Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Once again a few well-loved characters becomes involved with newer characters as their travel previously unknown areas of Oz.  It was nice to see Glinda working her magic as well as an unusual featherless flock of birds that came to the rescue of our friends several times.

★★★

GENRE: Classics
CHARACTERS: Cap'n Bill, Trot, Orks, Button Bright, Glinda, Princess Gloria
Series/ Progress: OZ/ 9
DATE READ: February 14 - February 14
NO. OF PAGES: 94
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile

Toured to Death by Hy Conrad

There are murder mystery weekends where the attendees try to solve the murder well, this was a road rally with the same idea.  Clues were spread throughout 4 countries and islands and the participants have time trials getting from one site to the next.  

The concept sounds like a blast until there is a real murder.  Then everyone is trying to solve the murder to save one of their own.

 ★★★½

GENRE: Cozy mystery
SUBJECT: perfect crime, murder mystery rally
Setting: Europe
CHARACTERS: Amy Abel, Otto Ingo, Marcus Alvarez, Jolynn Mrozek, Georgianna Davis
DATE READ: December 27 - December 29
NO. OF PAGES: 320
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: NetGalley

Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger

This book was filled with entertainment - Bertha drowning in the Matzoh Ball soup, hiring a burglar to search for evidence and more.

The mystery was light but still full of fun.

★★★

GENRE: Cozy mystery

SUBJECT: friendship, old age

CHARACTERS: Hazel Rose, Lucy Hooper, Carlene Arness, Evan Arness, Helen Adams, Vince Castrelli

DATE READ: December 26 - December 27

NO. OF PAGES: 188

Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 

SOURCE: NetGalley

Murder at the Book Group by Maggie King

Belonging to 3 book groups I couldn't resist this one.   Hazel belongs to a Book Group that also has members that include several of her friends as well as Carlene, the current wife of her first husband.  A bit creepy but it gets worse when Hazel finds Carlene dying of cyanide poisoning.

As suspect along with the other group members, Hazel works to determine who killed Carlene.

Fun book, glad it's not my Book Group.

 ★★★

GENRE: Cozy mystery
SUBJECT: jealousy, obsessions
Setting: Richmond, VA
CHARACTERS: Hazel Rose, Lucy Hooper, Carlene Arness, Evan Arness, Helen Adams, Vince Castrelli
DATE READ: December 17 - December 25
NO. OF PAGES: 400
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: NetGalley

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear

This installment takes Maisie back to her roots when she is enlisted by some of the men she's known since childhood to investigate the supposedly accidental death of Eddie Pettit.  We see Maisie as she interacts with characters that she has known for years.

A very touching character study.

 ★★★½

GENRE: Cozy mystery
SUBJECT: political manipulation
Setting: England
CHARACTERS: Maisie Dobbs, Maude Pettit, Eddie Pettit, Billy Beale, Sandra Tapley, James Compton
DATE READ: December 18 - December 22
NO. OF PAGES: 452
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: library Overdrive

Death Checks Inn by Sara Robbins

Lacey Washburn is ready for the grand opening of her Bed and Breakfast but all does not go well especially when a dead body is found at the bottom of the stairs the first night.  Feeling that she needs to solve the apparent murder to protect her investment, Lacey with her sister Charlotte work to find the murderer.

A cute little start for a new series.

 ★★★

GENRE: Cozy mystery

SUBJECT: fraud

Setting: Elkville, CO

CHARACTERS: Lacey Washburn, Charlotte Washburn, Wyatt Graves, Heather Mason, Det. Peterson

DATE READ: December 16 - December 17

NO. OF PAGES: 104

Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 

SOURCE: NetGalley

Twisted Threads by Lea Wait

Angela Curtis is called back to Maine when her mother's body is finally found after 19 years.  On her arrival, she learns that her grandmother started a business with her fellow needlepoint enhusiasts but now she has a problem - the man who was suppose to sell their products is unreachable.  Angela offers to help since she has some skills having worked for a PI previously.

Successfully locating the salesman, Jacques Lattimore, and bringing him back to a meeting of the Mainely Needlepointers, everyone is stunned when he falls ill and then dies.  They are all suspects.  

The investigation and conclusion were interesting and well thought out.

Lots of fun!

 ★★★½

GENRE: Cozy mystery
SUBJECT: fraud, embezzlement
Setting: Haven Harbor, Maine
CHARACTERS: Angela Curtis, Charlotte Curtis,Lauren Greene Decker, Jacques Lattimore, Joe Greene
DATE READ: December 11 - December 16
NO. OF PAGES: 272
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: NetGalley

About Face by Donna Leon

 

Commissario Brunetti is caught in two mysteries - one at the office when another officer is found dead (supposedly suicide) and a woman who fascinates Guido because she is not only beautiful with a unique aspect to her face due to plastic surgery but she reads the classics - Cicero and Ovid.

The interwoven story is a page-turner moving along to a satisfactory conclusion for all.

★★★

GENRE: mystery
SUBJECT: toxic dumping
Setting: Venice, Italy
CHARACTERS: Guido Brunetti, Paola Brunetti, Lorenzo Vianello, Filipo Guarino, Stefano Ranzato, Count Orazio Falier, Franca Marinello
DATE READ: December 8 - December 13
NO. OF PAGES: 427
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: audio stockpile

Tim Cratchit's Christmas Carol by Jim Piecuch

Sequels of great books of the past rarely live up to the original, however, I truly believe that Charles Dickens would have been proud of the portrayal of Tim Cratchit in this book and the revival of the spirit of the redeemed Ebenezer Scrooge.

Tim Cratchit is a grown man, a doctor, who in the past had given his time and talents helping the poor but in the past few years he had gotten away from aiding the unfortunate and concentrated on his wealthier clientele.  Several weeks before Christmas, Dr Cratchit has a impoverished young woman appear at his Harley Street office needing help for her sick child.  We see again the small Tiny Tim and how generosity can cure not just the spirit but the body as well.

The story that continues is worthy of Dickens' character and the holiday season.
I loved the story and the characters and would happily recommend this book to everyone for the holidays!

★★★★★

GENRE: fiction
SUBJECT: generosity, compassion, Christmas
Setting: London, England
CHARACTERS: Dr. Tim Cratchit, Jane Crompton, Ginny Whitson, Jonathan Whitson, Dr. Eustace
DATE READ: December 8 - December 10
NO. OF PAGES: 272
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: NetGalley

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

The British Secret Service enlist Maisie's unique talents in this installment sending her to teach at a college that stresses pacifism.  Before she is even settled in the head of the college is found dead Maisie is forced to walk a tight line between assignment for the Secret Service and the murder investigation. 

Maisie is also juggling her relationships with her assistant Billy (trying to get him to accept help for his young family), Sandra (a former servant for the Comptons who has been widowed my murder), and her own relationship with James Compton.  The interactions are cleverly woven throughout the story.

I'm ready for the next one!

 ★★★½

GENRE: Mystery
SUBJECT: Education, pacificism
Setting: England
CHARACTERS: Maisie Dobbs, Robbie MacFarlane, Greville Liddicotte, Francesca Thomas, Rosemary Linden,  
DATE READ: November 29 - December 7
NO. OF PAGES: 461
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: Audio - Public Library

Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Kate, Michael and  Emma have a special destiny and when their young lives become imperiled they are sent away to an orphanage unknowing what the future holds for them.  10 years later after having being sent from orphanage to orphanage, they arrive in Cambridge Falls and their adventures begin.  

Kate has a unique connection to the "Emerald Atlas"  which allows her to time travel.  The children use this special ability to go back in time to save a town and its people.

Magic, time traveling, dwarfs, hidden tunnels and more made this book a thoroughly entertaining experience and had me running to the bookstore for the next in the series.

 ★★★★

GENRE: Young Adult
SUBJECT: magical powers
Setting: Cambridge Falls
CHARACTERS: Kate , Michael, and Emma Wibberly, Dr. Stanislaus Pym, Gabriel, Wallace, Capatain Robbie, Countess
DATE READ: November 29 - December 7
NO. OF PAGES: 432
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: Nook stockpile

Scorched Eggs by Laura Childs

Suzanne along with her two partners, Toni and Petra, run the Cackleberry Club.  On a rare afternoon off, Suzanne is at the town hair salon, when the building next door goes up in flames, killing a friend of Petra's.  With pleas from her friends, Suzanne sets out to find the reason for the fire and why the victim died.

In the meantime, Suzanne is also caring for a baby owl, preparing for the County fair, and the Dinner Theatre that will be at the Cackleberry Club.

The story is fun, keeping the reader entertained, solving the mystery as well as seeing our favorite characters grow.

I'll be watching for the next one!

★★★½

GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT: murder , arson, wildlife
Setting: Kindred, MN
CHARACTERS: Suzanne Dietz, Toni Garrett, Sam Hazelet, Hannah Venable, Bruce Winthrop, Darrel Fuhrman, Sheriff Doogie, Kit Kaslik, Ricky Wilcox
DATE READ: November 23 - November 29
NO. OF PAGES: 291
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: ARC from Author, signed

If the Shoe Kills by Lynn Cahoon

In this third installment of the Tourist Trap Mystery series, as the Christmas season approaches, Jill Gardner is coordinating not only the interns for all the Main Street merchants in a work program but also an impromptu investigation into the murder of the work program director.

New merchants have moved into South Cove.  Could they be at the center of the murder?

The reader hears more about the core characters as they broaden out and become people you'd like to visit.

Hoping the next one is out soon.

★★★½

GENRE: Cozy Mystery
SUBJECT:
Setting: California
CHARACTERS: Jill Gardner, Greg King, Toby, Killian, Marie Jones, Regina Hendricks
DATE READ: November 18 - November 22
NO. OF PAGES: 216
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: NetGalley

A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving by Godfrey Hodgson

This book tells the tale of the Pilgrims - their reasons for seeking a new home, their trip across the Atlantic, and their efforts to settle what was to become known as the Plymouth Colony in current day Massachusetts.  The statics of their survival was very enlightening as well as the clarification of the Thanksgiving myth.

 ★★★
GENRE: History
SUBJECT: Plymouth Colony
Setting: Massachusetts, Holland, England
CHARACTERS: William Brewster, William Bradford, Thomas Weston, Samoset, Squanto
DATE READ: November 14 - November 18
NO. OF PAGES: 193
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: Public Library

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan

This book was the story of the US Forest Service and how the debate regarding the fight over land for development and protection of huge forests was answered by Mother Nature with a huge fire that wiped out vast tracks of trees.  The "Big Burn" brought conversation back to the public eye and helped to preserve many of our natural resources.

★★★¼

GENRE: History
SUBJECT: US Forest Service
Setting: US midwest forests
CHARACTERS: Teddy Roosevelt, William H Taft, John Muir, Gifford Pinchot
DATE READ: November 11 - November 15
NO. OF PAGES: 324
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: Audio Stockpile

Arabian Nights

This book was a group read for the entire year.  I finished a few weeks early.

I can honestly say that I have read [The Arabian Nights].  I'm sure that at the time of publication the stories were fascinating, however, in this day and age when many of the individual tales have been adapted to the silver screen, the stories have lost their luster.  Some I had never heard before, others far too many times.

 ★★★

GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: morality tales
Setting: Baghdad, Middle East
CHARACTERS: Scheherazade, Sinbad, Ali Baba
DATE READ: January 15 - November 13
NO. OF PAGES: 765
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile

The Queen of Four Kingdoms by HRH Princess Michael of Kent

Yolande d'Aragon, after waiting 9 years for her betrothed, wed Louis II d'Anjou and supposedly ended the conflict over the succession to the kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem.  Their marriage, which turned into a love match, produced 5 children but more importantly, help to maintain the French monarchy at the time of the Hundred Years War with England.

Yolande (Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Maine, Countess of Provence and Forcalquier,  Countess of Piedmont, and Titular Queen Consort of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem) utilized diplomacy and cunning in support of the French helping to unite the French factions of Burgundy and Armagnacs so that together they could defeat the English.  Yolande as regent in Anjou, lent their army of support Jeanne d'Arc and  edventually see the Dauphin crowned.

I have always had a fascination with royalty but usually I tend toward British. This is my first look into the French side and I found it completely captivating.

★★★★

GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: Yolande d'Aragon
Setting: France, Anjou, Provence
CHARACTERS: Yolande d'Aragon, Louis II d'Anjou, Charles VII of France, Jeanne d'Arc
DATE READ: October 26 - November 12
NO. OF PAGES: 443
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: LT ER

Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Being a baseball fan as well, it was great to see this side of such a great writer.
The stories brought back memories of my childhood - the disappointments as well as victories.

★★★¼

GENRE: Memoir
SUBJECT: baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers
Setting: Brooklyn, NY
CHARACTERS: Doris Kearns, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges
DATE READ: November 1 - November 10
NO. OF PAGES: 276
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: Audio stockpile

The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's farm is going to foreclosure so Dorothy has  Ozma transport them all to Oz.

Dorothy takes her relarives on a tour of the different regions and they meet Rigamaroles, Flutterbudgets, and other interesting creatures.  Meantime, the Nome King has decided that he wants his Magic Belt back and drafts a new general to recruit help from the Whimsies, Growley Wogs, and the Phanfasms.

Fun story with a really cute ending.

 ★★★½

GENRE: Classic
SUBJECT: revenge, relocation
Setting: Oz
CHARACTERS: Dorothy, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Ozma, Nome King
DATE READ: October 31 - November 3
NO. OF PAGES: 111
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: Nook stockpile

The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 by Evan Thomas

This book delves into the interactions of Teddy Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge vs. William Randolph Hearst and their viewpoints about the Americans' need to go to war against Spain in the late 19th century.

Factual but hard to get into.

 ★★★

GENRE: History
SUBJECT: Spanish American war, politics
Setting: USA
CHARACTERS: Teddy Roosevelt, William Randolph Hearst, Henry Cabot Lodge
DATE READ: October 21 - October 30
NO. OF PAGES: 413
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: public library