Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

by Carol1 Comment
I liked Of Books and Bagpipes much more than the first in the series. Delaney has been in Scotland for a while now and has come to care about the people she works with and her friends. I felt like her reason for investigating felt more natural this time around, a combination of natural curiosity and wanting to help. As a mystery, it worked well. There were plenty of clues and suspects and secrets that went back decades. It takes a lot of unraveling and I was surpised by the whodunnit, although I felt the motive was bit weak. And of course, Delaney gets herself trapped, but I didn't feel like it was because of stupidity on her part, which was nice. Sometimes female amateur detectives annoy me by taking risks that no sane woman would. Delaney didn't do that here. She has someone with her when there's a potential for danger, and always lets someone know where she is going. I...
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Earthly Remains by Donna Leon

by Carol1 Comment
I've read or listened to a fair number of the Commissario Brunetti series, but I read them out of order. It's a bit of bad luck that both this and the one I listened to before it both deal with pollution. Yes, it's a topic Leon keeps coming back to, apparently a major issue in Venice, but usually it's spread out a little than it was for me this time. I would have liked a different topic, but that's more my fault than Leon's. I liked that Brunetti gets out of town for a while this time around. I enjoy the early part of the story where he's relaxing and rowing; it's different than we usually see him. I like the people in the smaller towns, their relationships. I enjoyed the bees and how much they meant to David Casati. I missed his family a bit, but I'm sure they'll be in the next one. The investigation was interesting, with it's digging into...
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Argyle Fox by Marie Letourneau

by Carol3 Comments
We woke up this morning to more snow and cold temperatures. Ohio's weather has been crazy lately. I swear it was almost 60 yesterday. I needed some spring and Argyle Fox provides just that. It's a windy spring day and Argyle Fox wants to play outside, but the wind ruins everything he tries to do, until he comes up with a solution. It's a fun cute book. I like the ingenuity it encourages. On the other hand, I don't think wind should really ruin playing pirate or knight and I don't think it was nice for the other woodland creatures to discourage his imaginative play. You don't need a cardboard castle to pretend to fight a dragon. Or a paper hat to be a pirate. And I'm pretty sure building a tower of cards outside is never a good idea. But, if the wind hadn't made him grumpy during his other games, he wouldn't have been able to figure out the perfect...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Little Mermaid by Metaphrog

by Carol2 Comments
I'm always a little worried about re-workings of The Little Mermaid. So many of us have seen the Disney version and expect the happy ending for the prince and the mermaid. Metaphrog isn't giving us a happy ending, they are sticking closer to the original by Hans Christian Andersen. Our Little Mermaid does fall in love with a human prince and does make a deal with a witch, but the witch is not scary. The Witch is helping and warning our mermaid, but the mermaid still wants to have legs and the witch obliges at the cost of the mermaid's voice. The mermaid does get to live in the prince's palace, but the prince marries someone else. In the end, the little mermaid jumps into the sea, dissolves into foam and will live forever in the water. It's a sad story really. Metaphrog does cut out the more religious aspects of the original, which should make it appeal to a larger audience....
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Good Morning, Superman! by Michael Dahl

by Carol2 Comments
Good Morning, Superman! is a really cute book. A little boy is getting ready for the day and everything he does is mirrored by something Superman does. For example, as the little boy gets dressed, Superman reveals his costume. The boy eats his breakfast, gathering his strength, as Superman flies above the buildings, getting ready to fight the bad guys. Even the boy's sister gets in on the act in her Supergirl costume, handing him his lunchbox, because helpers are super heroes too. The illustrations are bright and fun, just like the cover. It's a perfect book for any superhero loving pre-schooler. It may even help with the morning routine....
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In the Bag by Emery Harper

by Carol2 Comments
I didn't read the first in the series, but I picked up In the Bag based on the blurb. I like mysteries and this one sounded fun. I chose well. The cast of characters is great. Celeste is the lead and is a blast. she's funny, caring, has a tendency to get herself into potential danger, but who can blame her? Her best friend's the main suspect in a murder investigation. Speaking of Levi, I like him. He's got his own troubles, but still has time to give out advice, for better or worse. Celeste's dad's in town and adds to the confusion. There's also a bookie whose interest in Celeste is obvious, and a little creepy. The plotline was good. There are enough suspects, but not too many. The clues tie together pretty well. For me though, the enjoyment was in the characters and the situations they get themselves into, no necessarily the whodunnit. I was not a big fan of Celeste's "relationship"...
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