden, especially the poison garden. When folks take sick after the dinner ... well, let's just say mayhem ensues. And it will get worse, one of the poisons found in the victim wasn't from the garden. Georgiana helps out, of course, even as near to term as she is. :-)

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Here is a non-fiction book that reads like high adventure: American Sirens: the Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics, by Kevin Hazzard. Similar services have come and gone over time, but for the most part 'rescue' usually meant 'swoop and scoop' by either police or funeral homes where the patient was dumped in the back of a car and raced to the hospital. Peter Safar, who developed modern CPR, thought this should change, but it was an uphill battle. It started in Pittsburgh. In a place called Freedom House. There were parts of town (think poor, black) where emergency services either would not go, or were slow to respond. This is where he started. He trained black men (and it was all men at that time) in basic medical procedures (making doctors at hospitals angry), provided them with the necessary equipment (this all took time). He taught them the 'language' they would need to use at emergency rooms so those there would take them seriously. They would respond wherever there was an emergency, but in some neighborhoods (think rich, white) they had to turn off their sirens and go at a slow rate of speed. In spite of this, their success rate of saving folks was high, but those in charge were not interested ... until there was a convention of ER medical folks, in Pittsburgh. Freedom House put on a demonstration ... an amazing one of a large, staged, accident scene. It described the accident, the injuries (including some deaths) and what was done. Attendees were so impressed that many cities (globally) set up their own 'paramedic' services (that word was new at the time). The mayor of Pittsburgh finally had to give in and set up services there ... but ... Freedom House was NOT to be given any credit ... truly! It would be closed down and the (black) staff would be given (menial) jobs elsewhere. This is a book that will make you cheer, and make you angry! I'm glad the true story has been told.

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Anna Elliott and Charles Veley are a father/daughter team who write books! The first in their Homefront Sleuths Mystery series is The Blackout Murders. It is England, 1941. Crofter's Green is a small town, away from London, but blackout orders and curfew are in place, and the local warden is very strict about this, sometimes, maybe too much so. When he is found dead there is little remorse, but they do need to find the murderer. Five locals band together to do this (older, younger, none of them police). They will have to dig into the secrets of the village and those who live there, what will they find? Wonder historical detail.

Late one night, as Megan and Fred (Great Dane) are heading home on a winding road an oncoming car, coming much too fast (she tries to warn the driver) plunges off over the cliff and into the water below. She calls it in but when the EMS folks arrive they find no body in the car. Something is going on, for sure, and Megan wants to learn what. It's a twisted path to the answers, and her trusted friend, partner (and maybe more), Santiago, is acting oddly, what's going on there? Think shady business practices, cover ups, someone who may or may not be dead. Dark Highways & Digging for Clues is the fourth in the Megan Henny Cozy Mystery series by Rimmy London.

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On an early morning walk, with her dog, Ally finds a body in the loch ... a blond woman, a stranger. Who is she? Then, the new bride of Hamish Sinclair (an earl) is poisoned. Is there a connection? Everyone in the small town is a suspect, including Ally. She sets out to solve both murders. This takes her all over the small town and businesses as she tracks down the clues she needs to do so. Murder at the Loch, by Dee MacDonald, is the second in her Ally McKinley Mystery series.

Not only has it been a while since I read a Royal Spyness novel, by Rhys Bowen, but it seems I missed this one earlier in the series as well. Heirs and Graces was just a fun read! Remember, Lady Georgiana is royalty (34th in line) so she can't be seen (gasp) working for a living, however, since her brother (men inherited everything at this time) has pretty much cut her off from family funds (due to his waspish wife), she is looking for something acceptable to do. There is a local family where the only son is gay, so, there is no chance of an heir from him, right? A younger son once lived in Australia but came home to fight (and die) in the war. Turns out, he had a son (legitimate and everything) who is the legal heir to the estate, when the time comes. However, he is from Australia, remember, and has to be taught proper manners! This is Georgie's job! Then, the gay son is found dead and, well, mayhem ensues! Hard to put down. ;-)

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A Very Lively Murder, is the second in the Three Dahlias Mystery series by Katy Watson. Two of the three actors who have played Dahlia Lively over the years are in the most recent film (one as the aunt now that she is 'old'). They've asked the third one to join them more for company, at first, and then because there have been threatening notes and 'accidents' on the set, including a prop weapon replaced with the real thing. Now it's just scary. Then there is a storm, and a flood, all elements for a good read.

Pumpkins, Paws & Murder is the second Dickens & Christie Mystery by Kathy Manos Penn. The annual autumn celebration is usually fun, it has been in the past, but this year someone ends up dead, and it is the ex-husband of a local resident. She becomes the prime suspect, of course, and it is up to Leta and her (talking) pets to figure things out. They are most helpful, but since she is the only one who can understand them, she has to figure out how to explain what they discover. A fun series!

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Here's a fun one, especially if you are a musician! Death in A Major, a Music Lover's Mystery by Sarah Fox. Looks to be the second in the series. It happens at the reception after the first concert of the season, which,of course, includes all the bigwigs, those who are supporters of the orchestra, one in particular, who donates a lot of money. He is a nasty sort, rude to everyone and known to leer at women. He drops dead. Turns out it's not from natural causes. Jordon, his grandson, and a violin student of Midori, asks for her help in figuring out the who and the how. There are a couple of interesting twists concerning the past of the dead man, and a 'pudgy' French Horn player.

Pandemonium at the Pet Store, a Molly Montgomery Cozy Mystery, by Tessa Aura was a ... curious read. It's short, just 88 pages. A new store owner (the pet store in the title) has gone missing. Molly (and others) did feel things were a bit 'off', but weren't sure why. What is in the locked room at the back of the store? And the strange deliveries? Not a bad little story, and truly a cozy, but for this reader, it read a bit like something written for a college creative writing class. Note: I was under the impression it was the first in the series, but it's actually the second.

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I like to have a book with short entries to read during commercials for shows I'm seeing for the first time and The World's Best Short Stories: 127 Funny Short Stories About Unbelievable Stuff That Actually Happened, by Bill O'Neill was perfect for that. There was a war against emus. Covering slaves with honey so as to draw flies away from a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt. A woman who survived the Titanic, and the sinking of three other ocean liners. An octopus with the skills of Houdini ... and more, a lot more. Better than the ads, for sure. ;-)

Here's something with a local theme: Elise Olmstead: the Myth and Mystery of Seattle's "Queen of the Bootleggers.", by Albert Gidari. The research here was astounding as Elise often changed her name (and/or spelling), lied about dates, events, and so on, and frequently burned her own records! When that information is incomplete, the author lets you know he is speculating on things, but he creates a very plauseable history here. This was a most interesting woman! She ran a radio station, did a children's story time (one of the earliest to be on the air),and broadcast live concerts. She might have been a spy during the war, she certainly had the skills to do so, and the goverment admits they didn't keep records on everything that went on. Did she have a secret past? She, along with her husband, Roy Olmstead, ran bootleg liquor during Prohibition and that is the trial you will read about here (for me I kept hearing that two note theme from Law & Order!). Reporters loved her, when she was in the news, papers would sell out!

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Here's a mystery with an interesting twist to the plot ... the author must have had fun writing it! The Secret Detective Agency, by Helena Dixon is set in 1941 London (well, England). It starts with a body in a pond. Who is it, and why is she there? Those assigned to figure things out do know each other, but don't necessarily like each other. One is good with codes and ciphers and unfit for active service due to severe asthma. The other manages agents sent out on various missions who smokes, and has a cat. The problem is that pretty much everything is secret, even the agents don't all know each other. Each has a code name for their respective mission, and no one can talk about anything, which makes asking questions especially hard. So, how do you figure things out? The bodies will pile up as Arthur and Jane work to figure things out.

The Mystery Guest is a Maid Novel by Nita Prose. What's fun here is that while there are familiar characters from her first book, it is not a sequel! You can read the books in any order. :-) The beautiful hotel where Molly works looks stunning ... everything cleaned, polished, dusted and so on for the gathering that will feature a famous author, one that is a bit of a recluse, and who has an announcement to make. J.D. Grimthorpe dies before he can finish what he wants to say, but it is really a heart attack? Events from her past surface as Molly works to solve the mystery.

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It took a while for the next Lane Winslow book Lightning Strikes the Silence, by Iona Whishaw to come out, and then a while for me to read it (it's a big book and I've been leaning towards shorter stories of late), but when I started I could not put it down. This is a favorite author of mine, her writing is simply beautiful from the descriptions of the time period to the events in the story ... in this case not too long after WWII and what appears to be an unexploded bomb (that wasn't). Add to that the dead body of a Japanese woman and a surviving (but mute) child and all kinds of feelings from the war are brought up. Then there is the death of a local jeweler, too, what is going on? I won't wait as long to read the next in the series!

And, speaking of a good series ... The Case of the Disappearing Duchess is the sixth in the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer and was just as good a read as the earlier books. (I'm told the Netflix series is excellent as well, by at least three people). Enola and her brother are both looking for the Duchess, but it is Enola that figures out she has been kidnapped, and why. Sherlock is also looking for Enola (and completely misses her once, when she is in costume) because he needs help deciphering a cryptic message from their mother. Mycroft, of course, wants to find Enola and send her to a proper boarding school. Will they meet up? Come to terms? Figure everything out?

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Ginny Reese is a vet who manages to get involved with murder ... she has been described as the result of James Herriot and Jessica Fletcher having a baby (pg 15). This time it starts with a bone her dog finds when her hay storage shed collapses in a wind storm. It's human, buried about 20 years ... the resulting investigation and fallout from that is proof to me why it's best to avoid high school reunions! (Not that I've been to any of mine). A Nose for Death is a Cozy Pet Lovers Mystery by M.K. Dean. And, while full of angst from those sometimes troublesome years in high school, is a cozy in the traditional sense. :-)

A former governor has gone missing ... is it something to be worried about, or typical for this person now that he's retired? Fred (the Great Dane) and Megan join Crystal on her search for her dad in A Tail for Trouble, by Rimmy London. Then missing money is discovered, and, a young boy goes missing. There is a storm brewing as well so time is of the essence. Tuck in a bit of romance and this book has something for just about every reader (who like a good cozy, that is). ;-) It is the third in the Megan Henny Cozy Mystery series. It is set here in the pnw, which is also something I enjoy.

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Kitty and her new husband, Inspector Robert Crawford Sinclair, are on their honeymoon in Paris. It is the city of light and they are enjoying a time 'away from work'. You know that will not last and sure enough, a body is found. It should be a matter for the French police, but Kitty, and eventually her hubby, cannot help aiding them. The search takes them across Paris and even into the Catacombs. A Murder in Paris is the 10th book in Magda Alexander's Kitty Worthington Mystery series. Nice descriptions of Paris, and the food! ;-)

Responding to a call from a friend, Santiago, in jail, Megan visits him only to be given a message in gibberish ... just what is he talking about? And is it in code? She knows he is not a spy but can she prove it? There is a necklace, too, with a strange and unusual history. And, Megan is trying to figure out what her small business can be, since renting scooters for the tourists did not work! When Fred, the dog (a Great Dane) is kid, er, dog-napped, things get serious (and scary). Sniffing Out the Spy, by Rimmy London, is the second of her Megan Henny Cozy Mystery series.

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Here's another 'non-mystery' with an unusual friendship. The Library, by Bella Osborne. Tom (a teenager) is unhappy at home, his mother has died and his dad drinks, a lot. He escapes to the small, local library and discovers two things: he likes reading romance novels (tells the librarian they are for his mom) and a new friend ... Maggie, a woman 'of a certain age' (who knew grammas could be such fun)? They strike up a friendship and he finds refuge in her home, taking care of sheep and chickens. Then, their little library is threatened with closure and they rally to help save it. A nice read for these rather bleak times.

I was headed for various appointments, ones where there could be some waiting time so I wanted a light book to carry with me. I opted for the fifth Enola Holmes book, The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, by Nancy Springer. Enola's land lady has received a cryptic and scary message demanding something from decades back, then she is kidnapped,and her house ransacked. Enola is determined to find out just what is going on. The trail takes her to a meeting with the Lady of the Lamp, Florence Nightingale and messages sent ... well, no, I won't tell you how, that's part of the fun of this story! (Pay attention to the title). ;-)

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Kiwi shared a charming, delightful book with me, one that should have you laughing out loud ... as well as being impressed by how smart an octopus is! Secrets of the Octopus, by Sy Montgomery is that book, and what a fun read it was. I learned, too, that the plural really is octopuses, not octopi! The 'i' ending indicates a Latin word, and octopus is Greek. :-) Octopuses are escape artists, and can get through an opening about the size of a quarter! And, in at least one escape, said octopus would escape from her tank, cross the lab to the tank with the food, eat some, but not all of it, and return to her tank before humans showed up in the morning. It took several days to figure this out, and that was only because one human showed up early for work and caught her in the act. They can learn by watching ... seeing humans unscrew a jar, for example, then they would demonstrate that they do could open a jar ... it's a fascinating read!

Here's a book that I found an interesting blend of the 'dry' (figuring out a definition for the word 'play') and amusing: Kingdom of Play: What Ball-Bouncing Octopuses, Belly-Flopping Monkeys, and Mud-Sliding Elephants Reveal About Life Itself, by David Toomey. It took a while before humans realized animals do play. (Sadly, it took time for us to even realize they think). This is explained, as is the process for defining 'play', that's the dry part, but, along with that are delightful and amusing examples of animals, fish, and insects having a good time for no specific reason. There's a bird who liked tossing rocks off a cliff, fish who jumped into human hands so as to be gently tossed back into the water (in an aquarium setting), elephants sliding down muddy hills, and of course, dogs at play. :-)

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Here it is! The next in Theresa Dahlheim's Forging the Circle series! (It is book three). Firedance was an engaging read, hard to put down (you've been warned)! Koren grew up on an island with snow and sled dogs (!!). An injury as a child has left her with a stutter so she is reluctant to talk, magic surrounds her but she has gone untrained mostly, until the sorceress seeks her out. The world is falling apart, magic is causing havoc and she might be the one that can help. To do this, she will need training and that is where the sorceress is taking her. Follow along as she learns more about herself, her own magic, and the world beyond her little, snowy island. She has a connection with animals that I particularly enjoyed.

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, by Alison Goodman, was both a good read, and a hard read. The Regency era was a terrible time for women. Men could, and did control everything, and anything, with the exception of murder to a wife, sister or daughter was legal. That was the hard part (warning: some of the things that were done are vividly described by the author). The good part are the main characters, twin sisters, both unmarried and now of spinster age (42), figure out ways to right these wrongs. Face it, proper society is boring, so when Augustus is asked to retrieve some love letters written to, er, the wrong person (not the hubby) she agrees. She is more than successful (you'll have to read to find out how and why) and that leads to others coming to her, and her sister, for help. Not a cozy, but a mystery with wonderful, strong lead characters.

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There was recently a show on PBS about women in World War II. From that I learned of a book: Our Mother's War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II, by Emily Yellin. It took a while to find a copy, but I did and it was a good read. At the time, women were not expected to be all that bright, to even want to work away from home and so on ... all thoughts from men, of course. (To be fair, not all men). The war would change everything. From the factories where women built planes, to those who flew them to their final destination before heading overseas, to building munitions and more. They were nurses and aides, serving both at home and on the front lines. They drove ambulances. On the lighter side (but still in war zones) they were entertainers and musicians in jazz bands and dance bands. And yes, there were prostitutes, too. Familiar images were created: Betty Crocker, Rosie the Riveter, pin up girls. This was an all encompassing read ... a bit dense, actually, so I read other books 'in between'. It is well written, with a wonderful index, bib and notes at the back. Give it a try!

And, because of the 'theme' of strong women, I'm partnering it with one sent up by Wandering Reader: Women to Reckon With: Untamed Women of the Olympic Wilderness, by Gary Peterson and Glynda Schaad. (It's local history, and was found 1000 miles away!) Wonderful pictures along with the histories of many of the women who first settled what became the state of Washington. There are farmers, ranchers, preachers, teachers ... these women could take care of themselves!

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One Fine Mess is the second Gemma and Jo Mysteries by Patri Lawson. While on their tour of the United States, Gemma is on the phone with a good friend when there is obviously an altercation and then nothing. She and Jo head directly for Twist's place, only to find him dead. He had inherited a huge mansion from an uncle, a hoarder, so the place was a mess, and he was trying to clear things out carefully. Nasty messages were sprayed on the RV, and, Twist had received several as well. The local police prove to be useless, so, with help from some friends of Twist, they set out to find the murderer on their own. Learn why Gemma creates special names for folks, and meet a delightful, goofy Great Dane. Lots of interesting twists in the plot here, but the book could have used a better final read through as there were some errors that spell check wouldn't catch, but a human would.

Word on line says that the next Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery, by Diana Xarissa, will be out in May so I went ahead and read The Olson File. This time it's a case from Iowa! And, the reporter who wrote up the story for the local (small town) paper has been allowed to be part of the investigation. The murder took place at a wedding, years ago, and was someone pretty much no one liked ... still, it was a murder and those should not go unsolved. Bessie has also been asked to help track down the sister of one of the locals ... she and her siblings were split up years ago when they went into foster care. And, to complicate things, Andrew is not well (worrisome, for sure). This is a good series, I sure hope P comes out as planned! :-)

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A Doggone Waterfront Shame, the first in the Megan Henny Cozy mystery series by Rimmy London caught my eye because it takes place here in the Pacific Northwest. Megan has just opened a small shop, in a town she loved as a child, hoping for a change in her life. All does not go well as there is a flood and vandalism all with 24 hours. There's also a lot of new building going on, condos, designed mostly for tourists. That's where the body is found. And let's not forget the stray dog. The large stray dog! Has it been a mistake to come back? Follow along as she meets and makes new friends and starts her life over. Not a bad read at all, but I did NOT like the cover (at least the one on my copy, I know they can change), it's too much like a (shudder) romance novel! ;-) (There are other covers, they are better)!

Lyme Regis Layover is the last of the Albert Smith Culinary Capers mysteries by Steve Higgs. (Author has promised new adventures, though). The reason for this, the last stop on the tour Albert had originally planned to take with his wife when he retired, is to try a treat unique to area known as the Jurassic Coast (because lots of dinosaur fossils have been found there). It is called the Dorset Knob. Seems to be a hard pastry, and only a few folk know how to make it properly. One was someone rescued in the previous book who had been kidnapped by the Gastrothief, and the other his brother. Just days after returning home and eager to get back to his old life, one brother is found dead, followed in a short time by the other brother. Police are calling it suicide, and then murder suicide, but Albert and Rex know this is not true. Who would want them dead, and why? Rex and a pack of local dogs (and a couple of cats) help with the investigation. A nice end to a fun series. :-)

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It's been a while since I read a fiction book, just that, no mystery, etc. just a story to be told. This one came as a recommendation from Canadian Reader: The Bordeaux Book Club, by Gillian Harvey. It's a small book club, made up of Brits who, for various reasons, now live in France. Happy to be there, yes, but it's also nice to be with a group that speaks English! It's an interesting group ... male and female, retired to college age, and all with 'something' going on in their lives. They become friends and family, too as they learn more about each other. One of the things I found charming is that the books they read and discuss are old, classics and yet, the men (middle aged, and college aged) are enjoying them too ... I would not expect that (blushing emoticon here)! AND they have a much different perspective on said classic, too! A most engaging read.

On a roll here, it seems, How to Age Disgracefully, by Clare Pooley is also 'not a mystery' book. :-) Again, it's an interesting group: an empty nester, with a part time job at the local community center expects to entertain the senior citizens with games of bridge and puzzles. So not going to happen! The center also is home to a much needed day care center, and meeting rooms for AA and so on. When it comes under the threat of being torn down the seniors decide to take action. Wonderful characters include a woman with a checkered past she is trying to hide and a former actor (who always had work, but usually as 'one of the crowd' or 'the corpse'). There is a teen aged father who discovered he loves being a dad! He wants to go on for more schooling, though, so the day care is something he depends on during the day. There is a dog, too, who, when her owner dies finds home(s) with several of the seniors (with different results). Again, you learn more about each character as the book goes on, and how they come together to help each other through some difficult times. Just a great read!

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Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church, is the second book I've read by Peter Ross. I like his style ... there's history and humor, and good information if you want to travel to these places (and even if you don't). There are churches with cats, and wells (water is holy, or healing). There are sites where a church has been located for centuries. Some have pagan rites. One is using an item that has been used since the 1600s, which made a visiting historian gasp ... it should be safely tucked away in a museum, not (gasp) handled without gloves! There are steeplejacks, those who climb those steeples, either for repair, or as a hobby. and, my favorite, the ones with bells. Many still do change ringing, which has nothing to do with playing melodies (although, they do that, too), but rather complex and long sequences that change in an orderly fashion (with odd names such as Plain Bob Triples, Yorkshire Surprise and so on). If fact, handbells came from needing a way to practice change ringing without keeping the entire country side awake. It's a challenge! Imagine pulling a rope, with a large bell attached to a wheel ... you have to figure in how long it takes your bell to sound (varies with the size of the bell) and then, partnered with seven others, play the changes precisely and perfectly. No music to read, just a precise order to follow depending on which change you were playing. I know this because I was once in a bell choir ... the small bells, not the big ones, and had a dedicated and wonderful conductor who wrote many changes out for us to play and explained the history.

I'll say right up front here, I almost did not include this book in my blog, but finally did so because it might appeal more to other readers (it did in the reviews I read anyway.) The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle, by Anna Shechtman sounded most interesting as did the description on the back of the book, and in The Chuckanut Reader. The history of the crossword puzzle was interesting. Early on they were often created by women, it was something they could book on crosswords: Early on (1900's), it seems they were created by women as it was something they could do while at home and attending to proper wife/mother duties. However, they were NOT supposed to do them, as it could become an addiction and they would then be avoiding those proper wife/mother duties! During the Jazz age there were all kinds of fun clues, much more so than today, and (do try and blush here) some were rather risque. In addition, though, is a lot (too much for this reader) on the author's battle with anorexia, and I found the chapter on French feminists to be a bit long. Reviews were mixed, some loved it, others had the same reaction I mention here.

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Jonathan Cardew, Jonny to his friends, always wanted to be a detective. When he was a young man, he was just about to tell his father, too, except Dad had had a heart attack and died, leaving the family business to Jonny. A packaging business. With everything needed for mailing, shipping, storing stuff, from the boxes to the packing materials, to the taping and including labeling, shipping and sometimes, delivering. It was not an inspired life, but now there was a son, who did like the business so arrangements were made for him to take over and Jonny could retire. His wife is still working so he sometimes wanders down to a local cafe run by Jasmine and it is there, sharing a table one morning, with Katya, a retired police woman, and Ivo, a young man, nearly homeless but an excellent handyman with a dog (Harold), that the Breakfast Club Detective group is formed. A body had been found and has been determined a death by natural causes which causes a lot of discussion ... and the start of their investigation. Great characters, clever writing, some nice twists to the plot ... Death in the Long Walk is the first Breakfast Club Detectives book by Hilary Pugh.

Oddly enough, my next read after The Attenbury Emeralds was also about a necklace that went missing: A Burglary in Belgravia, by Lynda Wilcox is set in London in 1924. It's during a play that Lady Eleanor Blackwell hears what might have been a gunshot, or at least something hitting the floor. Upon investigation of the box next door (think individual rooms here, the fancy/expensive seats in a theater) she finds Sir David Bristol dead from a gunshot wound. Determined to stay away and let the police do their job, that changes when the lead in the play (and mistress to Sir David) asks for her help. There are other murders, too, all with a connection to a pearl necklace. And there are threats for her to stop. Some nice details here (Lady Eleanor has certain skills she learned during 'her part' in the war), as did her maid/friend Tilly. Not a bad read. :-)

A Date with Death is a prequel to the West Wales Murder Mysteries series by P. F. Ford. It's a bit darker than the rest of the series, but with the good writing we expect from this author. One of the detectives, Sarah, is returning to work after maternity leave. Her husband is often absent so there is tension on the home front. One of her coworkers is being especially creepy so there is tension at work, too. There is pressure on her boss to solve a series of robberies and two murders ... NOW. Let's just say there is a lot going on! I figured part of one of the mysteries out, see if you do, too. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

I've read a lot of books about libraries but this one might be my favorite! There are libraries here with collections older than the Vatican, ones really 'hidden' in that there is no actual address and you need permission (and directions) to visit, and one that is mobile, yes, as many are, but this one is on a car transformed into something that looks like a tank and is a 'weapon of mass instruction'! (p.47) When the familiar, oh-so-well-known red phone boxes of the UK became, well, unneeded in this era of cell phones, they were threatened with extinction, until someone had the bright idea to make them into small libraries (mobile service was being cut at about this time, too). Some have been made into tea shops, art galleries and so on, but the majority are now small, neighborhood libraries! And there's a little free library at the south pole. Right next to the marker indicating that location! There are several research facilities here, and this is to serve the folks there ... and is put out only as weather allows. :-) There are lots more, too. Hidden Libraries: the World's Most Unusual Book Depositories, by DC Helmuh is a book I've read twice already, and will browse through one more time before it is returned.

It was the subtitle of The Upstairs Delicatessen that caught my eye ... :on Eating, Reading, Reading about Eating & Eating while Reading. (!) The author (Dwight Garner) loves to eat and to read and this memoir reflects just that. The notes that must have been made to include so many books and the meals and food that they contained boggles the mind (there are notes and permissions at the end). It is divided by meals, as well as a chapter on Shopping and even Napping! I quite enjoyed this but will warn others that there is a section on, um, 'other' things that can be done with food (not sure whether I was appalled or amused) and one much too detailed description of what happens when you cut off the head of a chicken. (Although, maybe, if you don't already know, this will be of interest). And yes, it did make me hungry, and yes, I often read while I eat! (With apologies to my mother, who did raise me better). ;-)

Curiosities of Literature: a Feast for Book Lovers, by John Sutherland lived up to it's name ... curious selections indeed! Who wrote the first western? I'll bet it's not who you might think it is! Did you know JM Barrie came up with a now popular name for girls? What did various presidents read? There's a section on farts (really!), from both characters in books and authors. There are books with their own action figures, or other odd things (think Yorick and a skull for your desk). A different sort of read, for sure.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

I tend to avoid, at least at first, books on best selling lists, not sure why, but I've always done this. However, The Briar Club, by Kate Quinn, was recommended by Canadian Reader, and the entire book club! So, I gave it a try ... and read it in less than two days! It's 1950, in Washington D.C., in a rather run down (and therefore cheap) boarding house. Folks pretty much keep to themselves until one boarder, Grace, changes all that. She has a weekly dinner party (if it can be called that when it's all done on a hot plate and folks sit on the floor), where the residents get to know each other. There are lots of secrets, of course, and histories good and bad. It's the McCarthy era and one resident is on the look out for Commies; one has a (maybe) gangster boyfriend; a young mother, trying to be 'perfect' while waiting for her husband (a doctor in Korea) to come home; a elderly woman who escaped from eastern Europe ... and Grace, she has a secret, too. Things are going well, too well, perhaps, until they aren't. I'm not doing this justice here, but I don't want to give anything away! Do what the author asks and don't read the historic notes at the end first (I often start there).

This book is a Lord Peter Wimsey story, written, not by Dorothy L. Sayers, but by Jill Paton Walsh, who knew, worked with, and had Sayers permission! The Attenbury Emeralds takes the reader back to his first case ... finding a large (and rather gaudy) heirloom. The setting is the 1950's, some thirty years after this case and Lord Peter is explaining it to his wife. The emeralds have made the news once again as there is a dispute as to who actually owns them. There are plot twists, of course, and copies of the jewels (some good, some paste) that needed tracking down when they first went missing, discussions of where they were from originally, and so on. I rather enjoyed the read, but reviews have suggested that if you are a die hard Sayers fan, you might not like it as much. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Murder on a High Note is the first in the Music Shop Mystery books by Jennifer Lamont Leo. It's set in a small town in Idaho in 1916. For most of the year Timber Coulee is a lumber town, but for six weeks every summer it is host to an established and much loved music camp. This year, sadly, due to the war in Europe, there are 'anti-foreigner' feelings and stores are vandalized depending on the last name of the owner. (Some things never change, do they). Then the expected guest conductor cancels and in his place is an unknown ... who is this guy? He is charming, and he is a conductor, but why does he have an interest in an old man's death and the boxes in his shed? Join with Amanda (the store owner) and her niece as they work through the clues. A fun start!

As much as I love (and prefer) a printed book, this one, Tragedy at Piddleton Hotel, might be better as an audio book! It's written to be humorous, something much easier to convey with voices than just letters on a page! Annabel Churchill, now a widow, has moved to the village of Compton Poppleford. She has purchased the detective agency there, somethings she's sure she can do because her late husband was a detective with the London police. It comes with a secretary. Her first case is a fat cat, the owner wants to know who else is feeding his cat! Then there's a more serious case: local busy body Mrs. Furzgate has died in a fall down a flight of stairs. Was it an accident? There was a dropped sticky bun at the top of the stairs after all. Delightfully crazy characters (pay attention to their names) and some sleuthing that is almost slap stick, this was a hoot of a read! It is the first in the Churchill & Pemberley Cosy Murder Mystery series by Emily Organ.

Reading Hermit With Dog