The Stolen Queen

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The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

The Stolen Queen

I enjoyed this compelling pageturner, set in 1978 and 1936. In 1978, Charlotte Cross works as an associate curator for the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Egyptian Art. Her main research focus is the (fictional) female pharaoh Hathorkare. Her time in Egypt in the 1930s ended in tragedy and she hasn’t been back.

When Charlotte recognizes an artifact from her time in Egypt and another Egyptian artifact is stolen, she heads back to Egypt. Annie, 19, loves the Met and lucks into a job assisting Diana Vreeland set up a costume exhibit. Annie and Charlotte keep crossing paths and travel to Egypt together for a very adventurous visit. I found this dual timeline novel to be an enthralling read. It’s a bit dramatic, but the drama fits in here. I especially liked the descriptions of the Met as they’re preparing for the Treasures of Tutankhamen exhibition. I remember being thrilled by visiting the exhibit in Chicago as a girl, and named my Abyssinian kitten Little Tut.

Brenda

Turning to Birds

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Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor

Actor Lili Taylor, who lives in Brooklyn and upstate New York, has been a birder for about fifteen years. She took a break from work and started hearing, then seeing birds all around her. Most of her observations are in New York City or on location where she’s working, with a few trips just to bird, often in company with other birders.

Each chapter is an insightful essay about her experiences with a different species of bird, beginning with pigeons. Each type of bird features an illustration by Anna Koska. The book begins with Lili as a novice birder, eager to learn about and observe more birds in their natural habitats, from Brooklyn parks to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, with birding trips to northern Ohio and the Platte River in Nebraska to see sandhill cranes. Each chapter has just the right amount of description to make me feel as if I’m sharing her birding experience. Her writing about the sandhill cranes sent me to maps and online to see just where and when the cranes spend time on their great migration, as I’ve seen them in smaller numbers in Illinois and Indiana.

I only differ from Lili in my fondness for house sparrows, for which she has a strong dislike, as they are aggressive towards eastern bluebirds. Fair, but I don’t see any bluebirds in my area. A slightly melancholy essay is set in Lombard, Illinois, featuring swifts which roost in tall chimneys. Lili has turned her newfound love of birds into a passion, and now serves on the boards of three birding organizations. I really liked how birding made her feel alive and at home in new and temporary work locations.

Brenda

The White Octopus Hotel

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The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell

Imagine visiting a luxury hotel in the Swiss alps, reached by ferry or, in winter, a sleigh. The hotel has a wonderful aquatic spa, numerous fountains, and is decorated with white octopuses and clocks. Also, the hotel is probably haunted. Add in time travel, and the scene is set.

Eve Shaw has a small, quiet life, ever since a family tragedy when she was a little girl. She feels haunted by rabbits and apples, with a nod to Alice in Wonderland. Eve is an art appraiser and loves music. She meets an elderly composer, then travels to the White Octopus Hotel in 2015. Her room is designated for time travelers, and she opens her door and steps into 1935 and 1918, still at the hotel, as well as the present. She meets some of the same people in each time, and participates in a treasure hunt which may give her a prize to change her past.

Eve meets Max, who is haunted by his friends who never made it home from World War I. They explore the hotel and its grounds together, and Eve even glimpses herself as a child, along with her mother. No money is collected from Eve for her stay; her payment is the memories of her time at the hotel. Octopuses are everywhere, including on a unusual tattoo on her leg. Her hotel room has a magical wardrobe, which opens to reveal just the right outfit she’ll need for the next adventure, which fits perfectly.

Magical, often melancholy, and luxurious, the White Octopus hotel is a wondrous setting for a compelling read.

Brenda

Turns of Fate

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Turns of Fate: An Isle of Wyrd Novel by Anne Bishop

“Words have power. Intentions matter.”

The Arcana allow visitors on the Isle of Wyrd from the Spring Equinox until the Fall Equinox. They will need a coin for the Ferryman, and can have their fortunes told. In Destiny Park uncanny statues can be glimpsed and the most daring venture through a Moon Gate. Read and heed the signs, and don’t fall in the water.

Turns of Fate begins a new dark fantasy series which will have strong appeal for readers of The Others series by Bishop. Young Detective Beth Fahey loses a coin toss and makes her first visit to Wyrd on official police business, and meets Lucas Frost at the dock. She will return again, drawn to the island, and for information on missing people. The Arcana may show antlers after dark, or webbed hands. There are even purple cows, and llamas. Well, sort of llamas.

People who need refuge may find it, traveling far or transforming their lives. Some overly curious or violent men will regret their visit. Creative, amazing, uncanny, and occasionally very dark, this long novel is a pageturner for the right reader.

Brenda

Close to Home

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Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door by Thor Hanson

Conservation biologist Thor Hanson has done field research in Alaska, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and with mountain gorillas in Uganda, as well as writing a number of books, including some for children. Here, Thor explores his own yard, on an island in Washington state. Along with his wife and teen son, their acres house a wide variety of plants and wildlife, most of which he hadn’t previously observed.

This book is about how to observe nature in your own yard or neighborhood and what you might discover, from ponds and trees to soil, insects, birds, flowers, and much more. The book describes how and why to attract more wildlife and plants to your yard. The author also zooms, calls, or visits scientists around the world to learn about their projects and how citizen scientists have helped them, especially with iNaturalist and Zooniverse.

This book about observing nature and creating biodiversity was lovely to read to start or end my day, especially in mid-winter when springs feels too far away. I also enjoyed the black and white illustrations and photos. My gardening is mainly containers on the deck and doorstep, but I live near a creek, a neighborhood park, and other natural areas. I hope to spend more time soon being still in nature and just seeing what’s nearby.

Brenda

The Impossible Fortune

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The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Four residents of an upscale British retirement village are back to solve a crime, and hope to prevent another, in another good read from the author of The Thursday Murder Club. I most liked the improving relationship between retired nurse Joyce and her daughter Joanna. Elizabeth, a former spy, hasn’t been herself lately, but gets back to work when a wedding guest disappears after asking for her help.  The group works to gain access to a remote storage facility where an extremely valuable bitcoin is kept. I certainly don’t understand bitcoins, but you don’t need to in order to follow the storyline.

Ron is worried about his daughter, and is spending more time with his grandson. A car bombing is witnessed, and Ibrahim learns that his favorite criminal hasn’t exactly reformed. This is a lively, clever crime thriller that fans of the series will definitely enjoy. I haven’t mentioned much of the plot, as I don’t want to give any spoilers. I liked Osman’s non-series book, We Solve Murders, but I’m very happy to return to the village of Cooper’s Chase.

Brenda

Costumes for Time Travelers

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Costumes for Time Travelers by A. R. Capetta

I really enjoyed this teen time travel fantasy. There is plenty of adventure and some romance. Calisto (they/them) is growing up in Pocket with three parents and siblings. One parent was a history professor in Australia, another was a priestess in ancient times, while the third parent is a Pocket native. Pocket has several moons and is a waypoint that most time travelers pass through. The travelers get new costumes for the next time period they’ll be visiting and have the cobblers resole their time boots. Calisto works in the costume shop with their grandmother Mena, a tailor. They design and sew costumes with a huge variety of fabrics for their customers. I really liked how the author makes costume design and sewing seem very cool.

Fawkes, a time savant, arrives in a dramatic fashion from the far future, where he had a mostly solitary upbringing. Calisto is shocked that Fawkes has only one outfit, and no home to return to. In a kaleidoscope of a story, Fawkes and Calisto time travel to the Elizabethan era where Fawkes is in one of Shakespeare’s plays. They also meet the Minotaur in Crete, and travel to Stanford University where Californians are worrying about Y2K and computers. Time wardens want to stop new time lines, and Fawkes and Calisto try to stop a time quake that may affect Calisto’s beloved Pocket, which is governed by a group of elders at their book club meetings. The romance is sweet, and the sense of place and time are vividly drawn, along with the costumes. I didn’t get any sense of how time travel actually works, and wasn’t sure if this was as much science fiction as it is fantasy, but definitely enjoyed the journey.

Brenda

A Case of Mice and Murder

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A Case of Mice and Murder: The Trials of Gabriel Ward by Sally Smith

It is a joy to discover a new author and then learn they’ve already published a second book. I started this historical mystery while I was still reading a Victorian mystery by Charles Finch set in 1879 London. This mystery is set in London at the very start of the Edwardian era, in May, 1901.

Gabriel Ward is a London barrister, a King’s Counsel, and argues court cases in the courts of the Inner Temple. He has book-filled rooms near his office chambers and very particular, regular habits. Every morning at two minutes to seven, Sir Gabriel firmly closes the door to his rooms and presses the door three times, just to be sure. One morning, on his way to work, he discovers a body, that of a powerful judge.

Gabriel, who has read quite a bit about modern crime detecting, is assigned to investigate the death, much to his dismay, along with Constable Wright. The pair interview other barristers and judges, cooks, a laundress, porters, a man who sleeps outside a bookstore, and the members of the late judge’s household.

Meanwhile, Gabriel is preparing for a court case representing the publisher of Millie the Mouse, an anonymous bestseller that was left on the publisher’s doorstep. A former governess is claiming authorship and suing the publisher. I’m happy to say that no mice come to harm during the mystery, but some cats help establish someone’s alibi. Gabriel is rather eccentric, and also an appealing and memorable character. I look forward to reading A Case of Life and Limb, which was recently published.

Brenda

Cinnamon Star Bread

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Holiday Baking 2025

I have mostly been baking healthy recipes like whole wheat bread recently, along with some Christmas cookies. This is a delicious and festive recipe my whole family enjoyed. If you like cinnamon rolls but don’t love all the cream cheese icing, this is a great option for a holiday brunch. I’ve seen similar recipes elsewhere online; this is from the always reliable King Arthur Baking website: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/cinnamon-star-bread-recipe. I started the bread after a late breakfast, and the bread was ready to eat before lunch, and made the house smell delicious! I still have a serving in the freezer.

Brenda

The Queen Who Came in from the Cold

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The Queen Who Came in from the Cold: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates by S. J. Bennett

This book is the fifth mystery in one of my favorite series, featuring Queen Elizabeth II and her assistant private secretaries. This one is set in 1961, as Buckingham Palace is preparing for a state visit from the Kennedys. Before that, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their staff are going to Italy. I especially enjoyed the scenes set on the royal train and the royal yacht, HMY Britannia. A number of years ago I got to tour Britannia, now a floating museum in Edinburgh, and it was lovely to picture the family quarters while reading this mystery.

On the train, Sandra Pole, a temporary lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, says that she saw a body flung into a pond from the train, but no one else saw anything, and is she a reliable witness? It may have been too dark for her to see much, at any rate. The Queen, along with her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, has some experience in solving crimes without taking any of the credit. Joan, a former codebreaker at Bletchley Park, does some investigating. A missing photographer, possibly connected to Princess Margaret’s new husband, could be the victim. But where to search? The Queen interviews a clergyman with a passion for trains and railways who has some useful information.

The Space Race and the Cold War come into play, as a possible defector was in contact with the missing photographer, and the Britannia may be involved. Scenes in Rome and Venice add to the story, and the pace and danger intensifies. While Joan is a fine sleuth, Queen Elizabeth is the star here, and it’s great fun to see her in the 1961 setting, and also while trying to keep secrets from Prince Philip, who is very supportive. We don’t see much of the Queen’s corgis here, but there is a very naughty chihuahua on board the train, and the Queen Mother makes an appearance. The previous book, A Death in Diamonds, is set in 1957, while the first three, beginning with The Windsor Knot, are set in 2016 and 2017.

Brenda