February is Library Lovers' Month

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Love is certainly in the air. Can't you feel it? There are flowers, romantic cards, and candy hearts everywhere you look. While it is undeniably the most romantic day of the year, it's also Library Lovers' Month.

Did you know that these days libraries are doing more with less? As the demands for library services have grown, many libraries are faced with smaller budgets. February is the month set aside to increase not only your awareness of what the library has to offer you, but also how you can help your library. That's right; you can make a difference.

There are many ways you can get involved. Let's explore a few options:

• Volunteer your time or expertise.
• Donate money (every little bit helps).
• Sign up for a program.
  
• Ask about honoring a friend or loved one with a book memorial.
• Join the Friends of the Library.
• Help with fundraising events.
• Donate used books for your library's used book sale.
• Become a literacy tutor.
• Offer to present a program in your area of expertise.
• Write a letter to the editor and express your concerns about the state of library funding.
  
• Write letters to your legislators telling them how much the library means to you.
• Attend a library board meeting.
• Drop in and simply say "thank you."
  

Valentine's Day is simply the perfect day to show your appreciation of your favorite library or librarian. Whether your favorite library is an academic, school, public, or private library, stop by today and celebrate Library Lovers' Month. Supporting your library ensures future generations that libraries are here to stay.

For more information about supporting libraries, check out these sites: Friends and Foundations of California Libraries & Friends of Libraries U.S.A.

Book Review: The Corpse Wore Tartan by Kaitlyn Dunnett

✰✰✰½ Liss MacCrimmon is back with more Scottish fun in this mystery featuring a house party murder theme. In this installment it just so happens that the Scottish Heritage Appreciation Society (SHAS) has booked The Spruces hotel for it's annual event, The Burns Night Supper. Liss' new responsibility to act as a liaison between SHAS and the hotel seems simple enough at first. However, when a pricey brooch goes missing and a major snowstorm hits the town of Mootookalook, Maine, things start to heat up. Just when it seems that things couldn't get any worse, the owner of the missing brooch meets with an unexplained death.

With everyone trapped inside the hotel, Liss and her friends must track down the killer before someone else gets hurt, or worse...killed. Author Kaitlyn Dunnett does a fine job of teasing the reader with plenty of twists and turns in this charming whodunit; there's even a little bit of romance in the air.

The Bottom Line: The Corpse Wore Tartan is the fourth installment of the Liss MacCrimmon Scottish Mysteries series. While some mystery fans like to read the books in order, one can easily pick up this book and not feel lost; Dunnett includes plenty of background information to bring the reader up-to-date. While the pacing of this story could have been improved (the beginning was a bit slow and the ending a bit fast), this installment is nonetheless a delightful, weekend read. Fans of cozy mysteries will adore Liss and all her comrades. Enthusiastically recommended for mystery lovers and those who love all things Scottish.

Details: The Corpse Wore Tartan by Kaitlyn Dunnett. Hardcover published by Kensington Books in 2010. 304 p. ISBN: 978-0-7582-3879-5 Note: I received a complimentary copy from Kensington Books in exchange for a review. This was made possible by the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing.

Book Review: A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

✰✰✰½ If you have you ever wondered just what it was that made Hansel and Gretel run away from home, then this is the book for you. There's more to their story than a trail of bread crumbs and an edible house.

Follow Hansel and Gretel as they face beheadings and evil substitute parents. There's also the moon who likes to eat children and a handsome young murderer. The children face challenge after challenge even leading the villagers to fight against a dragon that has invaded their kingdom. But perhaps their greatest challenge of all is their quest to find forgiveness for the parents who betrayed them.

Throughout the book, the stories are peppered with warnings from the narrator about the more gruesome parts which serves as a temptation to read on. These stories are loosely based on the classic tales by the Brothers Grimm. While the stories may indeed be grim, these are fairy tales after all. Perhaps the twins will live happily ever after...or perhaps not. Read them if you dare.

The Bottom Line: A Tale Dark & Grimm is a morbid and fun book for readers who enjoy the gruesome. Gidwitz weaves a tale that holds interest throughout. Recommended for tweens, teens, and adults who enjoy fairytale retellings. However, kids who are a wee bit squeamish might want to pass this one up.

Details: A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Published by Dutton Children's Books in 2010. 192 p. ISBN: 978-0-525-42334-8

Happy New Year! Try a Book Challenge for 2011.

Happy New Year everyone! It's that time of the year when we resolve to try something new. We all start out with good intentions whether we resolve to lose weight or volunteer somewhere. But how many of us actually keep our New Year's resolutions? Well, here's an idea that's easy to keep. Why not try a book challenge?

A book challenge...what's that? Well, a book challenge is a goal you set for yourself. You decide how many books you are going to read this year. Also, you decide what types of books you are going to read: fiction, nonfiction, children's books, mysteries, comics, and more. It's all up to you. You can get all gung-ho about it and go with a number like 75 or 100. Or you can be more conservative and choose a number like 50 or even low-ball it at 25. No matter what your number, the goal is all yours. Once you've chosen, then you have the entire year to reach your goal. And here's a little secret: you don't have to begin exactly on January 1st; you can start your challenge at any time of the year.

By the way, a handy way to keep track of your progress, is to sign up for a counter at Ticker Factory. You can create your very own ticker to keep track of how many books you've read. It's easy. Just choose the objects/actions counter under crafts/hobbies and fill in the required information. Choose your ticker ruler and slider styles, then let Ticker Factory do the rest. At the end you will be given the html code to add to your blog, web page, or signature. Just remember to update your count from time to time.

I've set my goal conservatively at 50. I hope you'll join me! Good Luck & Happy Reading for 2011 ! Oh, and remember to stop by often and check out my ticker below to see my progress.

A Year of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

As 2010 comes to a close, I've completed my list of best short stories appearing in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (AHMM). As with my subscription to EQMM, this year I managed to read every single short story. There were so many great stories that it was difficult to narrow it down to just a few favorites. However, if you don't have the time to read them all, consider these great short stories for your reading pleasure:

January/February 2010: "The Case of the Vanishing Boy: A Spade/Paladin Conundrum" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Runners-up: "Midnight" by K. J. Egan and "Okiku and the Nine Plates" by Alan Gratz

March: "Burning Twilight" by Kenneth Wishnia
Runners-up: "In It Up To My Neck" by Jas. R. Petrin and "Don't Reveal the Beginning" by John H. Dirckx

April: "Thief in the House" by Brendan DuBois
Runner-up: "As the Screw Turns" by Shelley Costa

May: "True Test" by B. K. Stevens
Runners-up: "Drive-Thru" by David Dietrich and "Somewhere Elsie" by Neil Schofield. I also enjoyed the previously published "Domestic Drama" by Lynn K. Kilpatrick

June: "Madame Selina" by Janice Law
Runners-up: "Ring Toss" by Chris Grabenstein and "Hard as a Rock" by Marianne Wilski Strong.

July/August: "Sundown, 290 West" by David Dietrich gave me the shivers.
Runners-up: "When the Apricots Bloom" by Ellen Larson, "No Trouble at All" by Doug Grant Johnson, and "What People Leave Behind" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The Black Orchid Novella Award winner "Stranglehold" by Steve Liskow was a good read as well.

September: "The Little Nogai Boy" by R. T. Lawton
Runners-up: "Grit" by John H. Dirckx and "Winning Ticket" by Christine Matthews. I enjoyed the Mystery Classic story this month featuring "The Edge" by Dame Agatha Christie, also.

October: "Monsieur Alice is Absent" by Stephen Ross
Runners-up: "Old Dogs" by Naomi Bell and "Winter" by Chris Muessig

November: "Shell Game" by Neil Schofield
Second place: "Ten Thousand Cold Nights" by James Lincoln Warren
Runners-up: "Recommended to Mercy" by Eric Rutter, "A Good Man" by Cathryn Grant, and "The Lamb was Sure to Go" by Gar Anthony Haywood

December: "My Heart's Abhorrence" by Marianne Wilski Strong
Runners-up: "A Photo's Worth" by David Hagerty and "Love and Death" by Michael Z. Lewin.

So there you have it, my list of the best of the best for 2010. Enjoy and have a Happy New Year!

Book Review: Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock

✰✰✰✰½ This is the third installment in a YA series featuring Sherlock Holmes as a teen. "Vanishing Girl" follows Holmes on a quest to solve the case of missing socialite, Victoria Rathbone, before Scotland Yard or his arch enemy Malefactor can find her. The young lad is discouraged when at first it seems that Scotland Yard has bested him, but then he notices and overlooked detail in the ransom note. Perhaps it is a clue? Holmes decides to follow up on it even though it may be a long shot. When Victoria appears to have been kidnapped a second time, Holmes is hot on the trail. Will he win the fame he so covets? The ending may surprise you.

This is an excellent mystery with lots of twists and turns. The relationships between Holmes, Irene Doyle, Malefactor and the young Lestrade deserve mentioning. Their interactions are filled with rivalry and teenage angst which young adults can relate to. Also, this mystery takes place during a dark period in the young man's life, his mother having recently died. We find Holmes living at Sigerson Bell's apothecary. The eccentric Bell is both a mentor and father figure to the young lad which adds to the development of Holmes’ character.

The Bottom Line: This is a fast paced mystery with lots of adventure and thrills. It is not necessary to have read the books in order. Background information is readily supplied so you can start with any book in the series. This clever book is great fun to read. I'm looking forward to reading the others, and I hope to find them under the tree this Christmas. Highly recommended for mystery fans of all ages, but especially for young adults ages 13 and up

Details: Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock. Published by Tundra Books in 2010. 335p. ISBN: 978-1-77049-234-9

Book Review: The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer

✰✰✰✰½ Christmas is coming, and Santa is frantic. The reindeer have just gone on strike! What's Santa to do? How will he deliver his toys to all the good little girls and boys? It's simple. Santa decides to write a help wanted ad. The response is overwhelming as all the animals line up for their chance to pull the famous sleigh. Who will make the cut? The dogs? The cats? The elephants? It's an all-out competition as the animals all try to do their best.

The Bottom Line: The little ones will adore this whimsical and lyrical holiday poem. The colorful artwork in a raised embossed style is sure to please both kids and adults alike. Highly recommended holiday reading for kids ages 4 - 8.

Details: The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer. Illustrated by Jannie Ho. Hardcover published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. in 2009. 28 pages. ISBN: 978-1-4027-4462-4