The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y.K. Lee

I loved this book. It started off slow, with an unlikable main character, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.

Death of a Glutton: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery, by M.C. Beaton

There are certain things in M.C. Beaton's books that I find particularly unpleasant to read--a lax attitude toward drinking and driving, police officers drinking on the job, and casual mention of domestic violence. This book in particular bothered me for all of the above reasons, especially the last. I sometimes cannot believe it is a woman writing them. While I love her books, I do not like her apparent attitude that violence against women is "no big deal" or that it's excusable because "some women have it coming." If she were a male writers this would probably be enough for me to stop reading him altogether! On the other hand, she is one of my favourites...

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery, by Alan Bradley

Holy Amazeballs! What an unbelievably fantastic book! I resolve to read anything and everything from this author in the future!!

Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer

Well! This is a book that will both act as a call to action and a source of my nightmares. It definitely makes me want to research alternatives to factory farms and use my consumer dollars accordingly. And it's giving me nightmares.

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage, by M.C. Beaton

I loved the way she threw us off the scent of the killer, who was under our noses the whole time. I do find the romantic parts of the series a bit much. Overall, though, I like how M.C. Beaton writes and I find it interesting that her style is similar but not identical between the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series.

Doggie Daycare Murder: A Melanie Travis Mystery, by Laurien Berenson

It's funny how much the author clearly shows disdain for people who put their dogs in daycare (instead of being stay-at-home pet owners, I guess) yet is SUCH an enthusiastic proponent of all things related to dog shows. And she obviously doesn't find this the least bit hypocritical. Also, now that Melanie has a new baby, you'd think her husband would be less enthusiastic about her putting herself in situations in which she is almost killed! Still, all the Melanie Travis books are solid reads, even if some require a little more suspension of disbelief than others.

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley, by M.C. Beaton

What an odd book. On the one hand, I learned a lot about English property laws, on the other hand M.C. Beaton betrayed some very bizarre attitudes.

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