When the author's mother takes the kids and leaves an abusive husband, life changes, and does so dramatically. Going from a nice house to a shack in the woods with no plumbing or water at first was hard, but Laurie Zaleski's mother made the best of things, and even took on animals and other humans needing shelter. It was her dream to run an animal rescue and Laurie will go on to fulfill that dream. From the start they called their place the funny farm and that became the title of her book. Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals was not an easy read, there is abuse to both animals and humans. There are stories about many of the animals at the farm and how they got there. Funny and sad, this is a powerful read.

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I waited a while to read Baskets and Beignets, the most recent of the Miss Fortune Mystery series by Jana Deleon because it is the last one for a while (more are promised). When I needed something of a lighter nature to read, after a grim, but excellent mystery, I plucked it off the shelf and was laughing in a matter of pages. Ten years ago Ryan Comeaux was sent to prison for the murder of his girlfriend. Only thing is, he didn't do it. It took place in a nearby town and the local police were, um, less than diligent, still are, as a matter of fact, so Swamp Team 3 sets out to solve it properly. Loved some of the twists used to prove that!

Here's a mystery that I wasn't sure was really a mystery at first, but then, when I thought about it, it was, just something different than what I usually read. :-) Nosy Neighbors, by Freya Sampson is about a group of people living in an old building. They don't really know each other, they don't like each other, they don't talk to each other ... some have lived there a long time, others are more recent renters. Then the building is scheduled for demolition and when that is questioned, 'things' start to happen. (As the blurb on the back says 'someone plays dirty'). This leads to the residents starting to come together ... and learn secrets about each other, many long buried. Can they overcome these (sometimes huge) life events and pull together to save the building? A most interesting read!

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Hoping to improve sales, not only at the little (mystery) book store where she works, but also the small town she now lives in, Annie Murray comes up with the idea for a town wide mystery-themed book festival. Store owners, all but one, agree to participate. Turn out is better than expected, all is going well, until one group of 'clue hunters' comments on the realistic body in the hidden room. There wasn't supposed to be a body in the hidden room, and so the adventure begins! Many of the participants are former college friends, many who have not seen each other in years, so why are they all turning up here, now? To me, The Body in the Bookstore, the first in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander seemed to drag at first, with too much emphasis on a past incident in Annie's life. Keep reading! It wasn't too long before it was a page turner. :-)

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I seem to have skipped the second book in the Marlow Murder Club books by Robert Thorogood and jumped right into the third: The Queen of Poisons. No wonder it took me a bit to figure out the characters again! The mayor of Marlow dies, suddenly and in a public place. He was well liked, too, so ... why? The 'what' wasn't so hard, it was aconite in his coffee, something that is grown in a yard of two of the local citizens. The 'how' is a bit harder, how did it get into his coffee? And, of course, who? It was at a town council meeting with just the council members and one citizen with a question. This time the women who make up the Marlow Murder Club are brought in to help the police as they can go places and ask questions as civilians the police cannot.

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Here it is, the last of the Maisie Dobbs novels by Jacqueline Winspear: the Comfort of Ghosts. Set just after the end of the second world war, London is in shambles, there are homeless people, shortages on food, clothing, housing ... when Maisie helps a wounded (mentally and physically) soldier, she comes across four children who have taken refuge in the same house. These are not your typical children, they are part of government plan to 'make things hard' should Hitler and his troops invade England. Wives, children, even nuns were recruited! This group thinks someone is after them since they witnessed something they shouldn't. That's just part of story line, it also deals with 'ghosts' (or dragons) from the past that haunt returning soldiers, medical staff, or even those who stayed at home. This is a beautifully written book about a grim era. A fitting end to a wonderful series.

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When Van Gogh painted Starry Night he was in an asylum. It is the view, for the most part, from his window. The village you see is nearby, but he could not have seen it from his window. He did not like the painting and it was not well received during his life time. (!) Today it is one of the most popular paintings ever! This is a fictional story of that painting, about the lamplighter who, that night, will be lighting the lamps in that small village for the very last time. Come tomorrow they will switch to electricity. His normal route is anything but normal that night! See how it all ties in together. The Curious Case of the Village in the Moonlight, by Steve Wiley was ... unusual! It's short, just 93 pages, but the author incudes some facts, cites the sources he used and so on, which certainly pleased this reader! ;-) My take is that you will either be enchanted, or it just won't appeal at all! Either is fine. :-)

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I came upon this unexpectedly, but what a timely find: Riding for the Team: Inspirational Stories of the USA's Medal-Winning Equestrians and Their Horses, edited by Nancy Jaffer. More than just the Olympic events, there are chapters on reining (the only Western event), driving, and vaulting. It was published recently enough, too, where you will recognize some of the names! Nice little biographies of how folks got started, who was a teacher, or mentor, or hero. Bits about their first horse (sometimes a Shetland pony), or their first great horse. A nice read given that I watched as much of the Equestrian Olympics as I could find. :-)

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