The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer

 

First line:  Two little black penguins were the first to know the secret.

First published:  1931

The plot:  Hildegarde Withers, 39, pragmatic, no-nonsense, single teacher of third graders, teams up with New York City detective, Oscar Piper, to solve the murder of Gerald Lester, who she discovers floating, dead, in the penguin pool at the New York Aquarium. And playing detective is what she's always wanted to do.

"I can get a substitute for a few weeks," suggested Miss Withers eagerly. "I'm having the time of my life. ... That's why I came to New York ten years ago, instead of keeping on teaching school out in Iowa. I wanted a little excitement, though it's little enough I've got at Jefferson School. This is great fun, and better than any detective story I ever read....It's the ambition of my life to play detective."

 My thoughts:  This is not a mystery to be taken too seriously, but it is an entertaining step back in time. Oscar Piper and Hildegarde Withers are amusing characters. I enjoyed how they worked together to figure out the murder; their disagreements and arguments were equally amusing. Derbys and hat pins, the stock market crash, guesses and interrogations, all play a role in this fun 1930s mystery. I liked it, and wouldn't mind reading some of Palmer's other Hildegarde Withers mysteries. 

Happy Reading!

I won a free book!

 

Got it in a Goodreads giveaway! Out of Air by Rachel Reiss. It sounds very exciting. Treasure hunters. A sea cave. Strange changes when the divers surface. Maybe something supernatural? Mystery & suspense. Everything I enjoy in a book. And I can't wait to read it. I just need to finish a few library books before they're due first. 

Happy Reading!

March's Bookish Art...

 

Charles Edward Perugini -- Girl Reading

"Books are such an underrated essential. Every book is a key that unlocks another world, leads us down the path of a different life and offers the chance to explore an unexpected adventure. Every one is a gift of either knowledge, entertainment or pure escapism."

--Bella Osborne, The Library

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

 "I would answer violence with art."

"At a quarter to eleven on August 12, 2022, on a sunny Friday morning in upstate New York, I was attacked and almost killed by a young man with a knife just after I came out on stage at the amphitheater in Chautauqua to talk about the importance of keeping writers safe from harm. ... On that beautiful morning in that attractive setting, violence came running at me and my reality fell apart."

In just 27 seconds, Salman Rushdie was stabbed 15 times in the face, neck and chest; the tendons in his left hand were severed, and he was blinded in his right eye. Miraculously, he survived. This book is his musings on that day, and on his recovery, his love for his wife, sons, and friends, the importance of free speech, writing as art, and on his getting a second chance at life. It's quietly thoughtful, emotional, and smart. Rushdie has such a gift with words. And his writing is always literary and meaningful. This short memoir is no exception. I'm really glad I chose it for my nonfiction read this month. 

"Language, too, was a knife. It could cut open the world and reveal its meaning, its inner workings, its secrets, its truths. It could cut through from one reality to another. It could call bullshit, open people's eyes, create beauty. Language was my knife."

Happy Reading!

The Next Grave by Kendra Elliot

 

First line:  The breeze carried the scent to Detective Evan Bolton's nose, and he instantly knew his day was going to suck.

The case:  First, retired cop Rod Mcleod, Detective Evan Bolton's friend and mentor, is murdered. Then Rod's daughter, Sophia, goes missing. As Evan investigates the murder, he discovers that Rod was looking into some old cases. It's puzzling. Could the killer be someone in law enforcement? And is Evan next on his hitlist? 

My thoughts: This mystery has great writing, likable characters, and some nice twists. The suspense really mounts as Evan's investigation puts his own life in danger. Rowan and her search-and-rescue dog, Thor, are also on the scene. She and Evan are so great together; I love how they support each other both on the job and at home. And I really like how Kendra Elliot writes mysteries. She's become on of my most favorite authors. And this book? As compelling and entertaining as all her others.

Happy Reading!

Previous book about Rowan and Evan:  The First Death

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is supposed to be THINGS CHARACTERS HAVE SAID.  But I haven't really been keeping track of that, and while I do collect quotes from the books I read, none of them seemed to fit this prompt. So, I'm going rogue.

Last year, my blogging friend and reading buddy, Melody Lee, passed away. And I have really missed her this year. I've missed chatting with her about books, and reading her posts, and most of all, I have missed our buddy reads. Over the years we must have read over 30 books together. So for this week's TTT, in honor of my friend, I decided to post MY FIRST TEN BUDDY READS WITH MELODY.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Happy Reading!

Randomness...

 TV shows & series that I really miss:  

⏺Dwight in Shining Armor

⏺The Big Leap

⏺The Eco Challenge (which was the best adventure race ever!)

TV shows I'm very happy are coming back soon:

The Amazing Race

Project Runway

New album I am totally loving:

(Nate Smith:  California Gold)

 

And my list of 'glad things' from last month: 

• 
  One of the fourth graders I work with told me I was her favorite teacher.
• I bought a new game called Trails that is a lot of fun to play.
• My nephew got his first 'grown up' engineering job which made my entire family cheer.
• I got a cute dragon squishmallow for my half birthday that totally makes me smile. 
  
• A friend gave me daffodil bulbs about twenty years ago and I planted them in the front of my house, and every year they're the first flowers to come up; they remind me spring is on the way. I'm always grateful and glad to see Susie's daffodils blooming.
• And Beth Brower's Emma M. Lion books continue to amuse and delight; I've now read the first seven books in the series and loved them all. Though I am sad there's only one more to go.