Introducing Daisy

Hi all,

I haven't posted a personal update in a long while here, so wanted to catch up.  Longtime blog readers will remember my sweet, very dear Abby, who posted a weekly blog column here.  Abby passed away in December, and the house felt so empty without her.  Sooner than anticipated, I began looking for a rescue dog to love.

I met Daisy, a just under one year old Corgi mix, at our local county shelter.  She was sweet and absolutely terrified.  (The shelter is wonderful but full of big dogs and lots of comings and goings - a lot for a little dog who was rescued as a stray off the street.)  When I reached down to pet her she leaned against me, and I knew she should be mine.

There was a delay bringing Daisy home because she had to be spayed and vetted before her release.  She got home and I realized she had no training.  We were starting from scratch with leash training, potty training, chewing and puppy destructiveness, and separation anxiety.  My beloved Mom entered hospice just after this time ... it was a lot at once, and I was pretty overwhelmed.

Daisy and I took things in small steps.  She took to leash training easily.  I learned ways to redirect her from chewing, the power of frequent walks for potty training and puppy energy, and literally leaving 5 minutes at a time to tackle separation anxiety.  (We have made great progress with this!)

It took Daisy a while to settle in.  But she did!  Slowly but surely.

She loves having her own little bed - as well as sleeping in "the big bed" (my bed) at night.

She is always ready for a snuggle!

Although our long, frequent walks were a real adjustment for me at first, they turned into a blessing.  Daisy loves EVERYONE: adults, children, dogs (big and small), and cats.  I have joked that it is like the Beatles coming to town when I take her outside where kids are playing - they naturally flock around her.  Daisy made friends;  I made new friends too.  It is not unusual for us to walk with neighbors and their dogs, or even with a neighbor's friendly indoor-outdoor cat who likes to tag along.

And she is a champion lap sitter, with my friends as well as me!

Daisy ready for a rest - maybe.

In a year that has been long and difficult, I know that there are still long walks and naps -- and there is Daisy.

 

And that is a very good thing.

 

Book Review and Giveaway - Dewey Decimated (A Haunted Library Mystery) by Allison Brook

My Review

Carrie Singleton is excited about the expansion of her beloved library -- until a body is found at the site. As police (and Carrie!) work to solve that mystery, Carrie becomes involved in a second mystery.  She is a member of the town council, and after a controversial vote, one of the council members also turns up dead.  Carrie works to solve this mystery as well, often with the help of her ghostly librarian friend, Evelyn.

I wanted to read Dewey Decimated because I have read all the previous books in this series and have enjoyed them all.  The little Connecticut town is charming, and I love the library, the staff, Carrie's aunt and uncle, and especially her ghost friend Evelyn, her fiance Dylan, and her library cat, Smokey Joe. 

This cozy mystery was such a treat -- it had not one but two mysteries to solve, and all the regular, favorite cast members were part of the story.  Carrie did a great job of detecting - with the help of Evelyn, and with the help/not-help (!) of an ambitious local reporter, Julie, who wants to team up with her.

I was a bit surprised by the answers to the two mysteries, but I enjoyed seeing how Carrie solved both. The book is well written and the mystery moves along at a brisk pace.

I highly recommend Dewey Decimated and the Haunted Library series to fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone who enjoys small town settings, a gentle paranormal element, and cats.

Book Synopsis

Librarian Carrie Singleton is back on the case, alongside library ghost Evelyn, in the sixth installment of Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library mysteries.

Carrie Singleton is just off a hot string of murder cases centered around the spooky local library in Clover Ridge, Connecticut. She could really use a break—but no such luck, as she; Smoky Joe, the resident cat; and Evelyn, the library’s ghost, are drawn into another tantalizing whodunit.

First, a dead body is found in the basement of the building attached to the library, and it turns out to be Carrie’s fiancé’s Uncle Alec, who Dylan hasn’t seen in years. But Alec has no intention of truly checking out, and his ghost makes itself at home in the library, greatly upsetting the patrons. Carrie and Evelyn work hard to keep Alec out of sight, but what was he doing in Clover Ridge to begin with? And why was he killed?

Meanwhile, the town council, of which Carrie is also a member, is embroiled in a hot-headed debate over the fate of the Seabrook Preserve, a lovely and valuable piece of property that runs along Long Island Sound. Turn it into an upscale park? Sell it to a condo developer? Or keep it as protected land?

As the dispute rages, there’s another murder, this time involving a council member. Could the two murders be connected? And could Carrie be next on the hit list?

 

Author Bio

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook, she writes the Haunted Library series. DEATH OVERDUE, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series.

Her juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards.

Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, and chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids.

Author Links

Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson

Purchase links:

Amazon      Penguin Random House    B&N    Kobo    Google Play

Giveaway

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