The Alpine Scandal by Mary Daheim

This is another mystery series I've enjoyed. It takes place in a fictional town in the Northwest called Alpine - near Steven's ski resort. I think a lot of the reason I like the series is because of all the local stuff in the book. 

The series begins with The Alpine Advocate. Each book thereafter is in alphabetical order (The Alpine Betrayal is next). Emma Lord is the main character, and she owns the local weekly paper - the Alpine Advocate. She gets involved in solving local murders.  The characters are not deep, but the books are a nice light read when that's what I'm looking for. 

Mary Daheim also has a bed and breakfast mystery series that takes place on Queen Anne hill in Seattle. I've read a few of those but I didn't get hooked as much with that series. 

The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston

I like these books. Written in an Austenesque style, they branch off from Pride and Prejudice. The original Austin characters are very remote in these books - referred to rather than included in the books. They've been fun reads.

Well now that travels are over, I'm back to real life, and I'm sure my reading list will not continue to grow at this same rate.

Too bad.

Happy Birthday to me!

Here she is: Rachel Diane Petersen, born January 25 at 7:44 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs 10 oz, and is 19 inches long. She is beautiful! She's the best birthday present I ever received.

Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland

This is the third book in the series of the Nine Kingdoms. I love to read Lynn's books, and I liked all three of these, even though I'm not usually a fantasy fan. This is more of a romantic fantasy, so it worked for me. 

Travel is wondrous for getting a lot of reading time in!

Home again, home again

I was packed last night. This morning I woke up before the alarm. I was ready to go, and Cheryl came 15 minutes early to take me to the airport. I arrived, checked my overstuffed bag, and went through security (Seattle is always slow and crowded - that was true today). I made it to the gate in plenty of time. We boarded on time, and flew back to Salt Lake with no problems. My bag arrived safe and sound, and Ray was there to pick me up. 

Now that is the way to travel!

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear

I don't think I mentioned the setting of all these books. Maisie Dobbs is an investigator, and the books all take place in England - mostly London - in the early 1930's. There is a lot of flashback to the Great War (known to us Americans as WWI). In fact the cases Maisie takes on in each book have something to do with the war.

I have enjoyed the books, and look forward to the new one due out next month. I think it's best to read the first one first if possible (Maisie Dobbs), but it's not absolutely necessary to read the other ones in order. I like to do that if I can, but if you can't get one book, try for another.

Oh, what a day!

I am often mocked in my family for my early preparations when I travel. I am usually packed ahead of time, and I prefer to be at the airport at least an hour early. Otherwise I get anxious, and the travel is not as enjoyable for me. So, to get ready for my trip to Seattle today, I packed yesterday morning, and even went so far as to lay out my clothing for today. I set the alarm last night so I'd be up in plenty of time.

The alarm did not go off. I woke up at 8:26 (I never sleep that late!). My flight was at 9:35. Holy smoke! I bolted out of bed, and after a brief glance in the mirror knew I had to shower and wash my hair. I got a haircut yesterday. The woman who cuts my hair put so much hairspray in that I was afraid to be near an open flame. Consequently this morning the hair was a complete nightmare. I jumped in the shower, washed my hair, and hurriedly dressed. I realized it would be cutting it close at the airport (it's a good 30 minutes from my house). So I quickly had Ray put all my stuff in a smaller suitcase that I could carry on. Then I had to pull the liquids out so I could get through security. All that was done quick as a wink, and we were in the car, ready to go by 8:32 (six minutes).

Ray drove at a fairly sedate pace for him. Traffic was bad at that time of the morning, but we arrived at the airport by 9:05. By now I was very relaxed - security at the Salt Lake airport is very efficient, and usually very fast to get through. I walked in - oh no - a very long line. Well, they were efficient, and I got through by 9:20. I dashed to my gate - why are they always so far? And I walked right to my place in line (Southwest airlines). 30 seconds later I was on the plane. Whew! Who would have thought?

Once on the plane, I opened my book and began to read. This is standard travel procedure for me. Free, uninterrupted time to read - what more could I want? The captain came on with the usual info. Blah, blah, weather, visibility, etc. I thought, "who cares about all this stuff? Just fly the plane". At about that time what he was saying started registering in my little brain. There was no visibility in Seattle, and we were being diverted to Portland. Diverted we were. Then they combined our flight with another flight. After a few hours in the Portland airport, we got back on the plane and I finally landed in Seattle only four and a half hours later than scheduled. Luckily I had an extra book (more standard travel procedure), and could start a new one when I finished my other one.

Then I went to catch the shuttle to my parents' house. Luck was with me there. I only had to wait five minutes until the next shuttle. I arrived at my parents at 5:00 p.m. instead of noon. So much for the afternoon together! But I did arrive safe and sound, and thankfully had my luggage with me so nothing got lost.

Hopefully the rest of my trip will be uneventful. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Beth won't go into labor until I get back...

Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear

This is the fourth book in the Maisie Dobbs series. I finished it on the plane today. Then I started the fifth book in the series!

Her next book (sixth) will be available in February - Among the Mad.