Cockatiels At Seven

It's time for more outrageous and feathered fun in the award-winning, laugh-out-loud Meg Langslow series. When her old friend Karen drops by with two-year-old son Timmy, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to babysit "just for a little while." But when nightfall comes, the toddler is still in residence and Karen isn't answering any phone calls. Meg decides she must find out what's happening, so the next morning, with Timmy in tow, she retraces her friend's footsteps---and begins to suspect that Karen's disappearance is tied to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run from the bad guys? Or is she one of the bad guys? The police don't seem to care, so Meg once again plays sleuth---this time with a toddler as her sidekick. As usual, Meg's extended family adds to the complications in her life. What covert animal welfare project are Dad and the curmudgeonly zoologist Dr. Montgomery Blake working on---and will Meg have to make another late-night trip to bail them out of jail? Why does Meg's brother keep disappearing---is he merely trying to avoid babysitting, or is he involved in something more mysterious? Will taking care of Timmy dampen newly married Meg and Michael's enthusiasm for starting a family of their own? And are any of Meg's relatives reliable enough to be trusted with a two-year-old---especially a two-year-old whose whereabouts might be of interest to some very dangerous people? Donna Andrews once again proves her skill as one of the funniest, most entertaining mystery authors around.

BABYSITTING IS FOR THE BIRDS When her old friend Karen drops by with her two-year-old son, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to mind him for a few hours. The next morning, when Karen is still MIA, Meg retraces her friend's footsteps and starts to suspect that her disappearance is linked to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run? What's the story with her ex-husband Jasper? The police don't seem to care So now it's up to Meg to crack the case--no small task when you consider she's also dealing with a house full of reptilian guests courtesy of Dad and Grandpa, thinking about starting a family of her own with new husband Michael, and chasing after a two-year-old who doesn't understand that the bad guys might be after him next. "If you long for more 'fun' mysteries, a la Janet Evanovich, you'll love Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series."--"The Charlotte Observer""

In this collection of feline funnies, "The New Yorker" cartoonist Leo Cullum helps cat-lovers understand why they put up with their finicky felines with this collection of cartoons that investigates the truth beneath the cat's inscrutable exterior.

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of seven charming cozy mysteries coming in Fall 2019 for free for easy sampling. Jump into the latest cozies by the following authors: Ellie Alexander (x2), Donna Andrews, Vivien Chien, Ellen Crosby, Diane Kelly, and Ashley Weaver. In Paw of the Jungle, police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner try to solve a case involving stolen exotic animals. In A Dangerous Engagement, get drawn into the glamourous, dangerous world of nightclubs and bootleggers in 1930’s New York. Or go home with Meg Langslow for the holidays in Owl Be Home for Christmas. For cozies that will ignite your taste buds, return to Ho-Lee Noodle House in Wonton Terror. For dessert, stop in to Oregon’s favorite bakeshop, Torte, in A Cup of Holiday Fear. Then pour yourself a pint for brewer Sloan Krause in Beyond a Reasonable Stout, or grab a glass of wine and dig into The Angels' Share for the latest corking mystery featuring vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery.

In Six Geese A-Slaying, Donna Andrews fans delivers another zany Meg Langslow mystery---this one filled with outrageous Christmas spirit...and mayhem. Meg and Michael's house is serving as the marshaling point for the annual Caerphilly Christmas parade. The theme is "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and it features twelve drummers from the school marching band, eleven bagpipers, ten leaping lords costumed in medieval finery from the college drama department, etc. There are also assorted Christmas-themed floats, a live nativity scene on a flatbed truck, the Three Wise Men on Caerphilly zoo camels, and Santa Claus in a bright red horse-drawn sleigh (eight reindeer were beyond the zoo's scope). Meg has been volunteered to organize the parade, which is to proceed from her house to the local campus, where Santa will take up residence to hear the Christmas wishes of the town's children. Of course, getting all the camels, pipers, leapers, and drummers in order is proving every bit as difficult as Meg feared it would be. Then her nephew Eric, wide-eyed and ashen-faced, whispers, "Meg, something's wrong with Santa." The local curmudgeon, whose beard and belly made him a natural for the role, has been murdered. Now Meg and Chief Burke, who is playing one of the wise men, are faced with the two-fold mission of solving the murder and saving Christmas!

Meg helps run Caerphilly's summer arts and crafts festival while trying to smoke out a murderer—turn up the heat, because Some Like it Hawk! The hilariously funny Donna Andrews delivers another winner in the award-winning New York Times bestselling series that has captured human and avian hearts alike. Meg Langslow is plying her blacksmith's trade at "Caerphilly Days," a festival inspired by her town's sudden notoriety as "The Town That Mortgaged Its Jail." The lender has foreclosed on all Caerphilly's public buildings, and all employees have evacuated —except one. Phineas Throckmorton, the town clerk, has been barricaded in the courthouse basement for over a year. Mr. Throckmorton's long siege has only been possible because of a pre-Civil War tunnel leading from the courthouse basement to a crawl space beneath the bandstand. The real reason for Caerphilly Days is to conceal the existence of the tunnel: the tourist crowds camouflage supply deliveries, and the ghastly screeching of the tunnel's rusty trap door is drowned out by as many noisy activities as the locals can arrange. But the lender seems increasingly determined to evict Mr. Throckmorton—and may succeed after one of its executives is found shot, apparently from inside the basement. Meg and her fellow townspeople suspect that someone hopes to end the siege by framing Mr. Throckmorton. Unless the real killer can be found quickly, the town will have to reveal the secret of the tunnel—and the fact that they've been aiding and abetting the basement's inhabitant. Meg soon deduces that the killer isn't just trying to end the siege but to conceal information that would help the town reclaim its buildings--if the townspeople can find it before the lender destroys it in a gut-busting caper that will have giggles and guffaws coming as fast as a four-alarm fire. A gaggle of praise for Donna Andrews and the Meg Langslow Mystery Series: "If you long for more fun mysteries, a la Janet Evanovich, you'll love Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series." —Charlotte Observer "A long-running series that gets better all the time. A fine blend of academic satire, screwball comedy, and murder." —Booklist "As always, Andrews laces this entertaining whodunit with wit, a fine storyline and characters we've come to know and love." —Richmond Times-Dispatch on The Real Macaw

This Complete Care Made Easy title offers first-time cockatiel owners insight into every aspect of selecting, caring for, and maintaining well-behaved happy pet birds.Angela Davids and her flock of bird experts have put together an ideal introductory pet guide, with chapters on the characteristics and history of the charming cocktail, selection of a healthy, typical cockatiel, housing and care, feeding, training, and keeping the bird healthy.The selection chapter offers potential owners excellent advice about owner suitability, selection of the color and sex of the bird, and also addresses legal and health issues about which all pet bird owners should be aware. In the chapter on housing and care, the author discusses selection of the right cage, citing of the cage, accessories, toys, playgyms, and more.A bird's diet is critical to its ongoing health, and the chapter "Feeding Your Cockatiel" gives the reader all the info he or she needs about choosing the best possible diet, the different types of seeds, fruits, veggies, as well as human foods to avoid. The final two chapters of the book will be useful for bird fanciers interested in learning more about the breeding of cockatiels and the basic color variations and genetics of this handsome tropical bird. The book concludes with an appendix of bird societies, a glossary of terms, and a complete index.