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!

A Non-Medical Weekly Link Round-Up

 

The weather continues to be glorious, so I'm going ahead with my plans to go to the Phoenix Zoo Thursday, which means that I have to get all my ducks in a row. Make sure my trusty scooter is fully charged. Make sure my camera batteries are charged. Book Dial-a-Ride. Decide which of my "designer outfits" I'll wear. 😉 It's great to be planning a non-medical outing. So... I'm writing this link round-up early. I'll probably post it early, too. Three posts from me in three days? Wow!

I'm almost finished with Devon Mihesuah's Blood Relay, which looks like it's going to be my first Best Reads of 2026. Then it will be on to the first book in a new series by Dana Stabenow, The Harvey Girl. I'm really looking forward to this one because the history of Fred Harvey's hotels and the early tourism of Arizona have always fascinated me. (I've also visited one of the Harvey House hotels in Winslow.) I'm hoping that these books will help me get my reading groove back.

I've been knitting and needlepointing up a storm and wishing that I'd purchased more of a now-discontinued yarn that I love. I've always enjoyed making things for the house, and this new color scheme for the kitchen and family room is keeping me busy.

In the mean time, take a look at this Little Free Library that I found. Perfect for Arizona, isn't it?

I hope you're all safe and warm and have plenty of reading material at hand. Virtual hugs to you all.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Adriane Leigh on why we are living in the age of the unreliable narrator.
• Quiz: Can you match the opening line to the TV show?
• Stories about the end of reading tend to leave out some inconvenient data points.
• Farmers' Almanac has announced its final publication after a 208-year run.
• In 1982, a physics joke gone wrong sparked the invention of the emoticon.
• How local bookstores are helping immigrants amid ICE fears.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Beach erosion has revealed the fragments of a 136-year-old shipwreck that sank in New Jersey's "Graveyard of the Atlantic."
• 5,000-year-old rock art from ancient Egypt depicts the "terrifying" conquest of the Sinai Peninsula.
• Eerie "sand burials" of elite Anglo-Saxons and their "sacrificed" horse have been discovered near a UK nuclear power plant.
• A metal detectorist discovered the earliest known coin ever produced in a Scottish mint.
• A rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet, possibly linked to the Celtic queen Boudica, has been discovered in England.
• Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered a long-lost city inhabited by Maya rebels who resisted the Spanish Conquest.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• A rare mountain lion standoff in San Francisco ended peacefully after a 30-hour search.
• When vampire bats become close friends, they start "talking" like each other.
• New recordings suggest that wild jaguars sometimes meow just like house cats. The sounds may help mothers and cub find one another.
• Watch Betsy the bulldog greet her neighbors through an elaborately decorated hole in the fence.
• Sylvia, the tamest grizzly of Yellowstone.
• Even though they don't have brains to rest, jellyfish and sea anemones sleep like humans.

►The Wanderer◄

• You can buy this 438-year-old mill in Wales that inspired a stunning J.M.W. Turner painting.
• Why Palm Springs is the perfect setting for suspense.
• Crime and the City: Osaka.
• 50 of National Geographics' favorite U.S. state parks.
• The most unusual house in every U.S. state.
• Ice cream, elephants, organs, death: the triumphs and terrors of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Thomas White's escape from slavery, told on tattered pages, was found more than a century after it was documented.
• An 11th-century monk named Eilmer, not Halley, was the first to discover the comet.
• Richard Burton, the explorer who faked his way through the Hajj.
• Laura Secord's walk.
• 13 memoirs from people who rose above impossible circumstances.
• Filles du roi: the founding mothers of New France.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 5 novels with perfectly unsympathetic protagonists.
• New mysteries and thrillers by your favorite authors.
• 10 mystery films that feature trains.
• 7 crime fiction books to read if you loved True Detective.
• These are the best books of 2025.
• 5 novels set in the wild British moors.

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 Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien

 

First Lines: Tuesday 9 March, 2010-- Guernsey 4 PM. "I think she's coming round, Anna. I'm sure I saw her blink."

When an elderly woman suffers a stroke and then begins speaking perfect French-- a language her family has never heard her speak-- her granddaughter is encouraged to unravel decades of silence, and her grandmother's wartime experiences come to light.

Eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne becomes a spy for Churchill by posing as a clerk in a Paris bookshop when her beloved brother is declared missing in action at Dunkirk. She encodes information into her knitting as she makes sweaters for escaped prisoners returning to England. When the Gestapo begins closing in, Lenny finds herself faced with an impossible choice in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris.

~

I learned about women using their knitting to encode messages to the Allies during World War II several years ago, so when I heard of The Resistance Knitting Club, I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

My enjoyment was hampered by two things. One, the predictable plot, and two, the main character. Lenny is a young woman who feels compelled to do more than knit socks and sweaters for soldiers when she learns her brother is missing in action at Dunkirk. She joins Churchill's secret army and uses her knitting to master Morse code during training. However, Lenny is supremely unsuited to life as a spy, either physically or mentally. For example, she faints at the drop of a hat-- something a person constantly facing danger should avoid doing. No, she really should have stayed home with her needles and yarn.

For any knitting fans out there who might want to read this book for that particular skill, it's mainly used as a hook to draw enthusiasts in. Once Lenny gets to France, the story has little to do with knitting or even knitting code. That was a bit of a disappointment, I must admit.

The Resistance Knitting Club is listed as the first in a series called Threads of Resistance. I'm afraid I won't be reading any further.

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien

eISBN: 9781837002542

Storm Publishing © 2026

eBook, 359 pages

Historical Fiction, #1 Threads of Resistance

Rating: C-

Source: Net Galley

A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger

 

First Line: Michael had grown quite fond of the anonymous souls who paused beneath his window.

After years of a complicated life in the intelligence service, Michael has been enjoying a reclusive life in his New York townhouse, inventing lives for the people he watches strolling through the park across the street, and having his every need taken care of by his housekeeper, Mrs. Baker.

But this quiet life of his changes when the girl he's been watching for some time drastically changes her routine. Michael realizes she is in danger and decides to do what he can to help her.

In no time at all, Michael finds that he needs to use all the tricks of his former trade because he's just plunged headlong into the New York underworld.

~

After years of enjoying Jeffrey Siger's Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis mysteries set in Greece, I wasn't about to miss this first in his new Redacted Man series. Although Michael, the retired intelligence officer, could remind readers of Sherlock Holmes with the number of his townhouse being 221, his housekeeper named Mrs. Baker, and his exhaustive knowledge, Michael says, "I get to play the Wizard of Oz." He prefers to work behind the scenes, and the contacts he's made throughout the years are nothing short of amazing.

It did take me a while to warm up to the characters; their histories unfold so gradually, but I did: Angel, the young girl Michael decides to help, a brother and sister who find themselves over their heads when the brother acquires a very dangerous man's treasure, Michael's friends in the neighborhood, Michael himself, and especially Mrs. Baker.

With a strong, fast-paced plot and engaging characters, A Study in Secrets was a pleasure to read. I'm looking forward to the next in the series. 

A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger

eISBN: 9781448317073

Severn House © 2026

eBook, 212 pages

Thriller, #1 Redacted Man

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

The Messy Desk Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I've been working on clearing out my office, something that's long overdue. I've gone through all the paperwork Denis kept and shredded what didn't need to be kept. (99% of it.) Now I need to go through mine, but that won't take nearly as long because all of mine is in one drawer-- much less than Denis's dozen.

I'm doing all this to get all the important papers together in one place. I've had to take care of the final affairs of too many packrats not to want what happens after I kick the bucket to be completely different. Now this makes me sound all noble, but the execution of my plans could be moving a bit faster. It's always easy to find something else that needs to be done. (Sound familiar?) 

While I have cleared out one side of my desk, the other side is still a mess. Take a look at a bit of it.

The keyboard is partially buried under greeting cards and the knitting patterns that I've printed out. Then there's tax documents, Post-It notes... you get the picture. Now that I've got the bulk of things dealt with in here, the rest shouldn't take as long... I hope.

The weather has been glorious here, and the forecast for next week says it's going to be more of the same, so I'm tentatively planning an outing either to the Phoenix Zoo or the Desert Botanical Garden. Keep your fingers crossed. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Maven Screen Media has optioned the film rights to Ariel Lawhon's hit historical mystery, The Frozen River. (Let's hope the movie gets made.)
• Researchers are warning that next-generation AI "swarms" will invade social media by mimicking human behavior and harassing real users.
• Wikipedia volunteers spent years cataloging AI tells. Now there's a plugin to avoid those tells. (I tell you, AI is getting scarier and scarier.)
• The generational impact of book bans on teens.
• There's nothing better than a whole lot of books: In praise of bibliomania.
• The hidden politics of the crossword puzzle.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Archaeologists discovered the "Holy Grail" of shipwrecks a decade ago. Now, they're finally beginning to unravel the secrets of the San Jose.
• These high-status individuals were given a "princely" burial alongside a fully harnessed horse in an early medieval cemetery.
• A 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb discovered in Mexico features an enormous owl sculpture symbolizing death.
• Archaeologists unearthed an intricately decorated box carved from deer bone that may have once held ancient ointments.
• A new Livestream tour takes tourists underneath Rome into the never-before-seen House of Griffins.
• Archaeologists stumbled upon a mysterious medieval village while preparing for new wind farms in England.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Do animals hate the bitter cold of winter?
• Maverick the Bengal cat has learned to surf so he can stay close to his human.
• These hungry starfish are spiraling out of control in Australia. Now scientists say they have a new plan to fight back.
• The penguins that thrive-- and the ones left behind as Antarctica warms.
• Ancient mummified cheetahs discovered in Saudi Arabia contain preserved DNA from the long-lost population. (I can see it now-- Jurassic Park with cheetahs.)
• The nation's biggest animal sanctuary operates under a mantra to "save them all." How could that be controversial?

►The Wanderer◄

• The American Southwest's iconic Joshua trees are blooming early-- and scientists want your help to figure out why. 
• Lakes to make you double-take.
• Minneapolis's Moon Palace Books is a hub for anti-ICE resistance.
• The uncertain future of the world's most expensive spice. 
• A stunning stretch of California's rugged coastline is now open to the public for the first time in a century.
• America's pistachio industry came from a single seed.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Val McDermid on why she starts new novels in January.
• Meet thirteen people who survived on deserted islands, from a real-life Robinson Crusoe to a noblewoman marooned with her lover.
• How an enslaved gardener named Antoine transformed the pecan into a cash crop.
• Horse-riding librarians were the Great Depression's bookmobiles.
• Tragedy struck composer Irving Berlin on Christmas Day. Years later, he would write one of the all-time holiday classics.
• Let Pierce Brosnan do whatever he wants!

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 15 groundbreaking films that somehow didn't win a single Oscar.
• 20 slang words and phrases that are much older than you'd think.
• The ultimate list of 2026 book-to-screen adaptations.
• 16 books that will sweep you away to the Pacific Northwest.
• What books showed up across all the "Best of 2025" lists?
• 14 gripping archaeological mysteries.

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!