While the Muffins Cool....

They're almost like mine, without the cinnamon

No that's not a book or song title, my bran muffins are cooling down so I thought I'd do a quick near end of May Reading update before I have a couple. 

So let's get right to it.

Completed since last update

(one book completed since my last update and I've almost completed one more. Hoping to before May 31st)

1. Skeleton Key by Jane Haddam (Gregor Demarkian #16 / 2000) It's always fun getting back to this series. This was part of my Dusty Book challenge.

"Every couple of years I pick up a Gregor Demarkian mystery and wonder what's wrong with me! Why did it take so long? I guess that at least I still have a few more of the series to savor. Skeleton Key is the 16th book in this entertaining series by American author, Jane Haddam. Haddam passed away in 2019 so when I read the next 15 or so, that'll be it. 😔

Anyway, enough rambling. I have not been reading this series in sequence so while some personal events have probably passed me by, it's not difficult to get into the swing of things with the series. Gregor is an ex FBI profiler who now assists the police with investigations, when he's asked. Gregor refuses to take payment as he feels it leaves him more freedom to operate. In this particular story, Bennis Hannaford, famous fantasy author and Gregor's 'girlfriend', is in Connecticut trying to help a family 'friend' and when the daughter is found (found by Bennis actually) murdered in the garage of the house where Bennis is staying, she calls Gregor to come and help the state and local police. (Bennis has cleared this already with the police and they are more than willing to accept Gregor's assistance. Kayla Anson, the murdered girl, is an 18 year old heiress and the police worry about the national publicity)

So Gregor makes his way to Litchfield County (Bennis has coordinated train travel as Gregor doesn't drive.. one of his many quirks) and to the hotel where she has arranged accommodation for the both of them. Bennis is quite sick, even to the point of coughing up blood. (this concerns me quite a bit as she is one of my favorite characters in the series). Gregor is aware of this but is also caught up in his investigation and travelling around with the local state trooper.

It's a meandering story, told from many points of view. Each person is interesting, different and has their own problems. And all have somewhat of a relation to the case. Over the course of the story you'll get to know them better and this adds to the richness and quality of the story on the whole. As well, more bodies will crop up, oddly enough, all in the same garage and Bennis will get sicker and eventually head back to Philadelphia to see her doctor... (Concern is getting more concerning!! I don't like this)

It's a fascinating mystery. Gregor is an interesting investigator and the police, unlike in some series, don't resent his assistance but welcome it and work effectively with him. But the story doesn't neglect Gregor's good friends in Philadelphia. There are issues there that he is constantly reminded of. 

There is almost too much to tell; a neat mystery peopled with great characters, a fascinating investigator worried about the case and about his friends in Philly and his relationship with Bennis. But amazingly, Jane Haddam keeps you turning pages as she slowly and skillfully ties all these threads together in a satisfying conclusion. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

Time to dust off a classic.

1. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Classics / 1891). I've read two other works by Hardy so far, Far from the Madding Crowd and Life's Little Ironies.

"Tess is an innocent young girl until the day she goes to visit her rich 'relatives', the D'Urbervilles, in hope that they might help her alleviate her own family's poverty. Her encounter with her manipulative cousin, Alec, leads her onto a path that is beset with suffering and betrayal. When she falls in love with another man, Angel Clare, Tess sees a potential escape from her past, but only if she can tell him her shameful secret..."

New Arrivals

(4 new books have arrived on my door step.. well, sort of)

1. Banking on Death by Emma Lathen (John Putnam Thatcher #1 / 1961). A new author for me.

"The Sloan receives a request for an advance against a trust that does not permit it. John Putnam Thatcher gets involved by one heir, Arthur Schneider, President of Schneider Manufacturing, and grandson of the founder who left a trust for his grandchildren upon the death of all of their parents. The last parent is about to die from natural causes. One heir is missing and Thatcher, Trinkam, and Nicholls, all Emma Lathen regulars work to find the missing heir. Soon they learn a murder is involved and it takes Thatcher to unravel the Gordian knot."

2. Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal el-Mohtar (Short Stories / Fantasy / 2026). I've read one other book by el-Mohtar, This is How You Lose the Time War and thought it was very imaginative.

"Full of glimpses into gleaming worlds and fairy tales with teeth, Seasons of Glass and Stories is a collection of acclaimed and awarded work from Amal El-Mohtar.

With confidence and style, El-Mohtar guides us through exquisitely told and sharply observed tales about life as it is, was, and could be. Like miscellany from other worlds, these stories are told in letters, diary entries, reference materials, folktales, and lyrical prose.

Full of Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning and nominated stories, Seasons of Glass and Stories includes "Seasons of Glass and Iron," "The Green Book," "Madeleine," "The Lonely Sea in the Sky," "And Their Lips Rang with the Sun," "The Truth About Owls," "A Hollow Play," "Anabasis," "To Follow the Waves," "John Hollowback and the Witch," "Florilegia, or, Some Lies About Flowers," "Pockets," and more."

3. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (Sheep Detectives #1 / 2005). They've turned this into a movie. I thought I should read the book first.

"Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, sets out to find George’s killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world).

Her team of investigators includes Othello, who was rescued from the Dublin Zoo; Mopple the Whale, who is always hungry and remembers everything; and Zora, an existential ewe—just to name a few. Together, the sheep discuss the crime late into the night, and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to unravel the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter a hoof-full of two-legged suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher who smells of death; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; and Father Will, a sinister priest the sheep call God."

4. The First Thousand Trees by Premee Mohamed (Annual Migration of Clouds #3 / 2025). I enjoyed the 1st book in this trilogy and also The Butcher of the Forest, both excellent stories. I have a couple of other books by Mohamed as well. 

"After making a grievous mistake that ended in death, Henryk Mandrusiak feels increasingly ostracized within his own community, and after the passing on of his parents and the departure of his best friend, Reid, there is little left to tie him to the place he calls home. Henryk does something he never expected: he sets out into the harsh wilds alone, in search of far-flung family. He finds his uncle's village, but making a life for himself in this unfriendly new place -- rougher and more impoverished than the campus where he grew up -- isn't easy. Henryk strives to carve out a place of his own but learns that some corners of his broken world are darker than he could have imagined.

This stunning novella concludes the story Mohamed started in The Annual Migration of Clouds and continued in We Speak Through the Mountain, bleaker than ever but still in search of a spark of hope in the climate apocalypse."

So there you go. Some more reading ideas for you. Now to grab myself a couple muffins and a cup of coffee for brekkie. Enjoy your weekend! Stay safe.