Familyhistorian back to clear out those ROOTs

I barely managed to make my goal in 2025. More effort will be needed in 2026 as I hope to surpass my goal like I used to before last year. Can I do it? That remains to be seen.

Happy ROOTING in 2026, Meg.

>3 Robertgreaves: Thanks Robert, I hope you have a fun ROOTing year too!

Hi Meg, welcome back to the ROOTers. I hope your year will be better in 2026.

Great photo in >1 Familyhistorian:! Good luck with your goal this year.

Good luck with your goal this year, Meg!

>5 connie53: Thanks Connie. 2025 was a bad year for a lot of us. I hope 2026 is better for you too.

>6 rabbitprincess: Hi RP, that is from when I was at Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle. I'm hoping for a more productive ROOTing year in 2026. I imagine you're doing the same.

>7 MissWatson: Thanks Birgit, same to you!

Beautiful photo! Happy and healthy 2026, Meg!

>9 Cecilturtle: Thanks Cécile. Best of luck with your ROOTing in 2026!

>1 Familyhistorian: Beautiful! and Welcome back!

>11 detailmuse: Thanks MJ!

1. The Third Circle by Amanda Quick



My first ROOT for the year was the The Third Circle. It was a reread but it counts because it has been taking up shelf space for years and can now be on its way. It was a fun historical mystery/romance.

2. Prized Possessions by L.R. Wright



A mystery based in BC, partly in Vancouver and partly on the Sunshine Coast, Prized Possessions was a police procedural featuring Karl Alberg as the cop dealing with the recently death of his father as well as the disappearance of a woman’s husband while another crime escalated in Vancouver. The two story lines eventually came together. It was dated but still had me flipping the pages.

My mum has all of the Karl Alberg mysteries and did a re-read recently, I think because there was a TV adaptation.

>15 rabbitprincess: I've only read a couple of the Karl Alberg mysteries. I had no idea there was a TV adaptation, RP. I'll have to see if I can find that anywhere.

3. The Socialite's Guide to Murder by S. K. Golden



Another mystery off my shelves was The Socialite’s Guide to Murder. Set in the ‘50s mostly in the Pinnacle Hotel, the amateur sleuth was Evelyn Murphy with the help of Mac, who she conned into helping her. Usually more interested in what she was wearing, she needed to solve the mystery at the Pinnacle because not only was it home but her anxiety didn’t allow her to leave and she needed things to get back on track.

>16 Familyhistorian: It's called Murder in a Small Town and I think it came out in 2024, per this article. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/murder-in-a-small-town-l-r-wrigh...

>17 Familyhistorian: This sounds like a fun one!

>18 rabbitprincess: I've blipped past Murder in a Small Town when looking for programs to watch. Never stopped to check it out though. I'll have to give it a look.

>17 Familyhistorian: It was an interesting start to what seems to be a mystery series. Not sure how the author is going to get around Evelyn's anxiety that makes it almost impossible to leave the hotel.

Hi Meg - I hope you have a good year, both in reading and in life! Looks like you're off to a solid start :)

>22 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie - thanks for the wishes for the year. I hope yours turns out much better than last year.

4. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas



Another mystery off my shelves was Some Danger Involved, the first book in the Barker & Llewelyn series. Down on his last legs, Thomas Llewelyn answered an advertisement in the newspaper for an assistant to a detective the bombastic and unconventional, Cyrus Barker. The lineup of prospective employees was long but, much to his surprise, Llewelyn was chosen and he was about to find out what the notation “some danger involved” in the job advertisement entailed.

5. Dying Games Steve Robinson



I plucked another mystery from my shelves, this time a genealogical mystery, Dying Games. The protagonist in this mystery was the genealogist Jefferson Tayte. It was a chase to find a serial killer in two countries, starting in the US and then crossing the ocean to start up in England. Someone was killing Tayte’s former clients and in the US he was helping the FBI in their investigation. Things were different in England but that was where the confrontation with the mastermind behind the killings took place.

Before I forget, I want to report my acquisitions for January which were or maybe was:

Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

6. Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane



The ROOTs aren’t being read as quickly as I’d like. My library book habit is once again getting in the way. I was able to finish Between Us a romance that looked at how much of a couples private lives was alright to share in a modern take on what is surely a question that has plagued people for generations.

7. The Black Death: A Personal History by John Hatcher



I have a lot of books about history on my shelves one of which was The Black Death: A Personal History. By choosing to fictionalize the account, the author was able to convey the dread as the disease came closer to Walsham le Willows, Suffolk. The actual effects of the disease and aftermath were covered as well.

I acquired a few more books in February than I did in January. They are:

Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin
The Silent Film Star Murders by Melodie Campbell
Liberty Street by Heather Marshall

8. The Governess Game by Tessa Dare



A recently ROOTed romance from the stacks was The Governess Game, a sweet romance with a well-meaning but accident prone young woman who, much to her surprise, takes on the role of governess to two orphaned sisters, and their guardian a hardened rake (in his mind, at least.)

9. Empire of Sin: A Story o Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist



In answer to a reading challenge I read Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans. All of the threads in the title were woven through the narrative which made for a lively history.

>31 Familyhistorian: That sounds interesting, Meg. I read a biography of Duke Ellington for the same challenge, and even though I'm not particularly familiar with his music, the different strands of his life and the growth of jazz were really fascinating.

>32 Jackie_K: It was really good, Jackie. There were a lot of jazz musicians named especially Louis Armstrong and the history of New Orleans was fascinating. It's origins were very different from most US cities.

Hi Meg, here I am again to see what you have been reading. You are doing great. Keep it up!

>34 connie53: Hi Connie, thanks for the visit and the encouragement!

>33 Familyhistorian: Yes, Ellington was originally from Washington DC, but then moved and got his first big breaks in New York, like many of the jazz musicians of the time. Louis Armstrong was mentioned a lot (as was Cab Calloway) as they were contemporaries, but I don't think they did very much in the way of collaboration because of the different trajectories of the jazz scenes in New Orleans and New York.

>36 Jackie_K: New York wasn't mentioned as much as Chicago as a destination for jazz musicians from New Orleans in Krist's book.

10. The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller



Another mystery from my shelves, The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder shows a glimpse of the world of antique hunters and murder. There was more than one murder to be solved and both were connected to Freya, the ex-antique hunter who was finding her way back into that world.

11. The House Girl by Tara Conklin



Challenges are helpful for getting ROOTs off my shelves. This month it was The House Girl, a dual timeline story with two female protagonists, the one in the past a slave in Virginia who has to escape and the other a lawyer in a New York law firm helping to put together a reparations for a representative descendant of a slave.

12. A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times by Grace Burrowes



I found another mystery series to read, one set just after the Napoleonic War with the hero, who had been held captive by the French, in poor health and not knowing whether he betrayed his side to the French although the ton had pretty much branded him a traitor. The first book was A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times which was set at a house party where there were strange happenings Lord Julian needed to investigate.

13. American Cult: A Graphic History of Religious Cults in America from the Colonial Era to Today by Robyn Chapman (Others)



For a change of pace and to meet a reading challenge, I turned to one of my graphic novels, only this wasn’t a novel but a history. It was American Cult: A Graphic History of Religious Cults in America from the Colonial Era to Today. Such a strange and wonderful history of the things that people can come to believe.

>41 Familyhistorian: sounds super interesting!

>42 Cecilturtle: It was really good, multiple contributors and artists and many, many cults!

14. Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick



Burning Lamp was another read from my stash that I kept for rereads. This time it’s done and ready to join the other books in my local Little Free Library.

15. The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin



I’ve had The Hounds of Spring on my shelves for a while now. It was time to crack the covers for a challenge and I found a compelling story. It was the story of one day in the life of Poppy, a dog walker, where she was part of changes in many other people’s lives and maybe might have found the strength to accept changes in her own life.

16. Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel



A lot of my ROOTs are mysteries and I’m slowly taking them off the shelves. This time is was Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective. Charlotte may not have known what she was doing with her life now that she was an adult but back in the day she was a child detective. Also blessed with friends who want to help, they decide to embroil her in an investigation away from her own home. It was a cute story of friends looking into some strange goings on.

17. Framed in Death by J.D. Robb



In the 61st book in the in death series, Framed in Death, Dallas was on the trail of a failed artist who deluded himself into thinking that he had found a way to add life to his portraits, a way that involved killing his models.

I missed writing about my March acquisitions at the end of March. They were:

Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary
Unlock genetics in 10 concise chapters by Marianne Taylor

I added quite a few more books in April. They were:

A False and Fatal Claim by Iona Whishaw
Contemplation of a Crime by Susan Juby
Learn to Draw Faces with 50 Models by Niels Roman
Murder at Cinnamon Falls by R. L. Killmore
A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation by Grace Burrowes
A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances by Grace Burrowes
A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth by Grace Burrowes
Pagans by James Alistair Henry

So far in May I've added two new books. They are:

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (for an online family history writers' group read)
A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina (I didn't get very far with this book which is only available in French in my local libraries so I bought my own English language copy.)

>50 Familyhistorian: I also have Theo to read. Hope it holds up to the hype!

>51 detailmuse: I hadn't heard any of the hype. Just knew it was what my family history writing group chose to read. I was surprised to see the cover blurb that it's an international best seller because I didn't hear anything about it.

18. The Small Bachelor by P.G. Wodehouse



For a change of pace, I pulled The Small Bachelor off my shelves. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting as I was thinking of Jeeves when I picked up the book. It was set in the US during prohibition and involved a strange wedding, a stranger father of the bride and a potential groom who was tracking down a necklace stolen from the wedding gifts.

19. Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes



At the centre of the story was a pair of shoes. One woman picked them up by mistake at the gym, the other lost them and, seemingly at the same time, got shut out of her jet set life by her husband – soon to be ex. Someone Else’s Shoes was a fun story of the possibilities of women from different backgrounds coming together on a common mission and finding sisterhood and second chances along the way.

Hi! Lot's of good mysteries on your thread, happy reading!

>55 kaida46: Yes, the mysteries go down easy. Thanks for the visit!

20. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi



My family history writers group occasionally picks a book to read and discuss. This time it was Theo of Golden, one I hadn’t heard of before. I had to buy a copy because all the ones at my libraries had multiple holds on them. Theo came to the small town of Golden and proceeded to buy the portraits in a local café to bestow them on the subjects. Along the way he became beloved by some of the townsfolk who didn’t know his backstory until much later.

The rest of my acquisitions for May were:

Three in Death by J.D. Robb
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandra Ranelli

Hi Meg. It's been a while since I've been here to see what you have been reading and saying 'Hi'. I hope you are fine and doing okay!

>59 connie53: Hi Connie, I haven't been reading that many of my own books. I'm trying to fix that this month. I'm doing as good as can be expected with a lot of my time being spent taking my son to medical appointments.

>60 Familyhistorian: I'm sad to hear that medical things are required for your son. I think I've missed something somewhere. I will get back to that tomorrow,

21. The Corpse with the Ruby Lips by Cathy Ace



In the first years that I attending SIWC (Surrey International Writers Conference), Cathy Ace was one of the authors whose workshops’ I attended. After that I picked up several of her Cait Morgan mysteries. For The Corpse with the Ruby Lips, Cait was in Budapest as a visiting professor while her husband, Bud, was stuck at home in Vancouver looking after his mother after a recent surgery. Cait became embroiled in a mystery involving one of her students with connections to a death in BC. The mystery was solved when both Cait and Bud looked into it.

Meg, I hope your son is seeing progress from the treatments.

>63 detailmuse: Thanks MJ, there has been progress and now he's scheduled for an operation. We'll see how that goes.

22. Letters from the Dead by Steve Robinson



I thought I’d read the Jefferson Tayte series in order but then I found Letters from the Dead on my shelves. This one saw Tayte staying on a Scottish estate trying to solve murders with ties to a ruby and events in India.

23. Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn



Strangely, the next ROOT that I read was also a mystery set in India. It was interesting to see Lady Julia, a sleuth I was used to seeing in the UK, transplanted to a tea plantation with a husband (that was new. I must have skipped some books in the series.) Dark Road to Darjeeling was an interesting mystery after I got used to some of the additional characters I had not met in the series before.

24. Buildings of Britain by Roger FitzGerald



When I picked up this book for a challenge, the cash register receipt was still in it from the ‘90s so Buildings of Britain has deep roots in my personal library. A short book which delivers a brief survey of the many and varied buildings in Britain it was illustrated by the author throughout. I’m glad I finally turned the pages on this one.

25. Our Kind of People by Carol Wallace



Another ROOT to add to my list this month was Our Kind of People. It was the tale of a society family who were struggling financially due to the husband’s funding of a new mode of transportation for New York, the Elevated. At the same time, they had two daughters to launch into society so there was a lot going on. It was a tale that showed the change of New York society during the gilded age.

I added a few more books in June but there was temptation as there was a book store just a block from where I caught the bus to go home from visiting my son in the hospital. New additions in June were:

The Secrets of Our DNA: How Genetics Has Changed the World by Turi King
Remember Me by Mary Balogh
The League of Lady Poisoners by Lisa Perrin
How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles
Last One Out by Jane Harper
The British Are Coming: The Graphic Edition, volume 1 by Nora Neus and Federico Pietrobon
A Victorian's Inheritance (Who Do You Think You Were) by Helen Parker-Drabble

I hope your son's surgery is successful and his recovery is smooth.

>70 detailmuse: Thanks MJ, it appears that the surgery was indeed successful. So yay for that. Now on to recovery.

>71 Familyhistorian: Best wishes that the good news continues.

>72 MissWatson: Thanks Brigit, that's what I hope for too!

>71 Familyhistorian: Good to hear that your son's surgery was successful. He's been through it these last few years, hasn't he? I hope that things significantly calm down for you both.

>74 Jackie_K: Thanks Jackie. It has been a long and trying journey through the health system.

26. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides



I have no idea when or where the book The Marriage Plot ended up on my shelves but I finally pulled it as it match a challenge category. It was the story of young couples meeting in university and going out into the world with all the pressures to match up and marry. But sometimes that’s not really the answer.

27. Three in Death by J. D. Robb



I really like the in Death series and have read most of the series twice but I lately became aware that there are books containing short stories from the series. I acquired one to see if it would work for me because short stories are not my thing. In Three in Death the stories were all self-contained and showed Eva Dallas on cases she would have been handling in the early part of the in Death series.

28. A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation by Grace Burrowes



I read the second book in the Lord Julian mysteries. This time his brother, the duke, had summoned him home as back up to deal with the determined campaign of a spinster neighbour to get him to the altar. Once there Julian finds an intriguing mystery involving the spinster’s artist brother and, indeed, the whole neighbour family in A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation

29. Thumbin’ the Rock by Bernadette Shea





I’ve been very successful in getting Early Reviewer books lately which is great but also hard because then I have to read and review them. Meanwhile they grow ROOTs. In an effort to get them read and out I’m going to count them as some of my ROOTs.

The latest one that I finished was Thumbin’ the Rock a fun story of two sisters originally from Cape Breton hitchhiking in Newfoundland – at 72 and 60! They took a guitar along and had a great time meeting some interesting people along the way.

I'm falling way behind. Just to catch up I need to read 37 ROOTs by the end of July. This has never happened all the time I've been ROOTing. Part of it is not travelling and taking some of my own books to read along the way but that can't be the whole reason because I was able to keep up during the COVID years.

30. The Wife of Willesden by Zadie Smith



Somewhere in my travels I picked up The Wife of Willesden. I chose to read it because of a reading challenge and was surprised to find that it was a play, the retelling of the wife of Bath. Chaucer’s tale had been transposed to London in the modern day and the speech of the bawdy wife who married 5 times while as down to earth as the original pattern her patois on the street rhythms of Jamaica.