Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout

I borrowed this book on a whim and was surprised to find out it was actually two longer novellas. When the first story wrapped up halfway through, I really thought it was a red herring. 

Both stories are set during WWII with the first having Archie return to the brownstone as a major in the army. It seems that Intelligence is in need of Nero Wolfe's skills and he is ignoring their requests. Archie is confident that he can change Wolfe's mind. On his way back to New York, Lily Rowan sits next to him on the plane having figured out his schedule. She wants help for her friend Ann Amory and can't get Wolfe to agree.

The reason that Wolfe didn't agree is because he is "training" in order to join the war. He is working hard to lose weight and get fit so that he can shoot Germans. Archie is shocked to see the great detective so deflated and even further shocked to figure out he can't change Wolfe's mind. So when Ann Amory is murdered, Archie frames himself in order to induce Wolfe to refocus on solving crimes. I didn't exactly get the end but it was an interesting story.

The second story is shortly afterward because Wolfe is now helping the war effort by working with Army Intelligence. He is even (gasp) leaving the brownstone and going to their offices. While there, he has Archie return the prototype of a new kind of grenade that Archie had had in their house. Wolfe, rather understandably, doesn't want it there. And it turns out that he is probably right to be worried since the grenade goes off in the army offices the next day, killing Archie's boss. There is a woman involved who Wolfe actually meets with an almost respects but otherwise it is a book about industrial espionage happening while the war is going on. 

Three stars

This book came out September 7th, 1944

Follows Black Orchids

Followed by The Silent Speaker

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews

Chosen to lead the local holiday parade (at least, it's the "holiday" now that she's in charge), Meg Langslow is wondering why she accepted. Well, she didn't exactly know that she was going to be in charge of everything. So that's why her house is teeming with most of the town of Caerphilly. Or so it seems. And many animals including donkeys, camels, elephants and more. Everything is chaotic and only made more so by the late appearance of Ralph Doleson who is playing Santa Claus. He is someone whom no one in town actually likes but yet somehow has a coveted role in the parade. He also has the temerity to kick Spike. True, the eight-and-a-half pound dog has a tendency to bite but that doesn't mean that he should be treated that way. It's just too bad that Meg's nephew is the one to find him murdered while in costume.

Regular readers will know who the murderer is pretty quickly but this is still worth reading.

Three and a half stars

Meg Langslow #10

This book came out October 28th, 2008

Follows Cockatiels at Seven

Followed by Swan for the Money

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Reread July 2023, September 2024 as Audible audiobook

Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews

A woman drops off her two-year-old and then disappears.  Makes sense to me.  Okay, not really, but it's still a good story. Dealing with a child is scary but a great way to move along the character development in this series. We got to see Meg start dating Michael, get married, and now starting to consider whether or not she wants kids. This is a great practice run but a little scary since her friend Karen is no where to be found.

Added to that, Meg discovered that Dr. Blake Montgomery, well-known animal activist and TV personality, is actually her biological grandfather in the last book. Now her dad seems to be running around trying to impress his father: storing birds in the attic, helping snakes shed skins in the basement, and just generally being furtive.

Three stars

Meg Langslow #9

This book came out July 8th, 2008

Follows The Penguin Who Knew Too Much

Followed by Six Geese A-Slaying 

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Reread January 2023;  September 2024 as Audible book

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

Beckett Montgomery is working with his two brothers and mother to restore a historic in in downtown Boonsboro which is just down the street from  Clare Brewster's bookstore. Beckett's had a crush on her since high school. Unfortunately, Clare only had eyes for Clint, the man she married and then had three sons with. But then her soldier husband died in the war and Clare moved back to Boonsboro where Beckett began mooning over her again. Okay, just keeping an eye on her.

But he's finally worked up the courage to ask her out.

I am really enjoying this series. The secondary characters (Clare's sons and friends, Beckett's family) are rich and well-developed. Clare's relationship with her sons is awesome, we get to see both the joys and the frustrations of being a parent. We also get to see the beginning of Beckett's relationships as he navigates the murky waters of dating a single parent.

Four stars

This book came out November 1st, 2011

Followed by The Last Boyfriend

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm by Dana Simpson and Narrated by Thessaly Lerner, Cortney Wright, Maxwell Glick

This 45 minute story was a quick listen and an interesting new way to consume a Phoebe and Her Unicorn series book. I had read the graphic novel so I'm not sure whether this would have been more confusing if you didn't have that background. I am very sure that you will have want to read at least one of the comic collections so you can keep a hold on some of the names. The narrators were adorable and I really loved the interpretations of each of the characters. Especially the narration of the goblins. It was really fun to see how many different ways "blart!" could be interpreted. 
Phoebe and her unicorn are back (in what I believe is their first audio outing) and the story is as fun as the graphic novel. This time Phoebe and Marigold not only have to deal with Dakota and her goblins but with a serious cold spell and a sudden lack of magic. Marigold and the goblins are able to figure out most of the story but they still have work to do to clear everything up. Through their explorations, they manage to charm the reader as well as help facilitate another human/magical creature pairing. 

Four stars

The audio comes out June 15th, 2021

Borrowed as audiobook from NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

An absolutely fabulous book with deep character development and a beautifully realized world built carefully by Diana Wynne Jones (DWJ).

Sophie is the oldest of three girls. As the oldest, she knows that she is not going to become successful in life. That's just the way it is. And when the Witch of the Waste puts a spell on her, making Sophie appear as an old woman to everyone (even herself), Sophie knows it's time to just give up and go to the castle of the evil Wizard Howl. It's rumored that he eats young girls. But Sophie's not a young girl anymore, so what can it hurt?

Inside the moving castle, Sophie makes herself at home (against the wishes of everyone there). We meet characters like Michael Fisher, Howl's apprentice and Calcifer, the demon who seems to be linked to Howl (though neither seems to want to be linked still). We also find out what happened to Sophie's sisters as well as her (evil?) stepmother.

A fantastic book that just gets better every time I read it. A strong female character whose main flaw in life is that she can't imagine any other way than what "has to be" and comes to realize that she has her own strengths and might just be able to make her own way in the world. And maybe even rescue her handsome prince...

Five stars

This book came out April 1986

Followed by Castle in the Air

Borrowed as audiobook from Cloud Library

Opinions are my own

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews

Not my favorite in the series but still entertaining.

Meg and Michael have finally gotten to move into their home. Too bad Meg's father is so hell-bent on saving the animals of the Caerphilly zoo since it seems like the owner, Patrick Lanahan, is nowhere to be found. Well, until he turns up in Meg's basement. When her father starts digging a pond for the penguins, he finds the body.

If that's not bad enough, he has told everyone that Meg would be happy to take any animals that they are tired of fostering. Soon her house and barn are filled with wolves, hyenas, lemurs, and more. And Michael seems strangely endeared by the llamas. Add to all of that, Dr. Montgomery is lurking about. He is a big name animal activist who supposedly is in town to help with the zoo or maybe take it over... but it seems like his motives might be a little shadier than what it looks like at first glance.

Three and a half stars

Meg Langslow #8

This book came out August 7, 2007

Follows No Nest for the Wicket

Followed by Cockatiels at Seven

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Reread January 2023,  September 2024 as Audible book