Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

His grandfather is dying and he doesn't want that to happen.  If it does, he'll be stuck with his crabby old great aunt.  There's nothing he can do to stop it though.  Or is there?

Dial Books and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 2nd, so be sure to make a note to pick it up then.

This book has magic in it.  There's the magic of an old man and his grandson who share life and love and have fun.  There's Circus Mirandus that doesn't stay in one place and offers extraordinary tours to those who have an imagination and believe in magic.  (Not everyone does, you know.)

Grandpa has a long forgotten wish that he received when he visited the circus as a child.  He sends a note to the Lightbender telling him he wants to collect his promise now.  But when he asks, he's told no.  So it's up to Micah to find the circus and change the Lightbender's mind.  Micah doesn't know the whole story, though...

This tale twists and ties and weaves itself into magic with a touch of other worldly power.  Micah makes a good friend while he tries to negotiate a deal for his grandfather.  His grandfather is a good, wise man, and he asks for the perfect wish.  It wasn't what Micah was expecting and it wasn't what I was expecting either.

One thing I know, if this circus ends up in town, I'm going to go visit.  I believe in magic...

Tillie's Tale: Magical Drool Mysteries by Mindy Mymudes

If you like dogs, you'll love this series!  I missed the first book, but I will be watching for more in this series.  George and Tillie are Basset Hounds.

Ms. Mymudes and Goddess Fish Blog allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so you can grab a copy now.  Here is her website and where you can get a copy of the books:  http://mindymymudes.weebly.com/books.html

George is a very likeable dog.  He loves his pets, is an eating machine and can do a smelly dog fart with the best of them.  He also drools.  And, even more important, he's a familiar with his little witch in training.  She needs him.  He needs her, too, but that's different.

Tillie is a new pack mate.  She's still a puppy and she's Joey's dog.  Both Joey and Tillie are young and have a lot to learn.  They're also not magical.  George is very proud of the fact that he IS magical and can be a familiar.

By accident, Tillie acquires a ghost.  His girl can see through George's eyes so she knows she's there and she's sad.  She wants her aunt to help this ghost go on to her rest.  Her aunt wants to banish her.  All George wants to do is eat.

My favorite part of this whole story is how quickly George can forget he's eaten.  He has a weight problem, but he still begs for food anytime he sees it.  He's like an appetite walking around on four legs.

This is written with silly doggy words for things, has lots of humor and a touch of sadness but overall it's good for making you laugh.  This would be great for read-aloud and I can see the book being one of the most requested in class or the library.  Why not treat yourself to a read?  And you'll probably want to have a dog biscuit close in case George shows up.

Mindy will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  You can enter the contest HERE  

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE

Seacrow Island by Astrid Lindgren

Have you ever stayed on an island?  It's another world compared to city life.  I enjoyed my stay but I didn't stay all summer.

NYR Children's Collections and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book (thank you).  It will be published May 26th, you can grab a copy then.

This story was written in the 1960's, but it has the flavor of island life now.  Most times there is no wifi, not many phones, and hardly any roads.  Life is simpler, you have fewer choices, and there's plenty to do if you're young!

Seacrow Island is very small.  When Dad brings his family over for the summer, he's imagining a modern cottage.  What he finds is a well worn home that has a few leaks, broken windows and the like.  It's a good thing he has nice, resourceful neighbors because he'll need them.

Dad tries to focus on his writing.  His children play with the other island children and get themselves into trouble more than once.  The oldest girl enjoys flirting, but she's not looking for love.  Or is she?

I found this to be a sweet tale of a vacation with a few challenges in it.  (When doesn't a vacation have that?)  It did make me cry when an animal died, but that's life, too.  My favorite part is the ending.  Knowing there will be more Seacrow Island adventures made me happy.

Blessed Are Those Who Weep: A Gabriella Giovanni Mystery by Kristi Belcamino

Gabriella is a mess.  She's still obsessed with her sister's murder and wants to find her murderer.  She knows who he is but he's hiding from her and the police.  She's just lost a baby and is grieving for her child.  And now she goes to an interview for a big story and finds everyone in the apartment dead, except for a baby girl.  The baby clings to her and wants to stay with her but Child Protective Services takes her away...

Witness Impulse and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 19th, so grab a copy then.

Gabriella is a journalist and shouldn't be involved in police cases but she's also too empathetic to let things go.  The baby girl touches her more than she should since she recently lost a child.  She won't let her sister's death or killer go.  And this new case is even more dangerous.

Among the dead in the apartment was the wife and mother who had a big story and her husband's parents and a sibling.  All were killed in the same way, with a sword that flung blood everywhere.  When Gabriella returns to try to find some letters that the dead woman had hidden, she runs into another person.  She's sure it was the husband and that he was the killer.  Unfortunately, the military says he's in Iraq and can't come home for a couple of weeks so the police blow that off.

As things keep falling apart around her, Gabriella is falling apart, too.  She's not getting enough sleep, not eating and not making love.  She's watching her cycle so she can get pregnant again.  Donovan is tired of cyclical clinical lovemaking and says it's turned into a job, it's not fun anymore.  Her relationship is dangling and she can't make herself stop pursuing her concerns.

There's a lot of action, lots of drama, and I spent almost the whole read worrying about Gabriella.  That woman has got to get herself together or something is going to break.  Her obsessions and paranoia keep me reading, though.

The Devil's Monk: A Constable Thomas Potts mystery by Sara Fraser

There's a murdered woman found in a hay field that has been beaten to bits.  They can't even identify her since her face is so damaged.  Thomas is going to have a tough time trying to prove who killed her...

Severn House and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 1st, so grab a copy then.

Having a mystery with no clues is bad enough, but Thomas has family problems, too.  His wife has just lost a baby and she won't let Thomas touch her.  She's moody, crabby, and unwilling to take comfort.  He keeps hoping it will be better.  She moves out and goes back to being a barmaid.  He's heartbroken, but he doesn't have time to worry about it.  Everyone tells him to let her be, that she'll come around.  The only way he can do that is to keep busy and this case does that.

The only witness is an old man who swears he saw the Devil's Monk run from the woman's body.  The Devil's Monk is a superstition but the people in the village still believe in him so Thomas can't blow it off.  Maybe someone else was wearing that white coat that made him believe it was the monk. Soon the old man is dead, too.  And a local prostitute goes missing, assumed dead.

Thomas is overwhelmed by the number of events in his small village, but he's out there trying to find clues.  He gets information from witnesses but he can't prove it with more than that.  When he picks up his suspect, life gets even tougher.  The more he digs, the less guilty the man looks, despite the testimony given against him.  Might the witness be lying?

This a complex tale twisted around by lies.  Thomas is worrying about his wife, the man he has jailed, and the case.  When he finally sees what happened and who is guilty, it's very surprising.  I had a clue earlier in the book but didn't connect it.  Ms. Fraser hides her clues well.

It reads a bit slower because it's set in 1829, but it kept me reading to see who murdered who and how it all would be resolved.  It turns out well.  I'll be watching for more books about Thomas.  I like him as a character.  Maybe you will, too.

Code Grey: A feline-filled academic mystery by Clea Simon

She's stayed behind at the college to work on her dissertation.  She needs to get if finished up and she doesn't mind working on it.  It's a bit lonely with everyone gone, but that gives her the precious time to work on it.  Or it would if she didn't get caught up in a missing book mystery.

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 1st, so make a note your TBR list.

Dulcie gets the feeling someone is watching her but she doesn't worry about it much.  She has a ghostly cat friend that warns her about danger.  No one is going to sneak up on her.

When she works late one day and it's raining, she decides to head into the library to warm up and dry off a bit before heading home.  She runs into the man on campus who never finished his dissertation.  She considers him a bad example of what can happen to you if you don't.  She's also nice to him even if he doesn't make sense and seems a bit out of it.  She believes he's harmless.

Finding out that he was found in the construction zone with a stolen book on him doesn't daunt her judgement.  She's sure he's innocent.  But no one else is.

As she tries to understand just what it is he had in his possession and starts asking questions about the past, she's getting in deeper than she needs to be in a police investigation.  Her boyfriend is trying to get her to focus on her work and leave the investigation alone.  It's to no avail.  Even the Inspector trying to get her out of the case doesn't work.  And what she finds has been going on a long time and is valuable enough to kill her to keep it.

This has a lot about rare books and gets a bit bogged down once in a while for the casual reader.  The mystery is good and the relationships of the people involved kept my attention.  Like usual, greed got involved long ago and the abuse of books kept going.  Some people will do anything for money.  It was nice to see justice come around.

Purebred Dead: A canine mystery by Kathleen Delaney

They are having a lovely Christmas event in their lovely small town with children's choirs, a reenactment of Joseph and Mary's journey, and a manger for everyone to gather 'round.  The only problem is that there is a dead man in the stable...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 1st, so make a note on your TBR list to pick it up then.

Two children found the dead man.  They had gone out to see if the doll would fit in the manger.  While they are staggered by what they see, they also notice a small puppy hiding in the manger area.  They rescue him and Mary rescues them.  She's in charge of the event and this murder ends it.

There are several suspects.  Even the priest is under suspicion because of his monk clothing and the sandals he wears.  However, he's not the only one.  The puppy is a mystery, but he's also a clue.

Everyone is trying to protect the two children who saw the killer.  Even with the whole town on watch, they aren't really safe.

When the next person is murdered, the waters grow even more muddy.  Mary is amazed to find herself with a dog.  She was the murdered man's dog and no one else has room for her.  As anybody with animals knows, it doesn't take long for the dog to get Mary on her side.  She even sneaks in bed with her.

The world of animal breeding is vicious.  Everyone has their own techniques, their own beliefs, and some breeders are almost rabid about them.  Mary is pretty sure that's what's behind the murders but she can't see who is benefiting from the deaths.  She keeps snooping though, and it's almost the death of her.

My favorite characters are the little boy and girl in the story.  They're fearless when they need to be and they added a lot of life to the story.  I like Mary and look forward to seeing her again in another book.  Why don't you see what you think?