REVIEW: It Happened in Colorado

 It Happened in Colorado
Author: James A. Crutchfield

I've lived in Colorado since 2022. I love it here. I love the vibe of the large metro region I live in, the culture, the mountains and wildlife....and the history! 

 I recently went on a group trip to a history museum, and afterwards I wanted to gain more knowledge of Colorado history. I thought this book would be a good place to start. 

It Happened in Colorado is an easy read only 128 pages, plus a Bibliography and index in the back. Topics are separated into 35 short snippets, ranging from ancient times up to the 1980s. Most of the topics I was familiar with already, but some events were completely new to me. Each story is about 3-4 pages long with just enough information to give basic facts. 

At first I was disappointed that the information was so brief, but then I made a list of topics I want to research further. So, the book fulfilled the purpose I wanted.....a place to start in my efforts to study Colorado history!  

REVIEW: A Night's Tail

 A Night's Tail
Author: Sofie Kelly

 

A Night's Tail is the 11th book in the Magical Cats Mystery series. 

I have loved this series since book 1!! :) Hercules and Owen are great kitties. They help their owner, Librarian Kathleen Paulson, solve mysteries and each have a very interesting paranormal power. 

This time around, a shady businessman who has been going around town looking for supposed investments is found dead. Nobody is really sad as the man has been acting like a real jerk all around town, including kicking a service dog. When one of her little brother's friends becomes a suspect, Kathleen and her magical kitties (and her detective boyfriend) are on the case. Can they discover who offed the jerk? 

I love how Owen and Hercules help Kathleen when she's doing her amateur sleuthing. :) 

The plot moved along at a good pace with plenty of sleuthing and suspects. Kathleen's friends were awesome as usual, and it was nice to have Kathleen's little brother and his band in town. 

A great book in this series! I'm moving on to book 12! :)  

REVIEW: Murder at the Blackwood Inn

 Murder at the Blackwood Inn
Author: Penny Warner

Carissa Blackwood is having a rough time. She leaves her husband (a cheater), and moves to help her two eccentric aunts run their Bed & Breakfast in CA. But it isn't just any B&B -- it's haunted. Add in a dash of the occult and her aunts being suspects in a murder, and you get this fun, entertaining, humorous start to a cozy mystery series.  

I love the characters in this book! Carissa is trying to put her life back together and just rolls with the punches as best she can. The aunts are endearing and just a bit zany. A cute handyman and a ghost round out things perfectly. 

The mystery moves along at a good pace. There was plenty of amateur sleuthing and suspects.The book seemed to be more of a series opener, rather than a hard hitting mystery. I loved the fact that the characters were developed and allowed to entertain. And, the romance angle is hinted at but didn't play a big part in the story yet. The mystery was light, and enjoyable.  

This book was the perfect one to kick off my spooky reading season this year. The story is a great start to a new series. I can't' wait to read the next book! 

 And, if the B&B was a real place -- I would make a reservation in a heart beat!!  Yep.....crystals and seances with two crazy aunts and a ghost? Yep! I would stay there and have a great time! 

**I read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane. All opinions expressed are entirely my own** 

REVIEW: The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz

 The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival
Author: Anne Sebba

This is the story of 50 women of all ages from 11 nations that were "chosen" -- forced is perhaps a better word -- to form an orchestra in Auschwitz. Performing as part of the orchestra gave them a better chance for survival. A bit more food. Basic medical care and rest when sick.  All so they could continue to perform both for prisoners and Nazi SS officers. 

I had a hard time reading this book. Not because there was anything wrong with the story. The book is well written. I just felt such sympathy for these women that the story was hard to take. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be forced to play music for men, women and children I knew were going to be murdered, or how terrifying it must have been to give performances for Nazi SS Officers. The guilt, horrors of the concentration camp, and the knowledge that musical ability was the one thing keeping them alive must have been incredibly difficult. 

I loved getting to know these women through this story. Anne Sebba writes a vibrant and dark history of their experiences in the camp. I could only read maybe a chapter at a time before having to put the book down. Heavy, heavy feelings.  

Wonderful story. I'm glad I got to read this. I had no idea there was a women's orchestra at Auschwitz until I read this book. 

**I read a review copy of this book from St Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own** 

REVIEW: Tails from the Crypt

 Tails from the Crypt
Author: Sarah Fox 

My spooky reading season seems to start earlier and earlier each year. Halloween is my absolutely most favorite holiday and has been since I was very young. So, of course, every fall I read every Halloween theme cozy mystery I can get my hands on!  

I didn't realize this was the 3rd book in a series when I requested it to review. I got sucked in by the colorful, fun cover and the Halloween theme. I usually don't read a series out of order, but I did this time! 

Definitely back-tracking and starting with book 1! It's already borrowed from Hoopla and ready to go! 

This was such a fun read for me! Animals with a touch of magic to them, Halloween, an animal sanctuary.....it clicked every button on my fav cozy scenarios list. 

I like the characters, the background theme, the dogs are lovely.....I'm definitely going to read this series! 

The story moved at a perfect pace. There were plenty of suspects and suspense, and lots of amateur sleuthing. Add in a touch of magic -- not too much, not too little -- and it was just such an entertaining cozy to read! 

I will definitely be reading more from this author! This book put a huge It's Almost Fall smile on my face!  

REVIEW: Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library

 Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library
Author: Amanda Chapman

I am currently in the middle of a reading project that was decades in the planning. I discovered Agatha Christie's writing during the summer when I was 9 years old. I happened on a garage sale in my neighborhood and there was a box set of Hercule Poirot novels. Six of them. I biked home and begged my mom for the $4 to buy the books. I did extra chores the rest of the summer to pay her back, and spent a lot of evenings laying across my bed reading the exploits of Poirot. I was hooked. 

I started trying to get copies of all of her books because I wanted to read them all.  But, I lived in a very small town with no bookstore and a very limited library. No used bookshop either. So little by little I gathered titles when I could get to a bookstore or found copies at garage sales or received them at holidays. I kept a list in my purse of all the titles I already owned, adding more as I had lucky finds. 

Then life got in the way. And for years, my collection of paperbacks moved from dorm room, to apartment, to house, to another house, to other states......and I never got to read more than a couple of them. Then the internet revolutionized how we gather information....I no longer had to work so hard to get a complete list of Agatha's writing. And....my kids grew up. 

I now had time to actually read my books! 

Over the past few years, I've been reading her mystery writing in publication order. I take my time. I stop and look up references, history, the poisons mentioned. And I watch each movie or television episode based on each story, and listen to any audio dramas -- any adaptations I can find (even a French television show based on her stories). I'm having fun!  

Just about halfway through. 

Now that I said all that -- the minute I read the blurb about this book by Amanda Chapman, I just had to read it!! 

And I'm so glad I did!  This story was just so charming, fun and entertaining to read!! Agatha Christie has been my favorite author for almost 50 years now. And I'm reading my way through all of her lovely mystery stories. The thought of a library in New York at a posh address with a recreation of her library in her vacation home in England was divine. Add in the ghost of Agatha showing up to help solve a mystery? Heaven!!  

I'm not sure what I would do if the ghost of Agatha Christie showed up to inform me she was going to assist me in amateur sleuthing. Most likely after an initial scream, I would be so excited to meet her (even with her being rather life challenged, so to speak), I would just roll with it like the main character in this book did. 

I loved every word of this book! I totally binge read this entire story over Labor Day Weekend. I couldn't put it down once I started, except to sleep for awhile. I had a silly smile on my face the entire time! 

And, it looks like this is the start to a series!! I can't wait for the next book!!  

REVIEW: The Cats Came Back

 The Cats Came Back
Author: Sofie Kelly

Mayville Heights is gearing up for a music festival. The little town is expecting an influx of performers and tourists for the event. Just as things are starting to amp up, a dead body is found in the river. And, of course, the dead woman has ties to a festival performer. 

Local Librarian, Kathleen Paulson, and her two wonderful cats are instantly on the case. As is Kathleen's detective boyfriend, of course. Can they figure out who killed the singer's friend before rumors and fears ruin the festival? 

I enjoyed this 10th book in the Magical Cats Mystery series. For once, I took a guess at who did it...and I was right. But not because the author gave too much away. I just got lucky! :) 

I love how Kathleen's two cats, Owen and Hercules, always help her solve the case. And I enjoy how the author gives both kitties distinct personalities. They are main characters, just as much as any of the humans in the book. 

Moving on to book 11. I hit a hole in my personal bookshelves, and grabbed copies of the next 4 books from my local library. Love love love my local library!! :)