Rockin’ Around the Chickadee

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Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

Every fall, I look for the latest cozy holiday mystery by Andrews. They are always a delight to read, or to listen to. Meg Langslow and her husband Michael have a very large extended family. Her mother decorates Meg and Michael’s large house to the utmost every Christmas, and someone in the family is usually involved in a Christmas production. Michael often does a one-man Christmas Carol and twins Josh and Jamie, now about 13, have appeared in many Christmas pageants. Meg herself often organizes holiday events in their town of Caerphilly, Virginia, where downtown traffic slows to a crawl as visitors enjoy the holiday decorations and carolers.

This mystery is largely set at the luxurious Caerphilly Inn, where a relative is hosting the Presumed Innocent conference, with presenters giving information on how to exonerate wrongly convicted people. Meg and Michael have a very pregnant relative staying with them, tended to by herbalist cousin Rose Noire, and Meg’s dad, Dr. Langslow. Meg, with the assistance of relatives and town residents, is a skilled amateur sleuth, and is soon asked to investigate the death of someone involved with the conference. While not as funny as some of her other holiday mysteries, Josh and Jamie, along with their friend Adam, provide comic relief as they help Meg and Chief Burke by attempting to exit the Inn unseen by security cameras. Meg and Michael’s family continue to charm, as does the town of Caerphilly. More, please! Earlier holiday mysteries include Duck the Halls, The Nightingale Before Christmas, Owl be Home for Christmas, and several more. Enjoy!

Brenda

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

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The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

After her mother’s death, Augusta Stern’s Great Aunt Esther moves into the family apartment above their drugstore. Solomon Stern is the pharmacist, older sister Bess sells cosmetics, Irving Rivkin is the delivery boy, and Augusta is a cashier who learns about medicine and healing from her father and her aunt. Esther treats patients in the apartment with soup and herbs. The book title is a bit misleading, as neither Esther or Augusta makes a love elixir, although there is a bit of magical realism to Esther’s methods.

Set in Brooklyn in the early 1920s, and in south Florida in 1987, this is a heartfelt and enjoyable historical novel. It’s unusual in that the same main character is featured in both timelines. At almost 80, Augusta is still working as a hospital pharmacist, having altered her birthdate. She is finally ready to retire and her niece Jackie finds her an apartment at Rallentando Springs, a development for seniors, most of them Jewish, that includes a swimming pool and a book club. Augusta swims in the pool daily, and is stunned to meet Irving, who was her teenage sweetheart. She also encounters her late friend Evie’s handsome husband Nathaniel, who is not friendly with Irving. I appreciated that the seniors here are depicted as vibrant, active, and fairly healthy.

The author was inspired by the story of her husband’s great grandmother Goldie, a pharmacist, and by her father’s move to an assisted living residence in south Florida. Daily life in Prohibition era Brooklyn really comes to life and it was fun to read about the fashion trends of the 1980s. I found this book to be quite a good read, though her previous book, The Matchmaker’s Gift, is my favorite.

Brenda

We Solve Murders

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We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Sometimes I need a fun crime thriller or caper for escapist reading. This first book in a new series by Osman is just the ticket. While different from his Thursday Murder Club mysteries, fans of one series may enjoy the other. To begin with, Amy Wheeler and her father-in-law Steve are the good guys. Steve is a widowed ex-cop with a cat named Trouble. He lives in the English town of Axley where he walks to a favorite park bench every day to talk with Debbie, his late wife. Then there is lunch at the pub, where Tony can diagnose the problems with his car’s clutch, and quiz night once a week. He has just located a missing dog. There are frequent texts and regular chats with Amy, a bodyguard, and less frequent texts with his son Adam, currently en route to Dubai.

Amy is guarding longtime bestselling writer Rosie D’Antonio on her private island off the coast of South Carolina. Recently, three couriers have died, all with ties to Maximum Impact, the security company owned by Jeff, Amy’s boss, and to a small public relations firm in England. One of the deaths happened off the coast of South Carolina, and Amy learns that she’s a suspect. When she’s not sure who to trust, she asks Steve for help. At first reluctant to travel, Steve finds that he enjoys private plane rides, and the action moves to St. Lucia, Dublin, Dubai, and the New Forest in England. Pubs, posh restaurants, airports, golf courses and spas are all featured here. Steve and Amy make connections, ask questions, are occasionally in danger, and along with Rosie, are vastly entertaining. A movie actor, another security guard, and a caddy all help them figure out who’s responsible for the crime wave. Adam also gets to help, but is a minor character here. In the end, loose ends are tied up and the reader finally emerges back into the real world, refreshed.

Steve and Amy decide they will work together to solve mysteries, and Rosie may have located a missing cat. The Marseille Caper and The Corsican Caper by Peter Mayle are readalikes.

Brenda

Murder Among the Pyramids

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Murder Among the Pyramids by Sara Rosett

A new historical mystery series from Rosett is always welcome news. I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla Digital, with excellent narrating by Elizabeth Klett. Rosett researched 1930s Egypt, lady explorers, and more to creating the first Lady Traveler in Egypt mystery, featuring Blix Windway and Hildy Honeyworth. Blix was introduced in the 6th High Society Lady Detective series, Murder on a Midnight Clear. The author intends to continue the earlier series.

Blix is a resourceful young woman, traveling the world, taking photos, and delivering lectures to women’s groups. Often, she works as a lady’s companion to fund her travels. Arriving in France after a rough channel crossing, Blix needs to find a new patron to cover her travel past Paris. In Paris, Blix and her new traveling companion, Hildy Honeyworth, participate in an exciting road race in Paris.

They travel on to Marseilles, Alexandria, and then to Cairo, Egypt. There is a death in a tent near the pyramids, and an Egyptian diary and expensive jewelry go missing. When society gossips start whispering that Hildy is a suspect, Blix investigates. With the help of reporter Mr. Denby and the scornful Mr. Heathcliff, who works with but not for the police, Blix finds many clues, and almost gets caught up in a street riot. Egypt of the 1930s is vividly described, and Blix is a very appealing amateur detective. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, which is wonderful historical armchair travel. I look forward to Blix and Hildy’s next adventure, on a trip down the Nile.

Brenda

The Teller of Small Fortunes

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The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

This is a delightful first novel that’s an Indie Next and a Library Reads pick. I love the book cover, which features a wagon, an Asian woman in a cloak, a cup of tea, and a cat. The book is recommended by other cozy fantasy writers, including Sangu Mandanna, Sarah Beth Durst, and Rebecca Thorne.

Tao is Shinaran, but grew up in Eshtara in her stepfather’s house. She once told a major fortune, but has resolved to tell only small fortunes. Small fortunes usually concern the near future and are about everyday happenings. She travels between villages with her mule, Laohu, telling fortunes by reading tea leaves, palms, or a set of Shinaran stones. When a large tree blocks the road, she meets Mash and Silt. Mash is a large ex-mercenary and poet while Silt is a reformed thief. A small fortune told for Mash has a huge effect, and the trio decide to travel together. Mash has been looking for his missing daughter for months.

Then apprentice baker Kina joins the found family. Kina’s pastries usually taste delicious but don’t look very appealing. She is happy to join them on the road, and they soon acquire another wagon and horse, along with a cat. The group encounters a troll and a phoenix on their travels. Tao finally sees her mother after a long separation, as well as her stepfather, and learns more about Eshtara’s Guild of Mages. This is a lovely tale that is heartwarming, a little sad, and occasionally funny. I enjoyed this story about a young woman who didn’t fit in anywhere finding her path and her people. Another book in the same world but with new characters is expected next year.

Brenda

What Time the Sexton’s Spade doth Rust

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What Time the Sexton’s Spade doth Rust by Alan Bradley

After a five-year wait, another Flavia de Luce mystery is most welcome. Flavia is a young teen in early 1950s England, a skilled chemist, and an amateur sleuth. Her clever younger cousin Undine has come to live in the large family house in Bishop’s Lacey, and constantly shadows Flavia. Flavia’s sister Daffy is still there, but oldest sister Ophelia is now married. Dogger and Mrs. Mullett look after the three girls and the house since their father’s death. Flavia and Dogger have long chats in the greenhouse.

Mrs. Mullett has also started cooking meals for Major Greyleigh, her long ago sweetheart. When he is found dead, she is suspected of cooking him poisonous mushrooms for breakfast. While sleuthing, Flavia uncovers a huge family secret and learns that Mrs. M also knows. Does Dogger? British intelligence is operating nearby and it looks like Flavia, Dogger, and also cousin Undine will have more fiendishly clever cases to solve in the future, to the delight of Flavia’s many fans.

Brenda

Alliance Unbound

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Alliance Unbound: The Hinder Stars II

Published five years after Alliance Rising, science fiction novel Alliance Unbound is well worth the wait for Cherryh’s many fans. Increasingly hard to put down, this story about trade in interstellar space both delights and thrills. Three main characters narrate: Senior captain JR Neihart of the Large FTL family ship Finity’s End, young Jen Neihart, an up-and-coming member of Finity’s Security team, and her sweetheart, Navigator Ross Monahan of smaller family ship Galway. One of the real delights is an arboretum on the wealthy station Pell. Jen escorts the nine Monahans currently traveling on Finity’s End, and it’s great to see Pell and the arboretum through their eyes. Their visit to Pell also provides clues to a mystery, sending the ship to visit remote, closed-down space stations. Naturally, they find all the excitement a reader could want at one of the stations, with Ross and Jen having significant roles.

Ross can sense the binary stars at the stations they visit, as can Finity’s chief navigator. Alliances are forming among the merchanters and the space stations, but what Finity’s crew encounters could challenge the whole Alliance. A subplot is about waiting for news about Galway, testing out a possible FTL route to Sol, currently visited only by sublight cargo ships, while also dealing with armed intruders.

I love Cherryh’s Foreigner series, but this book is a close second. I will likely reread Alliance Rising while waiting for book 3. These books are an excellent entry point into the Hugo award-winning Alliance-Union universe.

Brenda

Maria

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Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran

Fran, an aspiring writer, works for Oscar Hammerstein in 1959. He is completing the final songs for a new Broadway show, The Sound of Music, starring Mary Martin. Maria von Trapp, unhappy with the script, comes to New York City to request some changes. Fran is sent to take her to lunch and they end up meeting several times. Maria doesn’t like how her late husband Georg is portrayed as a stern parent and thinks that the whole second half of the show is pure fiction. Also, Liesl is really Rupert. Maria was the stricter parent, after being raised by her grandmother in her aunt and uncle’s home. Maria’s father was a musician, who gave her a guitar.

Fran’s story as a working girl in 1959 New York is also quite interesting, as is her romantic life. Maria shares highlights of her life story with Fran, who gets to know Maria and her youngest daughter, and takes detailed notes for Oscar, who is ill. The last song he writes for the show is “Edelweiss,” not actually an Austrian folk song. The real-life stories of Maria and the von Trapp family make for a compelling read, and should appeal to readers of biographical fiction or fans of The Sound of Music.

Brenda

A Walk in the Park

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A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko

Fedarko, inspired by a book his dad gave him, thought he’d explore the Grand Canyon by river. Interning with a river tour company, he only became skilled enough to row a supply raft which hauled trash. He learned to love writing about the canyon and other wilderness areas, traveling with National Geographic photographer Pete McBride.

At McBride’s suggestion, they embarked on an end-to-end traverse inside the Grand Canyon from east to west, in several different expeditions. For their first section, an experienced group of canyon explorers welcomes them for 12 days—they don’t even last a full week. Their backpacks are way too heavy and disorganized and they didn’t prepare for all the off-trail walking, hiking, climbing, or rappelling among the many layers of rock. Daily, there is the challenge of reaching a safe camping spot before dark, in case of flash floods, and always being on the lookout for the next source of water, however tiny. Then there’s the need to consume massive amounts of calories and taking care of their feet.

Through the generosity of more experienced hikers, Kevin and Pete prepared for their next venture into the canyon, with the support of still others caching their resupply buckets and driving them to and from the canyon’s rim. Gradually they make their way west, with breaks to plan the next hike or for Kevin to visit his ailing father. This story is told with much more depth than many other real-life adventures, including lots of the history and prehistory of the canyon and the people who lived there and the artifacts they left. They met with members of the Navajo and Havasupai tribes, and Fedarko relates both sides of the recent influx of thousands of tourists from Las Vegas visiting the western Grand Canyon by helicopter.

The stunning beauty of the inner canyon is well described, making readers understand the appeal of this often extremely hot and always challenging journey, which made a huge impact on the author. Peter McBride has published a book of Grand Canyon photographs and there is a National Geographic documentary about their journey, Into the Grand Canyon, neither of which I’ve seen, yet. Many photographs by McBride are included in A Walk in the Park. This is a memorable and enjoyable read for those who enjoy armchair travel or real-life adventure tales.

Brenda

Moonbound

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Moonbound by Robin Sloan

This science fiction novel has wizards, dragons, talking beavers, and swords of destiny. It’s also set on Earth, but 11,000 years in the future. If you, like me, enjoy genre-bending tales, you may enjoy the wild ride with young Ariel de la Sauvage and an unseen Chronicler. Dragons (who may actually be robots) live on the Moon and have enclosed Earth in a sort of bubble. Part of the bubble is torn when Durga comes to Earth in stasis, aboard a small spacecraft.

As young Ariel journeys across a far future version of the British Isles along with robot Clovis, Durga, beaver Agassiz and others, he also visits a town dedicated to recycling and remaking and a virtual memory café. Ariel has a lot to learn and has numerous adventures. I enjoyed this very imaginative tale from the author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough.

Brenda