Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke, 529 pages

Thanksgiving has a way of thawing the frostiest hearts in Lake Eden. But that won’t be happening for newlywed Hannah Swensen Barton—not after her husband suddenly disappears . . .
 
Hannah has felt as bitter as November in Minnesota since Ross vanished without a trace and left their marriage in limbo. Still, she throws herself into a baking frenzy for the sake of pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving-themed treats while endless holiday orders pour into The Cookie Jar. Hannah even introduces a raspberry Danish pastry to the menu, and P.K., her husband’s assistant at KCOW-TV, will be one of the first to sample it. But instead of taking a bite, P.K., who is driving Ross’s car and using his desk at work, is murdered. Was someone plotting against P.K. all along or did Ross dodge a deadly dose of sweet revenge? Hannah will have to quickly sift through a cornucopia of clues and suspects to stop a killer from bringing another murder to the table . . .

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier, 529 pages

Another patron had placed a hold on this book and it caught my eye when I was pulling it. So I read it when it came back. I like nonfiction books about the history of places, but this just never grabbed me. I was going to call it quits after a 100 pages or so but Blair, a co-worker, saw I was reading it and went on and on about how much he liked it and I should keep going. I plowed through it but it just never picked up for me. Basically the author writes about his trips to Siberia after his interest in the place was piqued. He includes details and history, but just not in a deep or coherent enough manner for my taste. I think because I don't have strong feelings for Russia this didn't interest me as much as a similar book about England would have.