Chinquapin's American Journey

Just getting started...

1. Alabama
2. Alaska
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
5. California
The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman
6. Colorado
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
7. Connecticut
8. Delaware
9. Florida
The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
10. Georgia
11. Hawaii
12. Idaho
13. Illinois
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
14. Indiana
15. Iowa
16. Kansas
17. Kentucky
18. Louisiana
19. Maine
Town in a Blueberry Jam by B. B. Haywood
20. Maryland
Cookie Dough or Die by Virginia Lowell
21. Massachusetts
Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
22. Michigan
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Without a Trace by Colleen Coble
23. Minnesota
24. Mississippi
25. Missouri

26. Montana
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
27. Nebraska
28. Nevada
Catnap by Carole Nelson Douglas
29. New Hampshire
30. New Jersey
Night of the Living Deed by E. J. Copperman
31. New Mexico
32. New York
Voices After Midnight by Richard Peck
In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
33. North Carolina
A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
34. North Dakota
35. Ohio
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
36. Oklahoma
37. Oregon
38. Pennsylvania
A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston
39. Rhode Island
40. South Carolina
The Cat, the Quilt, and the Corpse by Leann Sweeney
The Cat, the Professor, and the Poison by Leann Sweeney
The Secret Life of Bees by Susan Monk Kidd
41. South Dakota
42. Tennessee
43. Texas
Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert
44. Utah
Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
45. Vermont
All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn
Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton
The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
46. Virginia
Nathan's Run by John Gilstrap
47. Washington
Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
48. West Virginia
49. Wisconsin
Buzz Off by Hannah Reed
50. Wyoming
Open Season by C. J. Box

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Massachusetts)

This book skips nimbly back and forth between 1991 and 1692, the time of the infamous witch trials, in Boston and Marblehead, Massachusetts. It is basically the story of Harvard graduate student, Connie Goodwin, searching for the elusive Physick Book that she finds out about while beginning to clear out her grandmother's very old home dating from the colonial era in Marblehead. While researching Deliverance Dane, Connie is compelled to entertain the thought that perhaps witches really did exist, and still do.

This was a hypnotic tale for me... of history, magic, mystery and research. The ancient house of Connie's grandmother was like another character to me. It was full of many secrets and gave them up slowly. The dog, Arlo, was fun also....apparently a familiar since he shows up in all the different time periods, but never mentioned as such. All in all, I highly enjoyed it.



Open Season by C. J. Box (Wyoming)

This was a page-turning, sit on the edge of your seat, exciting mystery set in the wilderness of Wyoming. The main character, Joe Picket, is a Wyoming game warden, working in an environment that is just seething with corruption and greed. Basically, an oil company wants to build a pipeline through the Twelve Sleep Valley area and will do anything to make this happen. A well-known poacher ends up dead on his woodpile after a breakneck speed horse ride down from the mountains, bleeding from gunshot wounds. Pickett tries to unravel the mystery, but people all around him want the investigation done and over.

The plot and excitement were superb, and I thoroughly enjoyed the unusual Joe Pickett, definitely an anti-hero kind of guy, especially for a Wyoming game warden. So, I will be picking up the next one in this series

A belated welcome to the group - I'm finally getting caught up with some of the recent threads. I've already got both these books on my wishlist, so I'm happy to see that you liked them both. Good luck with your challenge!

34. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (Colorado)

Tallgrass was a thought-provoking, powerful coming-of-age story set in a small farming town in southeast Colorado during World War II. Thirteen year old Rennie learns to deal with both the tragedies and joys of life and community and family after her brother leaves to fight in the great war and the government opens an internment camp for Japanese Americans right next to their farm. She witnesses prejudice and the effects of violence and learns a trememdous amount of discernment that at times seemed beyond her years.

I had read that there was a mystery also in this book, and with that I would disagree. There is a murder, but the reader is never, not once, included in any of the investigation or clue gathering or even speculation about who may have done it. The murder served as a vehicle to highlight the extreme, irrational prejudice of the townspeople.

Rennie was an enjoyable character with whom it was easy to connect. Her parents were also strong characters and forces of good in a somewhat dark novel. One of the themes that stood out to me is the power of family in the midst of tragedy, and even evil.

38. The Cat, the Professor, and the Poison by Leann Sweeney (South Carolina)

In this second book in the Cats in Trouble series, widowed Jillian Hart once again stumbles across a mystery when she goes with her friend Deputy Candace Carlson out to investigate the report of a stolen cow. This leads her to a farm where about fifty cats are being kept in very inhumane conditions, and the discovery of a dead body in the farmhouse.

Jillian gets involved in the rescue of the cats, even taking home one mother cat and her four kittens. Meanwhile, her difficult, former journalist step-daughter, Kara, arrives for a visit that really seems more like she is moving in for an extended stay. When Jillian starts investigating the murder of the kooky professor, she gets attacked in her own home. This only fuels her desire to figure out who did it.

This was another quirky, humor-filled mystery with lots of plot twists by Leann Sweeney. There was once again an abundance of cats and strange, snarky characters. In fact, I liked the mystery, but I am not too fond of the supporting characters. All the cat trivia was interesting also.

Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Utah)
This was a spellbinding tale of archaeological intrigue and the ever- present menace of ancient evil in the isolated desert canyons of Utah. Nora Kelly believes that a letter that she received from her father, who has been missing and assumed dead for 16 years, describes how to reach Quivera, the rumored City of Gold. With an elite team of archaeologists, she goes on an expedition into the remote desert of Utah in search of the truth. Evil and supernatural horrors await them as they reach the long-forgotten city.

I enjoyed this novel tremendously, it was an exciting rush from beginning to end. Several of the characters were well developed, especially for this type of novel, the desert canyon setting was exquisitely drawn, and the plot was exciting and full of adventure. There was history, archaeology, ancient mythology, supernatural evil, bravery, treachery, sacrifice, and even redemption. All in all, a great story.

Tallgrass looks very interesting, I will have to add that one to my list.

I've heard great things about Tallgrass, and I do hope to read it. Thunderhead sounds very interesting. I think I still need a Utah book for my 50 states challenge, and this one is going on my wish list to fill that void!

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig (Montana)

Widower Oliver Milliron hires Rose Llewellyn to come and housekeep for him and his three boys on his Montana homestead after reading her advertisement claiming she "can't cook but doesn't bite." And thus begins a season of change in the Milliron world. The story is told from the point of view of the oldest son, 12 year old Paul Milliron, and his youthful outlook sets a perfect tone.

With Rose comes her highly educated brother, Morrie, who in many ways seems out of place in this world of prairie dry farmers, but after the schoolteacher runs off with an itinerant preacher, he becomes the new schoolmaster of the one-room schoolhouse. He gets the whole community excited about the arrival of Halley's comet and begins to teach Latin to Paul.

Much of the story revolves around the schoolhouse, and there is even a case made for the efficiency and importance of these schools in the face of the school consolidation movement. There is also a sense of the world changing. This book is set around 1910 when technology was just beginning to change the rural landscape for all time, and Doig covers this period and its energy masterfully. All in all, this was a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed...so much so that I will probably seek out another Ivan Doig book.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (New York)

Clare Fergusson is just getting adjusted to her new position as priest at St. Albans Episcopalean Church in the small village of Miller's Kill in the Adirondack Mountains when she opens her door and finds an abandoned baby. Soon afterwards, the young mother of the baby is found dead near the frozen river. As Police Chief Russ Van Allstyne begins to sort out the murder, Clare becomes drawn into his investigation by her desire to help people. Soon, a relationship begins to build between Russ, who is married, and Clare. Somehow, while solving the murder they also manage to keep from going over line from growing friendship into a full-blown affair.

The mystery was interesting and had many surprising twists and turns, and the characterization of both Clare and Russ was expertly done. The setting was alternately bleak and grim, and then quaint and rustic, as though the author couldn't decide which was more fitting. I thought the book dragged quite a bit in the middle, and it took me a longer than expected time to finish it. But once the plot approached a certain irreversible point, I was unable to stop reading until I finished. I definitely liked the book a lot more at the end than I did midway through.

I had misgivings when I realized that the book was heading toward a relationship between Russ and Clare, not finding adultery very romantic, but this part was handled very dexterously by the author. Russ and Clare seem like very real people who are struggling with very real issues.

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton (Vermont)

Sugar Maple, Vermont is a cozy, picturesque town that is populated entirely by magical beings. The town is under the protective spell of a sorceress who lived 200 some years ago, and will remain that way as long as there is a female descendent living in the town who possesses the elusive Book of Spells. There is no police force because there is no crime, and noone dies in Sugar Maple either. The problem is that the only female descendent is Chloe, who is half-human and appears to have no magical abilities at all and, worst of all, does not know where the Book of Spells is hiding. The villagers are worried because the town's protective spell appears to be wearing off, especially when a human tourist is found murdered, and the state government decides to send a detective to investigate this most unusual of towns.

This story was a little bit of cozy mystery, a lot of paranormal goings on, and had a romance as well. Also, Chloe is also a knitter and owns a charming knitting shoppe. It was light-hearted and fun, and easy to read, which was perfect because I read it while I was sick and not wanting to delve into anything requiring more effort.

Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs (Washington)

Nathan's father is a lighthouse keeper on Tatoosh island near the Strait of San Juan de Fuca in Northwest Washington in the late 1800s. He spends most of his days with a local Makah Indian named Lighthouse George roaming around the region and fishing. At the beginning of the book, there is a bad storm and a ship wrecks off the Strait. Nathan sees plumes of smoke on the island and other clues lead him to suspect that someone survived the wreck.

Meanwhile, the owner of the local trading post starts behaving very strangely, and a very odd Makah who has been gone for years working on ships returns to Neah Bay. Nathan also finds a canoe up in the tree canopy with a skeleton and other Indian artifacts within, and he hears stories about Spanish treasure being hidden in the area. Slowly, a mystery emerges and Nathan puts together all the pieces.

There was not as much action in this book as I was anticipating, but there was a pretty decent mystery. The story builds quite slowly, but ends in a rush of action and excitement. The slow start, however, might discourage some boys who would be potential readers. There is a lot of information about Chinook customs, such as how they made canoes, fished, buried their dead and, of course, the potlatches. All in all, I would say it was an intriguing historical adventure that would appeal to many kids, especially those with a love of the outdoors.

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (Ohio)

Painter's Mill is a quiet farming community in Ohio where the Amish and the English have managed to get along and raise their families for generations. The Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, had grown up on an Amish farm, but had left the sheltered, sequestered life when she turned 18. Now her understanding and sympathy with the Amish, and her English life, make her an ideal chief of police for the small town. Then the body of a young woman, brutally murdered, is found in a farmer's field, and while they are still investigating that murder, yet another body is found in a deserted farmhouse. The community fears the return of a serial killer who preyed on the area 16 years ago, killing young women, but then disappearing.

This was an excellent thriller. I really like the main characters, Kate Burkholder and Special Agent John Tomasetti. I liked how the Amish were in the book as real people, realistically depicted, and were not the focus of the story. The mystery itself and the pacing were superb. My only drawback is that I thought the descriptions of the violence and the torture were too much.

The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson (Florida)

The main character in the story is Finn, a 13 year old boy who lives in Florida and is very familiar with Disney World. He and four other kids were selected after a rigorous process, to become Disney's first holographic hosts...kind of an animated, walking and talking holographic image of themselves. All is well until Finn and others discover that when they fall asleep they "cross over" into the Magic Kingdom in some weird state that is half human and half holographic image. On these nighttime excursions, animatronics and Disney characters seem to come to life, and most of them are up to no good. An older cast member named Wayne who lives at the park explains to them that an evil magic is at work, and that they need to solve the puzzle of the Stonemason's Quill to overcome it. Thus begins their adventures in the park after dark.

Well, this is a children's book, but I loved it. It started out a little slow, but really picked up once they were on the quest for the Stonemason's quill. Some rides, like It's a Small World and Splash Mountain will probably never be the same for me...lol. I will say, though, that Pearson does not spend a lot of time describing the rides or the park. There is an assumption of fammiliarty which could probably make the story less enjoyable if you have never been there.

The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman (California)

At a remote orthodox Jewish yeshiva in the hills near Los Angeles, a young married woman is raped leaving the mikvah, a bathhouse for performing ritualistic Jewish cleansing. Rina Lazarus, a math teacher at the yeshiva who also cares for the mikvah, finds the woman and calls the police. Police Detective Peter Decker arrives to investigate and seems almost immediately to be drawn to Rina. While the rape investigation is continuing, Rina and Decker begin to draw closer to one another and Rina is conflicted about her growing feelings for Decker, a man who is not Jewish.

I enjoyed this mystery novel tremendously. It was informative and engaging, and I was very drawn to the two main characters, Rina and Decker. I also loved the setting of the yeshiva in the foothills. I have the next book in the series already, and I look forward to seeing where this relationship is heading.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Michigan)

Bud is an orphaned 10 year old African American boy living in an orphanage in Flint, Michigan. After being sent to a horrible foster home, he ends up running away and being on the lam. His mother died when he was six, but he still has some mementos from her such as a couple of flyers of a jazz musician named Herman E. Calloway. Bud comes to believe that this Herman Calloway must be his father and he sets out on a journey to Grand Rapids to find him. There are many memorable characters and adventures on his way, and the story just gets better once they find Herman E. Calloway and his zany band.

I thought the novel was an excellent mix of a portrayal of a sad time in American history and the struggles of many people, and the hopeful optimism and courage of both Bud and those people around him. There was also just the right amount of historical detail, enough to give a sense and flavor and couple factoids about the Great Depression, but not enough to make it seem like a history lesson. Bud was courageous, smart and incredibly funny, but also a little smart-alecky. He was the narrator of the story, and a very engaging one at that.

>16 chinquapin: Sounds like an interesting "Jewish" mystery.

Catnap by Carole Nelson Douglas (Nevada)

Midnight Louie is an enormous 20 pound black cat who roams free in Las Vegas. He has lately been mostly living in the hotel and casino, the Crystal Phoenix, but looking for more action, he moves to the Convention Center; and after being found next to a dead body, finds himself as a material witness in a murder convention in the middle of the ABA (American Booksellers Association) Convention. Templeton Barr, a public relations specialist at the Convention, ends up taking him home with her and thus begins an partnership that has extended into 20 some mystery titles.

In this mystery, most of the chapters are from the point-of-view of public relations director Templeton Barr, with a few short chapters that are from Midnight Louie's humorous voice. I liked both Temple and Louie, so I imagine that I'll move on to the next in the series. The mystery itself was average with some pacing problems, but the description of some of the ABA and publishing politics was interesting. The side mystery of the missing Baker and Taylor cats was almost more interesting to me than the murder investigation. Finally, the Las Vegas setting was very well described, from the glitzy Strip, to the non-descript suburbs, to the unrelenting heat. This was a fun cozy for cat lovers and I suspect that the plot elements will improve in future books in the series.

Night of the Living Deed by E. J. Copperman (New Jersey)

After divorce, Alison Kerby acquires a run-down old Victorian home "down the shore" in New Jersey. She moves into the house with her nine year old daugher, Melissa, and begins renovations to turn it into a guesthouse. After being hit on the head by a falling bucket of wall joint compound, Alison discovers that she can literally see ghosts. They are Maxie and Paul, the former owner and a private investigator who she had hired to look into some threatening emails that she had been sent. The ghosts persuade the reluctant Alison to help them investigate their deaths.
This was a fun cozy with amusing, sassy characters. I enjoyed it enough that I plan on reading the sequel, but it also had flaws. First, I thought that it was just too long for a cozy...some 325 pages. It dragged toward the end, and I thought that it should have been edited down by 50 to 75 pages or so. Second, the plot and motivations were not rational for me. I had a hard time imagining that someone would murder two people premeditatively for the reasons given. But even so, I enjoyed the story, the characters and the setting. Alison sures knows her way about home renovations, and the situations created by the ghosts sometimes had me laughing out loud.

Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert (Texas)

It is Halloween season in Pecan Springs, a small town in the hill country of central Texas, and China's friend Ruby is teaching a class on Tarot. When a series of ritualized killings of farm animals begin to be discovered, the mood in town becomes very hostile towards Ruby's new age shop and Tarot class. Then one of the members of the class is found murdered in her home and Ruby's boyfriend is a chief suspect. Something just doesn't seem right to China and she sets out to find out what really happened.

What I liked most about this cozy mystery, the 2nd in the China Bayles series, were the fun, interesting characters and the familiar, realistic setting in the hill country of Texas. The mystery itself was average, and I had figured it out very early. The herbal lore was also interesting, but it certainly did not overwhelm the story. I think that I'll be returning to the series for book three at some point.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (South Carolina)

Wonderful coming-of-age story set in South Carolina in the 1960's, at the height of the Civil Rights Era. Lily flees from a mean, abusive father with her black nanny after they encounter violence on a simple trip to town to register to vote. Through a set of incredible events, Lily and her nanny end up staying at the beekeeping farm of an amazing African American woman, August Boatwright, and her two sisters, May and June. There she learns about beekeeping, family, love, the black madonna and keeping strong in the face of trials, and about her mother.

There is a remarkable sense of place and time presented in this novel. South Carolina in the grip of the explosive Civil Rights era is recreated with amazing clarity. The imagery of the bees and beekeeping are fascinating metaphorical devices for Lily's experiences. I liked how this unusual group of eccentric black sisters, a black nanny, and white Lily form a non-traditional family.

Buzz Off by Hannah Reed (Wisconsin)

Like the beginning of many a cozy mystery series, we find that our protagonist, Story Fischer, has just emerged from a divorce. She has taken up beekeeping and also has her own business in her small Wisconsin town that seems to customize in honey products of all kinds and organic produce. Everything is starting to look up for Story, until her beekeeping mentor and friend is found dead near his beehives with stings all over him and bees swarming all around him. Story gets drawn into the investigation of his death because she wants to prove that the bees, which she sees as very gentle creatures, did not kill him. Soon, however, another dead body is found by the river in her canoe, and she becomes a legitimate suspect.

I thought this was a great first novel in a new cozy mystery series. I liked all the characters, except for Story's mother. Why is it that all the mother's in cozy mysteries are so horrible? The Wisconsin small town setting with the beekeeping backstory was a lot of fun. I loved all the beekeeping lore. This one gets a thumbs up from me.

A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston (Pennsylvania)

Rebecca is a traditional Amish wife who has, sadly, been unable to have children. When her sister Grace and Grace's husband are tragically killed in a car accident, she suddenly finds herself with the guardianship of her two teenage English nieces. Her sister had left the Amish community years ago and married an outsider.

The two girls come to live on the farm in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, and one works with Rebecca and her mother-in-law in their family bakery, and the other works in the office of the family carpentry shop. Predictably, these girls have a huge adjustment to make, foregoing i-pods and music, television and pop culture for gardening, baking and family gatherings. One sister, Lindsay, adjusts much more rapidly and easily than the other, and there is conflict when the other sister, Jessica, clings to her old way of life. This conflict leaves Rebecca questioning her husband,her Amish life, and her faith in God.

I confess that I enjoy reading these Amish life type Christian novels. I find the Amish lifestyle fascinating, albeit unfathomable. There wasn't anything particularly special about this one, except the plot was different and unpredictable; yet it was a pleasant and enjoyable read and it made me smile.

Hoot by Carl Hiassen (Florida)

Roy Eberhardt is the new kid at Trace Middle School in central Florida. He just wants to live quietly and go about undisturbed and unnoticed, but a bully seems to have it in for him, and makes his daily bus rides to school a dreaded torment. One day, though, while being squished into the window of the bus, he sees a strange barefooted boy running by the bus stop. With his curious nature, he sets out to find out more about the mysterious running boy. He eventually finds the boy and becomes ensnared in a ecological dilemma involving some nests of burrowing owls.

This book was a humorous, fast-paced story with a strong ecological message. There was also an excellent theme for a children's book running throughout about making difficult moral choices when things are not black and white. Naturally, the ecological dilemma with the owls has a positive conclusion, but I was left wondering about the fate of the running boy. In this area, the ending was very unsatisfactory to me. Also, as I thought about the book some more, I detected a certain pessimism about society in this book which, sadly, resonates with so many young people. The idea that adults and institutions such as schools and police departments and businesses are basically self-serving and uncaring, concerned only about their own personal interests, and it is the rare individual who rises above this. With this pessimistic, but often true, view of society, the running boy's life in the woods, free from school and authorities, represents a noble life that is untouched by this selfish corruption. So, although Hoot is a light-hearted children's story, it has some interesting themes lying just beneath the surface.

I decided to add Hoot to my Fifty States Challenge list even though I already had another book for Illinois because this one has an extremely strong sense of place...over-developed, under-appreciated wild Florida.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone (Illinois - Chicago)

This children's story mostly takes place in the Thorne Rooms of the Art Institute of Chicago, which are filled with tiny rooms packed with miniatures accurately representing different periods of history. Jack and Ruthie visit the Throne Rooms on a class field trip to the museum, and they find a mysterious key on the floor that has the ability to shrink Ruthie down to five inches tall. With Jack's help, she explores some of the rooms, but the kids decide to come back and spend the night, and this is when the adventures begin. Reminiscent of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", Ruthie and Jack struggle to figure out how to get in and how of the rooms when they are small, and they battle a giant cockroach as well. They also discover that they can enter the past through these rooms, and they visit late 17th century France and 16th century Puritan America.

Although I enjoyed the premise of the book, I had a hard time getting into the story. This book had all of the elements that should have made it a great read: museum, miniatures, magic, time travel, etc. However, there didn't actually seem to be much of a plot, other than explore the rooms and avoid getting caught. I thought that the parts where they visited the other time periods lacked purpose and unity, and they really could have been made into something much more than they were. I guess I wanted more of a mystery for them to solve, something that would justify their lying to their families and sneaking into the museum after hours. Overall, it felt like something magical was always just around the next corner, but it never quite materialized. The book did, though, have a very good sense of place, that is in Chicago and, specifically, in the Art Institute there.

A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams (North Carolina)

It took me a much longer time than expected to work myself through this cozy mystery set in a small coastal town in North Carolina called Oyster Bay. The main character, Olivia Limoges, is a wealthy woman in her 40's who has returned to live in her childhood town, buying up many of the buildings and becoming the landlord to what seemed like half the town. She is reserved and miserly in the beginning of the book, living quietly with her standard poodle, Captain Haviland, and working on her historical novel. When she joins a local writer's group, she abruptly changes and becomes overtly friendly, generous and civic-minded. She is befriended by a gay author who is in town researching a famous, wealthy family for a tell-all type book. When this man is found murdered at a local park that has created a development controversy due to a small Confederate cemetery on its grounds, Olivia can't help but become involved in investigating what happened.

Somehow, I just could not connect with Olivia Limoges. I think she was just too perfect...beautiful, rich, smart, well-educated, well-mannered, witty, generous and perfectly politically correct in everything she said or did. She has even taken "several courses on administering canine first aid." Oh, and the dog was perfect too. At one point Olivia tells the Chief of Police that, "Haviland has the killer's scent down now and he can identify him! Trust me, the Captain earned perfect scores in all his tracking courses. He has more training than your combined K-9 unit." The murder mystery itself was well-constructed and nicely plotted, I just had a difficult time sympathizing with, or even liking, the main character.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (North Carolina)

Josey is a shy, 27 year old recluse who lives with her demanding elderly mother. She consoles herself by retreating to her closet where she has hidden away a cache of candy and other sweet treats, romance novels and travel magazines. Everything changes, however, when one day she finds Della Lee, a woman who is a bit rough around the edges esconced in her closet and quite unwilling to move out. Talking with Della Lee and helping her are the first steps that Josey takes toward a journey of self-discovery which leads her along a path towards friendship, a romance with the mailman, and a new understanding of herself and her family.

This was a light and breezy, fast-paced story that was very character driven. It had some of my favorite elements...a little magic, yummy food, peculiar characters, and a dash of romance. And who wouldn't like to have books following them around like Chloe does? I also enjoyed the names of the chapters, each named after a candy that was also appropriate to that chapter, like SweeTarts, Jawbreakers, Mr. Goodbar, and Life Savers. But all in all, after everything is said and the last page is read, this was a simple romance that was spiced up a bit with candy and magic.

Nathan's Run by John Gilstrap (Virginia)

Nathan is a twelve year old orphaned boy who escapes from a Juvenile Detention Center in Virginia after killing a guard in self-defense. Of course, the police believe it is outright murder and the chase is on. While holed up in the home of a vacationing family, Nathan manages to call in to a popular nationwide Newstalk radio show, and he tells his side of the story and gains some popular support. It seems as though everyone is against him, the bad guys, of course, but also all the law enforcement types. The story about why there are hit men out after Nathan is developed rather slowly, and everything builds up to an action-filled drama at the end.

This was a tense, entertaining thriller that stars an endearing and clever twelve year old basically in what amounts to the lead role of The Fugitive. Nathan's character is quite well-developed, but everyone else is somewhat cardboard-like, which is fairly typical for this type of novel...it is all about the story and the action. Be forewarned also that law enforcement takes a beating. They are not sympathetically portrayed. Nevertheless, it was definitely an absorbing, exciting tale from start to finish.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall (Massachusetts)

This was a charming, old-fashioned style story of the adventures that four sisters have while vacationing at a cottage in the Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts with their botanist father. The cottage they rent is located on a large estate, and they soon meet a lonely boy named Jeffrey who lives there. The four sisters are each so uniquely different and incredibly well-drawn, that you are drawn into their particular dramas and challenges. There is not much high drama or suspenseful action, but the story revolves around relationships and some situational humor. I found it very light and enjoyable reading and perfect for a summer's day.

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (New York)

After a divorce, Jane Hudson goes back to teach at her old private girls boarding school in northern New York that she had attended in the late 1970s. In her senior year at this school, her two roommates had committed suicide and Jane had kept some secrets about the whole incident. Now back, pieces of the journal that she kept that year begin appearing, and Jane finds that the horrific events are replaying in the lives of her current students.

This moody, atmospheric book moved with ease back and forth from the current time and to Jane's fateful senior year in the 1970s. Jane is a Latin teacher and Latin and the classics play a prominent role in the story, especially for symbolism. The story was somewhat predictable and I guessed major plot elements early, but the writing and suspenseful pacing was excellent. Jane was a well-drawn, very sympathetic character who it was very easy to like and get behind. Also, the wintry, frozen lake setting was especially well-written.

Cookie Dough or Die by Virginia Lowell (Maryland)

In this first book in a new cozy mystery series, Olivia owns a shop called The Gingerbread House which sells cookies, cookie cutters, and specialty bakeware. The store is on the ground floor of a restored old Victorian in the downtown area of a small town in Maryland. Olivia and her small Yorkshire pup, Spunky, live upstairs. The book opens with the death of Olivia's friend and business mentor, Clarisse Chamberlain, apparently an accidental overdose of sleeping pills that were dissolved into a bottle of wine. Olivia is suspicious about this accident from the beginning, and with her curious questioning nature and steady persistence, the true story begins to unfold.

I found this to be a light, enjoyable entry into the crowded cozy field. It seems that I am reading a lot of series firsts lately. Nevertheless, I liked Olivia and her best friend Maddie, and the cookie and cookie cutter theme was different. The mystery was nicely plotted and there were some elements, like the will reading, and the gathering at the end of the novel, that reminded me of the old mystery classics. I would have liked a little more on the setting, however, as these details were fairly sparse.

Without a Trace by Colleen Coble (Michigan)

Bree Nichols and her German Shepherd mix dog, Samson, are a Search and Rescue (SAR) team in Rock Harbor, a small town on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She has been looking for the small plane that went down with her husband and four year old son for a year. She knows that she needs to let go of the search, accept their deaths, and get on with living, but a part of her just can't stop searching for the missing plane. Then a woman who tells Bree that she saw an airplane seat near a remote cabin while hiking is found murdered in the woods. While trying to figure out who killed this woman, Bree begins to uncover clues about what happened to her husband's plane.

This book was an enjoyable Christian mystery, with good characters and a beautiful, well-described setting. The mystery was mostly predictable, yet I was drawn to the story and the resolution nonetheless. This book also addresses some difficult questions of faith, and Bree's thoughts and questions about God and faith seemed very realistic to me in the face of her circumstances. I will most likely read the next book in the series at some time.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen (Alaska)

Fifteen year old Cole lives his life angry at everybody and everything. Things reach a crisis point when he beats up another boy so badly that he may never be the same again. But instead of feeling remorse and sorrow for Peter's injuries, he blames everybody else around him for his problems with anger. Cole is offered another chance in a special program started by Native Americans called Circle Justice. The Circle decides that Cole should go live in isolation on an island in southern Alaska for a year, which is a method long used by the Tlingit people to return offenders to the right path. Cole just wants to avoid a jail sentence, so he cons the Circle Justice people into believing that he really wants to change. How the island and the two special Tlingit men help Cole learn to choose happiness rather than anger is the crux of the story.

I was fascinated by this concept of Circle Justice, and by the Tlingit practice of isolating offenders on an island. It made me ponder our criminal system, especially as it pertains to juvenile violent offenders. I also thought the book was going to contain more spiritualism, but was pleasantly surprised that it did not. The Spirit Bear is a real bear, just called Spirit Bear because it is all white and thus looks somewhat ghostly. I really enjoyed the book, but I also found it a stretch in believability, especially when Peter, the boy that Cole beat up, comes to the island. I know, though, that this book will be one that I will be pondering for a while.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (Washington)

There is a compelling mystery story within the pages of this book, but it is hard to find amidst the pages and pages of interminable, uninteresting, detail-oriented prose. The novel is mostly about the trial of a Japanese-American fisherman who has been charged with the murder of another fisherman off the shores of San Piedro Island in Washington State. However, a major portion of the novel is devoted to flashback stories of various players involved in the courtroom drama. The story of subtle racism, how World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor effected the island, and the internment of the Japanese residents was effective, but it just got bogged down with the weight of unnecessary verbage. I am not interested in reading about what all the different residents of town bought from the hardware store on the morning of the storm, or how many cars (and of what make and a description of their location and position) the local newspaperman saw on his way out to his mother's house. I really, really didn't need to know about people's bathroom experiences or the defense lawyer's prostrate problems. I think the story could have been greatly improved with some judicious editing.

Additionally the novel is very bleak. The setting is austere and bleak, the characters are joyless in their emotions and outlook, and even the plot is bleak. It is not that I need or want books to be pervasively happy, but I found the dismal miasma of hopelessness to be somewhat wearying.

The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman (Vermont)

When she is a child in the 1960s, Natalie's family wants to go on vacation to a lakeside inn in Vermont, so her mother sends off inquiries to some on Lake Devine. They receive back mailers from several, including one from The Inn at Lake Devine which claims that it is best suited to Gentile vacationers. Natalie is intrigued and horrified at this exclusion of her Jewish family, and manages to finagle a visit there anyway with the family of a Gentile friend. Somewhat obsessed by this inn her whole life, she later ends up in a relationship with one of the sons of its owners. Her Jewish parents and his anti-semitic mother are both very much against any intermarriage, so the lovers meet clandestinely at a Jewish resort in the Catskills which serves as a contrast to the sad Inn at Lake Devine.

Basically, this was just not my type of novel. I surprised myself by actually finishing it. I had a difficult time understanding Natalie's early fixation with The Inn and its anti-semitic owner, and her 'friendship' with Robin, the girl who invited her to come to The Inn with her family, was extremely self-serving and somewhat disturbing. The heated problem with intermarriage in light of the lack of religious belief in either her or Kris' family seemed far-fetched. The whole story felt unreal and unnatural to me, so I never really connected with, or felt sympathy with, any of the characters.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (Montana)

Sixteen year old Hattie has been shuffled from reluctant relative to relative ever since her parents died. So when her uncle dies and leaves her his homestead claim in Montana, Hattie jumps for the chance to be independent and become a real homesteader. There is plenty of hard work ahead in order to prove her claim. She must plant and harvest 40 acres, and put in a whole lot of fencing. She lives in her uncle's rickety shack and sets about with the work, and makes some good friends as well.

Meanwhile World War I is raging in Europe and with letters to and from her childhood friend Charlie, this aspect of the historical mileu is brought into the story. Also, some of the townspeople seem to be prejudiced against people of German ancestry because of the war, and this is depicted as well.

This is a very good young adult historical novel covering a period that does not get a whole lot of attention. It shows how difficult homesteading could be, especially for a single woman. It highlights the value of friendships and hard work.

Hello, chinquapin. You have such a pretty, well-organized thread. I love that! I read Hattie Big Sky in 2011, also. I'm "borrowing" a few of your books to consider for my remaining states. ;)