dancingpony

Cats in the Belfry by Doreen Tovey

Animal lovers Doreen and Charles Tovey were used to opening their doors to various pets: from Shorty, the highly-strung budgerigar to Blondin, a mischievous squirrel.

They had never been enamoured with cats, but when their country home became overrun with mice they decided to bring in a kitten.

But Siamese pedigrees are not like normal cats…

Before long Doreen’s world is turned upside down by the new arrival … and from that moment on she never looked back.

CATS IN THE BELFRY is the first of Doreen Tovey’s memoirs about living with Siamese cats: set in the British countryside, it is told with wit, mischief, and above all humour.

I came across this book in an odd way. I’d been watching the Amazon daily deals for quite a while, thinking I would eventually see one with a month in the title for a Book Bingo square. However, I hadn’t seen one, or at least one that appealed to me. Finally, I googled “books with a month in the title,” and up popped a list from Goodreads. I’d scrolled through about three pages of the list when a book called Cats in May caught my eye. I read the blurb on Amazon and thought it sounded fun, but it was the second book in a series … and I prefer not to read books from the middle of a series, even if I don’t intend to read the entire series. But then I noticed that, even though the books were adapted for Kindle in 2018, they were originally published in the mid-1900s.

Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Jules Verne's race-against-time adventure exactly as readers first discovered it in 1872—complete, unabridged, and brought to life with over 50 original illustrations from the classic 1873 James R. Osgood edition that capture Phileas Fogg's extraordinary journey around the globe.

When precise English gentleman Phileas Fogg makes an extraordinary £20,000 wager that he can circle the globe in just eighty days, he embarks on a thrilling race against time with his loyal French valet Passepartout. From London to Suez, across India by elephant, through China and Japan, and across the American frontier, Fogg faces obstacles at every turn—missed trains, natural disasters, and a determined detective convinced Fogg is a bank robber. With each delay threatening their carefully calculated schedule, can Fogg prove that determination and resourcefulness can overcome any obstacle and make it back to London before time runs out?

I came across this book while I was searching for a book with a train on the cover for Book Bingo. I’d seen the 1956 movie many decades ago but remembered only a little about the storyline. I’d never read the book. And since the book has long been in the public domain, even this illustrated Kindle edition was only ninety-nine cents.

Challenge words: Bit, Last, Lawyer, Skid, Translate, Wave

“I’m on the last section.” Napoleon’s pencil tapped on the report form. “The part after I used Miss Chang’s Porsche for our getaway and skidded into a pole.”

“You were injured by the impact?”

“No. And she waved over a cop car, so the Thrushies fled.”

“Then how—”

“She started screaming, mostly in Chinese — something about her lawyer — but you weren’t there to translate.”

“You insisted on going in … solo.”

“A mistake,” Napoleon admited, shifting the ice pack covering his black eye. “She was a bit, ah, peeved about the damage to her car.”

Tomorrow is another day.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

The New York Times bestselling luminous tale about art and human experience that is as breathtaking as any Vermeer painting.

A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to see a painting that he has kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer—why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold in a series of stories that trace ownership of the painting back to World War II and Amsterdam, and still further back to the moment of the work’s inspiration. As the painting moves through each owner’s hands, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in human lives. Vreeland’s characters remind us, through their love of the mysterious painting, how beauty transforms and why we reach for it, what lasts, and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue appeared on my list of Amazon daily deals while I was searching for a book with a color in the title for Book Bingo. I downloaded and read the sample, which was compelling enough for me to buy the (inexpensive) book. I should note, though, that I almost didn’t get more than a few pages into the sample. The opening seemed awkward to me, and I almost stopped reading, thinking the writing style would be too flowery for my taste. However, that impression only lasted until the point-of-view character moved from a a brief period of introspection to an interaction with another character.

Challenge words: hallway, nominate, qualifications, relinquish, wait, water

I stumble beside the gurney as it rushes from hallway to treatment room, refusing to relinquish my grip on a chilled, limp hand.

A nurse nudges me back toward the curtained doorway, her shocked gaze skimming down my dripping clothes to the red-tinged water puddling at my feet. “Please wait outside, sir. You’re in our way.”

The doctor at this tiny hospital will never be nominated for Surgeon General but surely has the qualifications to care for a critically injured man.

I have only an overwhelming conviction my partner will slip away without me beside him, anchoring him to life.

I hope you have a lovely day.

Beachfront Bakery: A Killer Cupcake by Fiona Grace

Allison Sweet, 34, a sous chef in Los Angeles, has had it up to here with demeaning customers, her demanding boss, and her failed love life. After a shocking incident, she realizes the time has come to start life fresh and follow her lifelong dream of moving to a small town and opening a bakery of her own.

When Allison spots a charming, vacant storefront on the boardwalk near Venice, she wonders if she could really start life anew. Feeling like it's a sign, and a time to take a chance in life, she goes for it.

Yet Allison did not anticipate the wild ride ahead of her: the boardwalk, filled with fun and outrageous characters, is pulsing with life, from the Italian pizzeria owners on either side of her who vie for her affection, to the fortune tellers and scheming rival bakery owner nearby. Allison yearns to just focus on her delicious new pastry recipes and keep her struggling bakery afloat—but when a murder occurs right near her shop, everything changes.

Implicated, her entire future at stake, Allison has no choice but to investigate to clear her name. As an orphaned dog wanders into her life, a devoted new sidekick with a knack for solving mysteries, she starts her search.

Will they find the killer? And can her struggling bakery survive?

Very Good, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

When Bertie blunders… Jeeves delivers.

In Very Good, Jeeves!, P. G. Wodehouse brings back one of literature’s most beloved duos: the ever-confused Bertie Wooster and his effortlessly brilliant valet, Jeeves.

This delightful collection of stories is packed with romantic mix-ups, social disasters, and clever solutions—courtesy of Jeeves, of course.

A couple of months ago, I read and reviewed a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse for the Anthology square of 2026 Book Bingo. Those stories were from a mix from Wodehouse’s series, and all the stories involved animals. Shortly after I finished reading that collection, this one appeared on my list of Amazon daily deals. And, by coincidence, I’d been looking for a book to fill the “Title begins with the first letter of your name” square. I doubt I could find a book that better fills the criterion, since my initials are V.G..

All of these stories are from Wodehouse’s “Wooster and Jeeves” series. Bertie Wooster is a good-natured but rather hapless / bumbling young man of the early 1900s, a member of what might be termed “the idle rich.” Jeeves is his “gentleman’s personal gentleman” (or valet, although I’ve not yet seen either of the main characters use that term.) Bertie spends his days in pursuit of entertainment and pleasure, often falling into comical scrapes involving his family, friends, and/or young ladies. Jeeves spends his days caring for Bertie and pulling him out of those scrapes.

Challenge words: achieve, company, ensure, gallery, pneumonia, smooth

“It’s your own fault you have pneumonia again,” the Russian pointed out unsympathetically.

Napoleon tried to achieve his usual smooth retort but couldn’t manage it between wheezing coughs. “How do you figure?”

One blond brow rose. “The company you were keeping all but ensured you were going to land in the swimming pool … if not worse.”

“I don’t see what could be worse.” The tone was peevish, but he had a fever.

“The gallery was on the third floor. You could have landed on concrete.” Illya’s tone softened. “I suppose I should be grateful you remembered to check for spiders.”

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