Mother's Day Murder, by Leslie Meier

I tried to read this drivel. I really tried. But after three painful, wince-inducing chapters of the author's attempts to be current and hip (referencing Osama bin Laden and his "funny clothes," talking about texting on cell phones among the young folk, and how all the kids in 2009 have MySpace pages--sorry, MySpace.com pages--despite the risk of sexual predators--gasp!--) it was all just too much. That, and the main character is very proud of her quilted jacket. I mean, come on, there's only so much of an inner-old-lady I'm willing to indulge! I had decided to give this author another chance despite a mediocre previous showing. This was that chance. Dud!

The Forgetting Room, by Nick Bantock

Nick Bantock's work is so exquisite. The way he weaves a simple story in and out of illustrations and artifacts is quite marvellous. It was only a 100-page book yet I feel like I wen ton a whole journey. I should read ALL of his books!

Death of a Dreamer, by M.C. Beaton

Wow. This one was quite good, but what a morose ending!

******SPOILER ALERT!!!******

Death of a Celebrity, by M.C. Beaton

This book marks the very first appearance of Elspeth Grant, who is a recurring character in the rest of the series. Also, Hamish has Lugs but not Sonsie. I remember reading the book in which he got Sonsie, but I can't remember which one it was. I know he got Lugs in A Highland Christmas. Anyway, this was a great entry in the series and the epilogue wasn't annoyingly long this time!

Death of a Witch, by M.C. Beaton

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The mystery itself wasn't bad--four murders!--but it was all wrapped up by page 200 or so. Then the story kept going for four more useless chapters. I hate her anti-climaxes--they go on forever! Oh well.

The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery, by Lawrence Block

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I love this series so much that I actually didn't realize that I had already read this one (I must have forgotten to record it!) but I ended up re-reading it anyway. Enjoyable, as always. :)

Philosophy Made Simple, by Robert Hellenga

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It was pretty good, I must say. It was nice to read something other than cozy mysteries for a change. And with the elephant as a supporting character, I felt like I was reading a much better than average John Irving novel.

The Final Crumpet: A Royal Tunbridge Wells Mystery, by Ron Benrey and Janet Benrey

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Oh dear. Where to start? Strictly speaking, it wasn't terrible, at least no the first four-fifths of it. But it definitely lacked the charm and elegance of the first in the series (Dead as a Scone) and also the interesting trivia about tea. Then, towards the end, the "Christian" aspect became glaringly apparent (rather clumsily so, I might add, as if as an afterthought). But the truly unforgivable sin of this novel was the ending.

******SPOILER ALERT!!!******