Book Review: Holmes and Watson

Dear Constant Reader,

You might recall that I thoroughly enjoyed the Giblet and Belle series by Robert Lay. His new series, Holmes and Watson, stars two of the characters we met in The Case of the Vendetta, Holmes, the superior orange cat and Tyler Watson, exonerated ex-con. It’s five years after the events of that book and the two of them, along with young genius Cassidy Macgregor (now grown), form a detective agency.

In the first book, The Case of the Dubious Daughter, a missing persons case becomes something more complex, sinister, and far-reaching. When Isabella De León’s parents hire the detectives to track down their daughter, the case leads them from Connecticut to St. Louis, where they discover wide ranging crimes involving a Colombian cartel, the FBI, and a shadowy organization that controls more than you might imagine. There is also romance and some of Holmes’ backstory.

I was privileged to be a beta reader on the second installment, The Case of the Bridge Too Far, which was recently published. When the agency looks into an art theft, they ultimately come face to face with their nemesis. Does he know that they are on to him? While the investigation goes on, Cassidy is preparing for her wedding and Holmes must deal with a cat from his past. There is excitement and tragedy, as well as humor and love.

The ending left me wanting to know what happens next. Fortunately The Case of the Enemy of My Enemy is due out next autumn. I have inside information that this book will conclude this series of thrillers, but there will be more books featuring the cast of cats!

As has become customary, each book has a bonus short story and a selection of recipes from the paw of Chef Hamilton A. Cat. The Dubious Daughter has recipes submitted by readers and tested to be selected by Hamilton (disclosure: one of them is mine) while The Bridge Too Far supplements the story with three recipes served during the course of the tale.

If you want a sample, I did a reading of the bonus story from The Case of the Bridge Too Far, “Lily and the Great Vampire Hunt”. It’s a Giblet & Belle story, starring Belle’s kitten.

You can follow these links to buy all of Robert’s books at Bookshop.org*:
Giblet & Belle –
The Case Of The Missing Ring
The Case Of The One Still Too Many
The Case Of The Vendetta

Holmes & Watson –
The Case Of The Diabolical Daughter
The Case Of The One Bridge Too Far

They make great holiday gifts!

M2

* Yes, you can get them on Amazon and B&N, but Bookshop.org supports small bookstores and I’m an affiliate, so you’re supporting my endeavors as well.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 1 December 2025 at 2:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A Mystery

Dear Constant Reader,

I wasn’t expecting a package. I certainly wasn’t expecting this one.
Spooky Mail
Turning the box over added a little information, but not much. And the return address was an Etsy seller.
Blind date

Intrigued, I opened it. There was a small case inside, crammed with stuff. A pair of cozy-looking socks, a couple of Biscoff cookies, a packet of tea and one of cocoa, a hightlighter, a hair clip, a spiderweb-shaped coaster — things for a cozy reading time. And this book.
Wrapped book

I almost regretted unwrapping it — look at those careful folds! If you can’t tell from the photo, those are stickers and little post-its and book marks and the like.

Now, the big question. Who sent it? Of course I texted my mom first, but I knew it wasn’t her, as she had just sent me a gift of seasonal tea towels. Indeed, she confirmed she had not sent it “but I wish I had”. My sister was next, and she confirmed it was not her and wished me happy hunting. Family out of the way, I started making a suspect list, but only had time to contact A. (“no, but I wish I had”) before we had to leave for our Halloween show in Salem.

All night it was in the back of my mind wondering who sent the gift. To be honest, I was enjoying the mystery of it, and it didn’t really matter who sent it, I was feeling loved.

The next day, all was revealed when Dr. B. confessed. She was on my suspect list, and it should have been obvious to me. This is not the first time one of us has sent the other a mystery gift.

I’m very much looking forward to a lazy day in the future with a cup of cocoa, warm socks, and my blind date horror novel.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 17 November 2025 at 5:15 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Summer Reading Challenge

Dear Constant Reader,

BPL Summer Reading stickerAs usual, this summer I participated in the Boston Public Library’s summer reading challenge, BLP Bingo. And, like last year, I took on both challenges, the one with 12 books (and 12 other activities) and the one with 24 books. Technically, you only need to complete one line on the bingo card to claim victory, but I strive to overachieve. My personal rule is no re-reads (which made the Epistolary category a bit of a challenge*), unless specifically stated. Here’s what I read from June to August:

For the regular reading challenge:
Author of Color:The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
Indigenous Author: Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon
Book with a Green Cover: Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs by Peter Andreas
Suggestion from Library Staff: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
LGBTQ+ Author: You Wanna Be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America’s Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne
Book Published in 2025: Never Flinch by Stephen King
Teen or Children’s Book: Another by Paul Tremblay
Book About an Immigrant: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
Anthology or Short Story Collection: Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories by various authors
Banned or Challenged Book: Flamer by Mike Curato
Disabled or Neurodivergent Author: The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
Book in Translation: The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda (translated by Alison Watts)

These were the Read More categories:
Book Set in the ’70s: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Graphic Novel: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
Book by an Activist: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Nonhuman Protagonist: A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
Trans or Nonbinary Author: Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Page to Screen: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
First Nations Author: Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories by various authors
2nd Person POV: Candelaria by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
Suggestion from Library Staff: Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala
Epistolary: Piranesi by Susana Clarke
Asian American Author: Mỹ Documents by Kevin Nguyen
Reread a Childhood Favorite: The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs
Found Family: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Autistic Author: All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Book with a Name in the Title: The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Genre You Don’t Often Read: Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes by Leah Litman
Debut Novel: Hungry Bones by Louise Hung
Book from your TBR: A Day at the Dragon Shelter by various authors
Book about an Animal: A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History by Baba the Cat
Time Travel: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Book Set in Latin America: The Ruins by Scott Smith
Afrofuturism: The Ephemora Collector by Stacy Nathaniel Jackson
Novella: Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram
Book About an Artist: The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara

Many of these were picked from the suggestion lists at the BPL, but some were recommendations from others: 

  • The Morbid Curiosity Podcast Discord recommended a bunch of great books, but To Say Nothing of the Dog was a stand-out. Thanks, Butts! Also, two of the members are also authors appearing in A Day at the Dragon Shelter.
  • Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories and The Ruins were selections for the Slightly Sinister Book Club.
  • I read The Phantom of the Opera to prepare for my trip to Masquerade.
  • Scratch suggested When the Angels Left the Old Country, specifically as an audio book. He was right.
  • I was absolutely reading Sarah Hartshorne’s ANTM memoir as soon as it arrived, but finding a category was a challenge, until I read one particular section. (Sarah is an old friend and I’d had this book on preorder since she announced the release date)
  • I knew I was going to read Hungry Bones — I’ve been following Louise since “Creepy Corner” on XOJane. I asked her via her Patreon, if she wanted her book to fulfill “Debut Novel” or “Asian American Author” and to recommend a book for the other category.  She picked the former and recommended Mỹ Documents for the latter.

Top 10 favorite books (in alphabetical order)
A Cat’s Tale
A Day at the Dragon Shelter
Hungry Bones
Never Flinch
A Sweet Sting of Salt
They Called Us Enemy/Mỹ Documents (yes, this is two but I feel they should be read as a set)
To Say Nothing of the Dog
When the Angels Left the Old Country
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
You Wanna Be on Top?

Have you read anything good this summer?

M2
*The obvious choice being Dracula

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 16 September 2025 at 10:24 am  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Girl Show

Dear Constant Reader,

In May (on Toni Elling’s birthday, in fact) I took “The History of Cooch Tent Sideshows”, an on-line class from the Chocolate City Burlesque Academy, taught by founder (and dear friend) Bebe Bardeaux. The class was excellent, as were the others I took, and it reminded me that I never reviewed this book in my collection.

Girl Show: Into the Canvas World of Bump and Grind by A. W.  Stencell, 1999.

As long as there have been carnivals, there have been girl shows. This history covers the early days, starting with the 1893 Columbia Exposition through the decline in the 1980s. The many photographs illustrate all aspects of the carnival: girls in action and backstage, advertisements, posters, show fronts, and more. In the back there’s a glossary for some of the carney terms used throughout book, like single-O (a show with only one attraction), blow off (a final act for an additional fee), and bally (a free taste of the show inside).

Some of the biggest names in burlesque worked carnival girl shows: Gypsy Rose Lee, Sally Rand, and Lili St. Cyr, to name a few. Many of the shows were big production revues with relatively elaborate sets and lavish costumes. But there was a lot of grit behind the glitz. There were plenty of cooch shows where the girls worked nude and allowed the patrons to grope them… and more*. And this went on for 10, 12, 14 shows a day.

The book spotlights some of the great names in the carnival biz, some of whom are well known to burlesque fans and some who are more obscure. There’s a fabulous section all about Tirza the Wine Bath Girl and the evolution of her act, with photos. And there’s a mention of that girl who set her tits on fire. Sound like anyone you know?

Besides the girls, the book covers other people who worked these shows. There were talkers, who were not, as you might suppose, hosts or MCs. They stood out front with some of the girls from the show to entice the audience in. A good talker was an entertainer in his** own right as well as persuasive. The best needed only a few girls around him to advertise the show — his patter did most of the work. There’s a brief mention of Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana show in this chapter. You can learn more about it in Leslie Cunningham’s book, Brown Skin Showgirls. There were the candy butchers technically sold boxes of candy, but also worked a con to get people to buy by promising fabulous or risqué prizes. They were found in burlesque theatres as well and could have very entertaining pitches. There are also sections on producers, show families, and general carnival life.

It’s a good overview of the traveling show — a fine companion to Carnival Strippers and Brown Skin Showgirls.

*There are photos of this. Just a friendly warning.
**There were female talkers but they were in the minority

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 24 July 2025 at 4:46 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Tempest Storm

Dear Constant Reader,

I first saw this documentary in 2018 at a local theatre, but it took me this long to write up my thoughts. I know Tempest never would have seen this little blog, but I didn’t feel comfortable writing this while she was alive. The audience at the screening was sparse and I though that was sad. Harvey Robbins, Tempest’s manger, who I can’t stand (let’s just leave it at that) introduced the film and did a Q &A at the end, all of which I remember thinking we could have done without.

Tempest Storm movie poster

Tempest Storm directed by Nimisha Mukerji, 2016.

I won’t rehash Tempest’s amazing career here. Read The Lady is a Vamp if you want to know more. The film covers some of her glory days and some of her personal life, with interviews with Tempest, her family members, manager, and people in the neo-burlesque scene. There’s archival images and footage of Tempest, but also some artsy, mood-setting scenes, like actresses playing younger Tempest and little girl Tempest that I didn’t think was so necessary. 

Throughout Tempest is glamorous. They focus on a number of her triumphs: headlining at a burlesque festival, a photoshoot, signing her clothing line deal with Tatyana, greeting her adoring fans at conventions, performing at BHoF. 

The documentary follows Tempest as she attempts to reconnect with her family. She calls her daughter and leaves messages several times without response. Her father abandoned Tempest when she was a baby and she never knew him or why he left. After a genealogist traces him, Tempest goes back to Georgia to visit his grave. It feels a bit like a farewell tour as she sees her siblings and their families. She continues by going to Los Angeles to see her ex-husband Herb Jeffries (who died not long after their reunion). Marrying Herb, a Black singing cowboy, caused damage to her career and to her relationship with her family. Ultimately she chose her career over the marriage and their daughter. 

Then she flew to met with her estranged daughter. Who refused to see her. The film maker clearly had this plan for a redemption arc, with a mother-daughter reunion, which was foiled by people not acting like characters in a script.

She never seems to realize that she repeated history by leaving her daughter and husband, like her father abandoned her. When her daughter challenges Tempest over the phone for not being there for her and her granddaughter, Tempest tries to explain how busy she’s been with festivals and appearances, but never apologizes for her absence in their lives. It’s sad and I feel like her sorrow is exploited.

The film ends (not a spoiler) with footage of Tempest in a diaphanous white gown at dusk, dancing in a field of Georgia cotton, the kind she had to pick as a little girl. She worked so hard to get away and yet much of this film is about her return.

The documentary is a chance to hear her story from her and that is absolutely worth it. You can watch the entire film on YouTube.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 26 June 2025 at 8:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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An Alternative to Amazon

Dear Constant Reader, 

Here at The Manor, we’re trying to live with less Amazon. I suspect some of you are as well. And thusly, I’ve been going through my book reviews and replacing links to Amazon with affiliate links to Bookshop.org. If you buy your books through those links, you’ll be supporting an independent bookstore and also this blog (as an affiliate I get a wee kickback).

You can tell which reviews have changed links by the ❤️ on the review page. I haven’t been able to replace all of them, since a number of the books are out of print.

I know it’s been a few months since my last book review. Any burlesque book in particular you’d like me to read and review?

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 13 March 2025 at 5:32 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Winter Reading Challenge

Dear Constant Reader,

The Winter Reading Challenge at the Boston Public Library is finishing up this week. For the past three years the challenge has been Read the World: six books from authors from six different regions of the world in two months. I love these challenges because I end up reading books that I otherwise might never have known about. My personal rule is no re-reads, although I’m fine with choosing an author I’ve read before.

This year’s picks were:
Africa: The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, Shubnum Khan (South Africa)
A gothic tale of love and loss in a crumbling mansion inhabited by an eclectic group of Indian-South Africans.

The Americas: Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexico)
Devastasia recommended this one and she wasn’t wrong. Horror and movies, what’s not to love?

Asia: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, Zen Cho (Mayalsia)
Two years ago I read Black Water Sister; this is a very different kind of story — historic fantasy rather than horror.

Europe: The Midwich Cuckoos, John Wyndham (England)
This was the monthly selection for the Slightly Sinister Book Club, so I was double-dipping. Classic British science fiction/horror.

The Middle East: The Seven Necessary Sins for Woman and Girls, Mona Eltahawy (Egypt)
The only non-fiction book. Powerful stuff. This took me the longest to read because I had to take breaks between chapters.

Oceania: Return to Blood, Michael Bennett (Aotearoa/New Zealand)
I read the first Hana Westerman book, Better the Blood last year and could not wait to dive into the sequel.

Winter Reading 2025 pin

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 26 February 2025 at 4:08 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Your Beauty Mark

Dear Constant Reader,

Here’s another book that’s been hanging around my shelves for far too long without a review.

Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour by Dita Von Tease with Rose Apodaca, 2015.

I’ll be perfectly honest; I did not have high hopes for this book. I thought Dita’s first book, Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese, while very pretty, was a bit superficial and self-indulgant.

I was very pleasantly surprised that this book is packed with useful information. As to be expected, it’s full of glamourous pictures of Dita, but also some more practical demonstration ones. Besides just Dita, her co-author also offers beauty advice and there are sidebars from a number of other experts and eccentrics in the world of glamour.

There are a lot of topics in each section, but broken into bite-sized bits. As one would expect, the book covers makeup and hair styling, both of which are illustrated with photos of Dita demonstrating. I thought it very impressive that someone whose brand is based on artifice was willing to appear “undone”.

The first part is the most eclectic, covering skin care, fitness, nutrition, bathing, the bosom, hair removal, and perfume. Dita demonstrates her pilates-style workouts in photographs and shares her recipe for a green smoothie.

The second part is on cosmetics. She starts at the base with foundation and powder. The eye chapter has a lot about the cat eye, but also lashes, including false ones. Brows have their own chapter, as does blush, beauty marks (hers is a tattoo), lipstick, and manicures, including how to do Dita’s half-moon style, courtesy of “Mom Von Teese”. Throughout there are photos of Dita putting on her makeup. The last chapter of this section is a bit different, called “Striking Below the Waist”, it has very little to do with cosmetics. Instead, it discusses care for the waist, bum, legs and feet. There is the expected how-to for a pedicure, but also a discussion of stockings and a little about corsets. Lastly there are several pages on pubic hair and the styling thereof.

The third part is on hair. You’ll learn about cleaning and conditioning hair and hair tools and products. Of course there is a discussion of hair coloring; Dita is quite open that her blue-black locks come from a bottle. As with the makeup section, Dita demonstrates a number of her favored hairstyles, including her signature ‘do, in photographs

The fourth and last part is extreme forms of beauty — cosmetic surgery and stage makeup. Dita is quite honest about her breast augmentation. She is in favor of having work done, if it’s right for you and if you do a lot of research to find the doctor that’s right for you. And, she does point out that embracing your “flaws” make you unique. She outlines the lengths she goes to to create a flawless façade on stage, including covering herself neck to toe in body makeup that she blends herself. Having handled one of her costumes, I can confirm that the inside was daubed with pale foundation. She also gives tips for removing makeup, both the stray smudges and flecks that could mar your handiwork and how to get it all off afterwards.

As I said above, I was surprised and quite delighted about the amount of useful information in this rather weighty tome. Yes, Dita does take opportunities to shill her products, but one expects the reader to already be a Dita fan. Although she shows her signature styles and discusses her beauty regimines in detail, she does encourage the reader to find their own style of glamour — thus Your Beauty Mark.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 11 December 2024 at 1:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: The Family Vault

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s no secret that I love a good cozy mystery. And this is the perfect time of year for one. I want to thank the lovely Cat B. for recommending this charming one. What does this have to do with burlesque? Read on!

The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod, 1979

Sarah Kelling Kelling is a member of an old aristocratic Boston family,   married to her much older fifth cousin once removed, and desperately trying to keep up appearances in their Beacon Hill townhouse on a tiny budget.

When her great-uncle insisted that he be interred in the old family vault (instead of the newer family plot next to his wife), Sarah is present when the vault is opened prior to the funeral. Besides the expected ancient Kellings, they find the skeletal corpse of a woman still clad in a moldering corset and high heels, with chips of rubies embedded in her teeth.

She is quickly identified as Ruby Redd, an infamous burlesque dancer who performed at the notorious Old Howard in Scollay Square (pictured below). And she was murdered. Are there more skeletons (metaphorical and otherwise) in the Kelling family closet? What happened to the Kelling family fortune and jewels? And what about burlesque?

For the former questions, read the book. It’s fun, if a tad dated. As for the latter, there actually isn’t too much about burlesque. It’s not really a plot point, other than the profession of the murder victim and how she’s connected to the family, but there’s a little discussion throughout the story. 

I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially watching Sarah come into her own over the course of the story. And I’m looking forward to the rest of the books in the series, if I can find them.

Old Howard

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 4 December 2024 at 10:16 am  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Banned in Boston

Dear Constant Reader,

This is one of those books I was sure I reviewed ages ago, but didn’t…

Banned in Boston: The Watch and Ward Society’s Crusade against Books, Burlesque, and the Societal Evil by Neil Miller, 2010.

“Banned in Boston”. Anyone who is a fan of classic burlesque knows that phrase. But who did the banning? Professor Miller presents the history of the New England Watch and Ward Society, founded in 1878 as the New England Society for the Suppression of Vice, the first branch of Anthony Comstock’s New York organization. The Society was a volunteer organization dedicated to keeping Boston, the Athens of America, as well as the rest of New England, clean and moral. Essentially vigilantes, the Society used quasi-legal methods to expose and punish immoral crimes, such as gambling, drug use, and prostitution. Sometimes they worked with local police and sometimes they set up their own raids and stings. But ultimately the Society was about censorship.

Any book, play, or motion picture that did not meet with the Watch and Ward’s approval could be banned. At the height of the Society’s power, there was a gentleman’s agreement between them and the booksellers. Banned books would quietly be taken off the shelves and the bookstore owners would then not be prosecuted for selling obscene material. Eventually the “Banned in Boston” label was used as a selling point in the rest of the country.

There’s one chapter in the book on burlesque and the Watch and Ward. The Society objected to profanity and suggestive language, costumes that showed off the female figure, and risqué dance movements. By the 1930s, they were keeping tabs on burlesque shows in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Providence. In 1932 one investigator complained that Bubbles Keller had “pliable hips, oscillating buttocks, and breasts that seemed forever quivering.” Doth he protest too much?

According to Ann Corio, the box office at the Old Howard would warn the performers that a Watch and Ward member was in the house by hitting a button that would turn on a red light in the footlights. The performers would then go ahead with the “Boston version”, a cleaned up act. It’s unclear if this really happened, since the Old Howard was shut down a few times for violations before being closed for good in 1953 when Irma the Body was secretly filmed by vice cops.

It’s worth reading to understand the atmosphere in Boston during the Golden Age of burlesque, but despite the prominent photo of Sally Keith on the book cover, the burlesque specific chapter is relatively short. Much of the book is concerned with censorship of books and legitimate theatre. I found it interesting that when Eugene O’Neill’s play Strange Interlude was banned in Boston (to great outcry), it was produced with great success in liberal Quincy*.

Despite the book being published almost 15 years ago, it’s still a timely cautionary tale of what can happen when private citizens decide what is “decent” and “moral” for others and take enforcement into their own hands.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

*For those unfamiliar with Boston politics, Quincy is pretty conservative these days and some years ago, blocked a certain burlesque troupe from opening a studio there.

Published in: on 14 November 2024 at 12:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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