TSS - July 17, 2016

The Midwest is facing near triple digit temperatures for the rest of the week. It's a good thing I found my reading mojo again.

Reading:

Without going into great detail... I find myself in the same situation as five months ago. I managed to trip over the dog and break my right shoulder. My right arm has been immobilized for the last three weeks, which means I have been confined to my house without the ability to dress myself, bathe myself, cook for myself, or write. That leaves watching television and reading. My Kindle is now my best friend.

I renewed my interest in cozy mysteries, and have read four in the past few days. I consider this research, as I have had an idea to write a cozy mystery series for the past three years. I have a lot to learn in terms of developing a setting for the cozy, an amateur sleuth, a plausible plot, a list of suspects, and a variety of red herings to keep it interesting.

One More Challenge.....

I know...I know...I said that I wouldn't join many challenges this year, and I have already signed up for more than I anticipated. However, when I read about this event on A Novel Challenge, I just knew that I had to make an exception.

I debated long and hard about joining the Thriller and Suspense challenge this year (hosted by Book Chick City), but I knew I would have to commit to reading 12 novels and that would be quite a stretch for me at this time in my life. However, I also know that I enjoy Mystery/Thriller novels and would be reading several of the course of 2010 --- so there must be a challenge that I could join where these books would count toward some goal, right?

Well, never fear --- I found it - and the timing for this challenge is perfect as this weekend is the Mystery Read-athon. I am bound to accomplish at least one of the four requirements at that time, and that will leave me another 11 months to tackle the remaining three. It seems quite doable, doesn't it?

The Mystery Reader Cafe Challenge is hosted by the Yahoo Group, Mystery Reader Cafe, and you have to be a member of the group to join (I am already a member of several yahoo groups, so this was not at all a problem - and I look forward to the online discussions of this group of like-minded readers). The requirements of the challenge are simple:

1. Read a book by an author whose last name begins with "B"
2. Read a mystery in a different country other than your own
3. Read a mystery originally published in 2010
4. Read the first mystery in a series

Now I will show why I HAD to join!

1. I have already planned to read a mystery by M. C. Beaton
2. Her Agatha Raisin mysteries take place in England (a long way from Kansas)
3. I plan to read Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn just as soon as I can get my hands on it
4. I have already planned to read the first Miss Marple mystery, Murder at the Vicarage, sometime this semester

So you see, it was inevitable - it was fate - it was providence - it was meant to be that I join this challenge. I really had no choice now, did I?!

Review: The Case of the Missing Books

The Case of the Missing Books

by Ian Sansom

Published by Harper

copyright 2005

rating: 4 out of 5

A good friend of mine went to Denver in early December. I told her I was quite jealous, as she might have the chance to visit the Tattered Cover, a phenomenal bookstore that I will someday visit and spend hours. Well, she did have the opportunity to go and told me that it is truly as wonderful as I have envisioned, but to make me feel not quite so melancholy - she brought me back this lovely little book (complete with several Tattered Cover bookmarks that I can use until I actually have a chance to go there myself). She bought the book because she loved the cover, but confessed she knew nothing about the author nor the storyline (side note --- have you ever done that? Bought a book for the cover alone? I must confess that I am very much influenced by cover art and have done this on more than one occasion).

Anyway...I digress. I was unfamiliar with the book as well, but was so pleased with her unexpected gift that I started reading it the very next day.

Oh my -- what a delightful little mystery, with several quirky characters who are as enamored with books as I am. Here is the summary from the back cover:

Israel Armstrong is a passionate soul, lured to Ireland by the promise of an exciting new career. Alas, the job that awaits him is not quite what he had in mind. Still, Israel is not one to dwell on disappointment, as he prepares to drive a mobile library around a small, damp Irish town. After all, the scenery is lovely, the people are charming - but where are the books? The rolling library's 15,000 volumes have mysteriously gone missing, and it's up to Israel to discover who would steal them....and why. And perhaps, after that, he will tackle other bizarre and perplexing local mysteries - like, where does one go to find a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper?

Israel Armstrong is a very unlikely hero. He is a twenty-something year old graduate who has landed his first librarian job (up until this point he was working in a large London bookstore - still a bibliophilic job, but not what he was trained to do). Israel is rather overweight, lacking a few social graces, and definitely a "city slicker" compared to the inhabitants of the obscure little village. When he discovers that the job is not at all what he envisioned, he reluctantly decides to stay for just a couple of weeks to get the library up and running. The problem is that the library is closed, and the building is empty. The van that is to be used for the mobile library is old and decrepit, and not at all prepared to carry 15,000 books across the county -- if they can ever find the missing books. It is Israel's responsibility to find the (even though he was not the librarian when they apparently went missing) and he does not have much support from the locals. They do not trust this outsider, and he is suspicious of everyone he meets.

While this book is not meant to be a great literary accomplishment - a humorous escape is more the way I would describe it - the author obviously loves books and uses several opportunities to share that love with us:

He began properly unpacking the rest of his belongings from his old brown suitcase....it was books mostly, some clean underwear, and then more books, and books, and books, and books, the ratio of books to underwear being about 20:1, book being really the great constant and companion in Israel's life; they were always there for you, books, like a small pet dog that doesn't die; they weren't like people; they weren't treacherous or unreliable and they didn't work late at the office on important projects or go skiing with their friends at Christmas. Since childhood Israel had been tormented by a terrible fear of being caught somewhere and having no books with him to read, a terrible prospect which had been realized only two occasions..." (page 116)

or....

Israel had grown up in and around libraries. Libraries were where he belonged. Libraries to Israel had always been a constant. In libraries Israel had always known calm and peace; in libraries he'd always seemed to be able to breathe a little easier. When he walked through the doors of a library it was like entering a sacred space, like the Holy of Holies: the beautiful hush and the shunting of the brass-handled wooden drawers holding the card catalogues, the reassurance of the reference books and the eminent OEDs, the amusing little troughs of children's books; all human life was there, and you could borrow it and take it home for two weeks at a time, nine books per person per card." (page 11-12)

I must admit that my favorite part of this book was the author's ability to write dialog. The quick banter between Israel and several of the townspeople reminded me of the old Bruce Willis - Cybil Shepherd television series, Moonlighting. Did you ever watch that show? Sometimes I felt as though I was watching a tennis match, as the fast-paced one liners would volley back and forth between the characters. This is exactly how I felt as I read this book. This kind of quick-witted barb back and forth makes for very easy reading.

This book is more humor than mystery - but I think that is what I needed when I picked it up. There were times that I would laugh out loud at the comical situations in which Israel found himself, and in the end, I felt as though I had a met a few literary friends. I was thrilled when I learned that there are actually two more books in this series, Mr. Dixon Disappears and The Book Stops Here. I have the second one on reserve at the library and I hope that perhaps I can find time during the mystery read-athon to pick up where I left off.

Mystery Read-athon Next Weekend!

Oh, be-still my little heart. January is certainly my literary month. Not only did I get a newly expanded nook in which to read to my heart's content, and not only did Natasha provide me with an excellent way to organize my blog to be more efficient and pretty.....but I just realized that next weekend is the mystery read-athon!

I was unable to take part in the last read-athon due to school obligations, and I will probably not be able to spend as many hours reading my most favorite genre this coming weekend, but I am going to take part in as much of the literary fun as I can (there are even going to be some mini-challenges that we can join).

I haven't given a lot of thought as to what I might read during this time. I plan to teach a unit on Sherlock Holmes to my 7th graders in April, so I could be extra productive and read some of his mysteries - or perhaps one of the many spin-offs that I have been wanting to investigate, like The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King or Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock.

OR....I am at a loss for what to teach my 12th graders at the end of the year. I am giving thought to doing a mystery unit with them as well and they can choose which novel to read (either Agatha Christie or Sir Author Conan Doyle) and we can have a few informal class discussions (I wonder how feasible it would be to try to hold a "mystery lunch" - similar to the mystery dinner theater - and act out a storyline. This will probably require far more time than I can devote to the unit). Anyway...I have never read Agatha Christie (for shame!) and I just happen to have the first Miss Marple book sitting on my shelf, Murder at the Vicarage.

Then again....I have wanted to read P. D. James for quite some time, and Lorna Barrett just released her 3rd Booktown mystery book, and I have only read 1 Elizabeth George mystery, but fully enjoyed it......ah, decisions....decisions.

THESE kinds of decisions, however, I don't mind making. I am very much looking forward to next weekend's reading adventures. Thank you, Kathrin and Meen, for hosting this event.

TSS #2 - RIP mini reviews

Over the past couple of weeks I have been quite inspired by the RIP challenge (well, that accompanied by our unseasonably cool weather with cloudy dreary skies) to read several suspenseful, gothic thrillers. I have managed to complete two novels, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, dismiss a third, Angelica, and read several short ghost stories. I sure hope that Carl decides to host a RIP V challenge next year, as I have already started creating a list!

Almost immediately after finishing The Haunting of Hill House (my review found here) I picked up Shirley Jackson's other novella, We have always Lived in the Castle. Again, I would not characterize this story as "horror" - but it is definitely a suspenseful thriller. I think it is Ms. Jackson's way of developing odd characters that somehow evoke sympathy from the reader, while at the same time concocting a storyline that keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat that makes her writing so intoxicating! The gothic setting is still another element of the story that immediately draws the reader in and keeps the reader entranced; it is almost as if the houses (Hill House and the Castle) are characters themselves. This story opens with two sisters living alone in the house with their elderly uncle. Constance is the older sister who stays at home tending the garden, cooking the meals, and nurturing Uncle Julian. Mary Catherine (Merricat) is about ten years younger and somewhat of a wanderer. She is the one who goes into town twice a week to pick up the necessities, but she also entertains herself by playing pretend with her cat and burying household objects in the backyard. The reader is left wondering why Constance never leaves the house - and why Merricat is still forbidden to do certain tasks (making tea, for instance) or visiting certain parts of the house.

Early in the story the reader learns of the catastrophic event that keeps the towns people leery of the two sisters, and explains why the two sisters prefer to stay alone at the castle. Soon, however, a long-lost cousin enters the picture and once Charles shows up the reader knows that he is up to no good. This is a fast-paced story that will keep the reader's attention throughout the 160 pages and can easily be read in an afternoon. I plan to make it a new October tradition to re-read both of these Shirley Jackson's short stories.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley is an entirely different sort of thriller. The protagonist, Flavia Luce, is a precocious 11 year old girl who has an affinity for chemistry; and while the Buckshaw manor provides a required gothic setting, the overall tone of this piece is more humorous and light-hearted than anything Shirley Jackson might write. I truly wanted to LOVE this book - and many in the blogosphere have. But for some reason I was not totally enamored with it. I liked it - don't get me wrong - and I look forward to reading the further adventures of Flavia and seeing how her character develops (I believe Alan Bradley is under contract to write at least two more in the series and there is an entire website devoted to our young detective). But for some reason this one did not leave me begging for me. I think perhaps it is my lack of chemistry understanding (this course and pre-calc were the bane of my existence in high school) that perhaps led me to believe that an 11 year old was smarter than this reader (I still suffer from some low self-esteem issues), and hopefully I will mature as a reader as Flavia matures as an amateur sleuth. In the meantime, if you wish to read a very well-written review in praise of this debut novel, please read Carl's review here.

The one book that I started for this challenge, but simply could not bring myself to finish, was Angelica by Arthur Phillips. I do not necessarily think that this is a fault of the author, however. The story is definitely gothic in nature and did capture my attention in the beginning. But somehow I just couldn't stay focused long enough to get through the first portion. There is an unnatural closeness that Mrs. Barton feels for her young child - and the reader is unnerved by this relationship from the start. The Goodreads summary for this book compares it to the Haunting of Hill House and Turn of the Screw, both novels which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just think that my recent book buying sprees (and therefore plethora of reading choices) kept me from focusing on the book like I should. I think I might try this one again for the RIP Challenge 2010.

Finally I have enjoyed reading a few short ghost stories from two different anthologies. I found a copy of the Victorian Ghost Stories: an Oxford Anthology on sale for a $1 about a year ago, and I am very glad that I jumped on that bargain. I have read several stories from this anthology already, namely An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street by J. S. Le Fanu, Miss Feromette and the Clergyman by Wilkie Collins, and At Chrighton Abbey by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. I look forward to reading several others, particularly those by Charles Dickens, Henry James, Sir Author Conan Doyle, and R. L. Stevenson.

I also picked up a copy of Victorian Ghost Stories by Eminent Women Writers compiled by Richard Dalby from the library and have read a handful of these amazing narratives as well: Napoleon and the Sceptre by Charlotte Bronte; the Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell; and The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. It was this collection of ghost stories that inspired me to visit the Kindle store and discover the wonderful "complete works of" series by Mobile Reference.

Review: The Haunting of Hill House

Let me start off this review by saying how much I admire Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery." I was first introduced to this story in 7th grade when each English class watched the 20 minute movie. I was absolutely stunned by the ending and it continues to haunt me to this day. Last year I decided to use this short story as a teaching tool in my 12th grade English class (no, it isn't British Literature, but it is a GREAT story and most students have not read it). I always start off asking the students to try to predict the nature of the book by reading the title. Most say that it will be a happy story that involves winning money in a lottery. We then read the story together paragraph by paragraph. I want students to learn what it means to "read closely" and at the end of nearly every paragraph I stop and we discuss what we have learned - and how the author chose to tell the reader that information. I instruct students to pay close to attention to how the mood subtly shifts from a happy summer day filled with sunshine and laughter, to the more solemn lottery drawing, to the horrific ending. I ask students to pay close to attention to language (the lottery is referred to an annual event - a tradition - a ritual) and how the use of that language contributes to the mood shift. The end of the story always evokes the same disbelieving response in my students as I had when I first watched the movie over 30 years ago.

If you have not had the opportunity to read the Lottery, I strongly encourage you to do so. It will take you less than half an hour, and I guarantee it will stay with you for a long time afterwards.

I review that short story to preface my review of her longer work, The Haunting of Hill House. I came to this book with expectations, and often times that results in disappointment. I had read that this book was one of the greatest horror stories of all time - and I had prepared myself to be scared stiff. I made sure that I read the book when other family members were home (I tend to imagine noises when I am alone), and I made sure that I read the book early in the evening, so as not to induce nightmares. Now don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it certainly kept me in suspense --- but I am not sure that I would consider it "the greatest horror story."

The story focuses on 4 main characters. Dr. Montague is conducting research into the supernatural and has rented Hill House for the summer because of its haunting reputation. He has invited several others who have experienced dealings with the supernatural, but only two answer his letter: Eleanor Vance, a spinster woman who took care of her ill mother until her recent death, and Theodora, a somewhat happy-go-lucky woman who seems to take life as it comes and enjoys a good time. Luke S rounds out the group, as he is the future heir of Hill House and is mandated to stay with them while they conduct their research.

I think my issue with this book is that I had a difficult time understanding the relationship that develops between Eleanor and Theodora. At times they appear to be the best of friends, almost bordering on the romantic, and at other times they have no patience for one another, hurling spiteful comments that cut to the quick. It becomes evident fairly early on that Eleanor is an unreliable character, and the reader often questions whether she is mentally stable. This certainly adds to the suspense of the story, and seems to resolve itself in the final scene. I almost want to go back and re-read the story, focusing on how this relationship is developed and perhaps that would help eliminate some of this confusion.

Hill House is as much a character in this story as a setting for the novel. I understand that there have been two movies made from this book, and I would love to see how the directors visually represented the house in the films. It is described as the quintessential "haunted" house, complete with rooms at odd angles, doors that automatically close, winding twisting pathways that confuse the inhabitants, and inexplicable noises in the night. I am quite certain that if I saw the film, I would be scared out of my wits. I am sure that the proper sound effects, lighting, and camera angles can add detail to the horror aspect of the story.

I liked the book. I would read again. I am glad that I picked it up and have read it for the RIP challenge. I think my only issue with this story is that I am not sure that I would categorize it as "horror" --- but that is probably just me. It was highly suspenseful, very well written, characters were well developed, and the abrupt ending definitely added to the thrilling nature of the story. In reading other reviews of this book, I noticed that several compared the story to Henry James's, "The Turn of the Screw. " I would totally agree with that assessment. I did not find this story to be "horrific" either, but I did find it highly suspenseful with an unusual twist ending.

Review: The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader

by Brunonia Barry

Harper Collins - 2006

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Lately I have had a very difficult time staying focused while reading - which is not at all like me. I have started several books over the last two weeks, and while I have enjoyed all of them, they have just not held my interest through to the end. Personally, I blame all you book bloggers for this current illness. If you wouldn't write such enticing book reviews for each and every book you read, I would not feel compelled to drop everything at once and begin reading the newest recommendation.

Recently I read an author interview on The Book Lady's blog. I love reading author interviews, especially when they focus on HOW they developed an idea into a full-fledged novel. The interview with Brunonia Barry was terrific - and I immediately followed the link to the Book Lady's review of the novel, The Lace Reader. I thoroughly enjoy a good psychological thriller with a twist ending, so I immediately requested a copy of the book from my local library.

Last night I was once again restless in my reading and decided to pick up this little gem. I began reading around 8:00pm and finished the book at noon today. It was fascinating! I will warn you, however, that once you finish the book you will want to immediately re-read it. I am sure there were many clues to the ultimate ending of the book that I missed along the way, and I would like to go back and discover them.

What captured my attention right away - and managed to help me stay focused on this story at hand, were the first few sentences of the novel:

My name is Towner Whitney. No, that's not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time.

I am a crazy woman.....That last part is true.

OK --- I have heard of unreliable narrators before - but when the narrator immediately tells me that she lies all the time, I simply have to finish this book in order to learn if (or when) she ever tells the true. The entire time I was reading I was constantly thinking "now...is this really true, or is there a twist?" Talk about suspenseful and keeping the reader engaged!

The novel is written in 5 parts, and most of these parts are told from Towner's point of view. There are times, however, when the author changes perspective and this makes the story that much more intriguing.

The setting of The Lace Reader is Salem, Massachusetts, and the constant references to the witch trials makes me want to immediately research this time period in our nation's history. There is also a reference to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables, that I desperately want to read as well. I also have a copy of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (by Katherine Howe) that is just begging for me to open, and I think this might be the perfect follow-up novel to The Lace Reader.

Each chapter begins with a quote from the Lace Reader's Guide, which I found interesting, but which I also now want to go back and discover the tie-in for the quote to the events in the chapter. While in real life I am not at all interested in anything that involves a needle and thread (I literally do not sew a button on a shirt), I did find the detail of lace making, and the concept of reading the future through lace creations, fascinating.

I hesitate giving a plot summary, as it is most difficult to start without giving away too much of the ending. I will tell you that the characters revolve around the Whitney family: Towner and her twin sister, Lindley, and their younger brother; Eva and her daughters Emma and May and Emma's husband Cal (ex drunken yacht racer turned evangelical cult leader of the "Calvinists"). Rafferty is local law enforcement agent who was a good friend of Eva and is determined to discover why she is missing. The story begins when Towner, who is currently living in California, is notified that Eva is missing and requested to return home. The present mystery, as well as past secrets, are adeptly revealed in a flashback and flash forward (through lace readings) narrative.

I hope this review is not too ambiguous, but rather just whets your appetite enough if this a book that you think you might enjoy. This time of year is certainly a great time to read it, and I am quite sure it would satisfy as an appropriate read for the RIP IV challenge.

Review: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher:

A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective

by Kate Summerscale

Walker and Company - 2008

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

While my interest in the Sensational Novel has been short-lived (I first read Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon in the summer of 2008 and Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White during December of that same year), it is very quickly becoming a favorite genre and one in which I would like to dig deep and learn much. Not only does this non-fiction story contain many of the same exciting elements of a "sensational" novel, but there is a wealth of educational material that has helped enlighten me on the subject - and the time period.

The author initially tells us on page 82:

This was the original country-house murder mystery, a case in which the investigation had to find not a person but a person's hidden self. It was pure whodunnit, a contest of intelligence and nerve between the detective and the killer.

As I mentioned in my Sunday Salon post earlier this week: It is a true account of the murder of a young boy in Victorian England.... The most likely suspects appear to be the boy's father (who could have been having an affair with the nursery maid and when the young toddler woke up in the middle of the night and spied them together, the father felt that he had to silence the lad so that he could not tattle to his mother of this indiscretion) OR the toddler's sixteen year old half -sister who possibly inherited her deceased mother's propensity for madness. As I finished the story, these are still the two likely suspects, and the case is indeed solved, although not without a few twists and turns along the way. There are even some loose ends tied at the very end of the story that could come as a surprise to some.

I agree with others who have reviewed this book (Sandy's review is here and Jackie's review is here), there is a vast amount of detailed, factual information that the reader must decipher, and while this makes for a very interesting read, it also makes for a slow, methodical read (it is almost as if the reader is placed in the position of the detective and forced to ponder every piece of factual evidence). The bibliography at the end of the novel attests to the painstaking research that the author conducted in order to write the book, and the nearly three pages of "List of Characters" found at the front of the book provided a clue that the book would be dense with details. Personally, I enjoyed all the details of this particular case, but did at times become sluggish when reading the details of other cases in which Mr. Whicher was involved. That is really my only tiny criticism.

However.....the real details that I absolutely LOVED were the constant references that Summerscale made to the sensational novelists of the time - and their works: Charles Dickens's Bleak House, Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone and The Woman in White, Edgar Allan Poe's detective Auguste Dupin, Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret. These authors followed the real-life thriller with great interest, and their subsequent classics were greatly influenced by this tale. I wish to re-read the book again, just to glean more background information on these popular works.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this book truly educated me on this particular genre of literature, and I would like to end the review with a couple of quotes that illustrate this fact.

While the crime fiction of the 1830s and the 1840s had inhabited the rookeries of London, sensational crime in the 1850s had begun to invade the middle-class home, in fiction and in fact. (page 157)

and....

Sensational novels of the 1860s, such as Lady Audley's Secret, dealt in what Henry James called those most mysterious of mysteries, the mysteries that are at our own doors.....the terrors of the cheerful country house, or the busy London lodgings'. Their secrets were exotic but their settings immediate.....

Many feared that sensation novels were a 'virus' that might create the corruption they described, forming a circle of excitement - sexual and violent - that coursed through every stratum of society. These books, the original psychological thrillers, were seen as agents of social collapse, even in the way they were consumed.....

Sensation novels called forth readers' brutish sensations, their animal appetites; they threatened religious belief and social order..... (page 219)

And finally, let me leave you with a prevalent thought of the Victorian era that found rather shocking (and made me grateful that I was born at a different place and time):

'From twelve or fourteen to eighteen or twenty is that period in life in which the tide of natural affection runs the lowest, leaving the body and the intellect unfettered and unweakened in the work of development, and leaving the heart itself open for the strong passions and overwhelming preferences that will then seize it....sad to say, it is the softer sex especially which is said to go through a period of almost utter heartlessness.' Girls were 'harder and more selfish' than boys; in preparation for the sexual passion to come, their hearts were emptied of all tenderness.....

.....most adolescent girls (in the middle class Victorian era) were given to murderous desires. (page 233)

TSS 9.20.09 - Busy Week

Well, this week was a busy week for ALL book bloggers, but I am afraid that the busy-ness in other areas of my life prevented me from participating as much as I had wanted in BBAW. My typical school day this week (I only work on Mondays - Wednesdays - Fridays) was to leave the house at 7:15 am and arrive back home around 5:15 pm. I then had about 8 hours of grading on Tuesday (no joke --- I started at 8:30 am - took a 1o minute lunch - and made myself stop at 4:30 pm) and then another 6 hours of grading on Thursday. There was simply not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I had hoped. I did manage to add about 10 more new blogs to my reader, though, and I am very much looking forward to following these new cyber friends in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

I began reading a book that I just picked up from the library last weekend, The Suspicions of Mr. Wichler by Kate Summerscale, and I am enjoying this non-fiction book. I was first introduced to this title by Jackie of Farm Lane Books and I have been interested in reading it for quite some time. It is a true account of the murder of a young boy in Victorian England at the same time that Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins were writing their enormously popular serialized mysteries. In fact, these two authors are mentioned several times in this book, giving their personal commentary on what they think actually happened. I have not finished the book yet (I have about 60 pages to go), but as of now the murder is unsolved, although the most likely suspects appear to be the boy's father (who could have been having an affair with the nursery maid and when the young toddler woke up in the middle of the night and spied them together, the father felt that he had to silence the lad so that he could not tattle to his mother of this indiscretion) OR the toddler's sixteen year old half -sister who possibly inherited her deceased mother's propensity for madness. This true story definitely has all the makings for a sensational thriller with the cast of characters, the gothic-style house, and the Scotland Yard detective.

The book also mentions Edgar Allan Poe's famous detective, M. Auguste Dupin. I believe that I have mentioned on this blog before my embarrassment for never having read Poe to date, but my extreme desire to do so for Carl's RIP IV challenge. Well, I decided that Saturday was the day to put my plan into action. I dusted off my Kindle (which I am sad to say has not seen much action since the spring) and downloaded a free version of Murders in the Rue Morgue, the story that introduced this protagonist to the world. I was immediately engrossed in the novel and remained fascinated at M. Dupin's deductive reasoning skills. This is considered a "locked room mystery" in which the crime happens in a closed-in area that appears to have no possible means of escape. While there are some gruesome details of the double murder, I found that I was not adversely affected by them as my mind was constantly trying to predict what clue (or clew, as Poe wrote) Dupin would discover next. The story is told from an anonymous friend's point of view (similar to the Sherlock Holmes stories being told from Dr. Watson's point of view). This first person perspective allows us, the reader, to feel as though we are alongside this great detective observing his investigation and thought-process first hand.

I was so taken with this first introduction to Poe, that I quickly downloaded the two other Dupin short stories: The Mystery of Marie Roget and The Purloined Letter. I hope that I can find time this afternoon to complete this trilogy, before I have to think about grading more papers.

Review: Dog Gone It

Well, I am sure that you must know by now that I LOVE dogs! If money, land, and allergies were no problem I would probably own at least a dozen dogs and love each and every one of them. Their humorous personalities, fierce loyalites, and deep desire to please are just a few of the charactertistics that make them Man's Best Friend.

It should therefore not surprise you that I have been on the waiting list for Dog Gone It at my local library since I first heard about it ealier this year. Unfortunately, my turn arrived when I was in Asheville this summer, so the wait was nearly twice as long as it should have been. No worries, I managed to find my very own copy of the book this weekend at the Half Price Books 20% off sale (the subject of another post) and I promptly came home and read the entire book in one evening.

The novel, a first in the Chet and Bernie mystery series by Spencer Quinn, did not disappoint. In fact, it was exactly what I had thought it would be: a rather humorous, easy read with just enough plot twists and suspense to keep me fully engaged. The story is told from Chet's point of view, a K-9 "near" graduate who has a keen sense of smell and a rather good understanding of the human language. The "voice" of Chet is very reminiscent of the old Dragnet television series (for those of you who are old enough to remember Sargeant Joe Friday and his partners in law enforcement): very straight forward; short, crisp sentences that tend to focus on facts and rarely on hypotheses. What really captures the "reality" of this canine POV is the fact that he is easily distracted from the situation at hand. One thought quickly leads to another and in a very short amount of time he has free-associated himself into another time and place that it is not at all germaine to the case. For those of you who have ever taken a dog for a walk, you can easily relate to this attention deficit condition. If you have seen the summer Pixar movie, UP, you can also relate to the fickleness of a dog's mind when he is reminded of squirrels.

While I am sure that this story would be very pleasing to canine lovers, I do think there is enough of a mystery element to the story that those who enjoy this genre minus the animals would also find the book interesting. The final resolution to this who-done-it does not occur until the very last pages, and while the reader has suspicions of the guilty party early in the novel, it is cleverly cleared up in the end. There are a few places where circumstances are rather contrived in order to move the plot forward, but if total realism is what you are looking for, then a book told from a dog's point of view is not going to satisfy.

We are introduced to several characters, other than Bernie and Chet, who I am sure will be developed more as the series continues. Bernie is a divorced private eye whose ex-wife causes financial tension in his life. They share custody of his son, Charlie, and the relationship between father, son, and dog is poignant and entertaining. A young female reporter has written an article about Bernie for the local paper, and the two of them seem to have a mutual interest in one another. I am sure this will be a relationship that will continue, and I am anxious to see how she manages to help Bernie shed some of his old, bachelor ways.

In doing a bit of research on the internet I discovered that the 2nd book in this series, Thereby Hangs a Tail, is scheduled for release in January, 2010. I, for one, will be very excited to read of Chet and Bernie's next mystery adventure.

TSS - I Love a Mystery

The title of this post has 3 distinct meanings - a triple entendre, so to speak.

First of all, I really do love mysteries, and I have one entire bookshelf, double stacked, to prove it. While I tend to use Cozy Mysteries as my default genre (you know, when you want something easy to read but that will be sure to hold your interest), but I am starting to branch out into other sub-genres in the mystery category. I really only started reading mysteries about nine months ago, and I have tried to analyze why I enjoy them so much. Then this morning, while drinking my customary cup of coffee and catching up on my blog reading, I came across this post on Musings from a Bookish Kitty. She details a broadcast that she heard on NPR (and her entire post is worth reading), but what really caught my eye was the following:

People are drawn to crime fiction for very different reasons. A small few of the reasons I heard given on the radio show:

- To live the life of the bad guy vicariously through the TV or book
- To see good win out over evil
- To better understand the criminal mind
- To enhance problem solving skills
- For the love of the characters, including that flawed good guy who might not be so different than the rest us
- For the thrill
- An escape from real life
- Predictability
- Unpredictability
- Relevant social issues
- The List could go on forever........

Some of these stated reasons I had already discerned for myself: good wins over evil; enhance problem solving skills; escape from real life. But there were some others that caught me off-guard, yet caused me to reflect: better understand the criminal mind; vicariously live the life of the bad guy. Hmmm....interesting. I am curious, for those of you who also love mysteries, what reasons would you give that are not mentioned on this list?

The second "meaning" of the title is that we have a local independent bookstore in the Kansas City area called, I Love a Mystery. It is a fantastic bookstore for several reasons: it is very well stocked with new books, as well as used books. The atmosphere is Gothic Victorian England, so there are gargoyles and skulls appropriately placed throughout the store to get you in the mood. There is plenty of comfortable seating so that you can sit, read, chat, and enjoy the escape from every day life. The workers are quite knowledgeable of the genre and their stock, and they are more than willing to recommend books, or to leave you in peace while you look around for yourself. My good friend, and fellow book lover, and I went to the store yesterday. We each went in to purchase one book, and we both came out with multiples. Not only that, we added several new mystery series to our TBR lists and immediately began planning our next visit. I am hoping to make this a regular event on my monthly calendar. Two hours in this store does more to rejuvenate me than just about anything else I can think of, and I don't see any reason why I should deny myself that luxury (of course, I would have to put myself on a strict budget each time I go into the store, but that would be a small price to pay).

How about you? Do you live near a local independent bookstore that specializes in a certain genre of literature? If so, I would love to hear about it and begin a list of possible places to visit in my retirement years.

Finally the title of this post is significant because this weekend marked the 2nd Mystery Read-a-Thon event. I missed the first event (I can't remember why) and had such grand ideas of being a big participant this weekend, but alas I was too busy shopping for new books and socializing with good friends to take part yesterday. I am still hopeful to get some solid reading done today, however, and at least finish the new book I found this week, Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. This is one of the very few times that I have spontaneously purchased a book without having heard of it. BUT with the description being "a sheep detective story" and the characters named Miss Marple and Othello, I simply could not pass it up. It is told from the sheep's point of view, after they find their shepherd murdered with a spade, and it seemed like the logical book to read after Enzo's narrative in The Art of Racing in the Rain (my review found here).

This coming week will be my last week of summer, although I have a couple of school-related meetings to attend and syllabi to write. I officially report to school on Wednesday, August 19 and classes start on Monday, August 24. I am hoping to get some personal reading done in these last few days before "real life" begins.

Bookmarked for Death

I have now completed 2 books (out of 6) for the Cozy Mystery Challenge. The first book was a cozy that focused on the catering business, The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders by Joanne Fluke, (here is my review) and the second book focuses on the owner of a mystery bookstore, Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barret. This is the 2nd book in the booktown series. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first book, Murder is Binding back in February (review found here) and was very anxious to return to Stoneham, NH -- booktown USA.

To be honest, this is the first time in my adulthood that I have read the 2nd in a series of any genre. As a child I loved Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins, and I still have those books somewhere in my attic -- but for some reason I was never interested in serial work as an adult. Surprisingly, I found myself very excited to return to this familiar setting. I was anxious to meet up with these new friends and pick up where we left off. Tricia Miles still owns the Haven't Got a Clue bookstore and Ginny and Mr. Everett still provide her with valuable assistance. Her sister, Angelica, has now purchased the cookbook store next door and their sibling relationship continues to vacillate between love and hate (but mostly love). Tricia is still dating Russ, the hometown reporter, and while they continue to butt heads occasionally, romance is winning out. Angelica is also becoming intimate with Bob Kelly, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, and that also causes a few tense moments among the sisters.

The story opens when the Haven't Got a Clue bookstore is hosting an author signing of its own hometown New York Times bestselling mystery writer, Zoe Carter. Zoe is somewhat ill-at-ease in these social settings and has solicited the aid of her niece, Kimberly Peters- who is definitely more anti-social than her aunt. Toward the end of the event Zoe excuses herself to use the restroom. When she doesn't return after a few minutes Tricia decides to investigate and to her horror finds Zoe murdered. This does not bode well for our protagonist, as this is the 2nd dead body she has discovered in less than a year in the - what was once known as - sleepy town of Stoneham.

Because the bookstore is now considered a crime scene, it must be shut down and Tricia, who lives upstairs with her cat Miss Marple, must move in next door with Angelica for an indefinite period of time. If this weren't bad enough, the town's sheriff, Wendy Adams, is still holding a grudge against Tricia for trying to steal her boyfriend, and decides to keep the store closed for a longer period of time than is truly necessary.

In typical cozy fashion, Tricia manages to do most of the detective work in solving this murder. During the investigation she learns that Zoe is not the true author of the popular mystery series and deduces that it is probably the legitimate author who has killed her as revenge. The final chaotic scene takes place in the bookstore where Tricia plans to identify the murderer in front of the sheriff. It is amateur sleuthing at its finest.

I really enjoy these books and I am very anxious to read the 3rd in series, due to be released sometime in November, 2009. My only complaint about this 2nd book is that the setting remains focused on the sisters' two stores and we see very little of the rest of the town. Part of the charm of this series, for me at least, is the idea that there is a place where small, independent bookshops line main street, USA. Each bookshop has its own specialty and the ambiance of each shop is suited to its offerings, such: History Repeats Itself; Have a Heart; and Armchair Traveller. I so thoroughly enjoyed escaping to this idyllic setting in the first book, and I hope that Ms. Barrett has plans to allow me to escape there again.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders

This was the first book that I chose to read for the 24 hour readathon on April 18. I was a little anxious about the readathon (it was my first time to participate in any capacity) and I decided to start with a book that I knew would be light and entertaining, and would also count towards one of the many challenges I have signed up for this year.

I must confess that it took me a while to get into this mystery --- not because it was difficult to understand, but because perhaps it was a bit too fluffy for me. However, now that I have finished the book and reflected on its content, I think this series is great for its genre!

The heroine of this story is Hannah Swenson, a PhD candidate who has chosen to return to her small Minnesota hometown after the passing of her father. Hannah now owns and operates the Cookie Jar, a very successful bakery and local hangout. The plot is set in motion when Hannah discovers the local milk delivery boy slumped over dead in his truck in the back ally of her shop. Hannah's brother-in-law happens to be the officer on duty and greatly desires to solve this case as he is up for a promotion. He asks for Hannah's assistance, which she is more than happy to give. In fact, it is Hannah who sources most of the clues - does most of the legwork - and ultimately solves the mystery. Her cookies seem to be a form of legal tender in this town, as she is able to pry information from nearly everyone in exchange for a dozen of her mouth-watering morsels. I think it is this aspect of the novel that keeps me from raving about the series. I find it rather hard to believe that a student of English literature and owner of a local bakery can have the skills -- and the time -- to hunt down clues and solve murder mysteries (I mean, come on...I teach English and love to bake and I have no desire to ever be involved in a murder investigation!)

Having said that --- there is plenty to enjoy about this book. The characters are diverse and entertaining. There is, of course, Hannah and her bakery assistant Lisa. I greatly enjoy reading about their preparations for large catered events, as I at one time considered that a possible profession.

Hannah's mother and sister also live in town and provide much humor to the story. Hannah's mother, Delores, is fixated on finding a suitable mate for her daughter and is constantly calling her up to discuss the latest available bachelor. I really enjoy Delores's character and look forward to watching her development! Hannah's sister, the one who is married to the police officer, also lives nearby and they have a young daughter who idolizes her aunt. Hannah's sister is a bit distracted with her real estate business - and in the beginning appears to take advantage of her sister and neglect her daughter --- but in the end the reader sympathizes with this character and learns that she really does have a compassionate side.

The potential love interest that is in the initial blooming stage is Norman, the newest dentist in town. I am sure that this character - and hopefully their relationship - will also be further developed in subsequent mysteries.

I must confess that I have not really read a series before - besides Nancy Drew when I was in elementary school. I am very interested to see how characters are developed - how relationships mature - and how the reader becomes a part of this smalltown lifestyle.

Another joy in reading this mystery are the recipes provided - and cooking tips explained within the pages of the book. It is truly amazing how Joanne Fluke seamlessly entertwines the culinary aspects of the story with the narrative elements. As someone who truly loves baking - and has always fantacized about owning a pastry shop, this aspect of the series has tremendous appeal. The recipes included in first novel include:

• Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies
• Regency Ginger Crisps
• Pecan Chews
• Black and Whites
• Chocolate-covered Cherry Delights
• Old-fashioned Sugar Cookies
• Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies

The most useful cooking tips I found while reading this cozy mystery was found on page 35:

"What's in those ice cubes, Hannah? They look cloudy."
"They're made from lemonade so they won't dilute it when they melt. I do the same thing with any punch I make."

And this one found on page 20:

"Hannah rushed home from school to make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies....but she hadn't checked to make sure she all the ingredients before she started to mix up the dough. The oatmeal canister was empty and Hannah had crushed up some Corn Flakes as a substitute. The resulting cookies had been wonderful...."

All in all I would say that Joann Fluke's culinary mysteries are very satisfying fare. I would not want to make a steady diet of them, but every once in a while a quick read or two will certainly hit the spot.

Interestingly enough, there are currently an exact dozen of the cozy mysteries published, the most recent one being Cream Puff Murder in March of this year. Being the organized, symmetrical, type-A personality that I am, I will probably read the books in the order in which they were written, which means that my next Hannah Swensen mystery will be Strawberry Shortcake Murder. Sounds like it will include some wonderful summertime recipes!

TSS - Rebecca

This book has been on my TBR list for quite sometime. I was first introduced to this story about 30 years ago when my husband and I were just dating. He told me several times that his favorite movie of all time was Rebecca by Alfred Hitchcock. Now Geoff is the romantic one in this relationship and I avoided the book because, to be quite frank, I thought it would be either too romantic and/or too scary for me. However last year I had a student present a report on Daphne du Maurier, and Rebecca was the novel she analyzed. After reading and listening to her presentation, I was very intrigued and knew that this would be a book I would personally enjoy. It only took me year to get around to reading it -- but I was not at all disappointed.

If I were to classify the story I would say it is more of a gothic romance than anything else, as it has many of the required elements of a gothic novel:

1. The setting is in a castle: Well, not a castle, but definitely a large estate called Manderley - which is quite somber and mysterious. In fact Manderley is as much a character in the novel as it is the setting.
   
2. The atmosphere is suspenseful: Not only does the setting set the stage for mystery and suspense, but one of the major characters in the novel, the housekeeper, Ms. Danvers, is an ominous character and not trustworthy from the moment she is introduced. While Ms. Danvers appears to be sane, she is very reminiscent (at least to me) of the madwoman in the quintessential gothic novel, Jane Eyre.
   
3. Woman threatened by powerful/impulsive male: The owner of Manderley, Maxim de Winter, is just recently widowed from his first wife, Rebecca. We are first introduced to him while he is on vacation in Monte Carlo, where he meets a young girl whom he eventually marrires and takes back to become the mistress of Manderley. Maxim at first appears very calm, stoic, and almost withdrawn. There are times in the book, however, when this serene exterior is completely overshadowed by an irrational, angry personality that seems to suddenly appear with little to no provocation.
4. Woman in distress: Maxim's new wife is very young, naive, and self-conscious. She has little self esteem and while she feels comfortable being Maxim's wife, she has little confidence in being the mistress of Manderley. Her distress is caused by the overbearing personality of Ms. Danvers, and the irrational changes in her husband's demeanor.
5. Melo-dramatic emotion: due to her young age, her lack of confidence, and the unsettled household, the young Mrs. de Winter is often highly emotional and is easily overcome by it all.

What adds to this gothic element is the style with which Daphne du Maurier wrote the novel. The novel is told in the first person from the young Mrs. de Winter's point of view. What makes it highly unusual, and therefore adds to the thrilling suspense, is that the reader is never told this young girl's name nor her age. We only know that the two of them meet briefly in Monte Carolo before marrying, and that she is significanltly younger than Maxim, who is in his early 40s. The title of the book is the name of Maxim's first wife, who was loved by all her met her and served her. It is only natural that his new wife be somewhat threatened by Rebecca's memory, and the reader often suspects her as a reliable narrator. It is this element of distrust in the reader's mind that constantly has us questioning the reliability of the story as it is presented to us --- and which allows us to be thoroughly surprised at the twist in the end.

I will most certainly re-read this novel - and perhaps again and again. I am giving serious thought to including this as the 20th century novel we study in my British Literature class. I think it will hold the attention of the graduating seniors, both male and female, and it provides an educational lesson in gothic literature and 1st person POV reliability. If you enjoy suspense, then I strongly recommend this modern-day classic.

Cozy Mystery Challenge 2009

Ok --- so I have allowed the success of completing one reading challenge go to my head, and I have decided (or rather, was strongly urged by Kaye) to sign up for another one. This one does sound like a lot of fun, it sounds doable, it will allow me to read some books that are already on my bookshelves, and it will provide a much needed break from all the "big" books that I will have to read this summer for school. How could I possibly pass it up?!

I have signed up for the Cozy Mystery Challenge, hosted by Kris at Not Enough Books, and the specific rules can be found at her site. Essentially, the challenge runs from April 1 to September 30 (6 months) and I must read 6 cozy mysteries in that time frame. The mysteries can be read one a month - all 6 in one month - or any combination in between. Up to 4 of the cozies can count towards other challenges; she only requests that 2 be exclusive to this challenge. While the following list is certainly subject to change (mostly because I read Lesa's Book Critiques every day and I am constantly adding to my wish list)......here are my initial 6 --- all are currently sitting on my bookshelves just waiting for me to read them:

• Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
• On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
• The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly
• Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs
• Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett
  

I notice a pattern here: all six books either focus on food, caffeine, or bookstores --- 3 of my favorite topics. While I do not expect these mysteries to cause me to ponder serious subject matters, or to lead to significant literary discussions, I do expect to be quickly transported to a lovely setting with fun, endearing characters who will certainly face problems, but are sure to find a satisfying solution.

So how about you? Are you a fan of cozy mysteries? Have you never read one but think you might like them? Go ahead and sign up for the challenge today. What have you got to lose?

Monsters of Templeton

I finished this book last night and I thought that perhaps a good night's sleep would help me formulate a complete thought for the blog review. It didn't, and I am not sure why. Perhaps this book was not what I had initially thought it would be, and that has caused me confusion. I do not like confusion - especially when it comes to reading a book for fun. When I am confused, I immediately take the blame as the reader (I should be "smart" enough to understand this) - and therefore I finish the book rather depressed.

I did not expect a "horror" book - despite the Monsters in the title. I did expect a ghost story of some kind; perhaps with a gothic element. I was not disappointed here. The protagonist of the story, Willie Upton, is a 28-year old Stanford grad student who has returned home to a small town in upstate New York to try and put her life back together. Through an affair with her archeological professor, Willie has become pregnant - and in a fit of fury she has tried to run his wife over with a bush plane. She has temporarily escaped this predicament, but fully expects to be charged with attempted murder and NEVER be allowed to return to Stanford to finish her PhD. She is still in love with the professor, she is not sure whether she should keep the baby, and she has only returned home because she feels she has nowhere else to go.

Willie's life story is an interesting one. Her mother is a descendent of the town's founder, Marmaduke Templeton, and she herself lived a rather checkered past. At a young age she left Templeton for the West Coast and enjoyed the freedom of the 60s --- sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. She returned home after her parents unexpected death, strung out and pregnant. She managed to clean herself up, give birth to a beautiful baby girl, Wilhelmina, and vowed that her daughter would not waste her life and God-given intelligence the same way that she did. Vi has now become a religious fanatic, dating her Baptist minister, and working the night shift as a critical care nurse in the local hospital. Vi and Willie have more of a sibling relationship than a typical mother-daughter relationship, yet there is obviously love and mutual respect.

Upon hearing her daughter's tale of woe, Vi chooses to unsettle Willie's world just a bit more by coming clean with the truth about Willie's father. It seems that her father is not an unknown entity from too much free sex in California (what Willie had been told since the day she was born), but rather a local Templeton man - who still lives and works in town. Vi refuses to tell Willie who the man is, however. She thinks that Willlie needs a research project to get her mind off her own problems, and sends Willie on the quest. The quest does lead Willie to her natural father, as well as to self-discovery of who she is and what she wants out of life.

The premise of the story is simple - it is the research into her ancestor's past that I found to be very confusing. Despite "family photos" and periodic family tree adaptations, I feel as though I should have taken notes to help me tie together all the relations. I did enjoy the author's use of multiple Points of View as she reveals the family history. I did enjoy the various narrative techniques in which the past is discussed (through letters - journals - snippets from fictional novels, etc). I think the lack of a strict chronological order caused me some confusion, and perhaps the fact that my dogs continually interrupted my reading time may have played a factor.

The Monsters of Templeton is appropriately named. There is indeed a monster, Glimney, that lives in the lake (much like the Loch Ness monster - or at least that is how I picture her) - and her death has affected the entire town. She is a very beloved monster and it is as though the town itself has partially died along with her. There are also other "monsters" of the human variety that are discovered as Willie researches her past. They have died too, but the consequences of their evil still lingers. The town itself is a major character in the book. A fictional Cooperstown, NY - it is filled with historical pride of its past, baseball memorabilia collectors of the present, and the hope of maintaining smalltown America in its future .

All in all I would rate the book a 3 out of 5. I truly enjoyed the author's writing style, and found Willie, her mother and the town of Templeton to be viable characters. I think I will try to re-read this book another time, perhaps during the summer when I do not have school obligations looming on the brain, and the story will be less confusing the second go around.

Sunday Salon - Murder is Binding

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that it is already February 8, 2009??? My mother said that time flies as you get older, and she was right. I don't know if it is the realization that time is passing me by - or the desire to overcome this week's melancholy mood that prompted me to re-evaluate my priorities and begin to make time for what I feel is important rather than only focus on those events that are most urgent. I have decided that I have been a victim of the "tyranny of the urgent" far too long and I want to take some steps to rectify that. This week, my baby steps included a visit to the bookstore (my all time favorite past-time - I think I may enjoy fantasizing about all the books that I plan to read almost as much as I like reading them) and reading two books that I wanted to read (not books for a class or for some higher academic gain). The two books I chose to read did not disappoint in the least - and proved to be the right prescription for my temporary despondency.

The first book I read was The Sister by Poppy Adams - and I even forced myself to write a book review (there is something very intimidating about putting my writing samples out on the web for the world to view and criticize --- but as with most of my fears, this was totally unfounded. The book blogging community is a very accepting and encouraging group of people and I thank you). When I finished that book I decided that I wanted to read something fun that would allow me to escape into a fantasy world (well, for me a fantasy world - you already know how I feel about that particular genre of fiction) and relax. I chose Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett and I simply could not have chosen a better read for my particular mindset.

I first discovered this new mystery series at the Cozy Mysteries group on the GoodReads website. Shortly after hearing about it, I happened to find the book at my local used bookstore and excitedly posted the find on my blog. Little did I know that my joy of finding a "bargain" would elicit such a response in the blogging community (if interested - you can read my posts here and here). One of those who commented on this entry was none other than the author herself - Lorna Barrett! She was so kind and gracious in her post - and subsequent email - that I knew I had to read this book the moment I had (or rather - made) the opportunity to do so.

This book absolutely fits the bill for a "cozy" mystery. While I know the story is fictional, I must say that I truly long to retire to Stoneham, New Hampshire - or at least the Stoneham, NH described in this book. This sleepy little New England town was on the verge of economic ruin when the local realtor, Bob Kelly, decided to entice business owners from elsewhere to open specialty bookshops in this town. The move proved successful, Main Street was revitalized, and it has now become a destination place for bus tours from all over the eastern seaboard. While the series focuses on the Haven't Got a Clue mystery bookstore, and its proprietor, Trish Miles, some of the other bookstores that line this quaint village street include the Cookery (cookbooks), History Repeats Itself, Have a Heart (Romance), and the Armchair Traveller. (Doesn't this town sound just divine?!) One of the characters in the book, Mr. Everett, is a retired grocery store owner, and he spends his days sitting in the nook of Haven't Got a Clue, reading, browsing and people watching. Soft jazz music is playing in the background and fresh ground coffee is always available. I want to be Mr. Everett when I retire!!

The basic premise of the book is that the owner of the Cookery, a 70 year old crumudgeon of a woman, has been murdered and Trish Miles is the number one suspect - only because she was the last one to see her alive. It is very evident to the reader - and most residents in town - that Trish is not the culprit, but for some reason the female sheriff refuses to take any other possibilities seriously. There are at least three other characters that could easily have motive and ability to commit this crime, but it is up to Trish to investigate these leads if she wants to clear her name. Trish uses her lifetime passion of reading crime fiction to help her investigate and follow the clues.

Another sub-plot that runs throughout the story is the strained relationship between Trish and her older sister, Angelica. They have never been close and Trish is somewhat perturbed that her New York City high-class sister decides to come to Stoneham and stay for a while. While the two sisters have not quite put the past behind them, they are working on their relationship, and Angelica enjoys cooking meals for Trish (and recipes are included at the end of the book!) and helping Trish sleuth for clues (Angelica's knowledge of crime comes from watching all the episodes of CSI). I am sure that this relationship will continue to develop in subsequent books in the series.
As you can tell - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am very excited that the 2nd book in the series, Bookmarked for Death, was just released this week. On her website, Lorna informs us that the 3rd book will be released in December and the publishing company, Berkeley Prime Crime, has just negotiated for another 3 books in the series. If you consider yourself a bibliophile - and you enjoy a good cozy mystery, I urge you to try this first book in the Booktown Mystery Series!