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). ;-)

Reading Hermit With Dog