DECEMBER'S READING LIST

Only three books this month.  It was a busy month so I didn't get a lot done.

NEEDLED TO DEATH:  A Knitting Mystery by Maggie Sefton
Published 2006

Now that she's been knitting up a storm with the help of her new friends at House of Lambspun, Kelly Flynn can't imagine ever leaving Fort Connor, Colorado.  But there's trouble in her adopted hometown.  When Kelly volunteers to take a group of tourists to visit Vickie Claymore's alpaca farm, she discovers Fort Connor isn't as sedate as it seems.  Instead of a warm welcome, they find Vickie splayed out on her original hand-woven rug, her blood seeping into the design.  The police jump on the case, but Kelly can't resist doing a little investigative work of her own -- even if it means taking a break from the sweater she's been knitting in the round.

This is the second book in the Kelly Flynn knitting mystery series.  I loved the first book and so looked forward to reading this one.  I wasn't disappointed.  The characters are so real.  I can see these books being made into a series of movies.  I really could not figure out "who dun it" and was surprised to find out who it was.  There were plenty of clues, but I just didn't catch on.  Maybe I'm dense?  Being an avid knitter, I really get into the stories.  Besides which there are knitting instructions and a recipe at the end.  What more could you want?

THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME (A 26 Fairmount Avenue Book) by Tomie De Paola
Published:  2003

Tomie is thrilled.  He has his own diary with a lock and key.  Now he can write down all his secrets and no one can read them.

All through the year exciting things happen and Tomie shares them with his diary -- racing down the steep snowy hill on his Junior Flexible Flyer; seeing Mr. Walt Disney's new movie, Fantasia; celebrating Easter at Nan Fall River's; being a pirate with an eyepatch in Miss Leah's Dance Recital; going to an amusement park with his grandfather, Tom; and starting second grade with real art lessons at last!

Then it is almost Christmas when one Sunday the family hears news on the radio that changes everything.  Tomie's mom tells him that "Things will never be the same."

And they weren't after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  The book is set in 1941 and ends on December 7th.  Yes, it's another Tomie book and we are thoroughly enjoying them.  So glad I accidentally discovered them.  Now on to the next one.

KILT DEAD (A Liss Mac Crimmon Mystery) by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Published:  2007

As a professional Scottish dancer, Liss Mac Crimmon has performed strathspeys and reels, jigs and Highland flings until a knee injury cuts her career short.  Returning to her hometown of Moosetookalook, Maine, she decides to help her aunt run her Scottish emporium.  But when murder rears its ugly head in the idyllic, quiet village, Liss will have to add sleuthing to her repertoire.

Liss hasn't been in Moosetookalook in over ten years, but the quaint little town, nestled in the hilly terrain of western Maine, looks exactly as she remembers it.  Only home a day before her aunt takes off on a tour of Scotland, Liss mans the emporium's  booth at the annual Western Maine Highland Games.  There she gets reacquainted with some old friends and new local characters, including an obnoxious real estate agent and his spoiled girlfriend who insists on ordering a custom made kilt sewn from a plaid called the Flower of Scotland.

Liss knows a sale is a sale and returns to the emporium that night exhausted yet happy.  But her bliss soon turns to dread when she finds the dead body of her aunt's nosy neighbor, Amanda Norris, under a bolt of the Flower of Scotland fabric in the stockroom.  And if things weren't bad enough, the state police hone in on Liss as the prime suspect.

With the help of Dan Ruskin, a neighbor and former high school classmate, Liss begins her own investigation that uncovers secrets about the residents of Moosetookalook -- secrets she wished had stayed buried.  Now Liss will have to do some fancy footwork to prove she's innocent while avoiding becoming the killer's next victim.

This is a new author to me.  I saw one of her books come in and was intrigued with it since I am part Scottish and proud of my heritage.  Instead of reading the third book in the series, I went back to the beginning and got the first book out of the library.  I really like the characters.  I had my suspicions about the murderer, but I was entirely wrong.  Surprise!  I liked it enough that I am going to read the rest of the series.