An I'm Getting in Gear Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Last week, I mentioned putting off some needed maintenance to Casa Kittling. Well, I've finally started getting myself in gear. Tree and shrub trimming and yard spruce-up are scheduled. I've got a technician coming to check the solar panels, and the trifecta is complete with someone lined up to give me an estimate on having the house painted. Not bad, eh?

More good news is that, beginning tomorrow, we're scheduled to get more rain. Hallelujah!

I've been reading Peter Grainger's first DC Smith & Kings Lake mystery, An Accidental Death, after hearing the series praised during an event at The Poisoned Pen. I'm finding it a bit difficult to get into, but it does show promise, so unless something dire happens in the last half of the book, I'll continue on to the second book sometime in the future. 

Now I'm going to leave you with J.R.'s latest appearance. He came to inspect the birdbaths a few nights ago. (By the way, I still haven't found my missing soup mug!)

Virtual hugs to you all, and enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• How did libraries do in the recent midterm elections?
• In defense of the humanities.
• The handwritten final draft of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was considered lost. It turned out to be sitting in a desk drawer for decades.
• Authors can defend against AI allegations with "Paper Trail" tools. Is it enough?
• An underrated reason boys are reading less.
• A quiet crisis threatens millions of historical documents in some of the nation's premier archives.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Rare fifth-century burials of Germanic chieftains with dazzling weapons and warhorses were discovered in France.
• A 2,800-year-old tomb in Siberia has evidence of the earliest use of cannabis-- possibly as a way to calm human sacrifice victims.
• Mud sediments have revealed that the Maya used so much red paint that they poisoned their water with mercury.
• Buried for 2,600 years beneath Nile mud, a massive ancient Egyptian complex was just found-- from space.
• A mold gold cape: A 3,900-year-old accessory that's one of the finest examples of prehistoric goldwork ever found.
• Renovations at Buckingham Palace have revealed fascinating artifacts previously lost to time lodged in its walls and floors.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• From forest trails to "Sims for Bears," researchers are learning how grizzly bears navigate a fragmented wilderness.
• This adorable orphaned baby walrus was rescued by two researchers in Alaska. Now, he's found a new home in Florida.
• Octopuses are the ultimate escape artists. Now scientists know how the creatures can contort themselves to squeeze through tiny holes.
• These 15 furry photos of rabbits and hares will have you leaping for leporidae.
• Dwarf sperm whale: The "pint-size whales" that gush gallons of intestinal fluid when surprised.
• Chimpanzees have developed a fashion trend by shoving grass in their ears-- and in their butts.

►The Wanderer◄

• This map shows America's favorite Thanksgiving desserts.
• Inside the world's largest library, the Library of Congress.
• The Grand Canyon is missing over a billion years of rocks. Now scientists know why.
• And while we're on the subject... tectonic forces near Japan helped fuel the formation of the Grand Canyon.
• Dismantled to survive the Nazi Blitz, Coventry Cathedral's stained glass is a "medieval jigsaw puzzle." Its 12,000 fragments are now digitized for public view.
• At Festival America, France's America-themed literary festival.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• This African prophet was burned at the stake 320 years ago. Today, Kimpa Vita is celebrated as the "Kongolese Joan of Arc."
  
• Like many authors, Joe Dunthorne is bombarded by scam fan mail. He wasn't prepared for what would happen when he wrote back.
• The rise and fall of Shanghai's "Sing-Song Girls."
• 8 female gothic writers who inspired modern horror.
• After 20 years at The Washington Post, Ron Charles has been laid off. He's not done writing about books.
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton is known as the woman behind the Suffrage Movement. A new book reveals the story behind her tenacity.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 9 slang words from the 1980s we still use today.
• New books by your favorite mystery and thriller authors.
• 17 books about Native American culture.
• 11 Thanksgiving cozy mysteries.
• 5 of the most common jobs in America 100 years ago.
• Mysteries with the most creative murders.

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!

The Body in the Bath by Ragnar Jónasson

 

First Line: Don't look directly into the snowfall. You might accidentally see into eternity, and there are some things you don't want to know. 

Grief can make you return to work too soon, and that's what happens to Helgi Reykdal. He's finding it hard to come to terms with the death of his girlfriend, Anita-- especially since the person who killed her claims it was an accident and has gone scot-free. Anita's killer? Helgi's ex-girlfriend, a violent alcoholic who subjected Helgi to escalating abuse that he's kept secret out of shame.

Helgi's boss knows he's returned to work too soon and tells him to take it easy, suggesting that he look through old cases to see if he can find anything that was overlooked. Helgi decides to go through the files on the disappearance of his predecessor, Hulda, mainly because no one seems to care what happened to her. 

But when his ex-girlfriend is found dead in her bath, Helgi must put this cold case aside because he's now the prime suspect.

~

Ragnar Jónasson's third mystery to feature Helgi Reykdal, The Body in the Bath, is a tightly plotted, fast-paced puzzle that demands to be solved. What annoys me is that the identity of his ex-girlfriend's killer should not have come as a surprise. It was an annoyance, yes, but a pleasant one for this seasoned mystery reader.

Helgi has always found solace in reading from his extensive library of crime fiction, but he is suffering so much from his girlfriend's death that he can't focus on any book he tries to read. I have to stop right now and admit that Helgi is a very difficult character for me to like. My British husband would describe him as a "whiny sod," and it fits him. He'll do anything to avoid confrontation. Time after time, he comes up with the correct solution or course of action, and he puts it off, inevitably causing himself more hardship. He's the kind of character you want to grab by the lapels and shake some sense into. 

I am a character-driven reader, so why do I continue to read about this "whiny sod"? Because Jónasson knows how to write stories that make me want to solve the puzzle. Having loved his Hidden Iceland trilogy featuring Hulda Hermannsdóttir, I want Helgi to find out what happened to her. It's important to me that someone else cares about her.

Another thing that I really liked about The Body in the Bath was how the investigation into Helgi's ex-girlfriend's death was conducted. Two of Helgi's fellow officers are in charge. One, Alexander, is determined to find Helgi guilty; the other, Mani, believes he's innocent. Alexander will go to any lengths to find something that looks like proof, including Helgi's choice of reading material. 

Even though I really don't like him, I'm looking forward to Helgi's next appearance. Find Hulda, Helgi! Find her!

The Body in the Bath by Ragnar Jónasson

Translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton

eISBN: 9781250408334

Minotaur Books © 2026

eBook, 247 pages

Police Procedural, #3 Helgi Reykdal

Rating: B+

Source: NetGalley

A Where Did It Go?!? Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Arizona got walloped with rain over the weekend, and I've been enjoying watching all the videos taken of lakes filling with badly needed water. Usually a dry riverbed through the valley, the Salt River is running with a vengeance as dams have to release water to make room for more. My heart goes out to flood victims; I've had my own problems with flooding here, but Mother Nature treated Casa Kittling kindly this time. Just a modicum of flooding in the yard, and no mud and debris in the pool.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mother Nature!

Enough of the weather-- I have a conundrum! A few decades ago, I was in Costco and fell in love with a set of four dark blue soup mugs. They came home with me and have been used hundreds, if not thousands, of times since.

A week ago, I unloaded the dishwasher and put all its contents away. It wasn't until I noticed an empty soup mug hook on the rack that I found out one of the mugs was missing. Somehow, it disappeared from the dishwasher because I know it was in there when I turned it on. Now... I've heard of socks disappearing from the dryer, but... soup mugs from the dishwasher? I still haven't found the thing!

Where did you go?

 Virtual hugs to you all, and enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The olfactory history of book collecting.
• As budgets tighten, people are breaking out their library cards.
• Gulliver's Travels turns 300. Jonathan Swift's "profound satire of human nature" is still just as bitingly relevant. 
• It's glitchy. It's mean. It's a mess. It's Angelina Mazza's favorite website on the internet (Goodreads).
• Why is a V-shaped hairline called a "widow's peak"?
• On the art (and artifice) of the miniature.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Greece has its own Pompeii, and the ruins tell a captivating story of a sophisticated, seafaring Bronze Age society.
• Faded over millennia, the intricately carved sandstone walls of this ancient Egyptian shrine will see color once again.
• A new contender for the world's oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey. Its ancient cargo is a "time capsule" from 4,700 years ago.
• A community-led archaeology dig on a tiny Scottish isle has unearthed a medieval monastery of "international importance."
• A new exhibition reveals how hot pink togas and floral perfumes conveyed power in the Roman Empire.
• A landlord found a peculiar print hanging in a vacant apartment. It turned out to be an original Picasso that had been missing for eight years.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• From hunting hounds to modernist muses, dachshunds have done it all. See the world's first art exhibition dedicated exclusively to the sausage dog.
• The amazing cuttlefish-- the expert of disguise.
• Oil paintings of animals doing human things add a hilarious twist to a classic medium.
• How an ancestral Peruvian ceremony is saving the once-endangered vicuña.
• Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food-- but why?
• Video reveals an unlikely bond between ocelots and opossums in the Amazon, walking together like "old friends."

►The Wanderer◄

• 24 of America's best-preserved ghost towns.
• The most-viewed place in all 50 states (and Washington, D.C.).
• How an Irish backroad tradition is rolling into small-town America.
• London's railway for the dead.
• Traveling Route 66 in the age of data centers.
• Île Sainte-Marguerite in Cannes, France, once housed the mysterious prisoner known as the "Man in the Iron Mask."

►Fascinating Folk◄

• A secret Dolly Parton memoir recently sold for $13 million.
• Inside Eudora Welty's home in Jackson, Mississippi.
• 20 movie stars of the '90s who disappeared from Hollywood.
• The writing habits that helped Sylvia Plath create her most famous work.
• Remembering Mark Pryor, beloved crime novelist and iconic Austinite.
• Finding Krao Farini.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 20 books that are a feast for the eyes.
• 20 everyday things from the '80s and '90s that are now worth money.
• 6 slang words from the 1950s we still use today.
• New historical fiction titles.
• 14 of the best crime novels about deadly secrets.
• These disaster thrillers will keep you turning pages.

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!

Have Courage by Craig Johnson

 

First Line from Introduction: The man is medicine.

A few years back, Craig Johnson began what was to become a favored tradition for his readers: a short story delivered to their inboxes on Christmas Eve. He didn't have a clue that the first story was the beginning of that tradition, but all the requests for more made it so.

This is a collection of a baker's dozen Christmas-themed short stories for anyone who likes to smile while they read. Whether it's a twist you didn't see coming, an astute observation of human nature, or laugh-out-loud humor, this collection is good for what ails you. 

With lines like "They stole the baby Jesus again," you'll find yourself in Absaroka County spending some quality time with Sheriff Walt Longmire. Just thinking about Have Courage makes me smile all over again.

Even if you don't care for short stories, I don't think you should miss this one.

Have Courage by Craig Johnson

eISBN: 9798217379491

Viking © 2026

eBook, 256 pages

Short Stories, Walt Longmire

Rating: A

Source: NetGalley

A More Treats Than Tricks Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I've been enjoying these quiet weeks so much here at Casa Kittling that I've been putting off things that need to be done. Of course, there's another reason why I've been putting them off: money. The house needs to be painted, but before that's done, I have to make sure all the trees and shrubbery are trimmed so the painters can do their work. I've got the money; I just don't want to turn loose of it.

And while I'm on the subject of money, I'm very close to putting a reward out for anyone who kills the mosquito that lurks here in the office, waiting to belly up to the bar (me). I'm wearing my sandalwood-scented lotion, which helps a great deal, but there's still that high-pitched whine around my ears that drives me nuts. Now... I'm the patient sort. I've been known to sit still, watching a mosquito feed on my arm, until the time is right to smear that little so-and-so into eternity. But this little devil's too smart for that. 

Looking on the bright side, at least it only lurks in here in the office!

I'm continuing to knock the rust off my French by watching as many Alain Delon movies as I can. Not only was the man insanely handsome, but he starred in some excellent films.

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate. I'm more of a Día de los Muertos girl myself, as you can see by the greeting card I received above. I've got to get these links sorted so I can go back to the book I've just started: Elly Griffiths' The Killing Time. Virtual hugs to you all. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Book-to-screen research has found that Hollywood is shifting to authors' backlists as interest in creating series climbs. (I know several series they should acquire, don't you?)
• The story behind Edward Hopper's iconic painting, Nighthawks.
• Rebranding Samantha: Reflections on the first "grown-up" American Girl book.
• How the railways killed a medieval law.
• Inside the data centers that train A.I. and drain the electrical grid.
• Penn Badgley will star in the murder mystery Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone at Prime Video.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Two giant Ramesses II statues, one wearing a double crown, were discovered by a man in Egypt.
• Inuit figurine: A 700-year-old Indigenous carving of a European made a century before Columbus.
• Archaeologists have discovered the oldest dwelling in the Western Hemisphere at a 13,800-year-old site in Alaska.
• Archaeologists at this ancient Maya metropolis in the forest of Belize are debunking long-held myths about the Mesoamerican civilization.
• This massive, "mega-rare" Monet painting is now the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France.
• In a hoard of 5,500 Viking Age coins, archaeologists in Norway found one so rare that they already consider it a "National Treasure."

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Rare tiger behaviors captured on camera show "we really know nothing about them."
• See 18 images from the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.
• These big, fierce birds found love in Australia-- and laid the first southern cassowary eggs at the Adelaide Zoo in 34 years. (Which reminds me of the cassowary at the Wildlife World Zoo that stalked me on the other side of the fence. I must've looked very fetching.)
• Cameras capture adult chimpanzees passing tools-- and know-how-- to their young, teaching important skills to the next generation.
• More than 800,000 bees, worth tens of thousands of dollars, have been stolen in "sophisticated" heists across Northern Australia.
• Some birdsongs are more pleasing to human ears than others. Higher-pitched, complex calls tend to sound more beautiful to us.

►The Wanderer◄

• An Italian farmer found some unknown seeds in his attic and, with nothing to lose, planted them. The result was almost biblical.
• Arizona's otherworldly "Wonderland of Rocks" is now America's newest national park, and I've been to the Chiricahua National Monument, err... Park several times. 
• And while I'm on the subject of Arizona, these 15 photographs perfectly capture the beautiful red rocks of Sedona. There is so much wonder in this marvelous state.
• Dinosaurs gathered to perform mating dances with kicks and spins at Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado-- and you can go see it for yourself.
• Pontianak, the Indonesian frontier town named for a jungle vampire.
• Back in July, the historic Grand Canyon Lodge was destroyed by wildfire at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. (Between the South and North Rims, the North was my favorite.)

►Fascinating Folk◄

• 20 legendary artists who never had a No. 1 hit.
• Dolores Huerta, the Farmworker Rights activist who coined "Sí Se Puede," died at the age of 96.
• "Pretty Boy" Floyd, one of the most notorious outlaws of the Great Depression, was shot and killed in an FBI raid 92 years ago.
• Ivan the Terrible wanted to marry Elizabeth I. How did England's 
  Virgin Queen" reject the Russian czar without souring trade relations?
• 5 jobs most medieval women actually did.
• The mysterious case of Stephanie Stewart, the missing fire tower watcher.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Kirkus' 20 best books to read in November.
• 6 slang phrases from Jane Austen's England we still use today.
• 12 of Theodore Roosevelt's favorite books.
• Don't miss these compelling new non-fiction books.
• The coziest, most heartwarming fiction out right now.
• 8 mysteries and thrillers about authors.

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!

The Hollow by Michael Connelly

 

First Line: Bosch walked between the headstones, checking names as he passed.

When Harry Bosch is notified that the class action lawsuit against the notorious MacLaren Children's Center was successful and that he'd be receiving money as a result, Chops immediately comes to mind. 

Chops was the nickname of Harry's friend at MacLaren, and he died there. Harry is convinced that Chops was killed and his murder covered up. Justice for his friend is past due, and Harry is now on a mission to find Chops' killer.

When he starts digging into the files, Harry picks up the trail of a predator who not only survived his stint in MacLaren, but went on to a life of vicious crime. 

Facing the part of his own history that not only scarred him but made him want to become a cop isn't easy; however, when has that ever stopped Harry when he's on a quest for justice?

~

Michael Connelly always finds an interesting nugget of Los Angeles history to weave into his stories, and his latest, The Hollow, is no exception. When young Harry Bosch's mother is murdered, and he becomes a ward of the state, he finds himself in the infamous (and real) MacLaren Children's Center. Living there could be a true test of survival.

The physical toll Harry Bosch has placed on his body over the years is catching up with him. He's recuperating from knee replacement surgery and should be taking it easy, but Connelly has other plans for him. With the help of René Ballard and Mickey Haller, Harry is on a quest to bring his childhood friend, Chops, some long overdue justice. It's not going to be easy because much was done to cover up the boy's death. However, as longtime fans know, that's never stopped Harry.

This fast-paced story grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go. As Harry got closer to Chops' killer, I truly feared for him. Connelly has aged his hero. Harry has his share of health problems. He's slowing down. It's not inconceivable that he could come to great harm. As much as I love Harry Bosch and want him to live forever, the logical part of me hasn't completely disappeared. What has Michael Connelly got in store for this nonpareil character? I don't see anything that would prevent me from finding out.

The Hollow by Michael Connelly

eISBN: 9780316563888

Little, Brown & Company © 2026

eBook, 341 pages

Police Procedural, #26 Harry Bosch

Rating: A

Source: NetGalley

A Green Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Another storm system, and more rain. It's been a while since everything has been so green, and I'm enjoying it. I'm crossing my fingers that the current pattern continues here at Casa Kittling with light to moderate showers. Other parts of the valley are getting hammered, unfortunately, and while I do feel for those folks, I just don't need my pool full of mud and debris. 

While searching for a specific photo, I came across ones that Denis and I took on our trip to Lake Havasu. This is one of several lighthouses that ring the lake. I bet you never thought there were lighthouses in the desert!

I've been reading about the water levels on Lake Powell rising due to all the rain from these storm systems coming through. Every single drop is so badly needed!

Now on to something completely different. The number of authors asking me to review their books is on the rise, and a recent request made me laugh. This particular author had seen my review of The Girls Before, and since her book had some similarities, she thought I'd be interested in reading it. Now... she might have seen my review, but did she actually read it? 😄

I want to watch it rain while reading more of Walt Longmire's adventures, so I'd better head on out to the link corral. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The forgotten stories behind presidential campaign buttons. (I remember the campaign button my mother secretly wore while she worked at the polling place in town: PACK YUR BAGS, MAMIE, THE KENNEDYS ARE COMING!
• How one ghost story competition continues to haunt the humanities-- just in time for Halloween.
• Why washing machines took decades to catch on.
• The only mystery to the decline of reading is why we pretend it's a mystery.
• Quiz: How many Agatha Christie book titles can you complete from memory?
• The one book so controversial that even the King of Horror pulled it from publication.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Mourners placed an ancient sippy cup in a Roman toddler's grave. It may have been meant to sustain the child on the journey to the afterlife.
• Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a mud-brick tomb featuring a heartbreaking elegy to an ancient man's father.
• Thieves pulled off another shocking art heist in France. This time, they took a 330-pound bronze book cover designed by Salvador Dalí.
• A 3,000-year-old burial of an ancient Egyptian horse has been found-- and a nearby stone carving depicts a captured prisoner.
• Archaeologists discovered a "tomb of the very highest rank" in a 2,700-year-old Etruscan cemetery.
• The case of the mysterious medieval skeleton buried in a Roman-era sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey is finally solved.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• A six-year-old Labrador named Sgiath from the Scottish Highlands learned to sniff out a slimy marine invader called "sea vomit"-- a skill that earned her the Animal of the Year Award. 
• Wildlife biologists have started vaccinating shy albatrosses by hand, taking aim at the spread of avian flu in Tasmania.
• Watch a playful octopus chase a green laser light like a cat.
• Three African wild dogs made a record-breaking trek across Zambia, traveling more than 2,500 miles in search of mates.
• New Zealand welcomes a record 90 kakapo chicks, helping the world's chunkiest parrot species rebound from the brink of extinction.
• What we lose in the face of extinction.

►The Wanderer◄

• California redwoods are struggling in the heat-- and it's not clear how much damage is being done.
• London's oldest restaurant, frequented by monarchs and pop stars alike, is a site of "living history." Now it's protected by the National Trust for generations to come.
• These 15 photos showcase the intensely brilliant colors of coral reefs and the creatures that live among them.
• How Colorado's wildlife mitigation efforts-- including the largest animal crossing overpass in North America-- are making everyone safer.
• Where the Great Depression hit America hardest, mapped.
• How Belle Époque Paris captured the hearts of American travelers and artists.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• She painted the first known self-portrait of an artist at work-- and signed it-- nearly 500 years ago. Who was Catharina van Hemessen?
• The women breaking the rules of Balinese dance.
• Margaret Hamilton, a pioneering software engineer who made the first human moon landing possible, has died at the age of 90.
• Who's behind London's hottest new bookstore? Freud's librarian grandson!
• High school student Mia Heller invented a filter that eliminates 96% of microplastics from drinking water.
• Pioneering mountain climber and skier Christine L. Reid filmed her own exploits.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 20 books that offer pure escapism.
• 6 innovative ways humans have kept cool throughout history.
• 5 revenge and eat-the-rich thrillers about the 1%.
• The top song from every year in the 1980s.
• 14 memoirs from people who rose above impossible circumstances.
• The 10 most common jobs in the Viking Age.

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!

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

 

First Line: I don't know how long I've been down here in the dark.

Audrey is a search and rescue expert who's never stopped looking for her ex-best friend, Janie, who disappeared when they were teenagers. When Audrey comes across evidence that a recent teenage runaway may actually have been kidnapped from land belonging to the town's most prominent family, she's going to have to dig through decades of secrets to find out what happened to the runaway... and all the girls before.

~

The Girls Before alternates chapters between a girl trapped in the dark and Audrey, the search and rescue expert who's looking for a missing girl that no one else believes is missing.

Audrey is one of those angsty characters I've grown bored of-- convinced that her way is the right way and willing to needlessly put her life at risk to prove her point. To make matters worse, there's also the de rigueur prominent (and prominently twisted) family in town. 

There are twists and surprises, but Audrey never thrilled me. The story dragged. If it had been tightened up, I may have cared how it all turned out; but it wasn't, and I didn't. I must make a note to myself to avoid books with angst-riddled characters. After The Girls Before, I find myself in dire need of a straightforward murder and a determined cop.

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

eISBN: 9781250343093

Flatiron Books © 2026

eBook, 307 pages

Standalone Thriller

Rating: D

Source: Purchased from Amazon.