The title here: The Book: an Homage, is perfect! Author Burkhard Spinnen (with a translation by Aaron Kerner) has written a collection of essays on all things ‘book’. How they feel, or even smell. New books, old books, favorite books, those that were gifts or might have been stolen. Libraries (public and private), book stores (new and used), this was a ‘feel good’ read. Yes you can put lots of books on your electronic device, but how can that replace the pride of shelves of the real thing? And what does the printed book have in common with the horse? The illustrations by Line Hoven are a delight.

Packing My Library: an Elegy and Ten Digressions, by Alberto Manguel is a curious little collection of reflections on a life with books (in this case, the author), his own personal library, and why libraries are important. It would go well partnered with The Book: an Homage mentioned above.

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When I did a search on ‘mounted police’ I got a lot of hits about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police … many of them (yuk) romance books! So not what I was wanting! Buried amongst all those, however, was Merlin: the True Story of a Courageous Police Horse, by Gordon Thorburn. I love the description that he is ‘tall, dark, and handsome, but is not a movie star’! He, and his human Karen Howell, work in London. There are bits about his training as well as his daily work, and why, even today, mounted police are necessary.

You might be familiar with some of the entries in this book, then again, maybe not! Either way, this was a fun read: The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales From History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy, by Rick Beyer. (I did the one on music by this author in my post of August 19, 2017). How did Ivory Soap (the one that floats) get started? Who sent the first fax? And when? Most Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower, and were determined to be rid of it, what saved it? If you do any sort of a trivia night with friends and family, read this book!

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The Scent of Murder is the start of a new series by Kylie Logan. It opens with a cadaver dog in training finding a body (good dog!). Underneath all the goth makeup and odd costume, it turns out the handler/trainer knows the victim, she was a graduate of the school where Jazz works. How she ended up in an abandoned house and in such ‘get up’ makes for a good start. Lots of interesting twists and turns! I would have liked more with the dogs, but that may come with future books. :-)

Something new and fun from Lee Strauss (and this time,with hubby, Norm Strauss) comes in the form of short stories. First available only as an ereader, it recently came out in print form: Lady Gold Investigates Volume 1: Companion Stories to Ginger Gold Mysteries. There are fun little mysteries (no bodies this time) involving a stolen stole (sorry, just couldn’t resist that) from a manikin in Ginger’s store, and a boy that has gone missing from the Child Wellness Project that Lady Gold and the Reverend Oliver Hill run. Might one of the wealthy patrons to her store have actually shoplifted? And who might be snatching young boys off the street … and why? Most enjoyable!

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Here’s a look at a year in the life of a small, used book store in the tiny, out of the way town of Wigtown, Scotland: The Diary of a Bookseller, by Shaun Bythell. Entries include customers (good and bad, regular and tourist) and the comments they make (after one too many remarks of how much cheaper a book is on Kindle, the author bought a used Kindle, shot it, and framed the remains). He has an eccentric staff, you might wonder why he keeps them on, and yet, they’ve been there for years. The internet provider fails on a regular basis causing them to get poor marks for response time. How and why he chooses the books he buys is here, too. My favorite was the elderly woman who brings in a book of photography … pictures of a rather risque nature … Shaun thinks he has someone who is interested so he buys the book and as the woman is leaving, she taps the cover of the book (showing a picture of scantily clad young women) and says “see how long it takes to figure out which one is me” and walks out! A nice read.

A recent show about the great Chicago Fire sent me looking for a book. Did you know there were several other fires in that part of the country at the same time? Was there a ‘weather’ reason? (And not a cow?) In looking for more information I found The Great Chicago Fire, by John Boda and Ray Johnson. It is part of the Images of America series I like so much which means it’s full of wonderful photographs of Chicago before and after.

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Maybe I should have waited a bit longer to read the second Higgins & Hawke Mystery, by Lee Strauss, because there is no release date for the third yet! A woman has jumped from the common house tower in Boston (hence the title: Death at the Tower). At first there is no reason to think it wasn’t suicide. Funds are in short supply, so there is no autopsy … until an anonymous tip comes in that she was pushed. Assistant ME Haley Higgins opts to do an autopsy on her own time, and agrees, the woman had been pushed. Can she convince others? And what did this woman know that got her killed? Another wonderful mystery … and I want the next book NOW! ;-)

It all starts with a vacant house in Fairmile Green and new owners that make extensive changes … just imagine the noise and the dust! Then the peacocks arrive, more noise, noise that does not end at the close of the work day. There are threats, and attempts, but is it to kill or merely injure? Glass House is Book Eleven in the Falconer Files Murder Mystery series by Andrea Frazier. Of course there is eventually a murder, and as Falconer and Carmichael investigate, all sorts of interesting things about the new owners surface. An excellent series!

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Look! I found enough picture books for an extra post! :-)

Britta Teckentrup creates wonderful picture books and Ocean: a Peek-Through Picture Book is no exception. I love these books, where something is revealed from one page to the next. This time it’s an ocean teaming with life. Readers of all ages should enjoy these books!

An outside, night time game of hide-and-seek turns into a glorious moon light dance for Amani in The Night is Yours, by Abdul-Razak Zachariah and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo. What a feeling it must be, to dance under the moon!

In looking for books about mounted police I came across Calliope: the Tale of a Police Horse During the Blitz, by Diane Condon-Boutier and illustrated by Elisabeth Gontier. It’s one on the Tails of War series which are based on the animals that have received the Dickin Medal of Honor, which is given to those who have assisted humans during war time. Calliope, and her human, Officer Edwards, routinely patrol the neighborhood where there is a school, and many of those students are friends. One student, with red shoes, stands out … she and her mother are from France, and her mother has an ‘interesting’ job with the government. Told from the perspective of the horse, this is a good read for younger readers as well as those who might read it to them. :-)

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If you’ve every considered having a tea party, especially one with a bookish theme, this is the book for you: A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere, by Alison Walsh. Each entry includes a book title, a short selection from that book, and a recipe for a sweet or savory inspired by the same, along with a recommendation for a ‘tea pairing’. Lots of fun!

Here’s another entry in the quirky little series called Object Lessons from Bloomsbury: Bookshelf, by Lydia Pyne. It’s all about bookshelves (obviously) … how they are built, how they are used (think chained books), and how they’ve changed over time. And what else is put on such shelves? It’s often more than just books, whether it’s something ‘official’ if it’s in an Archive, or just fun if it’s a home book shelf. What can be found on your bookshelves?

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