I picked up The Candy Cane Caper because I wanted a holiday/Christmas read. It is part of the series A Cozy Culinary Mystery by Josi S. Kilpack, but the synopsis said it works as a stand alone, too, so not knowing a lot about the characters is okay. :-) It includes recipes. It was a very nice read, a real 'cozy' ... no body, no death ... the mystery that needs solving is the theft of some old, extremely valuable tree ornaments. And Sadie intends to do just that. They were on the tree of her good friend, the elderly and mostly blind, Mary. There is great sentimental value here, too. Mary is in an assisted care facility so there's no shortage of staff and friends to question. In addition, for the first time since she got married, all of both families are coming for Christmas. She will be busy!

Several important ages this year: the Muppets (and therefor Kermit) are 70, the Sound of Music is 60, and Julie Andrews is 90. I found special issues of magazines for two.

From Time it was The Muppets, a wonderful issue full of Muppet history, lore, fun facts and so on. You'll learn how they got their start, what stars they met and worked with (!) ... remember, when you see them with someone, there's a lot going on behind the set! :-) You'll meet those behind the characters, behind the scenes, who wrote those wonderful songs (my favorite is Rainbow Connection) and more. Full of wonderful pictures. Side-note: Kermit was the commencement speaker at the University of Maryland this year, Jim Henson's Alma mater.

And from Life it is The Sound of Music: 60 Years Later, the Hills Are Still Alive. Because it's from Life there are lots of wonderful pictures, of course, but I would have liked a bit more about the movie and stage version. There's a lot on Julie Andrews, which was fine, and interesting, (and it is her 90th b'day, after all) but I knew more about the movie than was given here! Still, it was an enjoyable read.

Reading Hermit With Dog