A Where's My Machete Weekly Link Round-Up

 

All that rain we got here in Phoenix last fall, as well as what we've received this winter, means that the trees and shrubs here at Casa Kittling have gone ballistic. Gone are the days when I donned a sweatband, gloves, and battle-scarred clothes to go out and hack back the jungle. Now, I have to hire people to do it, and they certainly don't come cheap! 

Snazzy arborist's truck, eh?

When I was given quotes on everything that needed to be done, it's a good thing I don't have false teeth because they would've fallen out. So... it's a case of necessity over appearance. I have one tree that's grown into the power lines and another that's partially hanging over solar panels, so they have to be taken care of. Even the price of having that done made my eyes water. (Anyone have a winning lottery ticket?)

My knitting has been put aside for the time being because I've found my needlepoint projects to be very relaxing and fulfilling. I may also be doing some crafty needlepoint thing with Daisy and Suzanne when they come for a visit. We'll see what happens. 

I've finished Sujata Massey's The Star from Calcutta, and I have to admit that I found it difficult to get into the story and enjoy it as much as I have previous books in the Perveen Mistry series. Now I'm beginning Steve Cavanagh's latest Eddie Flynn legal thriller, Two Kinds of Strangers, and I'm looking forward to finding out how Eddie gets out of his latest predicament. I was given the opportunity to read the next book in a series that I've previously enjoyed, but I decided to turn it down. The author has gotten into the bad habit of letting her main character get into an impossible situation then having the mysterious love interest suddenly arrive to save the day. I'm more curmudgeonly about things like that than I used to be, but -- let's face it-- I'm in no danger of running out of books to read!

It's time to stop yakking and time to round up this latest batch of links. Virtual hugs to you all!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The history of "the Ton" in Regency England and what Bridgerton gets right.
• Why is AI so bad at reading PDFs?
• Facing a mental health crisis, a New Jersey school pulled a beloved novel from English class.
• What we think is a decline in literacy is a design problem.
• Humans are infiltrating the social network for AI bots.
• Are villains the most important characters?

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• 14,000-year-old ivory tools found in Alaska hint at how Clovis ancestors first arrived in the New World.
• A mass grave uncovered in Serbia hints at a violent Iron Age massacre that targeted women and children.
• Humans may have used these mysterious symbols to encode information tens of thousands of years before the first writing systems.
• Archaeologists discovered "sumptuous" frescoes at an ancient villa preserved by Mount Vesuvius' eruption.
• A coffin holding a dead "princess" fell from an eroded cliff over 100 years ago, and archaeologists just solved a major mystery about her.
• A mysterious shipwreck was discovered in "pristine" condition in Lake Ontario-- with its masts still standing.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Kazakhstan is planting tens of thousands of trees in a giant effort to reintroduce tigers. (And those trees won't just benefit the tigers.)
• Giant tortoises vanished from the Galápagos' Floreana Island more than 150 years ago. Now conservationists have brought them back.
• Remarkable footage of a beaver felling a tree in just a few hours to build a protective dam.
• How the decline and fall of the Roman Empire stunted the size of domestic and wild animals.
• Revealing the hidden kingdom of seahorses. 
• New research suggests that dogs have been surprisingly diverse for more than 10,000 years.

Not that I've ever experienced this...

►The Wanderer◄

• Six English country towns straight out of a period drama.
• Why did a man build this secret passageway below a dresser drawer nearly 200 years ago?
• I wouldn't mind visiting Praia dos Cristais, a small Spanish beach covered in sea glass.
• The oldest state park in America is about to expand.
• Investigators unraveled a $12 million ticket-fraud scheme at the Louvre.
• Hike the ancient route to Delphi, once believed to be the center of the world.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• 7 real life female pirates who ran their ships like businesses.
• These extraordinary photographs of Golden Age Hollywood stars, from Greta Garbo to Clark Gable, are worth a second look.
• Why Marie Antoinette's reputation changes with each generation.
• Who was Jermain Wesley Loguen, "King of the Underground Railroad"? 
• David Stuart's family business was solving the mystery of the Maya civilization.
• This Austrian diplomat resigned when the Nazis annexed his country. To make ends meet, his wife, Gretchen Prochnik, turned to dressmaking-- and captivated the American public.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 7 box office flops that later won Oscars.
• 6 Regency mysteries to get your heart pumping.
• Everything you ever wanted to know about Hercule Poirot but were afraid to ask.
• Murder mysteries for fans of The Traitors.
• 13 new historical novels set during World War II.
• 12 riveting non-fiction books similar to The Wager.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

Blood Relay by Devon Mihesuah

 

First Lines: Dels Billy rolled up the window and plugged her iPhone cord into the dash. The Jonas Brothers' song "Sucker" blasted the cab.

When Dels Billy, a popular women's Indian Horse Relay rider, disappears, Choctaw Detective Perry Antelope and her partner, Sophia Burns, are called in to investigate. It doesn't take them long to realize that this isn't a cut-and-dried missing persons case.

Disturbing connections between Dels' disappearance and a series of unsolved abductions of women from Oklahoma reservations are uncovered, but the perpetrators always seem to be a step ahead. This doesn't deter Perry and Sophia. They are determined that Dels is not going to become just another statistic.

~

I am always on the lookout for Native American-themed mysteries, so it's no surprise this book interested me. Devon Mihesuah's debut thriller also caught my eye because of the Indian Horse Relay aspect, which I did know a little about. I am very happy to say that Blood Relay is a multi-layered mystery and character study that knocked my socks off. I want more.

The mystery in Blood Relay is a fast-paced thrill ride that kept me guessing, and I do like the fact that more is being written about missing Indigenous women, a plague that has disgraced our country for much too long. 

If you're worried about the Indian Horse Relay aspect of the book, don't be. It takes up very little of the story. In fact, I wouldn't have minded if Mihesuah had included a bit more about it.

I am a character-driven reader, and this is where Blood Relay shines. Perry Antelope is a seasoned investigator, and-- wonder of wonders-- where spouses in police procedurals are usually more hindrance than help, Perry's husband, Troy, is extremely supportive. Their family life is a rock-solid foundation, and one of the reasons why Perry is such a good detective.

Her partner, Sophia Burns, is an ex-Olympic shot putter and a former street-smart police officer. She and Perry have only been partners for six months, but they've created a strong bond and an impressive success rate. With the help of Choctaw Lighthorseman Raquel Hunter ("She still looked as if she could barrel through a cinder-block wall."), these two make a fascinating and formidable team. 

It's been a long time since I've been so impressed with a debut mystery. (In an aside, I was pleased to see that Mihesuah thanks fellow writer Marcie Rendon in her acknowledgements. Those of you who have had the pleasure of reading Rendon's Cash Blackbear mysteries will understand.) Now that I've had the good fortune of meeting Perry, Sophia, and Raquel, all I can say is that I hope I get to see them many more times.

Blood Relay by Devon Mihesuah

eISBN: 9780593983836

Bantam Books © 2026

eBook, 336 pages

Police Procedural/Native American mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley

A No Scintillating Here Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It's been a week in which nothing much has gone on. That's a good thing, actually, since I was ill over the weekend and needed some time to recuperate. I'm still missing some of the zip in my doodah, so when I have this round-up compiled, I'm going to do something strenuous... like retire with a nice cup of tea and an issue of The Strand Magazine.

I'm just about to finish up Tim Sullivan's The Politician. I really like this series, so I don't mind reading the books at a much faster pace than I normally would. What's next on my reading list? Sujatta Massey's The Star from Calcutta, and then... Steve Cavanagh's Two Kinds of Stranger. From police procedural to historical mystery to legal thriller. Book add so many different spices to life!

We've had a bit of rain this week-- California shared, so that should help all the flowers that bloom this time of year. My nieces from the UK will be visiting next month, and it should be just about the right time for a trip to the Desert Botanical Garden.

Wherever you are, I hope you're warm, safe, and loaded with plenty of provisions (food, drink, and BOOKS). Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• What do you do when the biggest platforms for readers are kind of evil?
• Why you should watch Santosh (2024).
• A movie deal is a writer's dream-- or is it?
• The secret Afghan women's book club defying the Taliban to read Orwell.
• Google won't stop replacing our news headlines with terrible AI.
• How the Easy-Bake Oven, an appliance that allowed kids to heat treats with a light bulb, revolutionized the toy industry.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Seabird poop may have fueled this pre-Inca kingdom's rise to power in South America.
• A metal detectorist unearthed this heart-shaped Tudor pendant. Now, the British Museum has raised millions to put it on public display.
• Ancient rock art depicting hunters and geometric shapes have been discovered in Egypt's Sinai Desert-- and it spans a period of 10,000 years.
• Why do these Tudor-Era portraits of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I look so similar?
• Luxury steamer Lac La Belle disappeared on a stormy night in 1872. Nearly 150 years to the day, it was found at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
• A 2,500-year-old "primitive prosthetic" was found on the jaw of a mummified Scythian woman who survived complex jaw surgery.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Birdwatchers flock to Montreal to catch a glimpse of Canada's first known European robin.
• An elephant's trunk is covered in whiskers-- and they're unlike those on any other animal.
• A gray wolf visited Los Angeles County for the first time in a century, marking a major milestone in the species' recovery.
• An extraordinary photo captures the first appearance of a Siberian peregrine falcon in Australia's arid center.
• Some polar bears have been getting chunkier despite losing their main hunting grounds to climate change.
• A photographer traveled 900 miles to capture an unusual orange snowy owl.

►The Wanderer◄

• China's emissions are flatlining-- and may be falling-- in a critical turning point for the world's biggest emitter.
• Canada could remove 5 times it annual carbon emissions by planting trees on the edges of boreal forests.
• How do thousands of clear blue lagoons end up in these Brazilian sand dunes?
• How France invented the restaurant and started a food revolution.
• 250 places to celebrate America.
• The breathtaking Hermitage Museum is now the second largest in the world, filled with treasures like the Kolyvan Vase and the Peacock Clock.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• 14-year-old Miles Wu is using origami to imagine emergency shelters that are sturdy, cost-efficient, and easy to deploy.
• Sylvia Moy, the female songwriter who saved Stevie Wonder's career.
• Remembering John Enright, the beloved author of the Jungle Beat mysteries. (One of my favorites.)
• Meet the Marquis de Morès, the father of modern European fascism.
• Civil Rights activist Jesse Jackson has died.
• Mark Haddon on the unlikely origin of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 12 mystery and thriller series that you might not know about.
• 10 great books featuring women's friendship.
• 25 books to read if you're snowed in.
• 6 new cozy mystery series.
• The best international crime fiction of February 2026.
• 8 amazing bookstores and libraries you can spend the night in.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

Catching Up on My Book Reviews...Again

 

This is my latest attempt to share the books I've read with you all. My only excuse is that, for the past few months, I've been much too easily distracted to concentrate on reviews. 

These won't be the size of my normal reviews, but I will provide links to Amazon in each title if you want to learn more about any of the books.

Deadly Remains by Kate Ellis

#29 Wesley Peterson police procedural set in Devon, UK

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson series has been a "Go To" series for me for years. I love the blend of mystery, history, and archaeology. 

While Wesley and his team investigate the death of a celebrity ghostwriter and his missing laptop, Dr. Neil Watson, with the help of Wesley's teenage son Michael, excavates a crashed World War II plane on Dartmoor.

The mystery is solid, and the ongoing lives of the characters rich and satisfying. You can tell how much I like this series by the fact that it's 29 books long (so far), and I've read every one.

Killer Thriller by Lee Goldberg

#2 Ian Ludlow thriller set in Hong Kong

Rating: A

My Thoughts: After thoroughly enjoying the first book in the series, True Fiction, once again, I found myself in need of some light, fast-paced fun, so I turned to this second. I was not disappointed. 

In fact, his assistant Margo's choice of weapon in a fight had me howling with laughter. There's lots to learn about China and even filmmaking, but if you're in the mood to buckle your seatbelt and sit back for a laugh-filled adventure, I can't recommend this one highly enough.

One of my favorite lines? "The ambiance was so masculine that infertile men could increase their sperm count just by walking in the door."

Ian Ludlow's observations alone are well worth the price of admission. I'm sad that there's only one more book in the series.

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell

Standalone Historical Fiction set in the Egypt and the Middle East

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: Narrated by schoolteacher Agnes Shanklin, we follow her through life with a suffocating mother, through the losses of World War I and the Great Influenza, and right into the creation of the modern Middle East. 

Russell, once again, has a marvelous sense of time and place. I found myself wanting to swat flies as Agnes walked the streets of Cairo, and the friendships she made with people like Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, and Gertrude Bell gave the sheltered woman's life a fairy tale aspect. Few would have expected her to have the bravery to set out on such an adventure by herself.

All in all, Agnes reminded me of a young Eleanor Roosevelt, and I enjoyed her story.

Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya by William Carlsen

Set in Central America

Non-Fiction

Rating: C+

My Thoughts: I have always been fascinated by the ancient civilizations of the Aztec, the Inca, and the Maya, so this book was right up my street.

The sections on the Maya were fascinating, but the book bogged down with the detailed biographies of Stephens and Catherwood. For some reason, the title of the book led me to expect more Maya than it delivered, which was disappointing.

A Fatal Feast at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

#11 in the Honeychurch Hall cozy series set in England

Rating: C+

My Thoughts: Although the number of cozy mysteries I read has fallen in recent years, there are still certain series that I follow, and this is one of them.

Unfortunately, not all entries in a long-running series can be dazzling. This one is lackluster. There is little humor, nothing about antiques, and the whodunit was easy to deduce. The emphasis is on people's mean-spirited, money-grubbing actions, and that's never been a favorite of mine.

I'd also like to add that I think it's past time for Kat's mother's chickens to come home to roost. I've never liked her allergy to the truth and what it's done to the people in her life, but I doubt it's going to happen. I have a feeling that most readers find her funny. I wish I did!

That's all for now. I'm getting really close to being completely caught up. When that happens, I may have palpitations! 

The Smells of Spring Weekly Link Round-Up

I haven't done all that much this week, mostly stitching and puttering. I love a good putter-- when you get all sorts of things done, but no one else can tell that you've done anything. At least I know what was accomplished!

I'm keeping my needles busy. I've been knitting and doing needlepoint to make new things for the kitchen, and soon I'll be doing the same thing for my bathroom. I never have been the domestic goddess type. For example, I loathe cooking, although I did get an air fryer a few days ago. Now all I have to do is use the thing! 😄 Cooking? Meh. Cleaning? Meh. But I do like to feather my nest by making pretty things to brighten up the house.

My reading has moved on from The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow to the next in Tim Sullivan's DS George Cross series, The Politician. I don't binge read, and I seldom read more than one book by the same author each year, but I really enjoy Sullivan's books, and as they become available on Net Galley, I request them. Since the series is being released in the US at a rate of one per month, I'm becoming acquainted with George and his team much faster than I normally would. What will I read after The Politician? Sujata Massey's newest Perveen Mistry, The Star from Calcutta. Yes, I'm fortunate to have received advance reading copies of these books. You can be on the lookout for both them and my reviews.

I love the Sonoran Desert, no matter how hot it gets. Each season has something about it to be savored, and right now, I'm savoring the wonderful smell of my sweet acacia tree. 

Sweet acacia blooms

The USPS told me that a package that's on the way here from Virginia has been delayed due to weather. I hope you're all "weather-proofed" with warmth, food, and-- of course-- books. Virtual hugs to you all, my friends.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• In praise of one of America's all-time great book sections. (I loved the Washington Post Book World.)
• Netflix adaptations often mean big bucks for publishers.
• Read love letters from royals and romantics across 500 years of British history.
• Publishers near and far are stepping up for Minnesota's children.
• Don't invest in AI, invest in the future of the book.
• The nineteenth-century science of fashion.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• This carved, painted Zapotec tomb is Mexico's most important archaeological discovery in a decade.
• A Viking Age mass grave holds a mysterious mix of dismembered human remains and complete skeletons, including a "giant" who'd had brain surgery.
• Archaeologists say they've identified traces of a 2,000-year-old love note still etched into a wall in ancient Pompeii.
• The world's oldest known sewn clothing may be stitched pieces of Ice Age hide unearthed in an Oregon cave.
• A medieval gold ring with a dazzling blue gemstone discovered in Norway is a "fantastically beautiful and rare specimen."
• 10 amazing archaeological finds discovered by ordinary people (and one badger).

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• See a rare bus-size giant phantom jelly wade through ocean waters off the coast of Argentina.
• These lazy bats are super-efficient killers that carefully conserve energy to attack at a moment's notice.
• What is a stoat? Learn five fun facts about the adorable weasels chosen as the Olympic mascots.
• How to weigh a baby koala.
• Inside Taiwan's "butterfly kingdom," a rare natural wonder that takes place every year.
• The highly elusive Sierra Nevada red fox has been spotted for the first time ever in the California mountains.

►The Wanderer◄

• Crime and the City: Reno, Nevada.
• How a little-known French region safeguarded the Louvre's treasures during World War II.
• Jewel thieves dropped this crushed crown as they fled the Louvre. Now, the historic headdress will be restored to its former glory.
• China has planted so many trees around the Taklamakan Desert that it's turned this "biological void" into a carbon sink.
• 5 hidden mountain towns in Italy that look straight out of a snow globe.
• Discover Buenos Aires through these 5 bookstores.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How Thomas Harris "found" his iconic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter.
• Dorothy Parker: sharp-witted writer, bitter professor.
• A white historian claimed that Black people "had no history." Trailblazing scholar Carter G. Woodson dedicated his life to proving otherwise.
• The hidden women's labor behind modern literary masterpieces.
• Read about Ann Lowe, considered one of America's most significant clothing designers.
• Marcie R. Rendon's Letter from Minnesota: We are a people born and bred of organizers.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Five clever and compelling heroines in historical mystery series.
• 40+ excellent new books to pick up for Black History Month.
• What to watch: 6 British mystery series for fans of Vera.
• Travel to France and Italy with these novels.
• 12 of the best mystery shows on Apple TV+.
• 7 unusual Regency-Era hobbies that'll make you hug your smartphone.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

A February Visit to the Phoenix Zoo

Last Thursday, I boarded the Dial-a-Ride bus and headed for the Phoenix Zoo. Non-medical outings are few and far between, so I was really looking forward to this visit. When a roadrunner ran across the road just before the turn-off to the zoo, I took it as a good omen-- and it was. This may have been a non-medical outing, but it certainly did my body and soul a world of good.

Let me share a few of the photos I took-- maybe even a video or two-- and for those of you who may be sick of winter, there are some flower photos, too. There's always something in bloom here in the Sonoran Desert. 😀

I always head for the Arizona Trail section of the zoo first. 

You don't often see an egret and a vulture on the same tree.

Burrowing owl. These little guys always look so serious. This one needs some sunglasses.

The male jaguar was a bit restless. The enclosure for the jaguars is wonderful-- places to hide, walkways overhead, a swimming pool, etc.

Kudu

A Common Gallinule on the left, and a Guinea fowl on the right. The Guinea fowl looks like it's flat, doesn't it?

The Amur leopard was restless, too. This was the first time I'd seen this guy, so it was a treat.

Brittlebush

I love watching children become acquainted with animals, but if I may be a curmudgeon for a moment, I do not like the new meerkat enclosure. You can't keep the hordes of children from smearing snot and spit all over the glass. This goes for any enclosure where you can only see the animal through glass, but I love meerkats, so this is especially galling. 

If you didn't think I was weird before, you will now. I think Griffon vultures are rather pretty with their lavender head and neck and white ruff.

The girls were snoozing in the sun.

Lioness

Busy bee

African painted dogs are another personal favorite.

Orange jubilee yellow bells, native to Arizona.

I found this quiet spot and did a little communing with nature and a little reading. One of the pelicans kept coming over to check me out.

Faces only a mother could love.

What a quacker jack hairdo!

Egrets love the Phoenix Zoo. On one particular visit, I saw about three dozen of them.

Head thrust forward. Leg raised. Wings back. Tai chi? Or has he watched too many Bruce Lee movies? And I love his little buddies.

Hibiscus

I hope you enjoyed this virtual visit to the Phoenix Zoo. I know I certainly did!