Today it's an old, familiar author, and a totally new (to me) author. :-)

I'll start with The Tate File from the Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery series by Diana Xarissa. The 'gang' is about to gather for another cold case soon but Aunt Bessie has another mystery first ... an old friend shows up at her door asking for help to clear her son of theft. It was at an engagement party and the ring has gone missing. His mom knows he didn't do it. The cold case this time is a murder. One that happened in a closed pub (those still drinking are allowed to stay on for a while). He was stabbed. It's a small pub, with just a few drinkers (who knew each other), how could that happen? Two engaging mysteries by this author again. :-)

Multitasking Murder must have caught my attention somehow because it showed up in a box on my porch. :-) Turns out it is the fortieth book in the Merry Wrath Mystery series by Leslie Langtry! Main character is an 'outed' spy. Once that happened (we learn why in an earlier book) she can no longer work safely as that spy so she moves back to her small home town and starts up a Girl Scout troop (well, Brownies at first). They are now graduating high school. There is a wedding and the opening of an aviary, not to mention the mayoral election (mayor is 12). There are other spies, some from the cold war not to mention Russia), Druids, PTA moms ... just so much going on ... (And don't forget the body and the threatening notes). It was fun, and if you like it, you can start at the beginning with lots of books to read!

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Tall Reader has grandchildren, grandchildren who read and love doing so with an actual book! This one came to her from one of them: The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson. It is fiction so I'll admit, I hesitated over reading it as I rarely read a straight fiction book ... to me many of them don't seem to have an actual ending. This one does, however and it proved to be a most interesting read. It deals with a lot of that is familiar: small town, good/bad memories, the closing of a familiar landmark, history ... Late one night, after the library has closed, the librarian comes across a door where no door was before. She opens it to a room filled with shelves of books, each about a member of the town, hers included. Merely opening one of them transports her (as a visitor and viewer only) to the past. (It's called magical realism). What will she learn? Will it help with something devastating that is about to happen? I'll admit, I liked it much better than I thought I would! :-)

Kate Ellis combines two mysteries in her books, usually about 400 years apart. Makes for some wonderful reading! In An Unhallowed Grave, one of the DI Wesley Peterson series a body has been found hanging from a tree. That of a young woman. Only hanging wasn't the cause of death. At a nearby dig (run by a friend of Peterson) a skeleton is found. It is of a young woman where the cause of death WAS hanging. From the same tree, records prove. Yes, records! The benefit of old castles and manor homes, and writing a record in good ink on vellum ... of course, in this case, you have to know Latin ... anyway there are records for this area for centuries, everything from making soap to crime. What could possibly be the connection here?

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I read these two books together because they fit together so well! The contents overlapped. :-) Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: the Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases by Andrew Thompson provided more back ground and history to said phrases and how they might be used while The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions by James McGuire and illustrated by Alex Kalomeris had the fun illustrations. They were enjoyable reads. A warning though, the origins of many of these well known, oft used expressions come from a cruel or deadly event.

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Here is yet another mystery with the title The Sound of Murder (!) ... seems there are a lot of them. This one is by Cindy Brown and is the second in her Ivy Meadows Mystery series. (I have not read the first). Ivy is an actor (all she's ever wanted to be) and a private investigator. She can sing, she has a good voice ... but when she's in front of an actual audience ... well, she has a bit of stage fright! There has been a death in a retirement home, one that may or may not be a suicide. It will be her job to figure out which. The fun twist here is that the show she is in is a blending of The Sound of Music and Cabaret! A most interesting idea, one that I came to rather like. (No spoilers, but imagine hiding Jews from Nazi troops in plain sight).There is a possible stalker (in a convertible of all things) and other twists to the plot. I quite enjoyed it.

Cyndy Cypress is a new author to me. Her book Librarians & Larceny is the first in a series she has planned called A Rebel Librarian Crime Fighter Mystery. There are two main characters, both having moved to this small Montana farm from bigger cities. Both have 'baggage' and we will learn about that over the course of the book. That is different and I think I could get to like it. One is a widow, hubby was a detective. She has a retired police dog. (Lab and Airedale mix). The other, well, we don't know too much as yet, but both parents were killed in a terrible accident. She carries a tablet like a security blanket and has issues with darkness and storms. Her mentor is the victim and she is determined to find out what happened. It's sort of a rocky start to the friendship here, but they will work together to figure things out. Not a bad start, second book is due out in November.

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I am not as familiar with the musical Little Shop of Horrors as I am with others, but that did not detract from Little Shop of Murder at all! There is, of course, Audrey, that, um, very hungry plant (to be played, once it's bigger, by Ruby's boyfriend), the 'interesting' assignment of parts putting her arch enemy (they've been to court) as part of the trio she'll have to sing with the most, plus she's been asked to scope out her boss's nephew's wedding to check the younger brother, and his date. Got all that? Lot's of twists and turns here, and lots of fun! This is the third of the Musical Murder Mystery books by K.L. Montgomery.

I am thoroughly enjoying the Unlikely Murder Club series by Gina X. Grant, and An Unlikely Story: the Life and Crimes of a Master Criminal (retired) was no exception. This is not considered one of the mysteries in that series, but almost a stand alone, although it helps to know the characters ... it is the autobiography of Agatha Shadwell! Learn of her early life, her training (as a lock picker, artist, thief) as well as friends she made along the way. Lots of fun!

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I've read a lot on the movie version of Mary Poppins, and have seen a wonderful show on TV, too, but Making Mary Poppins: the Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of the Classic Film, by Todd James Pierce had all new information for me. It was mostly on how the music and lyrics were written, how Walt (he preferred that to Mr. Disney) picked the people he did (always experts in their field, not always well known as yet). It was a long, involved, convoluted process as they were also consulting with the author, who was not always pleased with their work! The brothers worked on a lot of other projects, too. I loved learning how careful they were with those lyrics ... for example, the one where the older bankers were singing about banking? ... well, those characters were old, would have been born in the late 1800's given the time setting they were working in, so their language and patterns of speech would have been different, so that's how they wrote "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank"! The movie was pretty much a huge gamble on the part of Disney to make, but it worked!

I debated with myself over whether or not I should include this book, I didn't exactly read all of it ... but, the parts I did read were excellent and I figured other readers might make a similar decision ... so, here it is. Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods! Interviews with Science Fiction Legends, edited by Richard Wolinsky. While I missed the golden age of the pulps and read a lot of the authors mentioned here after they were well established, the history behind that was fun. There were LOTS of pulp magazines: science fiction, fantasy, Western, romance ... and a lot of the authors wrote for many if not all of them because, face it, if you didn't get paid, you didn't eat! Culled from many resources here are comments from authors, editors, publishers and so on, many from the radio show Probabilities. It got so I read about the authors I knew, whether just by name, or because I'd read their books, but not each and every entry.

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 Hounding a Killer is the second in the Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series by Kallie E. Benjamin. An inheritance has gone missing, a large one, and the grandson of the deceased wants it found. The sooner the better. He has arguments with lots of the town folk ... and then goes missing .... without a trace. The police, knowing that Pris and Bailey helped out before, ask for their help again. On the very first search a body is found, and not that of the missing grandson, and so, as the saying goes, the plot thickens! Love following along as Bailey sniffs out clues and evidence ... in one case they should have listened to him (but no spoilers, remember)! Dog mysteries are such fun. :-)

The Canadian connection today will be this recommendation from Canadian Reader: Brought to Book, by Anthea Fraser, the first in her Rona Parish series. It has been re-released (as has the entire series, it seems) as Murder Most Bookish (but only as an e-book so I had to find a used copy). Rona is some who writes biographies, successful ones, and she has been asked to write about a recently deceased author. He died under, well, unusual circumstances that might have been suicide (at least that's what the police think). Things get worrisome as she investigates, does her usual research and so on. There are threatening notes and calls, her husband urges her to stop writing, but she can't do that (she is a bit compulsive). She has intense interviews with family and friends, even some from long ago. Either in book form or e-reader it's a good read.

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All retired inspector Tom Ramsey wants is to enjoy his retirement, with his dog. It didn't start out the way it was planned, he and his wife were going to travel, but she died. At some point he decided to hike various trails in England, with his dog. That's not going as planned, either ... murder keeps finding him and he ends up helping with the investigation. This time, however, he's considered a suspect! Ramsey and the Smuggling Ring is the second in the One Man and His Dog series by P.C. James. Lots of interesting twists.

It's been quiet for the Thursday Murder Club. (Also the name of the series). There is an upcoming wedding and a few family issues for folks, but then a wedding guest asks Elizabeth for help and Nick vanishes and things heat up. There is a car bomb, too, and a safe that may or maybe not be unopenable. Oh, and a large (maybe) fortune. The Impossible Fortune, by Richard Osman, is the newest in this series. I found it a bit scattered, but, it has been a while since I read any of the others! As usual, though, the characters were great. :-)

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What do retired spies like to do in retirement? Solve mysteries, of course! Here is the second Friday Street Murder Mystery by Russell Cooper: Easier Dead Than Done. Two murders have taken place, one in Italy, the second in England. Five years later the team get a letter asking for their help in solving them, and preventing a third muder. This is curious, yes? Follow along with this delightful gang of old spies (both field agents and those in the 'intelligence' part Military Intelligence) (the twins) as they discover and figure out the clues. Hard to put down.

Love the fact that in The Old Dogs' Club mysteries everyone is old! Dogs and humans alike. Old Dogs, Old Bones is the second in this series by Madison Boyd. There has been a massive storm and the wishing well, near the edge of the hill, is starting to slide. That includes mud, stones, coins ... and bones ... the belong to someone who went missing fifty years ago after the senior prom. The locals still remember her. They drag out old annuals and look for pictures of her ... she was active in a lot of clubs. Then they notice something about those photos, which takes them to the actual photos, not the ones cropped, etc. for the annual and they discover ... more. A good way to get everyone together is a reunion, so one is planned for many graduating classes (it was a small school). What will happen?

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I'm not sure whether to post Always Remember: the Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy as fiction or non-fiction. It's classified as a 'graphic novel' which does me no good at all because I think what's being said is factual! We meet up with the delightful characters from the earlier book again, this time after a big storm. The art work, as expected, is sweet and gentle. The story is a timeless message about self acceptance, liking who you are, having hope, being kind to others ... all things that felt so good in these troubled and chaotic times. I read it twice through in one sitting. Take some time, enjoy the artwork

From Canada today: before I saw the series Murdoch Mysteries I read some of the books by Maureen Jennings. Set in Toronto in the late 19th century it's a wonderful period piece. :-) The tv series is also excellent with a good cast starring Yannick Bisson. Watching them follow the clues that solve crime in that time period is fun! It almost borders on the science fiction sometimes, I think ... An earlier Canadian entry, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy was also made into a tv series (I've not seen it) and it also stars Yannick Bisson.

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Alas, Gone With the Woodwinds looks to be the last of the Music Shop Mysteries (book four) by Jennifer Lamont Leo (there is a novella, but it's only available with kindle). There is an annual music competition that changes location each year, giving many small towns chance to benefit from being the host. Amanda Parrish (owner of the store) writes an old classmate of hers asking him to judge the woodwinds. He agrees ... and then is killed. Suspicion falls on Amanda's friend (couldn't happen!) so she starts her own investigation (works with the police though). There are lots of possibilities for motive: grudges, jealousy, revenge ... I love the connection with music in this series, I hope there will be more.

Murder Aboard the Olympic, by Jennifer S. Alderson is the first in her new series A Traveler's Tale of Murder. Set in the 1920's, the descriptions of the era are excellent. The main character, Evelyn is a journalist from America, one of the few women in that field. She is headed to do a series of travel stories across Europe, but her boss has requested that she do one about the crossing as well. A quiet crossing, with lots of well to do folks, is expected. Instead, another journalist is found murdered. He was not well liked as he often wrote about scandals and secrets and so on. In fact, he was fired from his job for doing just that. Then it was discovered he was blackmailing many of those making the crossing, too. This makes for many suspects! Can the murderer be found before they reach England?

From Canada today is author Kate Whishaw. I have posted all (I think) of her Lane Winslow Historical mystery books. They are beautifully written.

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I do have a fondness for mysteries with dogs, that should come as no surprise. :-) Sniffing Out Murder, by Kallie E. Benjamin, features Bailey, a Bloodhound. His owner, Priscilla, has recently quit her job to write (about him) full time ... her book for children was a huge success and her agent and publisher want more. She gets distracted from that when someone from her high school graduating class (not nice then, not nice now) is found dead ... by Bailey! That must mean he and Lyssa have to investigate, yes? ;-) This is the first of the Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series.

The Armada Boy is the second in the DI Wesley Peterson series by Kate Ellis that was recommended by Canadian Reader. A group of veterans, from D-Day have gathered for a reunion at their wartime base. It's on an island that was evacuated to give the military a place to practice that invasion. (Read the notes at the back, they are fascinating). One is found dead in the ruins of an old church. The question, of course, is why? And, as with her first book, there is an event from 400 years earlier, a Spanish invasion of that island ... it did not go off as planned, the ship sunk and those that survived and made it to shore were killed by the locals. Could there be connections when it comes to motive? This is turning out to be a most interesting series.

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Faith Martin, author of many books, has started a new series with The Oxford Detective Society. Lyssa Moore loves writing biographies, even when she is the ghost author. She is asked by a relative to write about Amelia 'Monty' Montrose who died in the 1960's, at her birthday party. Her husband had died shortly before. It was deemed an accident or possibly suicide and the case was closed. The more Lyssa learns, the more odd things start to happen ... someone breaks into her home, her phone (land line) is sounding strange, someone may be following her ... someone who doesn't want the truth to come out, perhaps? She has help from her Oxford friends and Bibbie, her cat. Great start!

Canadian selections come from Wandering Reader today. While the last two are fiction authors, seems these first two lean more towards being artists! I do recognize Emily Carr and like her work, but Charles van Sandwyk was totally new to me. Descriptions of his art include "enchanting" and "endearing" and if you look him up, which is what I did, I think you'll agree! There are fairies and wonderful, whimsical birds, beautiful forests and clever insects. Take a look!

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It's summer so the doors and windows are open. I am now into hearing aids and while they are most certainly better than the ones my dad wore, they still are just amplifying sound ... so I am finding crows and seagulls to be loud and at times annoying. Still, crows are smart, we all know this, so I found a book. Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World, by Candace Savage. Research included studies of their intellect, social interactions (with other crows, animals, and humans), and emotions. This is the 10th anniversary edition and includes personal stories of experiences of crows. It was a captivating read with just one complaint ... the layout is confusing! You turn the page, expecting to continue on with what you've been reading only to discover one of the personal stories instead. The chapter you are reading continues on in a a page or two. I finally figured out these entries have a subtle header and footer and went through and read those first, then went back and read the 'other' part of the book. Personally, I think this could have been done a better way. Still, the book was a good read, and won't take you long. Candace Savage is a Canadian author.

I like to read, and write (and was raised by an English teacher) so it's no surprise that I enjoy words and learning about them. I did that in Friends With Words: Adventures in Languageland, by Martha Barnette. The author is co-host of a show on PBS called A Way With Words, which I have not heard, but have read that it is excellent. In this book you will learn about origins, and regional differences (and why those occur), as well as slang and those odd phrases we sometimes hear from our grandparents (or someone of that age). Often humorous!

My Mom was always big on 'honey, think it through' so I am channeling her with this suggested read (on this 25th anniversary of 9/11) (or reread, hopefully) from my post of June 29, 2014: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede. Small town, but with runways long enough for the big jets to land, it's where many planes ended up after the attacks on the twin towers, Pennsylvania and WA DC. In these unsettled times between our countries, think of our past history.

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Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Flo, are at it again. I do love this team! They are wonderful partners in figuring out a murder but can also play the perfect society woman and her proper maid when necessary. That is a hoot! In Murder on the Rocks they have been invited to a castle/fortress on a remote island that has been redesigned as a destination for the wealthy ... by an American. Everyone is supposed to be a special friend of this American, but it seems an unlikely group. When the husband of one of the guests (can be rather abusive to his blind wife) if found dead, no one is all that upset, but when a second body appears it's a bit more concerning. And, in good mystery plotting, there is a storm and they are trapped on the island. :-) This is part of the Lady Hardcastle Mystery series by T E Kinsey.

From Canada today it's Stuart McClean. I first learned of him on CBC FM and his radio show The Vinyl Cafe. He spoke once at Village Books. He was amazing (and died much too soon). Most, if not all, his books are somewhere in this blog. In the ones that are the stories (often in much greater detail) from the radio show I can hear his voice. The Morningside World of Stuart McLean are essays from another radio show (with that name, one that I never heard) about many of the small things in life, a pencil, perhaps, or the popsicle. Witty and charming.

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Once again I have tried a new author/series! This is almost always fun, I've had a couple I'm not going to recommend, but for the most part,it's been grand. This time it is Earl Grey and Shallow Graves, the first in the Waterwheel Cafe Mystery series by Victoria Tate. Keya Varma is excited to be opening her own cafe, with (you guessed it) a waterwheel. It is a marvelous old building and all is going well ... until a 30 year old skeleton of a young girl is discovered. Some progress is made by going through old files, but then a friend is discovered dead at the same site. This will change the investigation. Is there a connection? Not a bad start. Looks like other titles will use the names of tea. :-)

From Canada today: M L (Mary Lou) Longworth is a favorite author for Canadian Reader. She has written the Verlaque and Bonnet detective novels set in Aix-en-Provence. I'm told there are wonderful twists and turns to the plot! Canadian Reader loves the description of the area and learning of the history. You learn a lot about the different levels of French law enforcement, too! The main characters are well written and complex. Start with Death at the Chateau Bremont. I have not read this author as yet, but she is on my list!

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I often start with information at the back of a book ... information about the story line, historical notes, something about the author ... and that's where I learned that Ellie Webster is actually a shared pen name for a group of writers! The Peanut Butter Twist is the first of the Tails of Maple Ridge mysteries and was charming and fun to read. Curiously enough, it's also being advertised on my tablet when I play my games which leads to one complaint (a small one). Both those ads, and the front of the book feature a chocolate lab. The dog is named Cocoa. However, in the book is described as a black lab This reader found it a bit jarring and hopes it will be changed before the next printing! Tess has moved to town to bring back a run down book store. She loves doing that! Local baker brings amazing cookies over each morning, including ones with the same title as the book. (Recipe included). When he is found dead, folks of course, wonder why ... and Tess and others decide to figure that out.

From Canada today, it's Lucy Maud Montgomery and the Anne of Avonlea books, possibly more familiar as Anne of Green Gables? There are several books in the series, it was made into a wonderful tv show and folks I've talked with recently seem to know the Green Gables version ... at any rate, when I asked for favorite Canadian authors, Montgomery was on the list from both Wandering Reader and Canadian Reader (which I had less than 20 minutes after I'd sent the question) and mine. :-)

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 Recent events have inspired a detour from my usual postings of books I have read recently. I went back to see what Canadian authors I've used, and asked Canadian Reader for favorites as well. I don't know yet if I will use only these authors, or include one with a new read or what as yet, but it's a small way I can support Canada in these, um, uneasy times.

I'll start with an all time favorite of several decades now: Nothing to Good for a Cowboy, by Richmond P. Hobson, Jr. It is set in the Chilcotin, up in B.C. I was lucky enough to go on a pack trip in the area when I was young. It might have inspired my love for wilderness trail riding!

It looks like I'll be posting a recent read, too! :-) In keeping with the Canadian theme today, this was a recommendation from Canadian Reader. The Merchant's House is the first in the DI Wesley Peterson mystery series by Kate Ellis. I'm told the series just gets better and better. Wesley Peterson has just moved to Tradmouth to start a new job. It starts off with a missing child, and shortly after that the discovery of a body of a young woman. In addition to his police training, Wesley is also an amateur archaeologist and a friend is working on a dig nearby. They discover two bodies as well ... an infant and a young woman. Similar crimes, some 400 years apart, in a story well told. You'll stay up late reading ... :-)

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Some years ago Agatha created a forgery of a popular painting for a class she took. Her teacher liked it so much he kept it (yes, do worry about this). It is part of two painting set that is about to be appraised, which would reveal her work since, she has learned, it has replaced the original. It includes a 'kiss' made with actual lips so her DNA would be determined and she would be sent back to jail. This cannot happen! The original is with her teacher, yes? So all they have to do is swap the paintings. Easy peasy, yes? An Unlikely Heist is book six in The Unlikely Murder Club series by Gina X. Grant.

Some of the mysteries I'm reading recently have focused on a cold case, and West Side Murder (Musical Murder Mystery 2 by K.L. Montgomery is no exception. The death occurred some ten years back, on a local golf course. It was determined to be natural causes, but many there do not agree. It has divided the community and is a topic involved in a battle for control of the community council. Ruby is in town, along with the Melody Street Players, to perform West Side Story at a local theater. Her grandparents live here and so Ruby gets involved. (Yes, it is sort of mirroring the gangs in West Side Story ... which the author does very well ...)

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Here's the first in a promising new series: Hey Diddle Diddle, the Runaway Riddle, by P.C. James, from the One Man and His Dog Cozy Mysteries. Inspector Tom Ramsay has to retire from his job, one he loved, because he was shot. He does not plan on just sitting around! He adopts a border collie and has decided they are going to hike as many trails as possible. On the first outing he comes to the rescue of a young woman fleeing her captors. She was held captive for several days with no mention of a ransom. There is a pushy father (who thinks she needs to get married). (It's the 1950's, that could still have happened then). Naturally Tom has to figure out what is going on, and so the adventure begins!

A Muzzled Murder, the first in the Amelia Hartford Cozy Mystery series by Angie Street starts with a cold case, one from ten years ago. 'Investigated' and determined to be an accident, the still grieving mother says 'no way'. Amelia decides (with some of her new friends) to check things out. They find all kinds of suspicious activities from that time. Why the cover up? In addition to the help of her human friends, Bailey, the dog, helps out, too. :-)

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