New this week

I guess you could say that both new books this week deal with death and dying. But, that wouldn't be correct.

Shannon Applegate's intriguing Living Among Headstones tells of small town life in Oregon. It seems she inherited a small cemetary in western Oregon. This book chronicles her experiences as trustee of this sacred land. This book is filled with humor, singular events, pathos, and unexpected smiles. Ultimately, we and the author learn that only an understanding of death can give us an appreciation of life. Read More

This week's other new work, Dying for a Blue Plate Special, is fiction. Beth Kalikoff, who teaches writing at the University of Washington's Tacoma campus, has written a mystery set in Tacoma, something of a rarity. Jewel Feynmann worries that her business Blue Plate Catering is failing and as luck would have it, she's offered catering work at Commencement Bay University. But the dean, Matthew Mulcahy, dies from food poisoning served by Blue Plate. Homicide Detective Ben Hartsock investigates the murder, he also tries to date Jewel. Well, I won't tell you any more. Read More