Birthdays Books

This book is great and the bonus CD that it comes with however you would have to buy the software but I really like this product and I will be buying the software.

I designed my wedding invitations using this book. I have almost no artistic talent, so I had my doubts. But this book is filled with so many great ideas and simple instructions that I was able to put together a beautiful design in an afternoon.
I wound up with invitations that were more original (and much less expensive) than anything I could've bought at the stationery story.
Since then, I've given this book to five newly engaged friends--they're thrilled!

This is just a teaser to get you to buy the more expensive book. The accompanying cd has almost nothing on it, just a few borders and pictures. Fonts are supposed to be available for download from the website, but they offer nothing substantially different from the Word fonts. A waste of time and money.

Now, I'm just a dude... metrosexual maybe, but still just a dude. So I don't know my @$$ from my elbow when it comes to making invitations. But this book made everything very accessible. I see some complaints about the need for additional software, but I found I could implement a lot of the suggestions using apps that I already had on my computer.

Bottom line: Friendly, well-written and full of ideas.

They should have added to the title, "With our software that you can purchase seperately." There's a cd included, big deal, just gives you a taste of what you can buy. I ended up downloading a program for free to make my invitations. There is some info on paper, styles, etc. that may be helpful, but oh, why am I trying to be nice? The title is misleading and this was a waste of money.

When this series started, it was entertaining because Lucy and her family seemed to normal. Now it's just getting stupid.

Lucy has turned into nothing but a whining, complaining buttinsky. The police have told her to keep her nose out of their investigations and so has her husband. Yet she keeps sticking it into things that don't concern her, putting herself in danger, for absolutely no realistic reason at all.

Ms. Tilley has been a fixture in this series since the start. I found it highly unbelievable that no one in town was real concerned about obvious con artists showing up and moving in with her, other than Lucy and Rachel. And it was even more unbelievable to me that they didn't try harder to get in to see her or find out what was really going on.

This book also seemed too "busy," with too many stupid little things going on. Way too much time was given to Sara's birthday party, which turned out to be nothing. Lucy's new obsession with exercise and her looks became downright annoying. And I can only assume all the little Toby stuff was leading up to the next book.

If the author is starting to run out of ways to believably keep her amateur sleuth involved in cases, perhaps it's time to hang this series up.

This book, like the others in this series that I have read, can hardly be termed "murder mysteries." The protagonist, Lucy Stone, never seem to solve the crimes. Instead, she accidnetly blunders into trouble and the murderer then promptly attacks or kidnaps her.

Like may readers, a book is as escape for me into another world. Lucy Stone's world is one I do not intend to visit again. Her harried supermom performance, coupled with an inability to say no, makes her such a victim that I end up rooting for the bad guys. Her children are lazy brats who manage to get into all sorts of trouble. Her husband is insecure and selfish. Her friends think nothing of imposing on her. If reading this book is a "break," it's a painful one.

Save your money.

In the 9th book in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series, it's time for a celebration. Miss Tilley, Tinker Cove's oldest resident and former librarian is turning 90-years-old and the town prepares for a large party. However, a damper is quickly put on the celebration plans when the town's senior attorney, Sherman Cobb, is found dead from an apparent suicide. His partner has a difficult time believing Sherman would have shot himself and implores Lucy to help him look into Sherman's life. She pokes around his home, and his office, and although she believes he would never have committed suicide, the police fail to take her thoughts seriously. Lucy quickly becomes distracted when Miss Tilley has a long-lost niece arrive in town. The niece, Shirley, swiftly takes over at Miss Tilley's house, and starts preventing Lucy and caregiver Rachel from visiting. Quickly becoming suspicious, Lucy and Rachel continue to try to visit their long-time friend. It is not long before Lucy is overwhelmed with work for the town paper, and it doesn't help that her son is flunking out of college. Add to this a co-ed sleepover party for her teenage daughter, and a fall out of a window for husband, Bill, and Lucy is ready for a long vacation on a tropical island. And don't even mention the gray hair and wrinkles that Lucy has recently spotted...

I have enjoyed each of the Lucy Stone mysteries, and this one did not disappoint. Lucy is a character that a lot of woman can relate to. In this installment, she is worried about getting older...and tries to find a "miracle" cream that will make the wrinkles vanish (the results are far from satisfactory, but highly amusing!). She struggles with her teenager regarding her birthday sleepover, and deals with her oldest son doing poorly in college. It was nice to see that Bill wasn't as grumpy as in previous installments (finally!), and that she is learning how to stand up for herself with her friends instead of getting roped into every project. This book, like all books in the series, is a light, quick read.

If you enjoy the Jane Jeffry series by Jill Churchill, give this series a try. The 1st book in the series is called "Mistletoe Murder". Enjoy!

I really enjoyed this installment in the Lucy Stone series. It was very exciting. The major recurring theme throughout the book was aging. Lucy is fighting Mother Nature. It was humerous when she bought the expensive brand of skin care that her best friend Sue told her to buy.

Sherman Cobb is murdered but the cops think it is suicide. Lucy gets to the truth in this matter.

Miss Tilley is one of my favorite characters in this series. She certainly didn't disappoint me in this book.

I thought this was a well written addition to this series.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! It is the 9th book of the series and the best so far! I was very satisfied when I finished the book.

Lucy Stone is the main character. The town's former librarian, Miss Tilley, is about to turn 90 and the town is planning a birthday surprise for her. Before that happens, though, someone in the town (I will not say who) turns up dead. Lucy is determined to find out who killed him. Also, Miss Tilley's niece, whom she didn't know about, all of a sudden turns up and moves in with Miss Tilley. Lucy "senses" something is not quite right with the neice. She is determined to find out if the neice is a valid or a shady person, and if the murder is related to Miss Tilley's neice. All pieces and hints in the book fit together very cleverly.

Lucy and Bill are getting older. Two of their four children are away at college. Lucy is getting concerned about her health, weight, and fitness.

I think it is clever how Leslie Meier uses the concerns of aging (health, weight, fitness, etc.) in this book "Birthday Party Murder"; after all, when someone has a birthday, they are concerned about growing old. Also, Miss Tilley's birthday isn't the only person's birthday that is mentioned in this book. Therefore, this book is cleverly themed "birthday".

I especially love the writing style of this book - the way old pieces of Miss Tilley's life (when she was young) are intertwined with the current happenings. Also the fact that nothing was boring (nothing was dwelled on too much), and that the book is multi-layered and all the pieces fit together very nicely. The style of this book is a little different than the others. This book is definitely a winner!

And another reason this book is so good is because there is no Elizabeth. I despise Lucy's ungrateful, despicable daughter.

I have read each of the other Lucy Stone books up to this one. I have to admit, I did not give them all 5 stars. (I only gave 5 stars to the first 5; books 6, 7, and 8 had "boring" in them.) The reason I continued reading is because I love Lucy Stone, and I love the "setting" and "theme" of this series. I am glad I continued reading, because this book is the best one yet. It was hard to put down.

I have purchased this type of planner for the past 3 years. The layout makes it very helpful to keep track of the many activities going on. The large spaces for writing in events is especially helpful as is the extended year.

This calendar is awesome. I got one as a Christmas gift for 2006 and thought I'd never use it. Last year when it came time to buy a calendar for 2007 I got just a normal one and boy did I miss the organization! I decided to get a 2008 one early that is a 16 month calendar because I missed it so much! All moms (and dads) should have this!

I am really disapointed in this calendar. I use another version this calendar every year the one I thought I was getting. No where in the decription did it list it was a Christian version much to my surprise when I opened it up and saw all of these stickers for church outings. Very disapointed in how this was listed it really wouldn't be that hard to mention it would it? Now I have to go buy the non specific planner.

Very well thought out calendar for the family, unlike some calendars that look they were designed by publishers without kids.(Spaces too small, pictures to big, too many stickers for "Vet appointment".

Worth purchasing if you are debating between similar calendars, this one is tried and true. I'm surprised by other bad reviews of this because its has Christian stickers. Seems to me those folks may need a little religion if they are going to get so uptight over a little ol' calendar, especailly when Amazon's return policies are so easy.Silly! I daresay being the happy, unstressed Right Wing Christian that I am, if this came with a bunch of Buddhist stickers, I wouldn't think a thing of it and use those stickers for "yoga" days or something productive, I wouldn't go schizo on Amazon.

Lovely utilitarian calendar. More efficient than the Sandra Boynton one.

I rarely use the stickers in a calendar anyway.

This is a wonderful calender! The stickers are nice, but not always the right ones. There are a lot of church related ones. The magnet is cool but you can't put anything too heavy in the pocket.
I will buy another next fall!

A very cute book that tells the story of Arthur, an 8 year old ardvark whose birthday party is the same day as his friend Muffy's. After the boys and girls initally side with their own kind, Arthur has the idea to give Muffy a surprise party.
In regards to the 'spin the bottle' complaints, I had no problem with it as a kid, and considering they don't actually play (the joke is that Francine wants to play at all, being the tomboyish girl of the group) I don't think it's going to traumatize anyone.

I like this book because it is Arthur and Muffy's birthday. It reminds me of when I was in first grade. I had the same birthday as someone else. I like Marc Brown. My favorite part is when they surprised Muffy by hiding in different places in Arthur's house. I think you should read this book because it's a good book.

I really like the book Arthur's Birthday because I liked when Arthur figured out what to do when Muffy and his birthday are on the same day. He was kind and knew what he was doing.

The story itself is fairly benign, but when you have to start explaining the what, why, and wherefore of spin-the-bottle to your 4-year-old, things get a little sticky. Why would the author and publisher want to insert such content--which would resonate more with the 12-14 year-old crowd--into a book for 4-8 year olds? Also, it reduces a wonderful boy-girl friendship into the "standard" sexual attraction relationship. There's enough of that on TV geared toward young kids. Why not let them enjoy simple sincere friendships for another few blissful years?

I've started reading Arthur's books to my sons and they love the colorful pictures in the book. The storyline is cute ~~ nothing spectular or exciting. Arthur invites everyone to his birthday party only to find out one of his friends, Muffy, has her birthday party the same day. Arthur decided to surprise Muffy by hosting the party at his house and all ends well.

It's a cute story though I am not quite sure about "Spin the Bottle" gift at the end. That may be a little too old for 8 year olds. But it's not offensive or anything ~~ it's just a cute story about birthday parties.

1-12-04

This book is a true inspiration to poets everywhere. BJ Ward possesses insight and emotion that is sure to move even the most jaded of hearts. He is truly extraordinary, and the poems in "Gravediggers Birthday" are proof in print of his genius.

I'm not sure if they're idiots or cowards, or merely people with poor taste. Gravedigger's Birthday is Ward's best book. The reasons are numerous, but my favorite is that Ward has found plausible rhymes for "orange" and "purple." Who else has done that? Oh Come On and Dabman are the perfect reason to disregard anonymous reviews. They sound like the fat, arthritic slobs I hear every Tuesday morning, talking about how they would have played the football game the night before. I hear them and I contemplate the pleasures of the deaf -- the miseries of the tone-deaf.

A wonderful creative writing teacher at West Chester University brought this book to my attention. I could not put it down. His poems are amazing. It is one of those books that if you took the pages and wiped away the words, you would be left with sheets of raw emotions. I appreciate his poetry even more after hearing it at one of his readings. I can't help but find him incredibly attractive while he reads. The passion behind his work is more evident when he reads it. Overall, a must own book, and a must see reading.

I read this book for an Introduction to Poetry Writing class and it was my favorite of the required text. Ward reaches in his writing beyond the typical poetry reader with creative and brillant descriptions of real life sitiations. I would definitely recommend this book, espeicially to new poets or contemporary poetry readers. It certainly was an inspiration for my own poetry writing.

In "Gravedigger's Birthday", Wards impressed me by repeatedly taking issues I thought I knew and cracking them open, exposing something new. From The Suicidologist, Sex with Emily Dickinson, to Upon being Asked... he looks at a diverse set of issues-family, violence, sex, roots- and succeeds in articulately pulling the profound out of the relatively mundane. But this is what excites me about any poet that I enjoy.
I found Ward distinctive because his poems gave me the feelings of peering up through the bottom of a fish bowl, instead of down into it. Starting with the cover (the pristine cake in the dirty hole), he seems to be asserting that tongue-twisting lyricism can live in the gritty and struggling places that many of the poems wind their way back to. Though many of the poems were literally about his family, its seems to me that the poems are really about snaking back to an admittedly-humble origin. I think he uses details to promote this effect, giving the abstractions time and place (in Roy Orbison, how he's on "Route 80" in New Jersey, driving his "Toyota Corolla"). Additionally, perhaps inadvertently, his repeated references to The Odyssey also suggest a long and tumultuous striving towards home.
He avoids falling into the blooming-through-the-cracked-sidewalk cliché by constantly invigorating his work with a casual, everydayness that I felt suggested reconciliation rather than voyeuristic self-interest. Perhaps its just the perspective of age, but I found that his wittiness keeps this collection of poems about fundamental human experiences original and eye-opening.
Additionally, the highly critical reviews above complete miss the diversity that Ward demonstrates in his other collections. Further, a close reading of several of his more satirical poems will undercover a ironic wit. This irony overarches this entire collection, and it is the mixture of a tumultuous past and hopeful future that enables Wards works to transcend his (occasionally uninspired) language, and makes this collection more than simply the dribble of another self-pitier.

I would recommend this book to other kids because it is interesting and filled with lots of details about Bobby and Teddy. The whole story was great because Teddy and Bobby stuck beside each other when they needed help.

EZ, BB, and KF

Fantastic, awesome book! This book is funny and gives you information about how Teddy is mean to his younger brother, Bobby. This book is good because it gives you information about all the characters. Some of us like Bobby because he was always perfect, others liked Teddy because he funny and mean. Uncle Curtis was always writing in his notebook and fighting with his brother that always sat on stuff. We recommend this book to others.
DJN, JAC, EMG, and JV

I read this book aloud to my 9-year-old son. It was a decent story with the added dimension of some Chinese American culture, but it wasn't exactly a page-turner. Though it is divided into 21 chapters, the end of one chapter tends to run right into the beginning of the next. There is little feeling of suspense, and I was rarely left eager to know what was going to happen next. Main characters are brothers (I don't remember how old they were supposed to be, but would guess about 11 and 8), and the story is told from the point of view of the older brother. Though this book was not what I'd call a "must read," we enjoyed it enough to stick it out to the end.

I first read this book while I was substituting and I found myself laughing. I am currently reading it to my second/third grade students and they LOVE it a lot! It's a great book to add to the classroom since it has a lot of multicultural aspects that many children need today. I would definitely urge all teachers to add this book to their collection!!! Also see the other 2 books that follow this one. They are great!

I think lator gator is very boring.Only if the alligator hadnt
died it wouldnt be that depressing.

suffice to say, i read this book last year (I was 29 and hoping it held all the answers), but I had to look it up to remember it.
I do remember being entertained by it, but it's not some great, life changing novel.
It was a decent, quick, light read, if a little fluffy and/or girly.

Good for a day on the beach (or waiting for the subway), I guess, but nothing life changing.

I picked up this book because (being on the verge of the big three-oh myself) the title caught my attention. Rarely do you find a voice which is present, introspective, and relatable for both men and women. But this book accomplished that.

It was a great balance of introspection, taking stock, and hopefulness for the future. My favorite quote is about the difference betweeen what turning thirty means for a guy and what it means for a girl. But I won't ruin it for you.

I will tell you that I've already recommended the book to three friends, and that I also wholeheartedly recommend it to you!

Turning Thirty was just the right kind of book for exactly the kind of mood I was in. Perfectly pitched between comedy and pathos I loved every single word. This is the first Mike Gayle I've ever read and I would describe it as somewhere between a Steve Horsfall and a Nick Hornby novel, i.e. British, quirky and so well observed.

Cons: Have you ever looked through someone else's photo album and instead of the person just letting you see the photos, they describe every single detail of every single person on each sheet even if you could care less about them? That was the way most of this book was for me. The majority of the book was about Matt, who left his job and ex-live-in girlfriend in New York to find a new job in Australia but because that job was not ready yet, he moves back in with his parents in Birmingham, UK (I was confused about that at first because I thought he meant Alabama until I looked it up).
This is when things start not making sense to me. I found it odd that:
* someone would go from one continent to the next continent to the next continent all for a three-month wait instead of just finding another apartment in NY
* be jealous of their ex dating someone else when their whole break-up scene was like peeling a banana--easy and no emotion
* Matt didn't think it was extremely weird to move in with a past sex buddy when he was under the impression that she had a serious boyfriend--no matter how nonchalant she claims he was (until I found out later details)

All that aside, when Matt went home to live with his parents, he caught up with a couple of close friends--his continuous sex buddy, Gayle, and his oldest friend, Gershwin. Now that makes sense. However, he decided to call up all of his old school friends to see what they're doing nowadays. That makes sense too, but pages upon pages of describing to the reader in detail what each school friend who we have no idea who they are was unnecessary. I didn't even care that one of them died because I knew zilch about him.

There were a lot of unnecessary details like how the main character's favorite show was ER, but not just that, readers found out how to play ER Live and how he babysat one little girl and played Michael Jackson's album several times while she jumped on the couch, a visitor showed up, and she jumped on the couch again. At one point, there was an email about all of the famous people from Birmingham. Through about 85% of this novel, I was thinking "GET ON WITH THE STORY!" Pages of details could've been covered in a paragraph or two. After page 150, I gave up and just started reading the emails between Elaine and Matt, which was the most interesting part, and browsing the rest of the book until I got to a good part.

Pros: Chapter 54 (page 209) should've been right after Chapter 14 (page 63) when he and his father had a very entertaining "talk" about life. When Matt moved in with Ginnie, this story took off, readers got some drama, they learned more about the connection between him and Elaine, and Matt stopped complaining so much about turning thirty like it was the end of the world. I enjoyed all of the emailed conversations (minus the rambling and unnecessary facts) and very small, romantic things like Elaine knowing what time Matt was born. I was also impressed that the book did not end the way I convinced myself it would. I will not spoil it for those who haven't read it, but I would've bet money (and lost) that Matt would've ended up in a relationship with the woman who got him a Snoopy card and a self-assembly wine rack.

There was a scene when Matt had a fit about a woman picking out an outfit and another on him being dumped that was so amusingly male I couldn't have written it better myself. I think female writers generally have a hard time REALLY placing themselves inside of male characters. These are the types of details I look at in stories that make the sex of the characters seem so genuine.

End result: I'll give another one of this author's books a try since one of my Amazon friends likes Gayle a LOT, hope there is less rambling, and more of a pull to the actual plot instead of introductions and random characters because I liked the dialogue in it and enjoyment from reading from the male perspective.

Being a little over two years away from the big three oh myself this book struck a chord with me. Many of Gayle's observations about how one feels as they approach thirty were not only hilarious but also right on the money.

Matt Beckford is turning thirty in about 89 days and his life is falling apart! He thought by the age of thirty he would have it all together, the fancy high paying job, the woman who was "the one" to spend his life with and the trendy house complete with the requisite "thirty-people's" wine rack. However, Matt finds himself three months away from his birthday moving out of his live in girlfriend's apartment and back to Birmingham to live with, dare I say it...his PARENTS! Now Matt has to figure out what turning thirty really means and he enlist the help of some of his oldest friends to figure it out.

This is the third novel by Gayle that I have had the pleasure of reading and he is definitely a very talented and witty author whose voice has never gotten lost in his stories. As popular as Gayle is in the UK it is surprising that he isn't better known it the US however now with the wide re-release of `TURNING THIRTY' he may just find himself at the top of the US's best sellers list soon.

There are much better books out there for Flower Girls. As other reviewers have already stated, it's WAY too specific (the narrator has to miss a soccer game), and identical in wording to the Ring Bearer book by the same author. I found little to nothing cute or appealing about the illustrations, too.

The cute title lured me in to buying this book although the price was much higher than the other flower girl books listed on amazon.com. The only other thing I liked about this book was the introductory page. There is a place to write the date of the wedding, bride & groom's name along with the flower girl's name. From that point on the book was a pure disappointment. I had ordered 4 different books on being a flower girl and this one ranks at the bottom of my list! It lacks a good explanation of the role of a flower girl, has no story line, and will not keep my 4.5 year old granddaughter's interest for one minute. I tend to think that if something cost more it will be better...not in this case! Here is a perfect book on being a flower girl with a fun story and explanation on what happens before, during and afer a wedding. If you are looking for a book to help your little flower girl understand her role buy this:
The Little Flower Girl (Pictureback(R))

Kids don't have to be preparing for a wedding to appreciate the positive, inspiring words and images of the book. I love the narative which includes things like sports, science and entrepreneurship along with the classic "girl" stuff. I even read the book to my two boys so that they can understand that girls are a lot like them in experiences and aspirations.

Was a little disappointed with this book selection. Bought as a little gift for my flower girls and although they were 7,5 and 3, it was really only meant for the 3-yr-old. Nice illustrations...just didn't care for the list of 10 things!

I was recently married and was given these books by a friend. I had several children in my ceremony and I wanted to make the day as special for them as it was for me. The faces on my little flower girls lit up when I gave the books to them at the rehearsal dinner. They read and re-read them that night; they would not put them down! The day of the wedding the girls could not wait to perform their duties and I honestly feel that the books helped them understand the significance of the occasion. Even better, they were good as gold and knew exactly what to do. These books are great and were a wonderful way to wholeheartedly include the girls in the ceremony, as well as give them something fun to do at the boring rehearsal dinner!

Of all the "Birthday" books I borrowed from the Library I found this one the best if you are planning a toddler birthday! I will definately be purchasing my own copy.

I found the book to have basic common sense information, no real ideas! It was one of 3 books that I purchased and I ended up returning the book and keeping the other 2 books. But, if you need help with how to get organized, this is the book for you! The cover and title are misleading.

My son just turned 9 and I have been using this book for ideas for most of those years. Every birthday I pull it out and I always seem to find a few new ideas in there that I didn't notice the previous year! It includes party activity ideas such as a no-cook play dough recipe, instructions for making pop-up puppets and "moon rocks", and fun ideas like cooking cupcakes in ice cream cones, and playing "spin the bottle" to choose which present to open next (eliminates favoritism in present-opening). The author also includes tips on the child psychology of birthdays (plan something after the party to prevent a big let down), as well as addresses and phone numbers of further party sources. Now my child is getting a little old for some of the tips (the cover states it is for ages 1-8) but some of the ideas work for all ages, so I will hold onto the book for the next birthday.

I am a first time mom and all of my son's friends are a few months younger than him. So, basically we have not have much guideance in planning birthday parties (my husband and I only have our memories and our families' memories to go on). I am reading this book for the first time as I plan his 4th birthday party.

I knew many of the things discussed in the book but I learned new tips and advice. The book had guildelines on when away from home parties were appropriate, what age you should start giving out prizes for games (and good ideas for non-material prizes), how to handle disappointment by the birthday child, and things to do to keep the party moving smoothly (especially if dealing with younger kids that aren't so good at waiting through long turns).

I liked how the book addressed ideas for handling different dietary situations of the guests. I haven't been in that situation so I didn't really have any ideas of my own. The book had good recipes for such situations as lactose intolerance, food allergies or other sensitivities. There were good general food recommendations and recipes as well.

The book has a great breakdown of age considerations for party planning. Recommendations for party length, what kind of activities are appropriate as well as what challenges you may face depending on the age (sharing, play styles...) were included. Before I read this I hadn't really thought about how to make the birthday party age appropriate as they got older (my ideas were limited to Pin the Tail on the Donkey).

The book had unique and creative ideas for favors, invitations and games. It was nice to have a comprehensive list of all the common, popular games as well as some interesting variations.

Well organized and easy to read. I liked the real life experiences mentioned in the book. It helps to read about what did and didn't work for other families.

You can find many good sources of birthday party information on the internet but this book is worth having around in my opinion. It is just a good all pupose guide.

I found Lansky's book to be a common-sense guideline for what young children might find enjoyable. It also, aptly, advises keeping parties for younger kids short and simple. I appreciated her inclusion of cake recipes for special dietary needs. The book is very helpful for young, busy parents who need to organize and stay focused to pull off an extra special event.

Christine Bennett (an ex-nun) was cleaning out some boxes in her basement due to some water damage. The boxes belonged to her late Aunt May.

Chris comes across two items. First is a note about a young man who died after being lost in the woods in Connecticut. The second is an obituary about a wealthy man that committed suicide. Chris' aunt has never mentioned either of these, so she tries to contact the remaining family of each to find out how her aunt was tied to these people. Turns out the young man was a dear friend of her cousin. Both of these deaths occurred about twelve years ago.

In the investigation, Chris finds that the victims, though they didn't know each other, were wearing each other's shoes. Since they happened in different states (though near each other) this was never put together before. Neither woman thought much about the fact that the shoes they were given were not those of their relative. Chris begins to investigate and see how their lives might have intersected.

She spends lots of hours meeting people in Connecticut to see if anyone saw the young man and also investigating the businessman's life to see whether he really committed suicide.

I always enjoy books in this series. Chris is a very likable, intelligent woman. Her husband has become more understanding of her investigations. He is a policeman so he is able to assist her with information in most investigations. Their young son adds a bit of sunshine to each story.

The fact that Chris is an ex-nun always adds to the story. She always shares her investigations with Sister Joseph at the convent. She is always full of great insight and helps direct Chris.

I look forward to reading many more books in this series. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

While sorting through her late aunt's papers and photos, Chris Bennett comes across a few artifacts that sadden her. Her aunt attended two funerals within a very short period of time for people Chris didn't know. Chris is curious, she spent alot of those years as a nun, and didn't have much contact with the outside world. As an attempt to connect with her aunt's past, she decides to find out who these people were. She never dreamed that they were both murdered. Even though the two men lived in different states, with very different lives, one a retarded young man who lived in a group home, and the other a rich industrialist, they were wearing each other's sneakers!

This was a different sort of mystery. On the surface, it was a typical amateur detective story, her hook is that she is a wife, mother and former nun. The plot however, twists and turns in many ways. You almost dislike some of the characters you loved in the beginning, and you mistrust everyone, almost.

But amateur sleuths are always nosy about something and if they weren't, their authors would be writing other stories. I thought that this was one of the more intricate entries in this series and I enjoyed it a lot.

I recently purchased 'The Happy Birthday Murder' at a book sale. Because of this fortunate happening, I now have discovered a whole series by an author I had not read before! (I love it when I do that!)

Christine Bennett is a fascinating female sleuth with an interesting life. A former nun, released from her vows and now married with an (almost) four year old son, Chris has a real knack for solving murders.

'The Happy Birthday Murder' is her most recent outing, but from little references here and there in the text (and the helpful reading list printed in the back of this paperback) it is apparent that solving murders is something Christine is very good at doing.

Chris resides in the home which her beloved Aunt Meg left to her upon her death. While sorting through some boxes of keepsakes in the basement, Christine finds several letters which refer to the deaths of two individuals that died within a few days of one another over twelve years ago. One was a fifty year old, successful business man who committed suicide and the other a young retarded man who dies of exposure after wandering away from the home of friends and becoming lost for several days.

Nothing suspicious was ever discovered regarding either case and families of each man had resumed their lives, long before Christine left the convent. But for a female sleuth, who is good at ferreting out puzzles, there are some oddities that send her asking questions. And when she talks to the families, she unearths even more questions.

This is a tightly written plot that will keep the reader guessing. Written in a breezy, informal style, it tells the story from the viewpoint of an extremely likable character, who loves her husband and son, is a good neighbor and productive member of her community --- and just happens to be good at solving murders!

I'm now on a quest of my own, to find the previous books of this series that have such names as The Good Friday Murder, The April Fool's Day Murder and The Labor Day Murder. Wish me luck!

Having read all 14 of the murder tales about ex-nun Chris Bennett, we are starting to see the series flag a little in zest and credibility. Chris has always specialized in solving (as an amateur) cold crimes that the police were unable to conclude, mostly through long sets of questions with innumerable witnesses and family members of the victims. Plots with just enough suspense and complications, with little or no violence, have given us plenty of pleasant hours reading about this endearing sleuth and (now) her husband Jack and son Eddie.

The premise to get this book cooking was a bit far-fetched to begin with. Sifting through some old papers of her aunt's (whose house Chris inherited), Bennett discovers funeral notices and personal notes about a young adult who died essentially from being lost in the woods (in Connecticut) and another about a man who died (ruled a suicide) on his 50th birthday (hence the title) in the New York area. The two deaths occurred within days of each other some twelve years ago. With no more provocation than that, Chris starts bugging the families concerned for more details about their deaths -- and gee, guess what?? It turns out there is a connection between the two that of course was never discovered by the two police forces conducting the official investigations of the cases. We found that all a bit too much to swallow, and the numerous trips to the scenes and hours of questioning random household members and neighbors near the woods, etc., got to be pretty slow going for much of the book. Only at the end, where some brand new revelations helped turn all the clues into a solution, involving a character never introduced until near the final chapter, did things clear up.

We have noticed that since Eddie has come along, much of the books include filler describing the everyday tedium of meals and naps and trips to the babysitter. Indeed, much of this book looked like filler as Chris rambled on from one whimsical idea to another in a frustrating attempt to find clues. Perhaps it was we readers who were equally frustrated by a leading lady we like who has seemed to become, well, progressively boring as her life increasingly begins to resemble ours. We note that Lee Harris has started a new series ("Murder in Hell's Kitchen") and wonder if our author may have come to the same conclusion as us -- it may be time to move on.