Anyone who reads my Aunt Dimity reviews is probably wondering why I keep reading them if I always gripe about them...they're just such a great mix of really great and really lousy---it's mesmerizing! Ha!

This one was a lesser favorite---very far-fetched and very contrived. (I should add here that I understand that's pretty much a given with most cozies...but it bugs me...which makes me wonder why I enjoy them so much.) I did, however, come to really like the character of Bree. I'm usually really annoyed by the angsty teen sidekick trope but I think I like Bree better than Lori. Can Bree be the heroine from here on out? I'm beginning to wonder if Mrs. Atherton makes Lori unlikable on purpose... Bree is level-headed, smart, interesting, and real. She doesn't let her past get her down.

I've got one or two more of these here to read this week and then I'll need to go back to the library and trade for more. For months now, I've been reading deep, educational, thoughtful, historical material. I think I got burnt out---that and I just need a little escapist literature for the present time as we're chomping at the bit to go back home after a VERRRRRY long summer vacation in Oregon. ( )

I always look forward to returning to Finch to spend time with Lori, the boys and, of course, Aunt Dimity! Nancy Atherton has created a world of characters that I feel like I know, so going back is a pleasure. I also always enjoy meeting the new characters that come into Lori's life in each book. As long as you are in it for the characters and the settings, and know that the mystery will always turn out to be nothing, this is an enjoyable read! ( )

Wonderful books for just relaxing with when my brain can't take much thought.

Another fun cozy to escape reality for a bit! ( )

An interesting mystery being solved with the help of a friend and the ghost of Mum's best friend. Communication with Aunt Dimity is via a journal of sorts with everything being done in handwriting. Nothing gory except Russian history, and no gratuitous erotica, just a pleasant read and inadvertent learning opportunity. See publisher's blurb for clues to plot, no spoilers here.
Gifted through Goodreads Giveaways courtesy of Viking Books. ( )