Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper I am an unabashed and terrible birder of 30 plus years. I'm never looking at the right part of the bird to make the right identification. Nonetheless, I love it. I was interested to read Mr. Cooper's journey as a birder, but the book is so much more than that. It's an autobiography that traces his life from an adolescent boy wrestling with his homosexuality through his (somewhat) hedonistic life as a young man with his dream job in the graphic novel industry, to the Central Park birding incident tat catapulted his face into the news (and changed his life). Through it all weaves the changing landscape of his relationship with his father. So while birders may find his descriptions of birding interesting, those not interested in his journey of self-discovery may find too little birds, too much Christian in here. But Black people, birders from different underrepresented communities, and autobiography lovers will enjoy this well-written self-reflection. (NetGalley)
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany This is one of my favorite cozy series. I love the setting (a tea room and associated Victorian B&B on Cape Cod), I like the main and secondary characters (relatable, nice, with just enough quirkiness to be realistic), and I like the writing (clean and simple) and pace. I particularly enjoy the series because Ms. Delany always takes care to make Lily's experiences as a small business owner realistic. To whit: the book begins with Lily off to an antique fair to replace the broken china that is an unavoidable part of owning a tea room. She has a budget that she has to keep in mind while shopping, but is so smitten with a children's Beatrix Potter tea set that she splurges on it. What follows is a good story with a slightly unbelievable premise (would the antiques seller really identify a client and/or provide contact information to someone. in this day and age?). I enjoyed learning a bit about Lily's past and why she left her pastry job in New York City to relocate to Cape Cod. I also enjoyed the role Rose played in this story, since she and her granddaughter Lily's relationship is one of the most pleasant aspects of the series. It's a fun, light read, and you don't have to have read the series in order to read this one. In fact, with some of Lily's background explained, it's a perfect place to step into the series. Highly recommended (Net Galley)
Big Meg by Tim Flannery and Emma Flannery I read a book about whales several years ago and loved it; it was one of my favorites that year. So when I saw an advanced readers' copy of a nonfiction book about an extinct species of shark, I thought I'd enjoy it as much. Don't get me wrong--it's a great book, with a well-written and engaging presentation of the science, history, and extinction of Otodus megalodon, but now I am terrified of living sharks. Cookie cutter sharks--I'd never heard of them, and now I'm terrified. Megamouths. Oceanic whitetips. Bull sharks. Tiger sharks. Great white sharks. I learned a lot (some sharks can live up to 440 years!) but was both horrified and unable to stop reading the chapter entitled Sharks Eat Man. It's a great book and I enjoyed it, and Mr. Flannery's love of sharks and the megalodon in particular shines through his writing. But I had to immediately start reading a cheesy cosy mystery at midnight to get the images out my mind (see the next book reviewed). It says a lot, though, that I stayed up till midnight to finish reading this book, because it was too interesting to put down. Recommended (Net Galley)
Cinnamon Twisted (Deputy Donut Mystery 7) by Ginger Bolton I read my first Deputy Donut mystery last Christmas season, and I enjoyed the small town atmosphere and characters enough that I was interested in reading the next in the series, Cinnamon Twisted, which was published this spring. Emily Westhill is getting ready to be a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding. She's perplexed by a woman who comes to her donut shop two days in a row, and sits there for hours. She strikes up a brief but cordial conversation and learns that the woman has rented the family cabin of an acquaintance of Emily's. So when the woman drops an earring when rushing out of the shop to avoid someone, and Emily will be passing the cabin on her way to her parent's campsite, it's no bother to drop the earring off. But she finds someone dead at the cabin, and with her boyfriend Brent out of town teaching at the at police academy, Emily finds herself the main suspect, and so has to try to solve the mystery alone. Who was Pamela trying to avoid at the donut shop? And why is Emily's new neighbor, seen near the scene of the crime, so evasive about why he was there? And just how was the new police chief involved with the victim? I liked this book, but not as much as the one I read before, I'll confess. The murder and its solving was pretty typical for the genre, but the tie in with the history of EMily's house seemed forced and too coincidental, e.g. Kayla and Emily's parents' storyline. I like Fallingbrook and the Wisconsin small town setting, and the secondary characters are as likable as Emily herself. But I thought this book was weak, and I'm glad this wasn't my first exposure to the series or I might not read further. It's a light and quick read, perfect for vacation. Recommended (Net Galley)
The French Powder Mystery by Ellery Queen My library is slowly acquiring audio versions of classic Ellery Queen novels and I've been enjoying listening to them while driving or doing housework. Originally published in 1930, the book opens with a model demonstrating the latest in modern furniture. She she pushed the button to demonstrate the folded bed, the body of the wife of the store owner is revealed to horrified observers. Nothing, of course, is as simple as it seems, and the name of the murderer isn't revealed until the very last sentence of the book. It's always fun to tag along with Ellery and his father on a mystery. Recommended.
Great Classic Mysteries II Great anthology of classic short stories written by several authors, including Baroness Orczy, Mark Twain, R. Austin Freeman, Anna Katherine Green, and Edgar Allen Poe. This was another audiobook that I listened to, and in some ways, short stories are the best to listen to as they fit into the time I have while driving around, doing errands. This is a great way to check out some of the classic mystery writers forgotten by modern readers.
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