Coraline by Neil Gaiman

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Coraline Jones is a cleverly written children's book, which makes it plain that there is no place like home. One dreary summer day a bored Coraline finds a locked door in her home that opens onto a brick wall. That is, it opens onto a brick wall when her mother is the one who opens the door. Later, Coraline opens the door and steps into an alternate world, where her parents are strange, to say the least. When she steps back into her flat, her parents are gone and she must rescue them from the "other mother".

Blood Relations

Book six in Rett MacPherson's cozy mystery series about genealogist Torie O'Shea introduces Stephanie, the half-sister Torie did not know existed. Of course, finding out she is not her father's only child, causes Torie not just a little angst, even as she warms to not being an only child.

At the same time Torie is finding out about her sister, the Mississippi River goes down and the wreckage of the Phantom are revealed. As the river goes down, a cast of supporting characters arrive in town amid rumors of the uncut diamonds that went down with the ship in 1919. Along with Stephanie and Torie's best friend Collette, there is a group of researchers from a nearby community college and a full-of-himself television reporter and his cameraman.

Shortly after their arrival, one of the visitors is murdered. Because she is the local history and genealogy expert, and unnaturally curious, Torie starts digging for the truth of the wreckage, the survivors, and those who died when the Phantom sank.

Murder Among Us

The latest (well it was published in 1998) installment in the Kate Austen Mystery series by Jonnie Jacobs, is my least favorite in the series, but it is still a good cozy mystery. In Murder Among Us, one of Kate's students is murdered, in what appears at first to be a serial killing, because another young blond (why are they always blond) woman was found in much the same circumstances.

As Halloween approaches, Kate deals with skeletons in the mail, an older, more experienced 18 year old dating her 15 year old "daughter" Libby, a visit from her disapproving, soon to be ex-Mother-In-Law, and an uncaring, unambitious soon to be ex. She is trying to figure out why Julie Harmon, a recent orphan who is living with her ultra-religious half aunt and uncle, was murdered and what it was that Julie was trying to figure out.

The novel takes us into the cyber world or on-line sex and dating sites. There are the usual twists and turns that are always present in Jonnie Jacobs' Kate Austen mysteries, but I had this one figured out pretty early.

And just a side rant from me to those people on PBS who don't follow the conditions rules. You should know better, and next time I'm not giving you my credit for a book that is falling apart.

Hats

I finished my hat for February on January 31. Shhhh, don't tell anyone that I started early. The pattern is Edna Rose by Jacki Kelly, and it turned out great. I used Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel, which is the softest yarn I have used. It works wonderfully for hats made for people going through chemo, because the yarn feels like an old, often washed, cotton t-shirt. You know the one I mean, it's the one that is so worn it should not be seen in public, but is so comfortable you just can't throw it away. I gave it to Staci to pass on to her friend, Nell.

Speaking of Nell, her chemo is finished and it looks good that the cancer is gone. Now she just needs to gain some weight and keep healthy.

Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair

Who knew? Divorce can be funny. Well at least divorce can be funny when it's not your own and looked at through the perspective of time. Laurie Perry aka Crazy Aunt Purl started a blog when her husband suddenly left her and she also started knitting. She turned her blog into a book and she turned her new found talent into a new obsession. I know that it was an obsession, because I took up knitting about 15 months ago.

Of course, the book is not always funny. There are many parts of the book where Laurie is just barely getting through the work day without falling apart. Literally. There's the first date who walks out in the middle (okay, that was kind of funny). And there are the loyal friends who drag Laurie kicking and screaming back out into the world.

This book was well worth the price.