If you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan, like me, you love the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King.  In the first book, The Bee Keeper’s Apprentice, Mary befriends Sherlock and pulls him out of retirement.  Their adventure includes all the traits we love about Sherlock, his gift for observation, his patience (or maybe ability to lie-in-wait), the cleverness to get out of a jam with intelligence rather than an AK-47, plus Laurie gives us the added enjoyment of Mary, a character I fell in love with by page 50.   Because I read The Bee Keeper’s Apprentice three years ago, I was able to run out and buy the rest of the series and bury myself in each one.  

These books have something for everyone.  Regular readers of the blog know that Claire loves to talk about our reading material differences, but she read The Mary Russell series almost as fast as I did (we have to cut her some slack, she has four kids).  My husband loved these books.  We conjured up an arrangement that read the new Mary Russell first because I read faster, then he can read in peace without me asking “are you done yet?”  Insert your own tone into that question, it’s probably more polite than mine.  Claire and I even chose The Beekeeper’s Apprentice for our joint family book club and our teenage boys loved it.

So what could be better than a new Mary Russell book?  The Language of Bees, the latest Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes hits the bookstores today.  But, that’s not all, Laurie is supporting independent bookstores and Heifer, my two favorite things, with two giveaways!

Support an Independent Bookstore

One reader will win ”A Venomous Death” a 14×20″ broadside of one of her short stories with a woodcut illustration and letterpress printed by Lavendier Press, signed by Ms. King and the artist.  Just buy The Language of Bees at an independent bookstore and send in your receipt by May 20th.  In our home, there would be a “discussion” about where “A Venomous Death” would be hung:  my office, my husband’s office or my son’s room. 

Bees are Buzzing for Heifer International

But there’s more!  Readers of this blog know that I am passionate about Heifer International and so is Laurie.  (Side bar:  there is still time to enter our giveaway of Beatrice’s Goat, or comment and we’ll make a donation, or follow me on twitter and find the picture of me in a Heifer chicken hat.)  Here’s her terrific incentive:

Give two beehives ($60) or more through Laurie King’s Heifer team page by May 20 and receive:

• Heifer project honey
• A Sherlock Holmes guide to bees
• A chance to name a character in Laurie’s next book
• The knowledge that you’re fighting world poverty

Support your local bookstore, support Heifer and have a wonderful few hours reading The Language of Bees.

I Love Heifer

One of my passions is Heifer International.  I first learned of the the organization through a gift market at my church.  It was a tight year for us, I had just left my law firm job and only had a few clients.  But, when I heard the story of Heifer, I asked my husband to give me a pig for Christmas, just a pig that would be delivered to a family in need.  Now we give to Heifer regularly.  I tell my children how much we can spend, then we pull up the website and shop for animals.  Sometimes we tie it into what we’re doing, since my sister is a missionary in Peru we always buy lamas for Peruvians.  Keith’s honor thesis in college was on Tibet, so we love to support the projects in that area.

Remember to Share

Heifer International is built on the premise of sharing.  Heifer works with villages in underdeveloped countries and trains families, frequently women, in animal husbandry then gives them animals to raise.  A goat that provides milk, or a flock of chicks that lay eggs, or a hive of bees that make honey can change a family’s life.  These products give nourishment and a new source of money through the sale of the excess milk, eggs or honey.  

Families are transformed, yet the beauty doesn’t stop there.  One requirement to receiving an animal is that the gift must be passed on in the form of an offspring given to a neighbor.  Families and villages gather together in “pass-the-gift” ceremonies to physically transfer an offspring from their arms to the arms of another.  These ceremonies occur all over the world, most touchingly among former enemies.  Villages that used to exchange gunfire in the former Yugoslavia now share livestock. 

You Look, We’ll Pay

Heifer declared April “Pass-on-the-Gift” Month and thousands of people across the nation are having house dinners, sales, book groups and events to share what Heifer is doing and raising funds for animals.  Traveling Mamas, Type-A Mom and Bookstore People are joining in!  We’re donating a dollar per  commenters on a Heifer post on each of our three blogs during the month of April with a total cap of $1,500 (we don’t think we would qualify for TARP money if we ended up needing to donate our life savings).  We’re all posting today and then there could be a few other posts through out the month.  Watch for our giveaway of autographed copies of Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier during the second half of April. 

We’re sharing our money; you just need to share a little of your time.  Leave a comment on this post, then look at the Heifer information on Traveling Mamas and  Type-A Mom and leave a comment on their posts.  Make sure we hit our $1,500 goal.  Even better, check out the Heifer website and the stories of transformed families and communities, then plan your own “Pass-the-Gift” activity.