The Library - Part One Complete

I have lots of books. Way too many really. When we moved 2.5 years ago all of those books got packed into boxes. Well, some of them were already in boxes because I didn't have enough shelves or even places to put them in the old house. While space was no longer an issue after the move, I still didn't have bookshelves for the books. So the books sat packed away in boxes again. That is, until recently. Our 2 1/2 story house has a wonderful attic area that we turned into a library.

Bear in mind that it's not done yet. We still need to remove the texturing on the ceilings and sloped walls, paint, then put in flooring, baseboards and new lighting. That's going to be a year or two away. Also, right now, the area is only accessible by a pull down ladder in the hallway. Eventually, we want to install a spiral staircase that goes between the master bedroom and the upper library floor.

Anyway, here are some before and after photos. The angles of the shots are different so it'll be a little hard to see that they are the same areas:

There are three more bookcases tucked into the storage area on the left hand side above.   There's another storage area on the right hand side, but it doesn't contain any books.  There's one more area that's not pictured above.  It will eventually have the spiral staircase coming up into it and possibly a window seat/reading bench.  

Like I said, we still have work to do, but at least the books can breathe and I can see them.  Hopefully, at some time I'll have time to review the bookcases we purchased and assembled.  

I think I have some weeding to do.  Book weeding, that is.   As much work as this was, getting rid of them is going to be harder.   I'll let you know how that goes, too.

Faux Finished by Peg Marberg

In Faux Finished, Jean Hastings is an interior designer and owns Designer Jeans with her daughter, Jean Jr. They have just finished redecorating the dining room at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club and plan to celebrate with a grand reopening. Suddenly, there are two dead bodies and Jean is compelled to investigate.

This book was pretty good. It's a fun cozy mystery with an interesting side story (interior design) and likeable characters. I did have a little trouble keeping some of the characters straight because there was so many of them. Also, a few of them had similar names, which didn't make things easier. Luckily there was a list of "Citizens of Seville, Indiana" at the beginning of the book that helped me keep track. I referred to it often. If it weren't for that, I'm afraid I would have been very lost at times.

The interior design aspect of the book was interesting, but there wasn't enough of it. Jean appeared to spend more time investigating mysteries than doing her full time job. I would have preferred that she do more designing (or talk about designing) while she was solving the mystery. She was a pretty good amateur detective, though, and I enjoyed following her around as she put together the pieces.

I didn't know it as I was reading, but this is the first book in An Interior Design Mystery series. It didn't quite feel like one. There was some background information presented, but I believe there were some previous investigations or events that were referenced. I assumed they happened in another book. Imagine my surprise when I learned this was the first in the series. This could have been the author's intention or maybe it was just my impression. It felt a bit odd.

I appreciated the information about the Art Deco style at the end of the book as well as the decorating tips on how to achieve that style. Before reading that section, I wasn't sure what Art Deco was. Now I have a better idea and I'll be sure to keep my eye out for it.

I'd really like to read the second book in the series before I recommend this series to others.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Berkley Prime Crime website.

Faux Finished by Peg Marberg, The Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), ©2007. ISBN 9780425314282(mass market), 214p.

Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump by Emily Brightwell

In Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump, Michael Provost is found floating next to the wharf. As Mrs. Jeffries and her team investigate, they discover that no one would want this man dead. Well, almost no one. They soon discover that this death may be connected to another death; one that Provost himself was investigating. Of course, Inspector Witherspoon is also investigating, and Mrs. Jeffries is there to help him as needed. Mrs. Jeffries isn't sure her suspicions are correct and starts to doubt herself. She certainly has her hands full in this cozy Victorian mystery.

I adore this series. It's quaint, very British and so fun to read. The Victorian setting makes this series different from others. Rather than getting bogged down in details of the era, Brightwell offers little clues about the setting. For example, characters travel by carriage, not cars. I especially love how Mrs. Jeffries holds her meetings with her "team" and assigns the different tasks to solve the mystery. I also love how she dispenses the information they gather to the Inspector without him catching on to what she's doing.

I've only read a few of these, but I love them. I have noticed that Mrs. Jeffries has taken more people into her confidence about helping the Inspector. Pretty soon everyone in town is going to know about her secret. Everyone except the Inspector, that is.

This particular story was a little confusing at times and I think I mixed up two of the characters at one point. That didn't last long, though, and it certainly didn't stop me from really enjoying this book.

New words:
bombazine (page 6): twilled material
woolgathering (page 61): daydream. This isn't a new one for me, I just love the word.
temerity (page 107): nerve, gall

Highly recommended for the cozy mystery lover.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Penguin's website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Emily Brightwell's website.

Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump by Emily Brightwell, The Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), ©2008. ISBN 9780425222089(mass market), 245p.

A Palette for Murder: Murder, She Wrote by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

A Palette For Murder is part of the Murder, She Wrote series. In this "episode", Jessica is invited to the Hamptons for some rest and relaxation. She plans to spend some time on her secret passion, painting, and finds an art class in the area to attend. When the nude model drops dead in class, Jessica is bothered that someone so young has died right before her eyes. She's determined to find out how this happened. This mystery will take her inside the art world where money, deception and greed might keep the truth from being revealed.

I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I've enjoyed most of the ones I've read from the series. There were a few exceptions, but those are few and far between. This book was fun to read. Even though a murder takes place and some dangerous situations ensue, the story remains light and fun to read. By having Jessica new to the art scene, the author was able to explain the basics of the art world and artists. All of this information was interesting.

Part of the reason I enjoy these books so much is that I loved the Murder, She Wrote TV series that was on a number of years ago. I even bought a few of the DVDs. I was thrilled to find books based on the characters from that series

I've read a number of these books and have watched the episodes from the TV series many times. It still amazes me that people are surprised that murder and other bad things happen when Jessica Fletcher is present. Don't they know that it follows her around? I realize that's part of the charm of the series. The reader/watcher knows something is going to happen, but the other characters are totally oblivious to it.

New word:
blatherskite (page 197): talkative person, one who engages in silly or unimportant chatter.

Recommended for fans of the TV show. I think other cozy lovers will enjoy it, too.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Penguin's website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Donald Bain's website.

A Palette for Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain, New American Library (Penguin), ©1996. ISBN 0451188209(mass market), 290p.