Sunday Salon - September Treasures in My Closet

If you could see the books I have left over from June and July, with hopes of still reading some of them, you'd know why I'm glad there are only a few books in my closet for September.  I know that TBR pile will grow over the next month as well.  In the meantime, here are seven titles you might want to watch for at your favorite bookstore or public library.

I always do these lists alphabetically by author, but this one just might be at the top of the pile anyways.  How can you resist that kitten on the cover of Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family by Helen Brown?  Brown's family picked out Cleo before tragedy struck, but the arrival of a kitten did something to restore her son's smile, and the family itself.  I'm looking forward to this story about the connection between humans and animals.

Katrina Kenison's The Gift of an Ordinary Day is also a mother's memoir.  It's the story of a family in transition, as Kenison's oldest son prepared to leave for college.  And, she discovers that what she treasures most are the ordinary moments of everyday life.

It's been three years since the last Art Forger's Mystery by Hailey Lind.  Arsenic and Old Paint finds ex-art forger Annie Kincaid in danger again, investigating a murder in San Francisco, scrambling through underground Chinatown tunnels in search of stolen art, and following the trail of a bronze Greek god that disappeared.  Welcome back, Annie!




Since Casey Mayes' A Deadly Row is a debut mystery from Berkley Prime Crime, you'll probably see more of the book when I do my Penguin (USA) book chat mid-month.  Set in Charlotte, North Carolina, it features math puzzle maker Savannah Stone, who puts her analytical skills to work when the mayor receives death threats.

I even have a gorgeous picture book in my closet.  Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth is a stunning book with colors of fall, and the spirit of Halloween.  But, Stillwater, the panda ghost,  has a spine-tingling story for his friends, after they finish trick-or-treating.


 L.J. Sellers brings back Detective Wade Jackson in Thrilled to Death.  Set in Eugene, Oregon, two young women with nothing in common disappear on the same day.  Jackson's investigation uncovers the rich girl's secrets, when she turns up dead.  But, the investigation runs into trouble when the primary suspect is an agoraphobic who hasn't left his house in a year.

Scoop to Kill by Wendy Lyn Watson is another book you'll probably be seeing mid-month, an Obsidian paperback.  Tallulah Jones is proprietor of Dalliance, Texas' old-fashioned ice-cream parlor, Remember the A-la-mode.  She's also an amateur sleuth when Tally's niece stumbles on a body during the local college's Honor's Day festivities.  When a second death follows, Tally must act fast to keep her niece from becoming the third murder victim.

See?  An ordinary month can give us gifts of mystery, cats, ice cream and art.  It looks like the treasures in my closet are special for September.  And, watch for tomorrow's Hot September Titles for more forthcoming books.