so far ive almost cried twice

For the Tlingit and Haida peoples, both shamans and kushtakas, land otter spirits of those who had drowned

Subtitled "Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion," this book is a joint memoir of two friends, authors, and rare book dealers. They were the ones who uncovered the blood and thunder potboilers of Louisa May Alcott published anonymously or pseudonymously and published collections of these stories, which threw a whole new light on the author of "Little Women." They enjoy their research and their special rare book finds.

This book involves murder, a small town public library, and a bookmobile. It is a pleasant read for those who enjoy a cozy mystery. It also includes a delicious recipe for hummingbird cake.

This memoir by a woman who feels herself a bit of a misfit finds her calling training horses. She is asked to help out at a ranch for prisoners finishing off their sentences, most of whom have been drug dealers and addicts. By teaching the residents patience with training the horses, she finds a number of them react with love and care for the horses and overcome many of their personal difficulties.

beautifully-written description of relationships, but little happened and the resolution felt lacking.

A frustrated teen aged steeplechase jockey agrees to help his father's campaign for a seat in Parliament. Sabotage and murder attempts ensue in this page turner. This is a quick and fun summer read.

Kushtakas were half man-half otter, spirits of those who had drowned. These phantoms appeared to those in danger of drowning and offered to rescue them, but aimed to turn them into kushtakas too. Only those with respect for elders and traditions and a strong will from ascetic practices were able to resist these spirits. The shamans were healers and could see into the future and tried to use their powers against the kushtakas. There are beautiful illustrations at the chapter headings. This is a nice book of native American legends.

This is a great heartwarming book about friends and sticking up for yourself.

This book tells the life of the legendary Mike Fink, brawler and noted keelboatman on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Nicely illustrated and full of tall tales of the rough life of the men rowing the river boats until displaced by steamboats.