The Body In The Castle Well by Martin Walker

I enjoy this author's very cozy mysteries. Bruno is a wonderful character, caring, compassionate, intelligent, and delightfully diverse in his interests. The location and its unique culture are entertainingly described, becoming a major element of the story. The plot introduces the mystery but then expands into a narrative that provides a more substantial issue to consider as the story progresses. I am a vegetarian but the descriptions of meals full of meat-heavy ingredients are still mouth-watering. A young woman, a promising Ph.D. candidate is found drowned in a well. Is it an accident, a suicide, or a murder?

The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

Enjoyed this historical fiction thoroughly although I did at times want to shake with some force some of the characters for being so stupidly caught up in their emotional intrigue. The narrative takes place in the Champagne region of  France during the Nazi occupation. Through flashbacks, a story emerges about the resistance activities of one champagne producer utilizing his extensive underground cellars and vineyard to secretly transport guns to his fellow resistance fighters and the secrets harbored by him and his wife that seventy years later are only just being revealed to a young woman named Olivia. A nice balance of history and fiction that is both interesting and compelling and is infused with a touching mixture of human frailty and romance.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

 I am never disappointed by an Ann Cleeves book. She always provides an interesting main character and plot. Her writing flows, with the location and context for the plot, developed so smoothly that the narrative never stalls or slows. This is the first book about Detective Matthew Venn who lives with his life partner, Jonathan in a small village in Northern England. Detective Venn needs to solve a murder but before he and his team get very far in the process, a young mentally challenged woman disappears. Now, there is, unfortunately, a connection to Matthew's partner because the young woman attended the care center where Jonathan works. Will Detective Venn have to bow out of the investigation? Furthermore secrets and lies connected to an Evangelical community add depth and poignancy to the narrative. Recommended.

Becoming Dr. Seuss by Brian Jay Jones

Enjoyed very much this biography of Dr. Seuss. He is a complex individual with a myriad of positive and negative features that drive his illustrious career. Other biographies of this impressive author have been published but this is the first I have read. It is informative and interesting to read.

Mama's Last Hug by Frans De Waal

Fascinating and informative. The author delivers a wonderful and convincing document revealing the rich emotional life of animals, especially in the primates he has studied closely for over thirty years. He makes poignantly the point that for too long, it has been declared that animals do not have emotions: they do not experience pain, fear, disgust, joy etc. Now, fortunately, research into the emotions of animals is ongoing and expanding. He gives a voice to animals that makes it extremely difficult for any human to deny that they experience emotions, noting that it may perhaps only be the fact that they cannot speak for themselves that has enabled this denial for so long. Highly recommended.

Lady In The Lake by Laura Lippman

This was a very interesting story, incorporating a mystery, an intriguing main character, multiple voices to drive the narrative forward, and absorbing flavors of an occupation, a time and a place. A 37-year-old woman leaves her marriage and strikes out on her own, carving out an eventual career in journalism.  Curiosity and intrusive persistence enable her to pursue obtaining information about the mysterious death of a young woman. She is an early feminist who also very much deliberately manipulates men in her strong desire to develop her opportunities. Plot, character, and locale are very well developed. Recommended.