Better Off Read

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I was so excited to view that there is a new mystery series that would involve a bookmobile. I love "A Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series" by Laurie Cass and I'm so delighted to confirm there's a new treat to enjoy as created by Nora Page. I have many fond memories of climbing aboard the local bookmobile that visited my neighborhood when I was a child. As we were a one-car family at the time it was especially magical to have one of the bookmobile stops be only a few steps from home.

Catalpa Springs is located in South Georgia and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is a hoot! Cleo is a ball of energy and there's always a whirlwind of activity around her regardless of her location. Cleo is delightfully show more accompanied by her cat Rhett Butler who has quite a personality too. Rhett's favorite lounging locations are either draped over Cleo's shoulders, nuzzling her ear and purring to express his feelings or lounging on the hood of the bookmobile at each scheduled stop or while Cleo is doing a special delivery.

I also love two of the characters joining Cleo as the new trio sleuthing team when there's a murder to solve in their small town. Leanna is one of the young library workers that is saving up money from part-time jobs to pursue her dream of becoming a librarian too. There's also Henry Lafayette, owner of The Gilded Page Antiquarian and Rare Bookshop. I have to say I absolutely adore his posted store hours as follows: "Monday through Friday—when open. Weekends and holidays, nights, special occasions, and inclement weather—at whim." It's almost as though Henry had been preparing for the needed flexibility of being Cleo's sidekick for investigations all along. As I was reading I thought to myself, "Henry, dear man, you've got style!"

I don't recall another series about libraries where there is a young person highlighted with a dream of becoming a librarian. The usual characters whether primary or secondary to the storyline are established librarians. The friendship between Cleo, Henry, and Leanna not only offers a multi-generational interest to the series but highlights the mentoring of an established librarian passing on the love of her profession.

I can only hope that I've in some small way helped to encourage new readers to enjoy this series! Book One is the opening treasure of the series and I'm so happy to be along for the ride! show less

Septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins isn’t one to let anything slide, so the new mayor’s decision to invest in a fishing pier instead of funding repairs for the storm-damaged library doesn’t sit well with her. Gathering up her ginger Persian, Rhett Butler, she hits the roads of Catalpa Springs, Georgia, in the Words on Wheels bookmobile.

If Cleo can’t find the funds for repairing the library, the converted yellow school bus will be the only means of getting books into the hands of the library’s many patrons. The crotchety town eccentric is her best hope for funding, but when she stops the bookmobile to deliver the strange books he’s reserved, she discovers his body. Soon thereafter, her best friend becomes the prime suspect show more in the murder and Cleo sets out to discover the truth.

Can she solve the murder mystery and save her friend? And can she find a way to keep the mayor from closing the library in favor of a fishing pier?

The first book in the Bookmobile Mystery series offers readers a charming town filled with interesting characters; it’s just quirky enough, has loveable furry sidekicks, and a lively plot to keep things moving right along.

There’s a Hummingbird cake recipe included [definitely a southern touch] that hits just the right note, tying in with the story and giving readers a treat.

Recommended. show less

A library with a 75-year-old librarian who still drives a bookmobile (and speeds while doing so)? The set-up for Nora Page's new series features that implausible scenario. The mayor of Catulpa Springs, Georgia,somewhere just north of the Florida state line, wants to do away with its tree-damaged library, its bookmobile, and its librarian. An antiquarian book collector and library friend's death turns suspicion to the man's neighbor. Cleo doesn't believe it and sets out to investigate. Not even Rhett Butler the cat could redeem this book. Far too many characters appear too quickly without sufficient development to sort in the reader's mind. A low-level officer related to one of the characters seems to be the main police officer show more investigating rather than police detectives or the man referred to throughout the book as "Chief." The conversation-intensive narrative likely appeals to a younger audience while the septuagenarian librarian tries to draw older readers. Unfortunately as someone who recently dealt with aging parents, I question how a town could afford insurance to allow an elderly woman known to speed to drive a bookmobile. While the story does improve as the book goes on, it fails to redeem itself and leaves the reader dissatisfied. I received an advance review copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review. show less

Librarian Cleo Watkins won’t be quietened when the new, young mayor threatens to permanently close down her tiny town’s storm-damaged library. She takes to her bookmobile, Words on Wheels, to collect allies and rally library support throughout Catalpa Springs, Georgia. She won’t allow her advanced age to stop her or murder.

A major benefactor known for his eccentric DIY projects requests all available books on getting away with murder. He’s no Georgia peach, and Cleo wonders if she should worry about his plans. But too late she discovers him bludgeoned, and evidence points to her best friend, Mary-Rose Garland.

Certain of Mary-Rose’s innocence, Cleo applies her librarian’s sleuthing skills to the case, assisted by friends, show more family, and the dapper antiquarian bookseller everyone keeps calling her boyfriend. Evidence stacks up. With lives and her library on the line, Cleo must shift into high gear to close the book on murder.
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Series: A Bookmobile Mystery
Author: Nora Page
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Career
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publishing Date: May 8, 2018

Better Off Read, is a series debut by Nora Page. This book is filled with colorful characters, easy to dislike victims. The small town of Catalpa Springs is a wonderful look into small-town life. Mixed with the murder of a very unpopular man, this book has all the makings of a great new series that readers will love.

Cleo isn’t your average main character or the average librarian. Her age gives her insights into everyday life and how to handle rash decisions by young social climbers who don’t know that libraries are for more than just reading books. Cleo is smart, talented and funny. She worries about her town and its residents to the point of sleeplessness. She is determined and stubborn with just enough gumption to keep hope alive.

Cleo is passionate about the library and is almost at a loss on what to do when a bad storm destroys parts of the building and closes the doors until repairs can be made. Unfortunately, the new mayor thinks the library is a waste of money, and the budget should go towards his ideas to bring in tourists to the small community.

Other characters are just as appealing as Cleo and enhance the story. Mary Rose is stubborn, at times downright rude and seems to forget her age when tromping through the thick brush or making plans to get even with an old adversary.

This story is easy to read and flows nicely from one chapter to another. The evidence falls into place but never gives away the guilty party until the very end. Overall Better Off Read and the future series is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys main characters who have experience and knowledge on their side. show less

3.5 stars (rating shown may vary depending on review site). This was on the library sale shelf and the books + cat + dog on the cover caught my interest. (I also thought I'd read another book in this series.) I did not realize this was book 1 in the series until I came on to review sites.

The future of the library is endangered (boo!). The library building suffered damage and is closed until repairs can be performed; however, the mayor is claiming there are no funds for the library! In the meantime, librarian Cleo is using the bus-turned-bookmobile to keep the library going.

When one of the library's staunchest patrons dies under suspicious circumstances, Cleo and her friends seek to discover the truth.

I did not suspect who the show more perpetrator was prior to the reveal, but that's my norm so your experience may vary. show less

Better Off Read by Nora Page is the first tale in A Bookmobile Mystery series. Cleo Watkins is the head librarian of the Catalpa Springs Public Library in Catalpa Springs, Georgia. Unfortunately, a storm recently downed a beautiful old tree right onto the library. Mayor Jeb Day does not wish to use city funds to revive the library (they have insurance). Instead, he wishes to make Catalpa Springs a fishing destination with a world class fishing pier and have a floating casino on Tallgrass River. Cleo still wants to get books out to public and starts taking out Words on Wheels, the bookmobile, out every day. Cleo has to stop by Krandall House with books ordered by the eccentric Buford Krandall who is in a feud with neighbor, Mary-Rose show more Garland. Cleo discovers the front door open, the library in a disarray and Buford dead. The evidence quickly mounts against Mary-Rose. Cleo knows her friend did not harm Buford and sets out to prove it with the help of her friends.

Better Off Read is a humorous cozy with a fast pace. Cleo Watkins is seventy-five and determined to save her library. The mayor is determined Cleo will retire and repurpose the library. Cleo is a smart, spunky strong-minded woman who leads a busy life and has a lead foot when driving (I am amazed she has not had her license revoked). I appreciate her passion for books and helping others find the right books for them to read. There is a cast of quirky characters to accompany Cleo in Better Off Read. There is Ollie, her grandson who does not know what he wants to do with his life. Leanna who works part-time at the library (before the storm) and is going to college to get her degree in library science. Henry Lafayette who is smitten with Cleo and has a pub named Mr. Chaucer. Bitsy Givens is president of the Ladies League, married to the local bank president and puts up with her demanding mother-in-law. Let us not forget Rhett Butler, the library cat who accompanies Cleo on her rounds in Words on Wheels. While there are some interesting characters, I felt the author introduced too many of them. They just kept coming and it is difficult to keep them all straight. I wish the author had limited the number and focused on developing them (they seemed superficial). Catalpa Springs is a small Southern town in Georgia near the Florida border. There is Southern hospitality, plenty of food and gossip flows freely and quickly. There seemed to be one zany antic after another throughout Better Off Read (I just wanted them to stop). There is an amazing amount of dialogue in the story. The mystery had some good components, but it gets lost. I believe when the solution to the murder is revealed, some readers will be scratching their heads. The book has a satisfying ending that wraps up all the storylines. I felt that there was too much going on (I could not begin to describe it all). Better Off Read had a great premise, but the final product was dissatisfying. My rating for Better Off Read is 3 out of 5 stars. show less

I loved the bookmobile, and that Cleo was older and spunky and fighting for her library. The small town setting was drawn nicely and many of the characters were enjoyable. There were a LOT of characters introduced in this book, however, and and at times I confused them. The story was good, with a twist or two I didn't see coming.

However, the start was slow, and it took me until I was a good third of the way through before I really got drawn into the story. In theory, I should have loved Cleo but I felt like I still didn't really know as much about her as I would have liked to, and hopefully this will be sorted as the series continues (and I hope it does). I love the idea of her character, so I hope to see her developed a little more show more fully in the next story.

Some of the characters in the book - the mayor and sheriff, in particular - who I assume will be recurring thorns in Cleo's side, felt cartoonish. The rest of the characters were interesting and I look forward to learning more about them as the series continues. She had some fun twists with several of the characters that I was not expecting!

I look forward to learning more about Cleo and hopefully seeing the library in repair in author Page's next novel.

Many thanks to Goodreads for providing a copy of the book. All opinions are my own. show less