January's Books

Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid takes a badly needed vacation when a cousin gives him a timeshare in a Yorkshire manor turned resort. He just wants to relax, but when the assistant manager is discovered electrocuted in the swimming pool, Kincaid's cover is blown. The local police resent his presence, especially since he's one step ahead of them. The other guests include a father and his sullen teenage daughter, a politician and his wife who drinks too much, an attractive woman scientist, and a good looking and manipulative manager. Very much of a traditional British mystery series--readers will stay up late to see whodunit.


A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie
Good and Cheap: eat well on $4 a day by Leanne Brown
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
Suede to Rest by Diane Vallere
Shelter from the Storm by Tony Dunbar
Jazz Funeral by Julie Smith

December's Books

History nerd and radio essayist Sarah Vowell casts her eye at the 19 year old Marquis de Lafayette in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, who joined the Revolutionary Army and served under George Washington and became his friend. Because the Continental Congress had underfunded the army, they were poorly fed and clothed, not to mention untrained soldiers. Vowell visited Monticello, Valley Forge, and Colonial Williamsburg in her quest to discover why a French nobleman would join the fight of the American colonists. Humorous and enlightening.

Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything by Nancy Martin
The Egyptian File by Janis Susan May
All Fall Down by Ally Carter
Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sara Vowell

November's Books

Agatha Raisin, the irritating private detective, takes exception to the new therapist in town, Jill Davent. Not only is Jill romancing Agatha’s ex-husband, but she has found out about Agatha’s hardscrabble upbringing, and has been sharing that information with the whole village. When Agatha confronts Jill, shouting “Leave me alone or I’ll kill you,” she becomes the prime suspect in Jill’s murder when she’s found strangled.

Agatha’s not a likeable character; you just want to shake her and tell her to quit chasing after men and act her age. She’s always entertaining and another favorite character, Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar’s wife, gets a bigger role in this book. Always fun!

 


Earnhardt Nation by Jay Busher
Dishing the Dirt by M.C. Beaton
To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl
Scorched Eggs by Laura Childs

October's Books

It’s 1899 and the Earl of Dilberne is threatened with financial ruin. His daughter, Rosina, is a radical who keeps a parrot in her room. Son Arthur, although enamored of his mistress, will pay court on Minnie, an American heiress to a meat fortune.

Weldon wrote the original screenplay of “Upstairs, Downstairs”—fans of Downton Abbey will love this saucy look at the family and their servants.

 

Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey by Emma Rowley
Below Stairs: the classic kitchen maid's memoir that inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" by Margaret Powell
Habits of the House by Fay Weldon
Rumpole a la Carte by John Mortimer
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny