Middle Sister's December Reads

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.

Middle Sister's October Reads

October was a busy month, but I was able to spend vacation time visiting my favorite fictional town, Sea Harbor, and get more plane reading done while traveling to a conference. 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Re-Creation by  C.L. Cook I don't like scary stories, but having grown up in the northeast, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a local classic. This cute re-telling makes all the characters cats, and has adorable illustrations. Short enough to read aloud to little ones before Halloween.

The Greek Coffin Mystery by Ellery Queen I had a bit of driving to do mid-month, so thanks to my local public library, I was able to listen to another audiobook of a classic mystery. The book begins after the death of Georg Khalkis, a Greek art dealer whose will appears to have disappeared after the funeral. After a fruitless search, the police, Inspector Queen, and Ellery decide that someone must have hidden it in the one place no one would search--the coffin. But they are not ready for what they find in the exhumation. Great read (or listen), with international intrigue, missing persons, a beautiful secretary who might be more than she seems, greedy relatives, and a late autumn setting in a New York full of gray skies and leaf-swirling windy days. I love reading classic mysteries, and this one, first published in 1932, is great.

Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen (Santa Fe Revival Book 3) I love Santa Fe, and seeing a new-to-me series set in old Santa Fe of the early 1920s was a must-read. The author has clearly done a lot of research to make sure the basic underpinnings of the series are correct with re: who was mayor at the time, the history of the city, what it would have looked like then, etc. But I found the main character, Madeline Vaughn-Alwin, a little too much of something I can't articulate. The series really should be read in order, as there are allusions to recurring characters and what has happened to them in the previous books. It's not so bad that someone couldn't start in mid-stream, as I did, but perhaps I'd have liked the main character better if I'd seen her change or new her better. I still love the setting, but Madeline as a fledgling artist making her mark in a glitzy, roaring '20s Santa Fe just felt off to me somehow. The writing is solid, and as I said, the setting is one I love. (Net Galley)

Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum (Seaside Knitters 1) I've enjoyed the recent Sea Harbor books so much, I decided to go back and read the ones still in publication in order, even though I'd read several before. In Death by Cashmere, we are introduced to our four main characters: Nell, Izzy, Cass and Birdie. Izzy has just opened her yarn store in the small coastal town of Sea Harbor, and to help defray the costs of the mortgage on both the yarn store and her little cottage, she rents out the small apartment above the store that she used to live in. Angie Archer, her tenant, grew up in Sea Harbor, but was always a bit too ambitious for many in the town, which is why her her return too work in the Historical Society raised eyebrows. But Angie loves her work there, and has started dating Cass' brother Pete. Then she's found dead, and the heartbroken residents are further traumatized to learn she was murdered. Who on their sleepy little seaside town would want to kill one of their own? 

Patterns in the Sand by Sally Goldenbaum (Seaside Knitters 2) Patterns in the Sand takes place a year after Death by Cashmere, with the summer tourist season in full swing. Monthly evening art exhibits at the Canary Cove art galleries have become extremely popular, but there are undercurrents between the resident artists. These undercurrents swell to the surface when one of the artists is murdered, and secrets start bubbling to the surface. As always, Nell is my favorite of the four women around whom the series centers. Cass and Birdie, who'll emerge to center future stories, are present but not the strong characters they will become in future books. The book did need a little editing--I started tracking the changing colors of Birdies hair: first a smooth silver cap, then gray, than sticking white. As a middle aged woman whose hair is turning color, these are most definitely different colors!

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry I enjoyed books 2 and 3 in this series, which I read from Net Galley this year, so much that I had to get book one to read how Tess and Gertrude wind up in Winthrop, WA. This story did not disappoint. We meet Tess and her daughter as they are moving into Tess' late grandfather's cabin fora month. Tess' divorce is just 6 months old, and with her ex-husband having decided to completely disappear from their daughter's life, she's hoping that some distance and new experiences might help Gertrude make her way through that terrible hurt. But her plans are upended when, while standing on the porch of the cabin near the lake, they suddenly are showered by human remains that were blown up by someone doing some fishing by dynamite. Add in big foot and mysterious sightings of exotic animals, and Ms. Berry has created her signature blend of farcical outlandishness with reasonable explanations wrapped up in real human drama. The one irritating part was Tess' mental wanderings into what her Detective Gonzales would say or do, and the the tracking of the book she was writing based on these experiences, but the author backs off of those in books 2 and 3. Hopefully, there will be a book 4.

Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! by Donna Andrews Faithful readers know that Meg Langslow is one of my favorite characters, and Donna Andrews one of my favorite authors. In this year's Christmas book, Meg gets drawn into a reality TV show when her mentor, Faulk, is injured on the set of a blacksmithing challenge that he's participating in. Despite her misgivings, Meg agrees to take Faulk's place. She discovers right away that things are not as they seem, that tension not he set is high, and that some contestants will do anything to advance their chances to win the challenge. There've been numerous reality-tv-inspired mysteries, and I've read several; this is one of the best. The challenge is locate in the mock castle Meg's friend Ragnor, ex-metalhead, has built in the Virginia countryside, and I'm sad we didn't get to see more of the castle in the book. Michael and the twins are present, as are Meg's parents, but unlike other books, we hardly see them or Rose or some of her other family members. And that makes the series string--the author knows we might get a little tired of the same supporting cast, and introducing new folks for Meg to interact with keeps her fresh and entertaining in our minds. That, and there are fewer than usual references to her engagement book that is usually brought up more times that I care for. I enjoyed the mystery, and while I had figure out the whodunnit buy about 3/4 of the way through, getting Meg there was well plotted and well written. As always, highly recommended. (Net Galley)

Middle Sister's Mid-Month Review

 Hello, Gentle Readers! In order to avoid having another really long post, like August's, I'm going to post a couple of mid-month reviews.

Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge Excellent story featuring Agatha Christie as a secondary character. Our amateur detective is Phyllida Bright, friend of Mrs. Christie's who works as the housekeeper at Mallowan hall which the Grande Dame shares with her second husband Max Mallowan. An avid reader of her friend/employer's books, who, we're led to believe, even makes suggestions that Mrs. Christie utilizes, Phyllida decides to use her little gray cells when an unexpected guest to weekend house party is killed in the library. Then a second murder occurs, and the fear mounts. Phyllida is a good choice for a detective in a country house setting--she straddles upstairs and downstairs, so can be privy to conversations and encounters with the guests in multiple ways. We're used to middle-aged, brusque or silent housekeepers, and Phyllida, with her bright red hair and flowered dresses that sound almost couture, is anything but a staid, gray, disapproving, uniformed servant. The hint of a possible future romance with Bradford is appealing. The writing is good, the pace and setting are perfect, parodying the weekend country house murder mysteries Agatha Christie was known for. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it lovers of mysteries, cosy mysteries, and Agatha Christie. (Net Galley)

The Egyptian Cross Murder by Ellery Queen I vaguely remembering watching Ellery Queen on television as a child, but I don't think I'd ever read any books until I became an adult. My library recently acquired this audiobook, and I thought this would be a perfect accompaniment to the never ending summer weeding. I was shocked to learn the book was published in 1932, because the opening salvo is the grim and unsettling discovery of a beheaded, crucified murder victim. Enter Ellery Queen, assisted this time not by his father, Inspector Richard Queen, but by his former professor, a neighbor of another victim. Then a third body is found... Despite the gruesome nature of the murders, the book is not gory or sensational. For those who like books where modern technology is not the crutch that helps the mystery be solved, the re-release of older titles like this is a boon. Recommended (audiobook)

The Two Isabellas of King John by Kristen McQuinn Ms. McQuinn tackles a tough job: writing a biography about two medieval women about whom so little is written, one is nearly invisible. King John of England, brother of Richard the Lionheart, he of Magna Carta fame and fictional Robot Hood infamy, was married to two women: Isabella of Gloucester and Isabelle of Angouleme.  It is hard to tackle even well-known historical figures who lived 900 years ago, but to try to research two nearly invisible people is an enormous task, and sadly, Ms. McQuinn stumbles at it. There are only a few facts known about Isabella: she was an only child who brought a substantial wealth to Henry II, John's father, when she was his ward after her father died; she and John were engaged for more than 10 years and only married after Richard became king and insisted; John annulled their marriage just before he became king; Isabelle was actually sent to live with her for a short period; she was childless and she died. That's it--those are the facts we know about her. There is more information on Isabelle in the historical record, and even a handful of letters she wrote herself. She was anointed John's queen and bore his heir to the throne, Henry III. Unlike Isabella, Isabelle was mentioned in several contemporary chronicles, although these historical chroniclers appear to have disliked her a great deal and do not record her in a flattering manner. It's a herculean task to try to and write biographies for women about whom so little is known. Ms. McQuinn attempts to get around that by talking about how medieval noblewomen in general were educated, their general expectations from life, general information about what other medieval queens knew and did, especially their mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and interpreting what their childhoods, education, and expectations likely were. But because of the dearth of material, Ms. McQuinn begins repeating the same facts after just a couple of chapters, albeit attempting to use them to talk about different topics. We read about Isabella's childlessness and the possible reasons for it in several different chapters (her life, her marriage, life with John, medieval fertility), and sometimes the sentences are virtually identical. There is  much repetition of ideas, actions, and arguments, and no original scholarship by Ms. McQuinn. She makes statements such as "by disposition a proud woman," but then does not offer real substantive proof of that characterization. In Chapter 6, Ms. McQuinn loses the impartiality that biographers and historians must maintain to lend any credence to their work with statements such as "it is sad she had no friends," an interpretation without any merit. There is barely a mention of these woman and none about their courtiers; how can we possibly infer she had no friends? The final chapter is an interesting idea: Ms. McQuinn looks at how works of fiction have recreated the two Isabelles because she argues that these fictional representations can shed light on the historical character. No, Ms. McQuinn, they don't. Fictional characterizations are just that, fiction, and in these two instances, there is not even enough material to say that these were somewhat rooted in historical fact. I might have accepted this as first draft of a lower level college report, but I would have returned it to my student marked up with a lot of red comments and things that needed to be fixed or addressed. There is not really enough material here for a book. Heavy editing might have saved and improved parts of it, but this cannot be considered a scholarly contribution to medieval studies or women's studies. But I do now know that dozen or fewer facts about these two queens, which is all that history knows about them. This book does nothing to bring them to life. (Net Galley)

Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta McDowell If you loved The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett as a  child, as I did, you and I belong to select group of adults who yearn for their own secret garden, lush, filled with beautiful blooms, secret and private, and surrounded by a high wall to allow us to escape from the everyday, humdrum world. If you loved that book, you will love this book, too. Ms. McDowell has opened an eminently readable history of Ms. Burnett's own life, and her life as a gardener, by focusing on three gardens that Ms. Burnett planted and nurtured at three of her homes: one in England, one in New York, and one in Bermuda. Each garden was different, and each garden was special. Each garden is described in lovely terms and when possible, accompanied by many photographs. I loved seeing the real secret garden, where Burnett wrote, and reading her own essay about her very special robin. I loved the biography of Burnett as seen through her gardens and flower choices, and the final chapter by her great-granddaughter was a joy. Lavishly illustrated with photos from the various houses showing the gardens (oh, how I with there was color photography in the early twentieth century!) and those bits that still remain at her house in England, one can truly understand why The Secret Garden was the amazing book it was and remains--Burnett's love of flowers and gardening, and her innate understanding of the life cycles of flowers, plants, trees, nature itself, weave through her books and through Ms. McDowell's appreciation. The book is subtitled "The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett," and anyone reading this book will be equally inspired. This is a great gift for a garden lover or someone who read The Secret Garden over and over as a child, and who longs to escape back to it, if only for a little while. What a wonderful book, and truly one of my favorites this year. (Net Galley)

Middle Sister's February Reads

I had lots of airplane time in February, so plenty of time to dive head first into a book for uninterrupted reading time. I think that might be a bad thing, as I seem to have been a lot more critical than I usually am. This month: mysterious mayhem checked by a brief nature outing.

Drury Lane's Last Case by Ellery Queen I tend to enjoy stories that feature fictional works by famous artists, if well written and well researched and plausible. This mystery centers on the disappearance of a Shakespeare folio and the substitution of a more rare Shakespeare folio, with a mysterious, rainbow-bearded client and one thousand dollars cash. Drury Lane, former Shakespearean actor now retired because he's lost his hearing, becomes involved in the search for the folio and the unmasking of mysterious strangers. Originally published in the 1930s, the story does show its age a little. The beginning is very long and slow by comparison with the second half of the novel, but that half moves very quickly. Thumm and his daughter Patience are likable characters, but I didn't see the need to introduce some third rate gangsters. Parts were confusing but in the end, a satisfying and unique twist that I cannot imagine any modern writers being willing to use. Not the best Ellery Queen, but a good read nonetheless. (audiobook)

Unto Us A Son is Given by Donna Leon Guido Brunetti has recently become one of my favorite fictional characters, and Donna Leon one of my favorite mystery writers. Her love for Venice and its residents is clear, but she doesn't whitewash the failings of the Italian police or society. In this novel, Guido's father-in-law, the Count, asks him to use his connections to look into the background of someone about whom he has serious concerns. Despite his initial reluctance, Guido does, and this touches off a sequence of actions, including a natural death and a murder, that profoundly affect Guido in a way that other cases have not. I love Guido and Paola's relationship, and I love Leon's depiction of Venice. Another excellent entry in the series.

48 Peaks by Cheryl Suchors I love nature books, and books about hiking in nature, and books about how hiking in nature affect people's lives. Suchors details her quest to climb all 48 peaks in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I wanted to like it. The details of Suchor's training and her relationships with her hiking partners form the majority of the book, with less detail on the wonders of nature that she encountered on the various peaks. And that's one reason I didn't like it: the emphasis was on her obsessive training and her clashes with hiking partners whose hiking philosophies differed from her own. Suchors hiked to tick each mountain off her list, not to enjoy nature, to learn about the environment or the geology or plants, or to enjoy being in nature, and her frustration with people who did hike for enjoyment was dismissive and irritating. I would hate hiking with her. There are few deep introspections offered, but the clear emphasis on just climbing each mountain to climb it, not to enjoy it, detracts from the effort and the narrative in this hiking lover's opinion.

Upstaged by Murder by C. S. Chalinor Rex Graves and his new wife, Helen D'Arcy, are enjoying a   night at the local community theater when the murder of the leading lady interrupts the show and delays their move to Edinburgh. I'd never read a book in the series before, and my experience was ambivalent. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it. The plot was rather mundane, the suspects not that interesting, and even though the author lived in the UK for several years, the dialogue didn't ring quite true. I didn't quite understand Rex's involvement beyond being interviewed as a witness. Why the inspector let him just interview suspects at will was not really explained well for first-time readers to the series, but I assumed the two were friends who'd worked on previous murder mysteries. Otherwise it seemed like a dereliction of duty. The resolution was no surprise. It's not a bad book, it's just not a good book.  

Crewel and Unusual by Molly MacRae Another first in an established series for me, and this one features yarn shop owner Kath Rutledge and her live-in ghost, Geneva. A local bank is being transformed into a gallery for artists and small shop owners, and the murder of one of the shop owners draws Kath and her boyfriend Joe into solving the murder. I freely admit that I went in to the book with two chips on my reader's shoulder: I'm not fond of paranormal mysteries (and I didn't realize this was a paranormal until after I'd started it), and I really dislike it when the amateur detectives think they are smarter than the pros. In Chapter 9, Kath actually says "But I'd be willing to bet Coleridge [law enforcement] smelled a rat. And if he plans to hunt it down, then we'll see if we can't catch it first, even if we ruffle a few feathers." Murder isn't a game, and when it's treated as such I tend to get my reading hackles up. But I did like Joe; in fact, I'd really like to have seen more of him and less of Geneva. Like the previous title, it's not a bad book, it's just not a good book. The plot is a little weak, the ghost aspect not appealing to all readers (and she's a bit of an annoying ghost to boot), but some of the secondary characters interesting.

How to Knit a Murder by Sally Goldenbaum I haven't read all of the Sea Harbor mysteries, but I have enjoyed the ones I've read. This, however, is not my favorite of the titles I've read. I approve of how Ms. Goldenbaum shifts point of view between a handful of main characters, and she handles it deftly because all of these characters are well defined and sympathetic, interesting, and with enough to appeal that the reader can see themselves as Nell, or Ben, or Birdie, or Izzy, or Cass. The characters are all likable (except for the murder victim, of course), and Sea Harbor is the perfect small town where everyone knows and cares about each other and drops by with scones and wise advice. It's a little too perfect, and for some reason, that perfection seemed to be more egregious in this entry, perhaps because the novel dealt with the lifelong repercussions of childhood bullying. And none of the main characters and most of the secondary characters were astonished that such hateful behavior could have happened under their noses. There's very little of Izzy in this entry, a lot of Nell and Birdie, and a great deal of a newcomer to town, Rose, who is murder suspect number one. If Rose and Stella don't become a romantic couple in the future, someone needs to talk to Ms. Goldenbaum about portraying platonic female friendships more realistically, because the gushing and instant intimacy of Rose and Stella was too unrealistic if it's not clearly pointing to a romance. Sea Harbor doesn't appear to have any LBGTQ characters (or any people of color), so it's high time some moved there. The murder is slow to be solved, and the sudden appearance of the clue that solves everything was a little too trite and deus ex machina for me; I prefer a more clever approach where clues are sprinkled throughout the novel and I get to solve it along with the amateurs. But Sea Harbor is always a nice place to visit and wish was real, especially the restaurants.