FRIDAY: Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews

This is one of my favorite mystery series. I seem to be drawn towards series with punny titles and laugh-out-loud moments and this series has both. My poor husband has been "treated" to many sections of the books because I find them so funny I want to share them with someone.

Murder with Peacocks is the first in the series and Swan for the Money is the most recent. Each mystery usually has something to do with birds, either directly or peripherally. Meg's family is completely wacky, which is part of what makes the series fun. I love that Meg has a "notebook-that-tells-me-when-to-breathe." I have notebooks and clipboards and lists that do the same for me! The mysteries are well plotted which is important when a series is 11 books long - other series that I have loved have gotten lame over time. Not true with Donna Andrews. If you like laughter with your mystery, check out this series!

FRIDAY: The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews

Summary
As if Meg and Michael don't have their hands full with the twins, Meg's family and friends decide that their home is the perfect spot to store all the animals they have stolen from the local shelter because they are going to be destroyed. The animals were supposed to be taken right to new homes, but the driver, who knew which animals were going where, was murdered. So, Meg has a murder to solve while she waits for her family to sort out the animal problem and get the critters out of her home.


Review
Fun mystery! Even with the twins, Meg is able to put all the pieces together to figure out whodunit and save the day. As with any mommy-mystery situation, you have to suspend disbelief when Meg juggles the babies and her sleuthing, but Meg is such a great character, I found that easy to do.


Every time I read one of Meg's stories, though, I have to work hard to set aside my great annoyance at Meg's family who have NO boundaries whatsoever. They think of no one but themselves and their personal agendas, no matter how inconvenient it might be to a new mom and dad and their 4-month-old twins. If Meg weren't so good-natured, I probably wouldn't be able to keep reading!


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans, fans of the series, animal mystery fans


Cautions: none

FICTION for ADULTS: Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews

Meg is coordinating the Caerphilly Days festival which is actually a very loud cover event for an act of subterfuge going on in town. A lender has foreclosed on all the public buildings in town, forcing the employees and city offices to evacuate and/or re-locate (the library moved into Meg's house). Everyone was evacuated from the court house by the town clerk, Mr. Throckmorton, who barricaded himself in the basement over a year ago. He gets supplies through a secret tunnel that has been camouflaged by the locals and is currently hidden by the festival. But when someone is shot right in front of the barricade in the court house basement. Mr. Throckmorton's stand off is in danger - as is his freedom as he is one of the suspects in the murder investigation. Thanks to a community of friends and family, Meg is able to take care of her twin sons and the festival while also snooping into the murder. Good thing she is, too, because the town and her own home are in jeopardy if she can't figure out whodunit.

This was a great mystery! Meg's family members play a smaller role in this story, but they are just as fun as ever. The story shows more of the town's folks and the political situation in Caerphilly. Satisfying resolution to the murder - it wasn't obvious, but all the pieces were there all along. Plenty of twists and turns to keep readers turning pages all the way to the end.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of the series, cozy mystery fans

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE EMUS by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow is back. This time her grandfather is trying to rescue over 30 feral emu, and a PI friend is trying to track down Meg's long-lost grandmother. His search leads them to the emu situation - and a murder.

I am happy to say this long-running series is still producing fun, well-plotted mysteries. This story was thoroughly enjoyable! I like trying to figure out the murderer, but I did not succeed this time. I did catch another big reveal before it happened so I was at least satisfied with that. This book had a lovely family story as a "side dish" to the main mystery. Fans of this series will be happy with this new chapter in Meg's story. New readers can start here but probably won't enjoy the family pieces as much as those who have been along from the beginning. The entire series is worth a read if you enjoy cozy mysteries.

5 out of 5 stars

New book releases October 21. (It's unusual to get two in one year - it's a bonus treat!)

FRIDAY: Gift Ideas

For older children, I would recommend Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-3) or The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) or Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) for fantasy lovers. 

We have also enjoyed digging into The 39 Clues Book 1:The Maze of Bones this year.

I continue to be a big fan of Andrew Clements (Frindle, No Talking), the Roscoe Riley series (Roscoe Riley Rules #1: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs), and Stink and Judy Moody books (Stink: The Super-Incredible Collection: Books 1-3, Judy Moody Goes to College (Book #8)).

My nieces have thoroughly enjoyed the Rainbow Fairies (Rainbow Magic Books 1-7 Boxset) - and they now have some early reader books out, too (Rainbow Magic: The Rainbow Fairies (Scholastic Reader Level 2)). For older girls, I also liked The Princess Plot, Princess Academy, and The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour.

I think it is harder to make recommendations on books for adults - different readers like different genres. I have a lot of mystery authors I love - Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow series), Joanna Carl (Chocoholics), Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swendson series), and others you can find here.

Do you have some "go to" books for the holidays? I'd love to hear about them.

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THE HEN OF THE BASKERVILLES by Donna Andrews

Meg is one of the coordinators of the Caerphilly State Fair, which means she is sleeping in a sheep barn and looking for missing Bantam Russian Orloff chickens, a pumpkin smasher, and a killer.

I started this one while enjoying a free hour of reading on my Nook at a local Barnes and Noble. When the hour was up, I had to buy the book so I would know what happened! I enjoy Meg and her family and the folks from her community who regularly show up in these stories. The state fair setting brings in other characters - from the animal advocates to the vintners and the incompetent cops from the county next door. And Meg handles all of them smoothly as she works her way to a murderer. Great!

4.5 out of 5 stars

The next book in the series, Duck the Halls,  releases on October 22.

DUCK THE HALLS by Donna Andrews

A prankster leaves a cage of skunks in the choir loft of the Baptist church just days before Christmas. As cancelling all of their regular weekly events and the Christmas ones isn't an option, Meg and her organizational skills are pressed into service to maintain the schedule at all the area churches that open their doors to help. But the pranks escalate to arson and eventually murder. Meg's on the case, asking questions and keeping her eyes and ears open as she juggles her scheduling responsibilities, her family, and their Christmas festivities. Hopefully she can get to the bottom of things before innocent people go to jail and Christmas is ruined.

As I've already mentioned, I love reading Christmas stories this time of year, and this was a delightful addition to my collection. I literally laughed out loud as I read it. Meg is one of my favorite mystery characters. She has an odd and eccentric family, but she is completely down to earth and relate-able. I was able to figure out the culprit right before Meg did and I enjoyed the sleuthing journey along the way.

Four out of five stars

If you've never read a Meg Langslow mystery, I think you can follow the story pretty well if you start here. Some of the family relationships and quirks might mystify you. If so, go back and read the whole series - it's a delight! You can read some reviews of other books in the series here.