Book Review: Basil and the Big Cheese Cook-Off

Basil and the Big Cheese Cook-Off by Catherine Hapka

Basil and the Big Cheese Cook-Off (The Great Mouse Detective Book 6)
by Catherine Hapka, David Mottram (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stasr

Basil and Dawson are visiting Paris to investigate threats to the International Cheese Cook-Off competition. Basil thinks that Ratigan must be involved somehow, but they can’t find any clues that point in his direction. They meet several suspicious mice, but no one has a motive for threatening the cooking competition. Basil reaches a dead end in his investigation until the final clue from an unlikely source falls into place.

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Book Review: Unmarriageable

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Unmarriageable
by Soniah Kamal (Goodreads Author)

1 out of 5 stars

DNF at page 49.
Alys and her four sisters are attending the biggest wedding of the year, and their mother, Mrs. Binat, is hoping that they will catch the eye of rich bachelors. Alys is not interested in hunting for a husband, until she meets the handsome Valentine Darsee.

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Book Review: Deadly and Dangerous Animals

Ben Rothery's Deadly and Dangerous Animals by Ben Rothery

Ben Rothery’s Deadly and Dangerous Animals
by Ben Rothery

4 out of 5 stars

This book has sections about teeth and claws, and hunters who work together in teams or who hunt alone. We learn about the fastest animals, the stealthiest animals, the ones with the best eyesight, and ones that can mimic plants to fool predators. Each page is full of factoids about amazing animals!

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Picture Book Review: 101 Ways to Read a Book

101 Ways To Read A Book by Timothée de Fombelle

101 Ways To Read A Book
by Timothée de Fombelle, Benjamin Chaud (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Angus Yuen-Killick (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

Did you know that there are many ways to read a book? You might read in a window seat with the sun streaming in. You might read under the table, at the beach, in a blanket fort, on the train, or at the top of a ladder. You could read alone, or share your books with others. You might slouch, or walk, or snuggle in bed, or use your head as a bookmark. Maybe you are the type of reader who leans their chair back at a dangerous angle. Maybe you hog all the cushions.
But it surprisingly rare to see anyone actually sitting up in a chair to read!

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Book Review: Jane and the Final Mystery

Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Final Mystery (Being a Jane Austen Mystery #15)
by Stephanie Barron

4 out of 5 stars

Jane knows she is nearing the end of her life. Her health has been deteriorating for months and the doctors give her six months to live. However, when her old friend Elizabeth Heathcote is in trouble, Jane and her nephew Edward are ready to help. Elizabeth’s son, William, has been accused of murdering a schoolmate at Winchester College, a boys’ boarding school. Jane’s nephew Edward tells her all about the boys college and how William endured hazing and cruel pranks. But could William have lashed out at his tormentors to the extent of murdering one of them?

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Book Review: The Duke’s Last Word

The Duke's Last Word by Sophie Leigh Fox

The Duke’s Last Word (Love, Most Ardently, #1)
by Sophie Leigh Fox (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Willa is shocked when her father announces that his gambling debts are so pressing that she will have to marry a duke in order to pay off the debt or they will lose their home. James, the duke in question, has to fulfill a legal clause that requires him to marry if he wants to keep his inheritance. Willa’s father is only too happy to make a deal with James, but Willa is fiercely independent and refuses to marry the duke. James is hoping to change her mind, and uses all his charm to beguile her into marriage. Can Willa trust her heart and happiness into James’ keeping, or is he just greedy for his inheritance?

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Book Review: The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax

The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #3)
by Dorothy Gilman

5 out of 5 stars

Mrs. Pollifax is recruited to deliver some passports to the Underground Resistance in Communist Bulgaria. It seems like a straightforward courier job, but nothing is ever straightforward with Mrs. Pollifax. She befriends a group of young hippie tourists, and when one of them is arrested for espionage, Mrs. Pollifax suspects that something else is going on.

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Book Review: Jane and the Year Without a Summer

Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Year Without a Summer (Jane Austen Mysteries, #14)
by Stephanie Barron

5 out of 5 stars

Jane and her sister Cassandra are visiting Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. They hope that by sampling the sulfurous waters, Jane’s health might improve. They stay at a boarding house and are very curious about the other guests. One of the boarders is Miss Williams, a young lady confined to a wheelchair, who is constantly fussed over and spoiled by her faithful friend. A married couple are always complaining and making things unpleasant for everyone. Jane is surprised to find that her friend Raphael West appears to know another one of the boarders, Mrs. Smith, who works with a theater company. But when a murder occurs at a masquerade ball, Jane realizes there must be some connection to the people at their boardinghouse.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Writing About Your Life

Writing About Your Life by William Zinsser

Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past
by William Zinsser

2.5 out of 5 stars

The author uses excerpts from his own memoir to illustrate how to write a memoir. Most of each chapter is long excerpts from books and articles he has written, and lengthy stories about his travels and his family and different jobs that he has had. We hear about his old friends, his old bosses, his old editors and agents. We hear about the commencement speech he gave at that college, and the writing class he taught at that other college. We have to read about the school where he attended as a boy, and the house he lived in, and his father’s old shellac business that is still around today.
And then after we have slogged through all these long stories, we get a paragraph or two about how this illustrates some important point about writing a memoir.

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