Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

  Shelved Under Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Crooked Lane Books (July 10, 2018) Hardcover: 300 pages ISBN-13: 978-1683315957 Digital: ASIN: B075QJHPR9   Blurb: Autumn leaves aren’t the only things falling in the historic Virginia village of Taylorsford—so are some cherished memories, and a few bodies. October in Taylorsford, Virginia means it’s leaf peeping season, with bright colorful foliage and a delightful fresh crew of tourists attending the annual Heritage Festival which celebrates local history and arts and crafts. Library director Amy Webber, though, is slightly dreading having to spend two days running a yard sale fundraiser for her library. But during these preparations, when she and her assistant Sunny stumble across a dead body, Amy finds a real reason to be worried. The body belonged to a renowned artist who was murdered with her own pallet knife. A search of the artist’s studio uncovers a cache of forged paintings, and wh

Okay, first off, I know it's not Friday anymore. The Ninja Librarian is leading a rather chaotic life just now, and that's just the way it is. So, sort of a story, sort of a photo thing, mostly just me rambling about what we did for the 4th of July. We'd been working on the house like crazy all day because we had the cleaners coming Friday and needed to clear the way for them to clean. At dinner time I realized we didn't really have anything for dinner, so I ran down to the store on my bike (as usual). I was starting up the hill toward home when I overtook a couple of heavily loaded bike tourists. It was pretty late and a long way to camping, so I asked where they were heading. The answer: "I'm not sure. I guess Half Moon Bay." Quick calculation on my part, and I pointed out it was 30 miles (and now about 6:45 p.m.). So I did what I've long said I'd do someday: I invited the cyclists home. They turned out to be a couple of young Germans doing the c

It's a 4th of July IWSG! Posting a day early so we can all enjoy the holiday. If you don't live in the US, you can enjoy it anyway--just eat some hot dogs or burgers, and make a bunch of noise. Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your av

  Title: East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart Author: Susan Butler; read by Anna Fields Publisher: Blackstone Audio, 2009. Originally 1997 by Da Capo Press, 512 pages. Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: Amelia Earhart captured the hearts of the nation after becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1928--and her disappearance on an around-the-world flight in 1937 is an enduring mystery. The image we have of Amelia Earhart today--a tousle-haired, androgynous flier clad in shirt, silk scarf, leather jacket, and goggles--is only one of her many personas, most of which have been lost to us over time. Through years of research and interviews with many of the surviving people who knew Amelia, Susan Butler has recreated a remarkably vivid and multifaceted portrait of this enigmatic figure. Listeners will experience Amelia in all her permutations: not just as a pilot but also as an educator, a social worker, a lecturer, a businesswoman

All this packing and sorting has me feeling sort of nostalgic, so I thought I'd take a deep dive into the photos for some of our earlier backpacking adventures with our boys. These are from the summer of 2005, when they were 6 & 7 years old. We did several shorter trips in Colorado that summer, before we headed to Wyoming for our longer (I think 6 days, 5 nights) trip. The boys were small, so Mom and Dad were definitely packhorses--and we didn't know as much about lightweight gear then, either. Glad to put those days behind us, but it was fun to hike with our boys. Did a quick overnight into the back side of the Maroon Bells Wilderness. Not the popular part, but rugged and scenic. Kid-sized packs--you have to match the pack to the size of the kid, even if it can't hold much. Note the all-important stuffies poking their heads out to watch where we were going. I think it was pretty early, given the amount of snow around! A room with a view.  Take kids outdoors and they wi

  Title: Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (Royal Spyness Mystery #12) Author: Rhys Bowen Publisher: Berkely Books Expected publication date August 7, 2018. 304 pages in hardback. Source: Netgalley.com Publisher's Summary: Georgie is finally able to plan for her wedding in the summer. It is going to be a summer of weddings: her mother is marrying Max, her German beau; Georgie's grandfather is marrying his next door neighbor, Mrs. Huggins; and Darcy's father is getting up the courage to ask the princess to marry him. Georgie is staying at the princess's London house when she receives a letter from one of her mother's former husbands, Sir Hubert Anstruther. Georgie is now his sole heir, and he's offering her the use of his lovely country house. He suggests she move in right away to keep an eye on the place because all might not be well since his butler died. Georgie talks this through with her husband-to-be, Darcy, who is off to Europe again, this time

Title: Murder at the Marina (Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery #1) Author: Ellen Jacobson Publication Info: June, 2018, 192 pages (ebook) (Paperback 246 pages) Source: Electronic ARC from the author Purchase Links: Amazon (US) Amazon (CA)   Amazon (UK) Kobo   Barnes & Noble  Apple iBooks   Google Play   Blurb:  A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse. Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to. When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea. Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring