
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 […]
I like your list and you blog skin!
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
Very good list. Happy New Year!
Gets me to thinking that a color party would be a great theme! Great stuff. I love orange.
Orange is my son’s favorite color. He painted his room orange. I loved your list and am partial to gerber daisies, candy corn, creamsicles, and navel oranges. We could be related!
Great list. Orange is so vibrant. Nothing dull about orange.
#1 reminded me to eat a clementine! Thank you!
I did a TT on orange in the past! You came up with a lot of different ones..wow. I love it!
I love oranges – my favorite fruit …. Happy TT!
you had me at creamsicles. they are the best of the orange things
great list! happy TT
You list made me hungry. :-)
Happy TT!
My Thursday Thirteen #6
I liked this list. Orange is a much underused and under-rated color: so high energy. And I am very grateful for “mermaid’s toenails”—perfect name for those little shells.
Now if you had photos to go with the items…
I Linked your post from 13 Political Reasons the Chicken Crossed the Road
I have always associated orange with enthusiasm.
Happy TT!
My TT is about the Freaks and Geeks from I Read Banned Books.
I like orange and all your orange things Is the GG bridge really painted orangd???
ONCE A YEAR????? Candy corn is for everyday use, Melissa. Sugar!
You’ve made me hungry! I usually only like candy corn once a year too, but it’s even sounding good a few months early ;-)
What a lovely run of images to pass along. :)
Beautiful pictures in my head. thanks.
I had no idea the golden gate bridge was orange!
Fun list!
Blessings,
Karla
Yup, the bridge is orange. Sort of orangish-red. Happy TT.
That necklace sounds gorgeous. Thanks for bringing such good thoughts about orange :)
Happy New Year
~X
P.S. I hope Zorro is feeling better today.
Whipped Yams with bourbon? I have to try that.