Little Pixie

Thanks Gaia ; good to know it doesn`t matter if I don`t read them in order.

<< has to take a looksie herself >> ....... Nooooo !!! You never said there were cats and rocking chairs in the series ! That`s an accident waiting to happen. Cover. Good grief, it actually gets worse. Cover2. I love the strapline ` Boy, can she write !`.

Thanks for recommending them. I meant to ask - are there any DeKok books from this list which you especially enjoyed ?

Great book haul ! I`ve read one Tess Gerritsen ( and I like Rizzoli and Isles, the TV show from her books ) ; it was a real page-turner.

Ooh, that`s a really embarrassing cover.

I finished the last two seasons of Justified - great stuff. How I`ll miss Boyd Crowder. Also just saw the NCIS S12 finale. Hmm.

#98 DeKok and the Sorrowing Tomcat - AC Baantjer Amsterdam detective DeKok and his sidekick Vledder investigate the murder of `Cunning` Pete, found with a dagger in his back. It`s an entertaining whodunnit, with a comic detective ( his eyebrows wriggle, to the amazement of everyone, and he throws his hat at the hatstand and always misses ). It feels a bit melodramatic in a fun way ; people are always shouting and farcical things happen. I really liked the detective double act, enough to want to read more of the series ( described as Holland`s Poirot ). #99 A Trouble of Fools - Linda Barnes The first Carlotta Carlyle mystery ( Boston, 6 foot tall, ex-cop, now PI, one cat, ex-boyfriend in the Mob ). Seemingly nice spinster Margaret hires Carlotta to search for her missing elderly brother, who was driving a cab for a company Carlotta used to work for. She insists that the Police can`t be involved. Carlotta can`t break the case... and then Margaret is beaten up in her home by men who turn out to be from the IRA. I couldn`t quite get into the book, and I can`t pinpoint why - it just didn`t grab me. #100 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - Rita Mae Brown `Sister` Jane Arnold and the Virginian Jefferson Hunt * travel to Kentucky for a Meet and a body turns up in a graveyard ( yes, I know - but it`s a murder victim from 100 years ago ). The whodunnit is slight and there`s much talk of hunting, DNA and horses, which fills out the novel. While it`s still nice to spend time with the characters - this is book 9 in a series taking place in rural Virginia - it`s just a bit of a disappointment as a mystery. Not a patch on the first in the series - Outfoxed. BTW, you can see the author`s bio on that page - she`s certainly had a Life and Half. * No foxes are harmed. #101 Miss Zukas and the Library Murders - Jo Dereske Excerpt First of the Miss Helma Zukas - Librarian and murderer-finder-outer - series. Helma ( Wilhemina ) lives in Bellevue, Washington State and works as a librarian. She`s uptight, fussy and bossy, though she`s saved from being unlikeable by being best friends with her old schoolfriend Ruth ( tall, artist, drinker, potty mouth ). Coming into work one day, Helma finds a Police car in her parking spot - turns out there`s been a murder overnight. Helma and Ruth decide to try and solve it. There`s a lot of introduction of the characters ( likeable or interesting , they`re people I`d like to `meet` again ) and the book gets funnier as it goes on.

Your Library Night sounds lovely; I hope you enjoy your new books.

Xiao-Xiao does that excited chatter noise, then looks over as if to say ` Mum, did you see that pigeon ? ` She gets very excited about butterflies.

Yikes, hope the back continues to improve. There`s a design flaw with backs, as I well know. Good grief, I hadn`t realised the room was quite so capacious ; have you thought about turning the room into a Family Museum ?! I`m beyond amused that you have a Book Dolly ( though it`s a sensible idea ) - I rather want one of those library thingies with wheels which look like a hostess trolley. * excitement builds for release of cat pics *

It`s difficult to say what`s so good about that one, without major spoilage. I`ve found all the books worth a read ( and some of those have been excellent ).

From memory, the Japanese story is only something briefly alluded to ( I think the start of Locked Rooms - Book 9 - says something about an adventure they had on the way from India to San Francisco ). Quick search - Excerpt from Locked Rooms and the Japan bit. I`ll get Dreaming Spies when there`s a decent price drop ; it`s sad that it`s no longer a `must read`. I didn`t realise that `Mary Russell` had a Twitter account.

#97 Fax me a bagel - Sharon Kahn Excerpt Ruby - a rabbi`s widow in the small town of Eterenal, Texas - is waiting in line at the bagel shop when Marla and Essie-sue push in front of her. Minutes later, Marla is dead - from a poisoned bagel ! Who was the real victim and why, and was Ruby`s late husband`s death an accident after all ? A quick, light read with fun characters.

Eeeeeek !

What - really ?? Tigger - from two doors down - brought a bat into his home. He also managed to get a pigeon through his catflap.

Aww, poor mouse. Last year, Xiao-Xiao brought in ( separately ) a shrew and a blue tit, placed them both alive in her num-num bowl, and wandered off. Both were released back into the garden unharmed.

#96 Suffer the Little Children - Donna Leon ( Inspector Brunetti 16...... 16 already ! Can`t believe I`ve read so many of them ) Excerpt Oof, this book really put me though the wringer; it`s one of those books which you entirely immerse yourself in, then when it`s over, you emerge and find you`re not actually in Venice afterall. Brunetti is called out to the Hospital to investigate when a paediatrician has his skull fractured in a raid by the Carabinieri. Turns out, his small son is one of a number of children taken into care in raids, due to illegal adoptions. Brunetti and his team investigate an upsetting case. As ever, there are some lighter moments too involving Brunetti`s wife Paola, and lovely descriptions of Venice and various meals taken.

Hope you enjoy it, when/if you get to it. It`s one of those books that you enjoy so much, everyone else must read it.

Yep, I had issues with Marie Kondo`s idea of books as somehow disposable ( I almost think of them as pets. I said almost. ) I did find some good tips though; it`s just the idea of putting them into practice, and I find I decide to read books instead as either avoidance or as a way of kidding myself that I`ll get rid of ones really didn`t like and that will declutter the house. Is you sideroom still decluttered ? I remember you had a big sort out recently. Oh ! And how is Charles ? And the cats ?

It`s well worth a go, imo. Very much character- rather than plot-driven ( though the plot`s good, too ). Erm.. It`s just a good book. On Kathy Reichs : I`ve found myself preferring the Canadian-set Kathy Reichs` books to the other ones. I have the next in the series, perhaps it picks up again. Hmm. I`m hoping the next Laurie R King returns to form, too - Dreaming Spies.

Ooh, lovely article on The Comfort of Clutter.

#95 Timebound - Rysa Walker Excerpt Teenage Kate goes to lunch with her Grandmother, who she hasn`t seen for years and only really remembers through photographs. The Grandmother - Katherine - has a medallion on her keyring, glowing with a strange light.. which no-one else seems to be able to see. Katherine has a brain tumour and wants Kate to move in with her - and then she talks about time travel - which turns out to be real and not a delusion from her illness. It`s a cracking good read, dealing with the emotional fallout from meddling with Time, and Kate has to deal with family and friends who don`t recognise her or have simply vanished from the Timeline, as well as being the only one who can put Time back to where it should be. There are plenty of big shocky spoilers, but it`s really about the characters and how they cope. I`m looking forward to the next two books in the series.

Thank you - some books from the US are here in 11 days, and some take aaages. Can`t wait for them to get here and then I can dig in !

I ordered 5 more of the Passport to Peril books by Maddy Hunter - Hula Done it ? , Dutch me Deadly, Norway to Hide, Bonnie of Evidence, G`Day to Die - £16.83. Books read : 94 TBR 795 New Books Bought : 118 Total Cost : £ 322.085