April's Books

Oshkosh resident Jess Riley follows up her successful first novel with “All the Lonely People,” the story of Jaime Collins and her dysfunctional family. After a particularly awful Thanksgiving dinner, when Jaime throws the mashed potatoes at her brother, she advertises on Craigslist for a new family. But even a handpicked  family comes with faults.

The laugh-out-loud moments are found among the chapters that come uncomfortably close to painful truths. The back cover of the book says. “Dedicated to anyone who has ever wanted to unfriend a relative on Facebook.”

Death of Yesterday by M.C. Beaton

Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

Visiting Tom: a man, a highway, and the  road to roughneck grace  by Michael Perry

Unnatural Acts by Stuart Woods

Great Lakes Circle Tour: reliving history along Lake Michigan's circle tour route by Bob Schmidt

Life at Home in the 21^st Century: 32 families open their doors by Jeanne Arnold

Murder for the Halibut by Liz Lipperman

Monkey Love and Murder by Edith McClintock

All the Lonely People by Jess Riley

March's Books

What I read in March.

 

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to drive the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Author Dave Ihlenfeld spent a year doing just that, and chronicled his adventures his adventures in “Dog Days: a year in the Oscar Mayer wienermobile.” He learned that there are only so many hot dog related puns you can take. Read it with relish.

  

Not Quite What I was Planning: sic word memoirs by writers famous and obscure from Smith Magazine
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
Farewell Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister
Farm Chicks Christmas by Serena Thompson
The Cooking Mom by Amy Hanten
The Proud Tower: a portrait of the world before the war, 1890-1914 by Barbara Tuchman
Dog Days: a year in the Oscar Mayer wienermobile by Dave Ihlenfeld
Dropped Names: famous men and women as I knew them by Frank Langella
Buried in Buttercream by G.A. McKevitt
The Cooking Mom Cooks Up Memories by Amy Hanten
Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy
Classic in the Barn by Amy Myers
Middle of Nowhere by Ridley Pearson

February's Books

In Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, baked from scratch cupcakes are decorated with eyepopping prosting and garnishes. The results are spectacular, but for ome cupcakes expensive ingredients or special equipment is needed. Still, a visual feast.

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 inspired ideas for everyone's favorite treat

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Insane City by Dave Barry
Julia's Cats: Julia Child's life in the company of cats by Patricia Barey
Opposnakes by Salina Yoon
I could Pee on this: and other poems by cats by Francesco Marciuliano
Arsenic and Old Puzzles by Parnell Hall
Hit Me by Lawrence Block
Llama of Death by Betty Webb
Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: the illustrated history of the heaviest band of all time by Jon Bream
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough

Fans of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series will enjoy Robert Goldsborough’s new book, “Archie Meets Nero Wolfe,” Goldsborough, author of seven Nero Wolfe mysteries, captures the sights and sounds of Prohibition-era New York.

In this prequel, Archie Goodwin arrives in the big city fresh from small town Ohio with his high school diploma in hand. When he’s fired from his job as a security guard after two weeks, he gets work with a private detective. In the course of a kidnapping investigation, Archie meets the famous detective Nero Wolfe, who eventually offers him a job.

The Llama of Death: a Gunn Zoo Mystery by Betty Webb

Zookeeper Teddy Bentley is ordered by her boss to bring a llama to a local Renaissance Faire to offer rides to children. It's a fundraiser for the zoo, and the zoo is always in need of more money. Alejandro, the llama, is a sweetie to the children, but would just as soon spit at any adult that comes his way, and that includes Teddy. Forced into wearing an uncomfortable and too revealing wench's costume, Teddy is annoyed and can't wait to take the llama back to the zoo. Her annoyance changes to horror when she   discovers a dead body inside the Alejandro's pen.

Surely Alejandro didn't stomp the man to death. The corpse is discovered to be the Reverend Victor Emerson, who runs a wedding chapel, and is responsible for marrying many of the local citizens, including Teddy's socialite mother--twice. Emerson, who was portraying King Henry VIII at the Faire, had angered Teddy's mother Caro when he replaced her with a much younger Anne Boleyn.

  When the acting sheriff jails Teddy's  mother for the murder, Teddy feels she must investigate to exonerate Caro of the charge. Eventually, even Teddy's fugitive father, a white collar criminal hiding in exile in Costa Rica, flies in to held spring his ex-wife from jail.

 Animal lovers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes series action at the zoo. Third in a series.

January's Books

In Pillow Stalk, by Diane VAllere, interior designer Madison Night owns a wardrobe that would have been the envy of Doris Day back in the 1960s. When a woman dressed in an outfit similar to Madison's is killed, she lands in the middle of a murder investigation. Will Madison be next? This mystery is as bubbly and fun as a vintage Doris Day movie.

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
Six-word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak from Smith Magazine
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of LIttle Big Horn by Nathan Philbrick
Hot Art: chasing thieves and detectives through the secret world of stolen art by Joshua Knelman
Cookie Party Cookbook by Robin Olson
Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Beef Stolen-off by Liz Lipperman
Pillow Stalk by Diane Vallere
Stakeout by Parnell Hall
Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin
Red Weather by Paul Toutonghi

I Shall Not Want

 

I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Clare Ferguson is an Episcopal priest and former army pilot. Russ Van Alstyne is chief of police of Millers Kill, New York, whose wife was recently killed. In this sixth mystery featuring the duo, a Mexican farmhand stumbles across a body on the dairy farm where he works. Two more bodies are discovered--all victims are young Latino males. Hate crime or part of gang-related drug activity?

Clare and Russ are attracted to each other but both feel guilty because of the death of Russ's wife. The author has won numerous awards including the Anthony, Agatha, and Nero Wolfe awards.

For the Love of a Dog

McConnell, Patricia B.  For the love of a dog:  understanding emotion in you and your best friend.

            Radio talk show host and animal behaviorist McConnell shows how understanding emotions in both people and dogs can improve owners’ relationships with their pets.  She provides examples of how owners can observe dog behavior to help dogs be better behaved and owners to be better owners.  Not just a dog training book; there are touching stories of person-pet interactions.

December's Books

I've been reading and re-reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. One of the books I read this month was "Eric," Pratchett's version of the Faust legend. Teenage sorcerer Eric attempts to conjure up a demon, but gets incompetent wizard Rincewind instead. Accompanied by Eric's parrot and the many footed and feared walking suitcase, the two set out on a journey. Pratchett fans may be disappointed that this book is so short (only 200 pages), but DEATH appears briefly in the story, which is always a plus for me. I also re-read "The Hogfather," which for Pratchett fans is akin to the yearly reading of "A Christmas Carol."

The Corpse on the Court by Simon Brett
Eric by Terry Pratchett
Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives by Guy Fieri
Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen
Miss Silver Deals with Death by Patricia Wentworth

Dutch Me Deadly by Maddy Hunter

Whoever said senior citizens aren't tech savvy never met the tour group from Iowa. Ignoring the famous canals, Rembrandts, and local sights in favor of their iphones, the midwestern tourists meet up with a group from Maine celebrating their 50th high school class reunion.

Emily Andrew, tour escort and granddaughter of one of the seniors, doesn't like Charlotte, the guide on this trip. The woman is bossy, patronizing, and orders the group around like a sadistic preschool teacher. When Charlotte meets with a fatal bicycle accident, Emilu suspects foul play.

Just as entertaining as the previous books in the Passport to Peril series, "Dutch Me Deadly" is a delight.

November's Books

In Sinister Sprinkles, Suzanne Hart, owner of Donut Hearts, caught her husband Max cheating on her with Darlene Higgins. Now that Max is her ex, he wants to get back into Suzanne's life, but Suzanne wants nothing to do with the mostly unemployed actor.
     When a body is found during the town's winter carnival, everyone assumes the victim is Muriel Stevens. She had Muriel's glossy black hair and was wearing her trademark patchwork jacket of red, yellow, orange, and blue. But Suzanne is the first to discover that it's not Muriel, but Darlene--wearing a wig and Darlene's coat. And Max is high on the list of suspects.

Hiss and Hers by M.C. Beaton
Perfect Paragon by M.C. Beaton
Evil Eclairs by Jessica Beck
The Drop by Michael Connelly
Blue Goose is Dead by Helen Goodman
Sacrifice Fly by Tim O'Mara
Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck
Craft-a-Day by Sarah Goldschadt

A Rumpole Christmas

A Rumpole Christmas: stories by John Mortimer

Most holiday seasons Horace Rumpole and his wife--known as She Who Must be Obeyed--exchange gifts (lavender water for her, a tie for him), and have a dinner of supermarket turkey and trimmings with a glass of port. But on several occasions the Rumpole family plans have gone awry. Fans will love these stories. John Mortimer died in 2009, but Rumpole lives on in these delightful holiday tales.

The Blue Goose is Dead

The Blue Goose is Dead by Helen Goodman

Allison Aldridge's friend Catherine has been summoned by her unpleasant Aunt Bess, and asks Allison to come along for moral support. Aunt Bess lives at an abandoned lake resort, Blue Goose Lodge, so Allison expects a pleasant few days relaxing before returning to her teaching job.

But Aunt Bess is a mean-spirited, spiteful woman, and tells the assembled relatives she's selling the lodge to a lumber company. The lodge will be demolished and the land will be clear cut. She's signing the papers tomorrow.

Which relative did away with horrid Aunt Bess? Allison gets caught up in the investigation. A cozy read in the tradition of English manor house mysteries.

October's Books

In Jeanne Dam's latest mystery, The Corpse of St. James, ex-pat Dorothy Martin, retired schoolteacher, and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, attend a ceremony at Buckingham Palace honoring one of Alan's proteges, Jonathan Quinn, who is to receive the George Cross. While walking in the park across the street from the palace, they discover the body of a young woman. Although Quinn tells the police he does not recognize the girl, he later confesses to Dorothy and Alan that she is the granddaughter of an old family friend. Discovering the girl's murderer brings the trio into the world of those who are employed at the Palace--guards, tour guides, art curators, and even the man who tends the Queen's Corgis. Readers who enjoy a good British mystery will happily savor this one.

Cleveland Moon Handbook by Douglas Trattner
Death Benefit by Robin Cook
Cozy by Parnell Hall
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
A Fatal Winter by G.M. Malliet
Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck
Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck
The Corpse of St. James by Jeanne Dams
Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wild
The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert