Middle Sister's April Read,

April was a hodge podge of varying genres, in which I also sampled some long-running series I had never read before. Let's get to it. 

Cozy Coastal Knits by Rosann Fleischauer I love knitting and crocheting and I love any coast. Ms. Fleischauer presents a collection of mitts,  headbands and hats, bandanas, shawls, and ponchos named after bodies of water, a clever idea on its own. I was, however, disappointed by the book. There is one men's sweater, one sleeveless women's tank, and one skirt, but six ponchos. Six ponchos out of a book of twenty-one patterns is too many. I reviewed the Net Galley ARC (advanced readers' copy), and there is one major error: the Atlantic and Pacific ponchos appear to be the exact same pattern; same description, same special stitch, same instructions. I'm not sure if there was meant to be a difference between these and an editing and layout mistake was made. Overall, the book is laid out nicely, with lots of tropical photos for the location shots, and contains written patterns but no charts with simple schematics. But the duplicate pattern, whether an accident or intentional, means this book has to receive a poor review. (Net Galley)

National Monuments of the USA by Cameron Walker, Illustrated by Chris Turnham Adorable mid-century inspired artwork by Chris Turnham makes this children's travel guide to select national monuments a delight. The book is divided geographically, and presents some of our most popular, most famous, and most recent national monuments in an engaging manner that is sure to interest both adults and the children for which the book was written. Colors are slightly muted but very pleasing, with postcard-sized sidebar illustrations of fun facts about the flora, fauna, and history of the monuments. The book starts off with the Statue of Liberty, but then goes to Stonewall, one of our newest national monuments. The explanation of why Stonewall was deemed important enough to become a national monument is low key and child-appropriate; it simply says in 1969 certain people were discriminated against and in 1969 at Stonewall, people started an uprising. Ultra conservatives may find the use of LGBTQ+ and the inclusion of Stonewall reason to ban the book, but I think it's a fantastic choice and well handled by the author and the illustrator. Rousing applause for the diversity and inclusivity in this book. Adults and children of all colors are represented, and there is a very subtle illustration of a gay couple (one black, one white) on the Stonewall page. The civil rights movement and monuments in Birmingham are featured, but so are archaeological monuments like Pipestone, Montezuma Castle and Bandalier, and amazing natural landscapes like Rainbow Bridge and Muir Woods. We learn about historic houses, insects and bears and fish, even dinosaurs, and famous and some not-quite-as-famous but just as important people who helped make American history. An absolute gem of a book. (Net Galley)

The Most Beautiful Places in the World: UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites by Christopher Woods This beautiful coffee table book takes readers around the world to visit some of the most spectacular landscapes and vistas that have escaped development. The book is divided into large continental sections. Each heritage site has text that describes the location, the date it became a world heritage site, and iconic flora or fauna that inhabit it. Beautiful two-page spreads are accompanied by a page of photos that concentrate on close-up shots of plants and animals. This is a terrific book for an avid traveler, national park geek, or nature photographer. I've only been to one of these heritage sites, and as much as I'd like to visit many of them, that seems unlikely. But this book allowed me to discover the unknown beauty of places like Croatia and Iran as well as more famous locales such as Ngorongoro. The book also serves to remind us why preserving nature and these heritage sites is so crucial to maintain biodiversity and the health of our home planet. (Net Galley)

Death by Arts and Crafts by Alexis Morgan Although the series is new to me, this is the sixth in the Abby McCree series. Abby lives in a small town, Snowberry Creek, WA, where she inherited her aunt's home. In this entry, Abby, newly elected to the city council, is acting as liaison between the council and several artists who will be participating in Snowberry Creek's first art festival. The weekend before the festival, Abby and her friends attend an art fair so that Abby can meet the artists and be sure that there are no special requirements that have been overlooked in the planning phase. Not so surprisingly, a murder happens at the fair, and Abby finds herself reluctantly drawn into the investigations. I liked that Abby genuinely seemed to not want to get involved after her previous encounters with murder investigations. I also like that whenever she thought of something that had occurred to her and she wondered off the police knew, she immediately reminded herself that of course they had thought of that. I quibble a bit with her remembering things that she didn't tell Ben or Gage, the police investigator and local sheriff, both of who are her friends, but the author had to to have her withhold that information to make the story process, even if it didn't accord with Abby's desire to remain outside the investigation and help her friends out. What I didn't like was her 'romance' with Tripp. We are reminded several times that he won't tell Abby what he is studying in college; why not? How can you contemplate a serious relationship with someone who withholds such a trivial fact from you? I understand he has PTSD after his 20 years as special ops in the military; I even get why he'd not tell her what he saw in combat. But what his major is? I also heartily dislike his patronizing attitude; at one point he says he warned another potential suitor off and that he's "protecting what's mine." Ugh. I like Ben much more as a romantic suitor; he worries about Abby but doesn't patronize her, and respects her intelligence and integrity. Not sure I want to read any more of these if Tripp is going to remain an important secondary character (hey, wouldn't it be a twist to let then break up permanently?). There are only 3 suspects and it was very easy to figure out which was the likely murderer. While tension does build as threats to Abby and her friends escalate, and the whole story really does take place over the course of just a couple of weeks, the middle section dragged for me. Overall, the writing was good and I would have liked to have more on the setting, another one of those idyllic little towns where everyone knows each other and happily adopts the newcomer into their lives. NB: the editing in this ARC was bad  int he second half (multiple times main characters' names were mistaken). (Net Galley)

Death by Spiced Chai by Alex Erickson A bookstore cafe mystery series. Sounds great. I love bookstores, and while I don't drink coffee, spiced chai is a tea and we all know how I love my tea. This is the tenth in this series, although this series was new to me. Bookstore and cafe owner Krissy Hancock is at first annoyed by what seem to be pranks, but then becomes very concerned when it becomes evident that someone is targeting her. And the clues indicate that she's been targeted because of her past involvement in murder investigations (so earlier books are referenced, and without having read them, I was a little puzzled). Krissy make some questionable choices as she investigates (no, don't go talk to your main suspect and tip them off!), and the author makes some questionable choices as backstory (I still don't understand the paragraph about chipped mugs at location 1275 on a Kindle). Another irritant to this reader: Krissy is dating Paul the policeman, and seems irritated that he won't tell her about his boss' investigation in the murders in which she is a main suspect. Hello, Krissy, he could lose his job over that! Paul's character is clearly tormented by these two things pulling on him, but Krissy's lack of understanding and concern for his career annoyed me. As did her assumptions that the police were not doing their jobs simply because she remained a suspect and no one was telling her who they were investigating besides herself. A few inconsistencies in plotting (e.g., one person comments that nobody walks around her neighborhood but then suddenly remembers that actually there was somebody passing by her home at least a dozen times over two days and that didn't cause any suspicions--really?) and what I felt was a thin reason for the murder meant that I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I doubt that I will seek out further in the series. (Net Galley)

Love, Nature, Magic by Maria Rodale OK, I've subscribed to Prevention magazine for decades, and was mildly curious about a book written bye the granddaughter of the man who started the business, so I chose to read this book strictly because of the author. Ms. Rodale brings the reader with her on a series of shamanic journeys during the pandemic that revealed and cemented her relationship with nature. I felt some of the shamanic journeys were a bit too woo-woo for me, although I certainly respect animal and plant intelligence and heartily agree with many of the author's conclusions about what humans are doing to our home planet. (Net Galley)

Middle Sister's March Reads

Midwestern murder! The people may seem nice, but murder lurks under all that wholesomeness...

Death Checked Out (A Larkspur Library Mystery) by Leah Dobrinska A small town librarian solving cime? Sounds straight up my alley. Greta Plank is the new librarian in Larkspur, Wisconsin, and like the doctor in last month's Scottish mystery, she is haunted by something in her past that the author takes three-quarters of the book to reveal. Honestly, but the time Greta's secret came out, I didn't care, and when I learned what it was, I cared even less. Mountains out of molehills, indeed. I'm assuming this is the first in a new series, so here's your synopsis: Greta's hermit-like neighbor is found dead, and while it looks like an accident, Greta is not convinced it was. When she finally manages to convince Larkspur's new detective that he was murdered, she finds herself as the number one suspect. Greta and her two library colleagues set out to uncover the murderer. I did like Greta's happy and healthy relationship with her parents, whom I'd have liked to see more of (they are more interesting that her, to be honest). No blood or gore or cursing or sex, for those who like their mysteries squeaky clean. (Net Galley)

Bake Offed (Five Ingredient Mystery) by Maya Corrigan I'd not read any books in this series, but I was tickled by the idea that a young woman and her grandfather were the amateur detectives. I started reading this on a flight to Washington DC. and was delighted to find that the book was set in Maryland. Val is helping her friend host a mystery convention, with one of the highlights a baking contest, and Grandad is one of the participants. Someone slips a warning message in his conference tote bag, and then one of the participants is found dead by Val. It's not a difficult mystery to figure out, but the characters were pleasant enough to spend some time with, and I do like the idea of a multi-generational amateur detective team. I won't go out of my way to track down any more in there series, but if one comes my way, I'll probably read it. Another squeaky clean mystery. (Net Galley).

On Spine of Death (By the Book Mysteries 2) by Tamara Berry After all this midwestern mayhem, I ended the month in one of my favorite states, Washington, and the fictional town of Winthrop, where mystery writer Tess Harrow and her daughter Gertrude have settled  down permanently after Tess' divorce.  Tess is remodeling her grandfather's hardware store when a body is found, and then a second body, and soon Tess realizes that the murders are eerily familiar. Funny and delightful, with engaging secondary characters, a realistically healthy yet imperfect mother-daughter relationship, and a small town full of very quirky inhabitants make for a very fun read. Yes, I figured out the whodunnit pretty early on, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I want to read the first in the series now, and hope I don't have to wait too long for Tess and Gertrude's next adventure. (Net Galley)

Out to Canaan by Jan Karon I needed an audiobook for some car time, and I remembered how popular these were in the 1980s when I worked in a wonderful independent bookstore. Father Tim and all the secondary characters and the setting have held up fairly well, although readers will think it takes places further in the past than it does given the lack of technology. Gentle stories about ordinary things, which I generally like, but I couldn't get into the series when it was first published and this one still left me cold. I think everyone is just a little too bland for my liking. 

Middle Sister's February Reads

 I spent much of February, fictionally speaking, in the British isles.

An American in Scotland (A Scottish Isle Mystery) by Lucy Connelly I love a mystery set in Scotland or England, and a mystery set in a small town in Scotland sounded perfect. Except it wasn't. Dr. Emilia McRoy has moved to Scotland to be the local doctor, and no sooner does she land there than she is embroiled in a murder mystery. First off, the name Sea Isle sounds more California or Florida than Scotland. The author very slowly spins out how Emilia got this jobs and even more slowly draws out what tragedy in her own life caused her to want to move halfway across the world. Coincidences run strong in this novel, so if you find a multiplicity of these an indicator of lazy writing, you will be slightly irritated by how many move this story forward. The state of the art facility Emilia finds herself in is unbelievable, and when we find out the whys and hows and who behind her job, the unbelievability of the story skyrockets. And I'm always irritated when the protagonist's sole reason for investigating the murder is that they are a new person in town and therefore they assume everyone else thinks they're the murderer. Oh, and also when they withhold evidence from the police or here, the constable. Who asks her stupid questions like "Wouldn't the rain have washed away ay evidence?" Did he not go to constable school? It should be obvious by now that I did not find the premise of the story believable, and without that, frankly, you've lost me as a reader. (Net Galley)

Book Clubbed to Death (Mystery Bookshop 8) by V. M. Burns Sam is celebrating, not without trepidation, the publication of her first Wickfield Lodge mystery. A bad storm knocks out electricity to a large part of North Harbor, Michigan, and the public library is damaged. Sam offers to help out by hosting a local mystery book club in her mystery bookstore, and she's excited to discover that the Mystery Mavens include a published author and well-known reviewer. Then the reviewer is found dead in her bookstore, and Sam finds herself the number one suspect in a real life murder mystery. One that could have deadly consequences if she can't uncover the real murderer before she's arrested. I like Sam and her mom and the secondary characters, but the trope of having her subconscious figure out the clues and the mystery while she's writing her book is wearing mighty thin. We've read chapters of her mystery within the books, and frankly, they kind of stink, so the accolades upon publishing are hard to swallow. I'd suggest limiting this plot device to once or twice in the course of a Mystery Bookshop story, as its prevalence in just about every other chapter is tedious and every time Sam is tired and can't sleep, which seems to be every night; she needs to see a sleep doctor. (Net Galley)

The Hanging in the Hotel (Fethering Village Mysteries 5) by Simon Brett I really like the village of Fethering and I'd love to be friends with Jude, although I'd probably avoid her neighbor and friend Carole as much as possible. In this entry in the series, Jude's old friend Suzy asks her to help out temporarily at a private event being held in Suzy's Hopwicke Country House Hotel. When one of the attendees at the Pillars of Sussex dinner is found dead the next morning, everyone assumes it was suicide. Except Jude. Meanwhile, Carole's son introduces her to his new fiancee, and Carole uses their engagement as an excuse to do some sleuthing at the hotel. Well written and genial, Mr. Brett's mysteries harken back to the Golden Age of Christie with the deeper psychological and social aspects modern readers prefer. I recommend the Fethering series to all lovers of cosy mysteries; these are some of the best. 

Isabel Puddles Abroad (A Mitten State Mystery) by M. V. Byrne This book started out in Michigan, but most of it took place in London and Mousehole, Cornwall. I mention that because in March, I spent most of my fictional time in the Midwest, so this was a great bridge to tend the month on. Isabel Puddles is generally a likable middle-aged widow who finds herself, a la Jessica Fletcher, involved in mysteries wherever she goes. In this entry in the series, Isabel takes her first vacation and her first trip outside Michigan to England, to visit Teddy Mansfield, the famous mystery writer Isabel had met when he was in Michigan. Teddy is busy writing, and his housekeeper Tuppence is busy perfecting her scone recipe for a baking competition that the Duchess of Cornwall is going to attend. Tuppence's delicious scones are ruined before the competition, and when a murder occurs, she's just one of the many suspects. Isabel solves the mystery, of course, surrounded by a nicely-fleshed out cast of suspects and enough red herrings that it took me about three-quarters of the book to figure out whodunnit. A very pleasant book perfect for summer vacation. (Net Galley)