It's been a while since I've read a book about dogs, but I got back on that trail with Gold Rush Dogs, by Claire Rudolf Murphy & Jane G. Hatch. Not all of these dogs were northern breeds, in fact, I wondered how some of them survived the cold, but all of them were heroes. So much so that there would be an obituary in the paper when they died. I like that popular fictional dogs were included as well. Some of these dogs were the inspiration for them. Wonderful photos!

On to another old trail, this time it's Doctor Who. Whoniverse, by Lance Parkin, is exactly what the subtitle indicates: the Unofficial Planet-by-Planet Guide to the Universe of the Doctor, From Gallifrey to Skaro. I enjoyed parts of this book, but then, I am new to Doctor Who so for those of you who have watched the show (or read the books, etc.) for a longer period of time, it should be even better! :-)

I had mixed feelings about the new Louise Penny book Glass Houses. Part of me wanted the events within to be done and over, part of me didn't want the book to end so soon because, as always, the writing is just so good! Inspector Gamache makes a bold decision ... if it works it will have amazing results, if it doesn't he, and several of his coworkers, will be out of a job. The hard part is the waiting. And who (or what) is the mysterious figure in black who appears on the town green in Three Pines?

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Here's another book about the Broadway Stage: Show & Tell: the New Book of Broadway Anecdotes, by Ken Bloom. Talk about people behaving badly! Good grief! From actors to writers, producers and so on, sometimes it's a wonder the show really does go on! There was lots of fun stuff, too, such as when Ben Hur was produced on the stage (!) and it came time for the chariot race? The horses were galloping on treadmills. One run of Sound of Music lasted long enough for some of the boys voices to change! A fun read.

If you haven't had enough about the Broadway stage yet, move on to Showstoppers! The Surprising Backstage Stories of Broadway's Most Remarkable Songs, by Gerald Nachman. Some of these songs were consider 'throwaway' songs, imagine! Many would become firmly linked with the performer, others with the show. And, the author mentioned something I've long believed ... the movie versions of Broadway musicals are dreadful (with very few exceptions, The Music Man being one, it was fairly close to the stage play). 'Names' are used in the main roles, whether or not the person can actually sing (and then, at an extra cost, the voice is dubbed). Songs are dropped, their order is changed .... sometimes the story is even changed. This is a nice history of how the musical has changed, too.

Normally I use picture books on my Thursday post, but this fit so well here I just had to use it! Balloons Over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade, written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Tony Sarg designed puppets with such amazing movements that Macy's hired him to design their holiday windows, which lead to floats in their parade. Then, when Tony realized not all people could see the floats, his creations started to go up ... and up ... eventually becoming what you see in the parade today. He worked with an assistant named Bill Baird ... he designed the puppet show seen in the movie version of The Sound of Music. Mr. Baird had an apprentice, someone who would also do amazing things with puppets: Jim Henson!

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Take another walk with Virginia Brimhall Snow in her Fall Walk book. This time the focus in on trees and how their leaves change (or don't, depending). There's some fun tree trivia, and instruction on how to do a leaf rubbing.

Autumn is the time for harvesting many things, including cranberries! Follow one family as they do just this in Time for Cranberries, by Lisl H. Detlefsen and illustrated by Jed Henry. There are different ways to do this, which is explained in the book.

This book was a lot of fun! Loved the use of words, and how the same words mean different things, such as leaves ... as in when summer leaves (goes away) autumn leaves fall. Fall Leaves, by Loretta Holland and illustrated by Ellly MacKay has beautiful pictures, too. :-)

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Thanks again to Tall Reader who brought over the entire series (just as with the J.J. Cook mysteries), I did not have to wait to jump into The Prime Minister's Secret Agent. Maggie might be home from Berlin now, but she is 'damaged'. Recovering from being shot is least of her issues. She seeks escape in Scotland at the spy training camp (where she once washed out of the physical part of the program). Instead of the peace she hopes to find, of course, she is pulled into danger once again when three dancers take sick (one a good friend of hers). Two die. An unusual connection with a dead sheep Maggie found on the shore leads to the discovery of government sanctioned development of poisons. Again, a hard to put down read! Don't miss the historical notes at the end, they are always interesting and can lead to other books to read!

And here we are ... at the last of the Maggie Hope books from Tall Reader. The Queen's Accomplice, by Susan Elia Macneal, has a bit of a twist. This time the problem is closer to home ... a local is killing women in the style of Jack the Ripper. Who, and why? The answer sure came as a surprise to me! An interesting sub-plot is Maggie's efforts to get women agents proper pay and benefits. And now we wait!

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In a nostalgic moment (I was cleaning out a closet and came across a box of marbles that belonged to my Dad) I found Marbles: a Player's Guide, by Shar Levine and Vicki Scudamore and illustrated by Emily S. Edliq. I was more interested in the history chapters than the games (I had no idea there were so many!), but if you want to try some, all the rules, etc. are included.

On the same night as I saw the show about the Golden Gate bridge I also saw one on Alcatraz. One of the hosts was the daughter of one of the Wardens, and she wrote a book: Breaking the Rock: the Great Escape from Alcatraz, by Jolene Babyak. The breakout was a result of a decrepit building, reduced staff, budget cuts, an 'easing' of some of the rules, and determined prisoners. I'm impressed by the research (records were incomplete, or just plain missing), and the time the author took to get interviews (with the understanding that what she was told might be lies and/or exaggerations. Not a bad read. :-) The author has a nice style.

From Kiwi comes a reflective, descriptive book of southwest Washington in Wintergreen: Listening to the Land's Heart, by Robert Michael Pyle. The chapters on the rain, and the green were spot on, the chapters on logging .... were sad, I thought. I read this on a cloudy day, which was perfect.

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Remember Larry, the dog? The one who got lost in New York? (June 15, 2017, post). Seems he is lost again, this time in a place closer to home (well, for those of us here in the PNW): Larry Gets Lost in Seattle, illustrated by John Skewes, written by Eric Ode and John Skewes. As before, I love the images of the city, and that little bit of extra information these authors include in their books but still, I worry about a lost dog! The cover on my copy indicates I have a "10th anniversary edition" of the book.

Here's another book about Larry, again in Seattle! (The authors/illustrator are locals). Seattle ABC: A Larry Gets Lost Book, written by John Skewes and Robert Schwartz and illustrated by John Skewes. There are wonderful choices for each letter along with the fun pictures I've come to expect from this series. A friend of a friend collects ABC books, sure hope this one is in the collection!

Take a wonderful tour of Western Washington with Three Bears of the Pacific Northwest, by Marcia and Richard Vaughan and illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell. Blue Bear has lost his human and Black Bear and Brown Bear help with his search. Along the way look for familiar trees, animals, birds and insects. Charming!

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Looking back on a comment from the June 6, 2017 post, it seems I was right! Yes, Canadian Reader and I had jumped into the middle of the Maggie Hope mysteries by Susan Elia Macneal, and now, yes, I can report we have gone on to read more! Not only that, Tall Reader has joined us as well. :-) While they have both finished the available books (and are eagerly awaiting the next one), at the moment I have one more left to read. The second in the series is Princess Elizabeth's Spy (you'll find the first book in the August 15, 2017 post). This time Maggie Hope has been sent to Windsor Castle to protect the princesses (her cover is as a math tutor). Naturally there are spies, and assassination attempts, and more. (No spoilers here!) A nice blending of real and fictional characters (all explained in the back).

Next came His Majesty's Hope. This time the story is much darker, more intense, and rather bleak in places. Of course, it takes place in Berlin where Maggie learns more disturbing facts about her family as well as what Hitler has planned. Taking on an extra, unplanned mission garners her some good information but also blows her cover which means she needs to flee. How will she get out? (Loved that part)! And who helps? (An unexpected twist here). Did you know messages in Morse Code were sometimes passed with knitting?

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