Remember when “Hodgepodge” was a category on “Jeopardy”? I have a mixture to share today. Sandie Herron will share a “Have You Heard?” post tomorrow while I’m finishing my reading for deadline. Then, I’ll be back on schedule.

In the meantime, I decided to share a mixture. Although I receive Advanced Reading Copies, have copies of forthcoming releases on NetGalley, and, of course, library books, I also buy books. I can’t support authors and bookstores without spending money. This is probably an odd mix.

I’ve only read the introduction of Reading the Cozy Mystery edited by Phyllis M. Betz. From the brief section that I read, I have the feeling the emphasis is going to be on the academic aspect, “Critical Essays on an Underappreciated Subgenre”. I’ll be interested to read Paula T. Connolly’s essay, “Counterpointing the Cozy: Louise Penny’s Three Pines” because I definitely don’t believe Penny writes cozy mysteries, and neither does she. Mary P. Freier has an essay, “The Body in the Library”. That should be a fun chapter. I actually expected a less academic book, so we’ll see what I think when I read it.

I bought a used copy of Mary Murray Delaney’s Of Irish Ways.. The 1973 paperback edition is out of print, and I saw a reference to it somewhere or another. Because I’ll sample almost anything set in Ireland, I know it was written before the years of the Celtic Tiger, so the summary saying it “offers a complete look at Ireland – its history, customs, literature, landscape, traditions, and people” might be a little dated. That’s okay. It’s Ireland.

I actually bought a copy of John Dickson Carr’s The Lost Gallows before I received an ARC. That’s fine. Now, I have two copies to use for a giveaway sometime. Don’t enter now! This isn’t the giveaway, just a comment. I’ve always been a fan of Carr, and Martin Edwards’ introduction to this entry in the British Library Crime Classics series is excellent as always. Watch for an upcoming giveaway.

I know some of you have already read Madeline Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London, but it’s one of my favorite non-mysteries so far this year. In fact, one of you mentioned that you liked it because it was about ordinary people trying to lead their lives during the extraordinary times of the Blitz during World War II. Add in the bookshop and the love of reading. I bought several copies of the paperback just so I could give them away in a future contest.

Susan Stamberg. Linda Wertheimer. Nina Totenberg. Cokie Roberts. Author Lisa Napoli calls them “The Founding Mothers of NPR”. Although I was disappointed that there are no photos in Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie, I’m looking forward to reading about these groundbreaking women of radio and the news.

Yes, I buy the fiction for our library system. However, if we don’t have the first in an intriguing series, I may go back and buy it for myself if I want to read it, but don’t know when I’ll get to it. Rozlan Mohd Noor’s 21 Immortals introduces Inspector Mislan Latif. His final case after a long night’s shift could be his last. Called to a wealthy neighborhood of Kuala Lumpur, he finds a crime scene unlike any he has encountered before: pristine, the victims a family seated at dinner, Mona Lisa smiles fixed to their faces, frozen mid-gesture around the traditional Chinese New Year dish of yee sang, signifying prosperity, longevity, many good things—though it’s not that time of year. It makes an eerie, chilling tableau of death, but signifying what? I’m interested in the setting and the sleuth in this series.

I’m off to finish a book for my review. But, I thought I’d give you a peek behind the scenes as to what I sometimes buy. Or, as Kevin Tipple says, I gave you a peek into “The Vault of Knowledge and Treats”. (Love that caption, Kevin.)