Espresso Tales

This is the pleasant second book in Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series. Originally published serially in the Scotsman newspaper, Espresso Tales is set in Edinburgh and features a group of residents who live at, you guessed it, 44 Scotland Street. These characters run the gamut from 6-year-old Bertie to 60-something Domenica. One of my favorite segments involves Bertie and his father Stuart’s trip to Glasgow to look for the Pollock family car, which Stuart has forgotten to drive back to Edinburgh after a work conference. Their meeting and subsequent excursion with Lard O'Connor and his henchman Gerry is priceless.--Barb P.

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Busy Body

M. C. Beaton’s annoying yet loveable crime solver, Agatha Raisin, is back in action. Although her bearlike eyes are in good working order, her good legs are recovering from hip replacement surgery. This time around, a local official, who has put the kibosh on excessive holiday displays, is murdered outside a glass door at a community meeting with the whole town watching. Naturally, as always in this series, Agatha and her team are able to solve the murder while the police, including Agatha’s friend Bill Wong, stand helplessly by. Agatha entertains romantic ideas about three assorted gentlemen, which is a new record for her, I think. Set in the Cotswolds of England, this is an relaxing page turner with a winter holiday theme.--Barb P.

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A Bad Day for Sorry

This charming mystery by Sophie Littlefield features homemaker Stella Hardesty, who spends most of her time keeping abusive spouses and boyfriends in line, without the intervention of law enforcement professionals. When she isn’t checking up on her “parolees,” she runs a sewing store. This book is set in Missouri and the weather during the book’s timeframe is hot, hot, hot. And to make matters worse, 50-something Stella is suffering from hot flashes, so she is in no mood to put up with any shenigans. However, Stella is forced to endure some doozies in the process of finding a missing baby and breaking up a drug smuggling ring. This is a page turner with a loveable heroine.--Barb P.

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False Mermaid

This wonderful third mystery from Erin Hart features our heroine Nora Gavin, who returns to her home in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to solve a murder. The victim is not found in a bog this time, but in the trunk of a car. Luckily Nora does spend some time in Ireland with Cormac, so there are lovely descriptions of the Donegal countryside. But there are also descriptions of places right here in Saint Paul, including the Central Library downtown. Sadly, one of the characters gets hit by a car as he is crossing Shepard Road. In spite of this setback, Nora is able to solve the mystery of who killed the murder victim. And the reader is able to learn more about Nora and Cormac and their respective family dynamics.--Barb P.

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Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century

This fabulous tell-all by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger is packed with juicy show biz tidbits from the 1960s and 1970s. I knew Liz and Dick (oops, they hated those nicknames) drank alcohol to excess, but I had no idea Richard could drink three bottles of vodka a day. And Elizabeth put away large amounts of Jack Daniels. Sadly, Richard was the victim of his alcoholism. And Elizabeth was one of the first patients at the Betty Ford Center. The pair also shared a love of small dogs, several of which were kept for weeks on their yacht in London in order to avoid quarantine. Elizabeth's jewelry collection is legendary; Richard loved to give her expensive baubles for birthdays and anniversaries. The photographs in this book are wonderful--they were truly beautiful people as well as star crossed lovers.--Barb P.

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Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

This entralling book by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee is a page turner. Reading about hoarder houses and cars packed with old junk mail, newspapers, and magazines is fascinating. Even the floors of some of these places are covered with a layer of detritus. Most hoarders are highly intelligent and their hoarding behavior begins early in life. The authors, psychologists who work with hoarders and attempt to solve their hoarding problems, state that we all share some of the hoarding orientation to some degree. I have to say I was inspired to clean out a cupboard or two after I finished reading this book.--Barb P.

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Ice Moon

This thriller by Jan Costin Wagner was translated from the German by John Brownjohn. Set in Turku, Finland, the hero of this novel is Detective Kimmo Joentaa, who is recovering from the recent death of his wife. Instead of staying on compassionate leave to continue mourning, Timmo is hard at work, investigating a smothering serial killer. In another strange twist, Kimmo invites a murdered victim's former boyfriend from Germany to stay with him at his house--Kimmo even lets Daniel sleep in his bed, while he sleeps on the couch. The identity of the smothering serial killer is solved with an ingenious twist. And the descriptions of the Finnish countryside made me want to visit Finland.--Barb P.

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