Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill by David Parmelee

I was really expecting this to be a picture book, something along the lines of the Miss Nelson series. But this was more of a chapter book. And it was definitely again about an unruly class in need of a substitute. But this time we get to see the varied substitutes that come in to teach our unnamed narrator's class. There's the teacher from overseas here on an exchange program, a woman who used to work in a juvenile detention center, and a host of others that try to come in and teach this class, and fail.
A nice book but without the fun of Viola Swamp.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out April 20

The Thing About Love by Julie James

I think that FBI/US Attorney fans are going to be very happy with this book. Not only do we get to revisit the Chicago office, we get a whole new couple to root for.
Six years ago, Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd were in the same training class and battled each other every step of the way. They parted thinking "good riddance." And never gave the other a thought as Jess moved to L.A. and assumed John was recruited into an elite team in D.C. But, after his mother's illness, John ended up home in Chicago. Too bad he just found out that his girlfriend of two years is cheating on him with one of his best friends. And found out in the worst way possible.
Jessi just went through a divorce and has moved back to Chicago to be closer to her family and to her best friend. She's a great undercover agent and isn't surprised to be picked for an elite op taking down a corrupt Floridian mayor. However, she is surprised to find out that her partner in the op is none other than her old buddy John.
We get to see both John and Jessica's versions of what happened six years ago which is pretty nice, to see where misunderstandings took place. And I liked that the two actually talked about their differences. There was a lot of angst and some Medium Misunderstandings at the end that were a little overdrawn but it was an overall nice story and regular James readers will be pleased. The tie-ins to previous books are incredibly light and this would work as a good stand alone for new readers as well.

Four stars
This book comes out April 18

Murder Is for Keeps by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Penny Brannigan is just spending a quiet afternoon painting at the local castle ruin. She follows a fox to what used to be a dog pen and discovers a dead body. It is the body of one of the local volunteers working to restore the castle to it's former beauty.
There are secrets to be discovered about the castle, both old and new. Penny's friend, retired policeman, Gareth is also drawn into the mystery when it turns out his grandmother was connected to a murder at the castle in the 1920s.
The mystery was a little hard to follow. I do appreciate that Ms. Duncan doesn't make Penny fall into the all-too-familiar trap of having a love triangle. It is always resolved by the end of the book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out April 11
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Followed by The Marmalade Murders 

Miraculous Mysteries: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes -- anthology

A nice collection of mystery stories; a good reason why the Poisoned Pen Press anthologies are quickly becoming a must-read. Stories of murders that couldn't have happened, mostly because of locked rooms. There were several authors with stories I already knew but enjoyed visiting (Sayers,  Allingham, etc.) as well as some new-to-me authors and stories. Was every single one a winner? No, but enjoyed most of them.

Four stars
This book comes out June 6, 2017

Every Body Yoga by Jessamyn Stanley

I first "met" Jessamyn Stanley on Instagram and loved her pictures. I saw her book on NetGalley and snatched it up. I loved the book. I love the writing, I love the language and I  love the pragmatism. There is language in this book. It's not a high-falutin' philosophic exploration of yoga (though it does include some of that). Instead, this is a lovely introduction to people who might be nervous about getting onto the mat for the first time. Yogis are often introduced as skinny white ladies twisting themselves into ridiculous poses but the fact of the matter is that everybody (every body) can do yoga.
I liked the mix of poses and writing. So many yoga books do all the writing and then do all the poses and then asanas. This was a nice interspersion.
A  nice review for experienced yoga-goers and I suspect a very nice beginning for newbies.

Four and a half stars
This book comes out April 4

Twelve Terribly Active Princesses who were not Exactly Dancing by Michael Ann Dobbs

I generally liked this book. There was a little too much text on the pages but the updated fairy tale was fun. The repetition of the mattress moving will delight children. And the fact that none of the princesses fell in love with their manager? Priceless!

Four stars
This book comes out April 4

Occult and Battery by Lena Gregory

I didn't read the first story in this series but I didn't feel like I needed to. The story of Cass Donovan, a former psychiatrist with just a hint of the psychic about her (though she doesn't seem to believe it.) She's excited to have been hired for a weekend party, even if it is at a supposedly haunted house.
But nothing seems to go right. A big storm moves in, her husband is there with the ex-best-friend he cheated on Cass with, and she seems to have conjured a real ghost. Then, one of the three siblings who hired her to make their new hotel a success is found dead. Why was he up in the cupola? And how much can Cass and her friends do while trapped in the hotel by the snowstorm?
The character of her (presumably gay) friend Bee was just a little too, too but I have hopes for future books in the series.

Four stars

This book comes out April 4