Interesting cover design here

The cover screams YA, but the book is solidly middle grade - I'm three pages in and we've established that the main character is in the 4th grade and her sister is 14.

I still enjoy middle grade books (and middle grade realistic/contemporary is more likely to appeal than YA or, god forbid, adult realistic/contemporary*) and I legit thought this was misshelved when I picked it up.

* Unless it's a murder mystery, in which case I may like it quite a bit. Which makes me wonder, why aren't there more sci-fi/fantasy murder mystery series? Historical fiction has its own niche there. Hm...

Finn has to go to the groomer

I was able to get an appointment Friday, which really astonished me - usually the groomer books up weeks in advance! But I guess nobody wanted to go right after Christmas. (They told me on the phone that people were still trying to book grooming and/or boarding right before Christmas. It was already, like, the 22nd. I can't even....)

End of December isn't the optimal time for this dog to be shaved down, but we couldn't do it when it was the optimal time so he'll just have to shiver a little next month. He's rapidly moving from "scruffy" to "disreputable", and that can't be allowed. Sorry, baby.

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Clue: Master Detective is vastly superior to regular Clue

There's better balance between the who, the what, and the where. (Though I still don't know why we're so incompetent we can't tell the difference between strangulation and gunshot wounds.)

I spent a ridiculous sum buying a copy of Master Detective used, because it was out of print.

I'm both pleased and perturbed to note that it's now back in print. So, um, buy yourself a copy?