Guess Who's Coming to Die?

by Patricia Sprinkle

I really enjoy this series. The characters are quite likable and the plots are good and keep you wondering until the end. I did have this one figured out, at least who did it, but not necessarily why!

Georgia Magistrate MacLaren Yarbrough gets herself mixed up in solving murders much to the dismay of her husband Joe Ridley. Some how she keeps managing to discover dead bodies!

I enjoy the values in these books...family and God play a top roll in the stories.

I would recommend reading this book, but I feel it is important to read them in order.

The Tale of Hill Top Farm

by Susan Wittig Albert

When I first heard of this series, I wasn't too sure I would like it. It is about Beatrix Potter and her animals and I was thinking it would be too silly. I was surprisingly mistaken.

The story was fun and not silly at all. The animals do talk, but only to each other. The humans often complain about the animals making so much noise! The people are involved in solving the local mysteries, but so are the animals in their own way.

The writing was good and I found it interesting how the author introduced the ideas of major changes happening at the turn of the century...women wearing shorter skirts (the ankles showed!), owning property and even wearing pants!

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

"England, 1905, A Londoner-a female Londoner-has just bought a farm in rural Sawrey. The locals don't know what to make of Beatrix Potter. They've never heard of an unwed woman buying and running a farm. Some meet her with genuine warmth; others keep her at arm's length. Beatrix, recovering from the death of her fiance', believes she can heal in the countryside, a quiet place to work on her children's stories. But when a villager dies unexpectedly, with allegations of foul play, Sawrey turns out to be anything but quiet..."

I found this book entertaining and enjoyable. I would recommend this book.

The Merchant of Menace

by Jill Churchill

This is book #10 in the Jane Jeffry Mystery series by Jill Churchill. These mysteries feature suburban mom Jane Jeffry and her neighbor Shelley Nowack.

These book are light and fun. Jane and Shelley get into all sorts of trouble as they try to help Jane's boyfriend Detective Mel VanDyne solve crimes. Jane is a widowed mom of three teenage children.

Here are bits from the blurb on the back of the book:

"'Tis the season to be jolly and suburban mom Jane Jeffry's in a mad scramble to finish her cookie backing and household chores before her teenage kids arrive home. Also expected are two moms-both the late husband's mother and the disapproving mater of Det. Mel VanDyne, Jane's significant other. The kitchen is a disaster zone, the dog has decorated the house with hair, and the earsplitting racket coming from the neighbor's tacky, music-making Christmas display is driving Jane crazy. Now she has to get the green icing out of her hair and be ready to host her post-caroling dinner party.

One thing Jane isn't ready for is a surprise visit from a muckraking TV "action reporter," disguised as Santa Claus. The nasty old St. Nick is out to wrap a happy holiday caroling into a package marked "scandal," but before he has a chance to color the event with yellow journalism, his red-suited body slides off the neighbor's roof to land, silenced forever, on the horns of a plastic reindeer."

And so the adventure begins for Jane and Shelley. I enjoy these books very much. Jane works very hard to be a good stay at home mom for her kids. There are enough twists and turns to keep the story interesting and each books builds on relationships that are fun to follow.

I recommend this series, but would advice reading them in order!

Summer Reading Challenge

One of my cyber pals, De'Etta, is hosting a Summer Reading Challenge on her blog. This is a fun relaxed reading challenge for those of us that love to read!

My summer goal is to read everyday. I have quite a stack of non-fiction and this is a tougher pile for me to tackle, but I hope to get a good portion of them read. Summer is a very relaxed time of year for us. We do a very light school schedule, spend a lot of time outside and in the pool. I should be able to do some reading everyday and more on days when the kids are swimming.

Here is my list:
(Books in progress are red, finished books will be crossed off and links provided if reviewed.)

Fiction
The Merchant of Menace - Jill Churchill review
A Groom with a View - Jill Churchill
Mulch Ado About Nothing - Jill Churchill

Bell, Book and Scandal - Jill Churchill
The House of Seven Mabels - Jill Churchill
Light From Heaven - Jan Karon
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime - Tamar Myers
Design for Murder - Carolyn G. Hart
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught - Neta Jackson
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling - Neta Jackson
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander M. Smith
Summer Garden Murder - Ann Ripley
Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer - Dorothy Gilman
Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist - Dorothy Gilman

The Tale of Hill Top Farm - Susan Wittig Albert

review

The Tale Of Holly How - Susan Wittig Albert
The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood - Susan Wittig Albert
Evans Above - Rhys Bowen

Guess Who's Coming To Die? - Patricia Sprinkle review

Family/Parenting/Homeschooling
Ministry of Motherhood - Sally Clarkson
Making Children Mind without Losing Yours - Dr. Kevin Leman
The Socialization Trap - Rick Boyer
Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends - Sarah, Stephen, and Grace Mally
Families Where Grace Is In Place - Jeff VanVonderen
Grace Based Parenting - Dr. Tim Kimmel

Biographies
The Cost of Discipleship - Bonhoeffer
Oswald Chambers Abandoned To God - David McCasland
Acres of Hope - Patty Anglin

Christian Living
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World - Joanna Weaver
Calm My Anxious Heart - Linda Dillow
Humility - Andrew Murray review
Margin - Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

Other non-fiction
My Summer in a Garden - Charles Dudley Warner