Middle Sister's April Reads

I continued to indulge myself this April by looking at lovely knitting pattern books and reading an old favorite author, happily republished, as well as one by a current favorite. Together, these made April a great book month,

The Religious Body by Catherine Aird I first came across Catherine Aird working in a bookstore in the 1980s and 1990s, and while I read several, I don't think I'd ever read the first Inspector Sloan book before. I like her books very much; they have great plots and stories, without the emphasis on gore that many modern police procedurals employ. The intelligent and deliberate investigation by a seasoned police inspector hints all the notes for a golden age mystery despite this being 40-plus years too young. This was an audiobook read by a gentleman with the right plummy English voice for Sloane, and I enjoyed how he acted, not just read, the various characters and incidents. But I disliked his heavy sighing and jaded approach to Sloan, who I don't think is jaded at all, just saddened by all that he's seen over his career.  There's lots of audible lip smacking and swallowing and Sloan drawls, as if he's seen it all and investigating is just too much to do, a bore. That is not the Sloan that I hear in my head when I read the books, so I advise anyone wanted to read Aird to avoid the audiobooks and track down the book to read Sloan in her voice, which is vastly superior. 

Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod Charlotte MacLeod was one of my favorite authors 40-plus years ago, and her books are being re-released, which makes me happy. While the Gurb-and-Stakers mysteries written as Alisa Craig were my favorite, I was happy to see the first Peter Shandy mystery available at my library. I can't remember ever reading the first book, in which Peter meets Helen, his wife the later books. Academic mysteries are one my favorite subgenres, and these books take place in the college years of old: pre-cell phone and computer technological revolutions. When things, looking back from today, seemed so innocent. The story does not suffer at all from not having the modern techno trappings. And it takes place in the dead of winter, so if it's hot and steamy where you are, dive into this book and slog through snow drifts with Peter. MacLeod was a top notch author, with charming characters and well-plotted mysteries. Highly recommended.

Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble by Vicki Delany The latest Tea by the Sea book, published in July 2026, is not set at Halloween although this would make a good seasonal read. The Victoria Bed and Breakfast Lily's grandmother Rose runs next door to her tea room is full, partly because several woman on a tour of paranormal Cape Cod are checking in. They are waiting for their tour leader to arrive, but she's apparently been delayed, so her sidekick/second in command begins the tour. After a ghostly seance, they find that while the B&B is not haunted, the house next door is. Following the spirits to Matt's house, the group is horrified to find a dead body at the bottom of the cliff. Evil seems to be stalking the group, and things are not as they seem. Stormy nights and unsettled spirits are the least of the problems Lily has to deal with. I really enjoy this series, and it remains strong with this 7th entry in the series. 

Stashbuster Knits and Mastering Color Knitting by Melissa Leapman Melissa Leapman is a well-known knitting designer, and int here two books she shows why. It's become quite popular the past two years to offer patterns that use op leftover skeins from other projects, and in Stashbuster Knits, Melissa presents her patterns that will make a dent in your stash: mittens and blankets and sweater and an adorable purse and tote bag, and even some cute thick bracelets. In Mastering Color Knitting, Melissa provides ample instructions on intarsia, stranded, double knitting, and reverse color work in language and with illustrations that are clear and easy to follow. Simple and complicated patterns ensure that there is something for everyone. This book is a great reference that should have a permanent place in a knitter's library.

May and June Reads

This list is going to look very short, especially since it's covering two months, but I was trying to get caught up with the backlog of magazines cluttering my coffee table. My 19th century novels book club was reading a novel by Edgar Allen Poe--The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. It's Poe, it's Nantucket, I should have been enjoying it, but the Project Gutenberg .pdf I downloaded to my Kindle Voyage was at such a small font, I could/can barely read it. But I did read:

Dead Reckoning by Catherine Aird Ms. Aird is a Golden Age of Murder Mysteries Grand Dame living amongst us. There's just enough character development to keep the modern reader happy, but loads of mystery and atmosphere to keep us mystery devotees happy. I give this one, like all her books, a hearty recommendation.

Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis A cozy read by my online cozy book group. A small town that has re-configured itself as a pet resort--sounds perfect for this pet lover. Except that I didn't really care for the heroine, the mystery was rather boring, and there were just too many coincidences. It's got a cute cover, but I'm not interested enough to continue the series.

Fer de Lance by Rex Stout Nero Wolfe. His first appearance. Say no more.

Middle Sister's March Books

March was a fairly slow month, reading-wise, but I did get in three enjoyable mysteries, my favorite genre.

Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noel Balen Part of the Winemaker's series that is just being translated into English, this quick read was enjoyable enough that I'll probably read more in the series if it comes my way, but probably won't seek it out. Pluses: interesting setting (French vineyards), an intelligent, happily married amateur detective, very interesting secondary characters (all the women, and expanding their characters would have been a bonus to the story), a detective who turns things over to the police. Cons: light on plot, the relationship between our detective and his sidekick is not well developed, an awfully light of time is spent discussing wines which may or may not be fictional and which adds little to the plot. Recommended to Francophiles and anyone looking for anew series.

Past Tense by Catherine Aird A Sloan and Crosby mystery, this lives up to the great string of mysteries in the series. Although I had added in my own little twist when I figured out the whodunnit that Ms. Aird did not include, the book was still enjoyable. Well paced, well plotted, with enough red herrings if you weren't paying attention. The only thing that rankled were Sloan's cryptic comments about his wife and marriage (they're happy comments indicating a happy marriage, but seemed a little heavy-handed after the third or fourth occurrence). Recommended to all mystery lovers, not just Anglophiles.

Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout Caesar was not who I expected him to be. Really intriguing Nero Wolfe mystery as it is one of the few in which Wolfe is not in his NYC townhouse, but is actually outside. He even gets some fresh air in the real outside. Entertaining entry in the series. Just remember it was published in 1939 when Wolfe reveals his misogynist tendencies. Recommended for genre lovers, of course, because Wolfe is classic.