Under Vixen’s Mere is one of those novels that quietly gets under your skin and then refuses to leave.
From the opening pages, the prose immediately stood out to me. It’s spare without ever feeling sparse—clean, confident, and quietly assured. Dialogue and description are held in careful balance, each doing its work without calling attention to itself. Nothing strains for effect, and that sense of restraint builds trust early on, inviting the reader to settle in and follow where the story leads.
What makes this book especially satisfying is its sensory richness. The attention to detail is so precise you can practically smell the bread cooling on the racks, the sharpness of cheese, the damp stone after rain. It is comfort reading with substance: sunshine and laughter paired with the everyday complications life throws at us, and the quiet resilience required to meet them.
This is not a book about capital-H heroes. Instead, it centers on people who engage in small acts of service, kindness, and yes, heroism—not for recognition or glory, but because it was the right thing to do in the moment. These are stories of people showing up when it would have been easier not to.
The Locked Room is clever, cozy without being complacent, and deeply satisfying for puzzle-lovers. If you adore classic detective fiction but crave a fresh perspective, Harriet White deserves a place on your shelf—and very likely, in your reading rotation for a long while to come.
About the Book: A Treatise on Martian Chiropractic Manipulation and Other Satirical Tales Human beings are flawed creatures, and humor is the perfect means to exploit the endless fodder of our shortcomings. This multi-genre collection of twenty-one short satirical stories will leave you smirking, chuckling, scratching your head, and maybe even muttering to yourself […]
Wow, I was sitting a little to close to the screen when your page opened. Scared me. What a great shot though. Have a great WW. :)
that is a beautiful shot! Stunning what mother nature can do.
Now that itsy bitsy spider song is going to go through my mind all afternoon.
Have a great Wednesday,
Frances
Yuck. Spiders kind of freak me out. Happy WW!
Oh, I had a spider visit me earlier today. She calmly walked through my patio doors and into the living room, she was quite unexpected (yes, it was a she her name is Dora) and my cat looked willing to entertain unannounced company. However I grabbed a glass and rescued her to the big outdoors.
I think that must be her relative – I can see the family resemblance.
this is so awesome! love this
michele sent me!
Really great shot. I just cleaned up a cobweb and then thought I should have taken a shot for next weeks WW :-(