tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85840587135480276392024-03-19T07:04:08.217+07:00Fanda Classiclit"When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before." — Clifton FadimanFanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comBlogger1115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-81383796618307624452024-03-18T07:30:00.001+07:002024-03-18T07:30:00.134+07:00The Unbreakable Alibi by Agatha Christie: A Short Story #AgathaChristieSS24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqeta1qE23uwtX5z-8vKdHQ9EqTWZq97occ3fgZU1UBrQib8VbUe8bGf_BncxzYxTK3dH058oaIy5l6mgk0hZDkz1xzKPAfzSbAJ1JmCc9DjvKK_ihiapnx5HkT4tnjlxsC5Pj7yPErB3IugcpXEmDrl0uWqK-8T3QZeIpeKdE3O8T3-TDps9YsnKzgKD/s308/agathachristieSS2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="269" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqeta1qE23uwtX5z-8vKdHQ9EqTWZq97occ3fgZU1UBrQib8VbUe8bGf_BncxzYxTK3dH058oaIy5l6mgk0hZDkz1xzKPAfzSbAJ1JmCc9DjvKK_ihiapnx5HkT4tnjlxsC5Pj7yPErB3IugcpXEmDrl0uWqK-8T3QZeIpeKdE3O8T3-TDps9YsnKzgKD/s1600/agathachristieSS2024.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>🔷️ The story must have been set during earlier days of the newly married couple Tommy and Tuppence's new detective agency business. A client came one day with unusual "problem" to be solved. A stuttering young man, who's in love with an intelligent girl who likes to play games, is presented with a challenge from the girl. He sees that solving the challenge would be the only way to win her love, so now he prepares to pay whatever expenses needed to solve it.<br /><br />🔷️ The case is about a double alibi. The girl claimed that she had been in two different locations- one in London and the other in Torquay - at the same time. Tommy and Tuppence decide to accept the case, and off they go to restaurant, hotel, and theater, as well as interviewing her friends, to check on the girl's alibi. Surely one of it would prove to be fake.<br /><br />🔷️ On the whole, it is one of the easiest mysteries to solve. I'm sure almost every Golden Age detective-story writer must have used the same trope. But maybe it's still new when Christie wrote this? Anyway, unexciting as it was as mystery, it's always fun to read another Tommy and Tuppence's adventure, is it not? As well as the appearance of the faithful Albert - who was still an office boy in this story.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-37054613928362553812024-03-15T07:30:00.005+07:002024-03-15T09:11:02.023+07:00The Stranger's Companion by Mary Horlock<p><i><br /></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsxSsCITLgu0Y_f80K-mZoaf7nVqMj9ABlmf3jkySWlKd1c3NVAXlszBZo2vWTboHBhAvIvJ1c5F4_ZLbdCPtq9Yas0xxMtJjd4skWEMVBgKuc5_52LfjRuxMCHIf2qjUnbRN0Somqwc9jO3wIkC_CnkkE3sUkUQITEewEk7KbT-NWIYKdw08ueALzNgK/s410/the-strangers-companion.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsxSsCITLgu0Y_f80K-mZoaf7nVqMj9ABlmf3jkySWlKd1c3NVAXlszBZo2vWTboHBhAvIvJ1c5F4_ZLbdCPtq9Yas0xxMtJjd4skWEMVBgKuc5_52LfjRuxMCHIf2qjUnbRN0Somqwc9jO3wIkC_CnkkE3sUkUQITEewEk7KbT-NWIYKdw08ueALzNgK/w249-h400/the-strangers-companion.png" width="249" /></a></i></div><i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Thanks to John Murray Press (Baskerville) and NetGalley for providing me review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i><br /><br />⚪ <i>The Stranger's Companion</i> is a historical mystery and gothic thriller which is inspired by real events in Sark, a small island, part of the British Channel Islands, in 1933. The clothes of a man and a woman was found neatly folded on the edge of a cliff, but no one knew whom they belong to. And that's how this story also begins.<br /><br />⚪ Throughout the story we are brought to two alternate timelines, the past is around the 1923, while the present is in the 1933. The main event, the mysterious two clothes without the owners, is happening in the present. They are first found by Everard Hyde. A girl called Phyllis Carrey is interested in the case, and writes reports for local newspaper. <br /><br />⚪ Phyllis has just returned to the island after being out of it for some time. From the beginning, we get a feeling of mystery surrounding Phyllis and Everard - who has also just returned from a kind of exile. They seem to be anxious of meeting each other. Little by little the mystery unfolded along the story, as well as the mystery of the missing persons whose clothes were found by Everard.<br /><br />⚪ As fascinating as the missing person mystery is, the mystery of the past is much darker and more menacing. We are presented with a glimpse of the after war of 1923; of the precocious young Phyllis and the shy and scared boy of Everard. How they amused themselves by playing "ghost" and other mischievous stuffs to the already superstitious islanders, and how they eventually entangled in dark secrets that will change their lives.<br /><br />⚪ The main attraction of this book is the writing style. I love how the writer put some "excerpts", either from tourist information guide, or from the news containing updates on the investigation, to open the chapters. They provide a refreshing touch to the otherwise rather gloomy story with superstition, ghost hunting, seance, and of course, murder.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐<br /><br /><i>**The Stranger's Companion </i>will be published in June 20th, 2024.<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-21523409065642580332024-03-13T07:30:00.009+07:002024-03-13T07:30:00.154+07:00Announcing the 11th Zoladdiction in 2024! #Zoladdiction2024<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7zpDfGiI9mm5Qme_NVnUimMh2VfCwsTa9x-qzs6dAW0L3j_0QFr5XctmQUeLDnbfSsqYQem7-p0IJVDxHBEKbaaD1hgdkFENu27urAu7haGdgXAJI0kb2US3fYUvuNAxp1VXuk0a6fuZ-ty46MPH2v5q9Lr6dONyOemN27vi2FnrYotE9UKi1Be3u6Zi/s421/zoladdiction2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7zpDfGiI9mm5Qme_NVnUimMh2VfCwsTa9x-qzs6dAW0L3j_0QFr5XctmQUeLDnbfSsqYQem7-p0IJVDxHBEKbaaD1hgdkFENu27urAu7haGdgXAJI0kb2US3fYUvuNAxp1VXuk0a6fuZ-ty46MPH2v5q9Lr6dONyOemN27vi2FnrYotE9UKi1Be3u6Zi/w301-h400/zoladdiction2024.png" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">April is coming soon, which means that </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Zoladdiction </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is
just around the corner! And this would be the 11</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Zoladdiction! For you who are not familiar with it, Zoladdiction is a </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">reading
event on April, to celebrate the birthday of Émile Zola</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (in 2</span><sup>nd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
April). It is mainly because we love Zola's writings, and also to get more and
more people to appreciate his works. </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">For the whole month we will read, post,
and talk about Zola - his life, his works, and his influences</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">How It Works</i></span><p></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pick
any of <b>Zola's works, or Zola's biography</b>, and read them<b>. </b>Any<b>
books about Zola</b> <b>by other writers</b> are acceptable too.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Post
your review/thoughts</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> on your blog/social media (you can use hashtag #Zoladdiction2024). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But
I also encourage you to go <b>beyond reading</b>…<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yes,
we will still read Zola, but during April we can also <b>share/post/tweet/talk
about just any thing that is related to Zola</b>. A book you're reading
reminds you of Zola? Share it! Found Zola's quote on Twitter? Retweet it!
Or Zola’s picture on Instagram? Share it! Watched movie about Zola? Share
it! Anything.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t
have time to read one book? Worry not, <b>a short story or essay</b> is equally
good.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To
participate</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">,
simply leave comment, or mention me on Twitter, using hashtag
#Zoladdiction2024, and tell us your plans for Zoladdiction (it might
inspire others).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
you want, you may<b> grab and put Zoladdiction banner on your blog</b>, so
that others might aware about it.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
you blog about your participation, leave the link in comment box.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Linky
will be provided in the Master Post (will be published on April 2<sup>nd</sup> - on Zola's birthday). You can submit links to your Zola posts there.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, are you in? What's your plan?<br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />Mine would be another re-read of my most favorite book of all
time: </span><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Germinal</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. This would be my third (the second one was 9 years ago),
and this time I will be listening to the audiobook. I also plan to read a few
short stories from Zola’s three collections (haven’t decided the title). Now,
I’m very excited to return to </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Germinal</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (psstt… I might even start
earlier!), and can’t wait to see what you will read!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-69615000933339669702024-03-11T07:30:00.001+07:002024-03-11T07:30:00.127+07:00The Moving Finger (1942) by Agatha Christie<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuNR2n5ajIQPNQsk7VUKjfJ7wKXxmboqtC2d2j0rImPzgBvw9SeFYHj7r8tZoz-40W5FC9dyfDi-6uf5HbJIRBPyZSSICfLfEbxA5HSPMY0jGMWYWy_bluN1QWFXJJFWHEehrg9-5IpZXNN45skjkRgdb61z2P8dpRwOIHt_YDn1FXjFhlJxMsD2qV8S4/s346/the-moving-finger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="227" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuNR2n5ajIQPNQsk7VUKjfJ7wKXxmboqtC2d2j0rImPzgBvw9SeFYHj7r8tZoz-40W5FC9dyfDi-6uf5HbJIRBPyZSSICfLfEbxA5HSPMY0jGMWYWy_bluN1QWFXJJFWHEehrg9-5IpZXNN45skjkRgdb61z2P8dpRwOIHt_YDn1FXjFhlJxMsD2qV8S4/w263-h400/the-moving-finger.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>✒ I have just realized why I can't seem to remember any Miss Marple books I have read before. It's because Miss Marple is perhaps the most inconspicuous amateur detective that ever existed in crime fiction. This book is one clear proof of it. True, it is Jane Marple who eventually solved the mystery, but she only appeared in the last fourth of the story. And that's only for several scenes.<br /><br />✒ Jerry and Joanna Burton take abode at Little Furze in a quite town of Lymstock, where 'nothing ever happens', on doctor's orders. Jerry is recuperated from injury after plane crash landing. When they begin to settle in, Jerry receives what people call a poison pen letter, insinuating that he and Joanna aren't brother and sister. Disgusted, Jerry throws it away, and thinks it must be a wicked joke from some neighbors who dislike strangers coming to their town.<br /><br />✒ It turns out later, that many others have also received the same kind of letter. People begin to feel uneasy, feeling that something nasty is bound to happen. And it indeed happens to a Mrs. Symmington, who, after receiving a nasty poison pen letter, committed suicide. <br /><br />✒ Now, it is not a matter of evil joke anymore, and soon the police is involved. But a murder then follows - a maid worked at the Symmingtons, and people get more restless. The vicar's wife, impatient with the police's slow progress, takes initiative to bring in 'an expert'. The expert turns out to be none other than our dear Miss Jane Marple!<br /><br />✒ I liked this charming and rather sweet mystery. The solution is clever, and I couldn't guess the murderer. The most interesting element, though, is its similarities with two other Christie's earlier books. First, Jerry Burton was tagged by the constable along his investigation. This, and Jerry's remark that usually in detective novel, a person who's given that privilege turns out to be the murderer, instantly reminded me of another prominent book by Christie. I won't reveal the title, but if you know, you know!<br /><br />✒ Secondly, Jerry also reminded me of Captain Hastings, in term of his love interest and the way the girl being used as decoy. Again, I won't reveal the title, but the similarity is uncanny. All in all, it's a quiet delightful book with not one, but two romances!<br /><br />P.S. Without mentioning any title, can you identify the two titles I'm speaking about, which I think are similar to this book? <br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-75230302604698879272024-03-08T07:30:00.001+07:002024-03-08T07:30:00.136+07:00Scarlet Feather (2000) by Maeve Binchy #ReadingIrelandMonth24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlswmLoCZWXL-GFn-Qn2W0Cirqm1qYudZKpybOvykhRRh-Vk2z_Z6wPsUi_GYw8Udzt1S-XahFpnTZHjKa4JyjdiD-MCyThztvoJrw-NE0CuHM5zJYRxrEPSSbP-QN6IWxdsXQhTm28tA8FTifnPQXIJ9BbVRZUYapj3ClKmClJvGk1THviBXRXSUFMFal/s600/scarlet-feather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlswmLoCZWXL-GFn-Qn2W0Cirqm1qYudZKpybOvykhRRh-Vk2z_Z6wPsUi_GYw8Udzt1S-XahFpnTZHjKa4JyjdiD-MCyThztvoJrw-NE0CuHM5zJYRxrEPSSbP-QN6IWxdsXQhTm28tA8FTifnPQXIJ9BbVRZUYapj3ClKmClJvGk1THviBXRXSUFMFal/w288-h400/scarlet-feather.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>💓Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather have two things in common: passion of cooking and dream of having their own catering business. They've known each other since culinary school, and been cultivating their dream ever since. This story is about the realization of that dream, their journey from nobody to be a respectable business entity. But not only that, this story is also about their individual struggles to maintain balance between career and personal lives, as well as the lives and struggles of people and families around them. In short, this is a story about friendship, family, love, and humanity.<br /><br />💓 This is a book about people, rather than a plotted story. Reading it, you'll feel like you become a part of their circle for a certain period of time. It's like you are closely related to every one, moving around from one's house to another. You see, therefore, their ups and downs, and that you're rejoicing at their triumphs, heartbroken at their sorrows. As the title hinted, the main characters are Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, the owners of Scarlet Feather - their catering business. But the story also revolves around three families: the Mitchells, the Scarlets, and the Feathers.<br /><br />💓 Cathy, the daughter of a maid, has married into the wealthy Mitchells, in whose house Cathy's mother used to clean. We follow how the two families awkwardly get along with each other, while the Feathers are rather circling on the outer edge of the stage. Interestingly, there are two characters who bind the scattered characters together: Maud and Simon. They are ten years old cousins of Neil Mitchell, Cathy's husband; two broken-home children of an unstable couple. <br /><br />💓 When Maud and Simon's parents aren't capable of looking after them, Cathy and Neil bring them to stay temporarily in Waterview, their house. Cathy often brings them to the premises - meaning Scarlet Feather's - and so Tom and the staffs become acquainted to them too. Then Cathy's parents agree to take the children at their house, and the rest is history. The children's wild temperament are tamed by Lizzie and Muttie. And along the process, they steal and touch many people's hearts. So much so, that people are, at different stage, concerned when they're missing, and equally rejoiced and relieved when they're safely found.<br /><br />💓 In short, this is a heartwarming book that reminds me again, that hardworking and kindness are always worth it in the end. Perhaps the reward isn't a life changing fortune, but a series of small contentment through our days which warm our heart always, and give us courage to keep doing it, and to convince us that life is, indeed, good after all. It impressed me much that Binchy could weave this seemingly everyday stories into a wholesome reading experience, that though it is 500 pages long, there's any passage that felt dull or unnecessary. I couldn't stop reading through the pages, yet I hoped it never come to an end. That is a sign of a brilliant book, is it not? I adored this book, and I think I will look forward to every #ReadingIrelandMonth from now on, just to be able to read another Binchy! Which one do you suggest I read next?<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-31439494506165465792024-03-06T07:30:00.005+07:002024-03-12T09:26:54.092+07:00Fire in the Thatch (1946) by E.C.R. Lorac<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUB5lOZQtQ4Ryf61DST8g_22WmGoX-kZgL9GcYQo_lS78dopzBZ49Ug4y_oOodDjLX1v_0bLuypTExnlRSLwUMpu7tFsxwUHhwHvDPu64AV8F-tNKhm3yDqCLVhA-zaCJAYwD4vk_U_01gXsBD8TY6VFiQoZ7s88-IHQ6uZZtcjWvI0SctyggCcVWwwaL/s500/fire-in-the-thatch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="342" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUB5lOZQtQ4Ryf61DST8g_22WmGoX-kZgL9GcYQo_lS78dopzBZ49Ug4y_oOodDjLX1v_0bLuypTExnlRSLwUMpu7tFsxwUHhwHvDPu64AV8F-tNKhm3yDqCLVhA-zaCJAYwD4vk_U_01gXsBD8TY6VFiQoZ7s88-IHQ6uZZtcjWvI0SctyggCcVWwwaL/w274-h400/fire-in-the-thatch.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>🔥 Chief Inspector Robert MacDonald has become my favorite police-detective since my first E.C.R Lorac: <i><a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2023/08/murder-in-mill-race-1952-by-ecr-lorac.html" target="_blank">Murder in the Mill-Race</a></i>. I like his methodical investigation and communication skill. In this case, MacDonald (or the Scotland Yard) was summoned to give his opinion on a burnt thatched cottage in a rural countryside at Mallory Fitzjohn, Devon; whether it was an accident or a foul play.<br /><br />🔥 Nicholas Vaughan bought Little Thatch, a cottage belongs to Colonel St. Cyres, and planned to farm the land and renovate the cottage. Colonel St. Cyres and his daughter were pleased with their new tenant, a conscientious hardworking man, compared to his competitor, a gentleman from London called Mr. Gressingham. The later was recommended by June St. Cyres, the colonel's daughter-in-law, whom the colonel had dismissed (the proposal from the gentleman, not the daughter-in-law).<br /><br />🔥 One day Little Thatched was on fire, and Vaughan was found killed inside. The local police marked the case as accident, but a navy captain who had been Vaughan's chief suspected a foul play. This is a mystery where the key to solve it lays in the personality of the victim - a field where Robert MacDonald is an expert of. <br /><br />🔥 The mystery itself isn't very complicated. It lacks of suspects and surprises. June St. Cyres hasn't got an opportunity to be closely investigated by MacDonald, and I feel that she's there at all only to bring Gressingham and his London lot into the picture. However, the countryside atmosphere and the detailed description of Vaughan's farming infused a charm into this story. Vaughan has a pleasant personality; his relationship with the St. Cyreses is heartwarming. We are fortunate to enjoy these two elements long enough before the tragedy came into the picture.<br /><br />🔥 All in all, it is another enjoyable murder mystery from Lorac.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-90047276762762357072024-03-04T07:30:00.002+07:002024-03-04T07:30:00.127+07:00#MurderEveryMonday: Mysteries from Authors Best Known for Their Non-Mysteries<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlH7B_tWP_n7Fb3vYNyxTQHLwH8F6FCNGc_gsDdAChmLAp2GMA21CLfoLv7VJW8_i-j7F7_RCmSLzbObq9BZldDA0s6Z5aMvHAtnOZO8zQtv0-XptacvHweb3B0eQ9Nz7Uq-bg9vbDIsg2CpZRdHSw3_RVxdGAHQFYwY0AvRsPEoYZoOen0_5zQgYOu2e/s478/murdereverymonday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlH7B_tWP_n7Fb3vYNyxTQHLwH8F6FCNGc_gsDdAChmLAp2GMA21CLfoLv7VJW8_i-j7F7_RCmSLzbObq9BZldDA0s6Z5aMvHAtnOZO8zQtv0-XptacvHweb3B0eQ9Nz7Uq-bg9vbDIsg2CpZRdHSw3_RVxdGAHQFYwY0AvRsPEoYZoOen0_5zQgYOu2e/w265-h400/murdereverymonday.png" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Murder Every Monday</b> was created by Kate @ <a href="https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/2023/02/05/murdereverymonday/" target="_blank">Crossexamining Crime</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmchairSleuth" target="_blank">@ArmchairSleuth</a>. Put simply, the plan is for readers to take a photo of a crime fiction book (novel or short story collection) which meets a given week’s theme criteria and to then share it online, using the hashtag #MurderEveryMonday.<br /><br />This week's theme is:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;">Cover for a mystery written by an author who is more famous for having written non-mystery stories</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXnDIV2UmKmYg4eWf2naKrFvkD1_c71oFRCtFuohq5EtPWOV-BVEjlYdg5X1DKCWO3cVb3s1UZpx2UEIpo9aVAvMne2ce9TAp0RNOkx9cvne53XAerL88bb146xkXou3ruP7JT3m-grab6R_GA2mJj3p-klIQDcGkJcQ5vIMFuhf50QbAZzFFvDq26ZxZ/s1000/cover-with-author-non-mystery1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXnDIV2UmKmYg4eWf2naKrFvkD1_c71oFRCtFuohq5EtPWOV-BVEjlYdg5X1DKCWO3cVb3s1UZpx2UEIpo9aVAvMne2ce9TAp0RNOkx9cvne53XAerL88bb146xkXou3ruP7JT3m-grab6R_GA2mJj3p-klIQDcGkJcQ5vIMFuhf50QbAZzFFvDq26ZxZ/w264-h400/cover-with-author-non-mystery1.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Benjamin Black is pseudonym of John Banville, an Irish novelist who has won a lot of literary awards, 2005 Booker Prize is among them. We know him mostly as a literary fiction author with beautiful prose, and I have just found out last year that he also wrote mystery. Here's <a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-secret-guests-2019-by-john-banville.html" target="_blank">my review</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_piHQDK-Dk75bs7x6aX5IihuTq15_gVF7kHgzLIj8VXzpLGLE3mDuNV-eRFZEM-7VIngrLhwltSpid7CIUt3asrEeApyQvAVRwHt9ECuiFqFGAmhCWpcs8Nbh0LXtCJYbERXid538ItcQJjYSD7WdUUxuqL6zfIteuSxN7MxDnV_h67-wRnR2ii6z8Oj/s2339/cover-with-author-non-mystery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1525" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_piHQDK-Dk75bs7x6aX5IihuTq15_gVF7kHgzLIj8VXzpLGLE3mDuNV-eRFZEM-7VIngrLhwltSpid7CIUt3asrEeApyQvAVRwHt9ECuiFqFGAmhCWpcs8Nbh0LXtCJYbERXid538ItcQJjYSD7WdUUxuqL6zfIteuSxN7MxDnV_h67-wRnR2ii6z8Oj/w261-h400/cover-with-author-non-mystery2.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Susan Scarlett is the pseudonym of Noel Streatfeild, who was best known for her children's books. Scarlett also wrote several romance books (lately re-printed by Dean Street Press), but she only wrote one (unfortunately) mystery, which I liked! Here's <a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2023/12/murder-while-you-work-1944-by-susan.html" target="_blank">my review</a> if you're interested.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsUOIERiqKplLZWc3g03xPrnmVgKHEO8fdMeJ0-jFP94oaBXoPmYTrKwPiS_utkwm22wXKj2nYkHoi3OKhXXlbbxMhBoVKENVvKuHArZ_KYdBnUIyMyJve8iI5lGrikJ3bFO6F4LwrpG16Ymb55Ry2_l-VXoTsr4-A5ZXDtB3fnykVU3Dp1KmT_zeq2O8/s475/cover-with-author-non-mystery3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsUOIERiqKplLZWc3g03xPrnmVgKHEO8fdMeJ0-jFP94oaBXoPmYTrKwPiS_utkwm22wXKj2nYkHoi3OKhXXlbbxMhBoVKENVvKuHArZ_KYdBnUIyMyJve8iI5lGrikJ3bFO6F4LwrpG16Ymb55Ry2_l-VXoTsr4-A5ZXDtB3fnykVU3Dp1KmT_zeq2O8/w260-h400/cover-with-author-non-mystery3.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I don't think this one need explanation, but in case you haven't known yet, Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, who's famous with the Harry Potter universe.<br /><br /></div><br />Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?<br /><br />If you want to participate, here's <a href="https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/murdereverymonday-theme-list/" target="_blank">the list of the weekly theme</a>:<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-80243706157499584252024-03-01T07:30:00.003+07:002024-03-01T07:30:50.154+07:00Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024 - MARCH #AgathaChristieSS24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOKZCUNHtrUFJ0sji-8o0fNwkZfvVeIuW4tBTaTOkHLFNGmJelk9aHyeG1v58LaxNXTTC-hQE0jir0N_cIJMYwC-2d7AZTfgut001yZlH4lSdpKTHmnlbp-yJ_0ar5lFOWT9jfNXvAFdUqdXyeLEp7Sdcv270sN3H5zf4Z8RNBXFWVDhgvZQqMq7pZ3_0/s308/agathachristieSS2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="269" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOKZCUNHtrUFJ0sji-8o0fNwkZfvVeIuW4tBTaTOkHLFNGmJelk9aHyeG1v58LaxNXTTC-hQE0jir0N_cIJMYwC-2d7AZTfgut001yZlH4lSdpKTHmnlbp-yJ_0ar5lFOWT9jfNXvAFdUqdXyeLEp7Sdcv270sN3H5zf4Z8RNBXFWVDhgvZQqMq7pZ3_0/s1600/agathachristieSS2024.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>March is here, I hope you've enjoyed our February stories as much as I did! This month we will read one Tommy and Tuppence, and another with a random detective.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">THE UNBREAKABLE ALIBI</span></b></div><br />This story was first published by Collins in 1929, as one of the <i>Partners in Crime</i> collection. It's about Una Drake, a capricious Australian, who has challenged her fiance to crack two unimpeachable alibis. Despairing that Una will not marry him if he cannot guess how she managed to be in two places at once, Montgomery-Jones calls on Tommy and Tuppence for help.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">THE MYSTERY OF THE SPANISH SHAWL<br /></span></b><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This is a story which Agatha Christie had been struggling to publish back then. Originally published in a magazine in 1924, it's titled <i>The Mystery of the Second Cucumber. </i>But when it was then selected in <i>The Listerdale Mystery</i> collection in 1934, the title was changed to <i>Mr Eastwood's Adventure</i>. Later on when it appeared in the US collection <i>The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories</i> (1948), it experienced another title change - the one we use in #AgathaChristieSS24: <i>The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl</i>. So, if you can't find any copy with this title, you could check if the other two might be what you get in your collection!</div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Strangely though, the story itself is also about a mystery writer's struggles! Struggling with a commission from an editor, Mr Eastwood receives a mysterious phone call summoning to save a woman's life. <br /><br />Are you excited? Both sound like fun to me! ;)<br /><br /></div></span></div><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-90903769979897046192024-02-27T07:30:00.012+07:002024-03-14T14:08:22.422+07:00A Century of Books (1925 - 2024): Another Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58pEYDSBAGQnjhf7mNXLjAa1_xFoVQk3BKDUWthyphenhyphenIZLDsYafMJouHn0wr5jn_qkkGZoB0BopB8OL5kptbTqrEhRYnts2bfy4gFSDpb60BhB5D6gjYz17ySAhYsR80aAmVL4-JLOu1vyES7QUvhLuavL3i-6fMJqJSA-_qIr47BzsMg-l1-PTRz14EC2gY/s892/a-century-of-books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="892" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58pEYDSBAGQnjhf7mNXLjAa1_xFoVQk3BKDUWthyphenhyphenIZLDsYafMJouHn0wr5jn_qkkGZoB0BopB8OL5kptbTqrEhRYnts2bfy4gFSDpb60BhB5D6gjYz17ySAhYsR80aAmVL4-JLOu1vyES7QUvhLuavL3i-6fMJqJSA-_qIr47BzsMg-l1-PTRz14EC2gY/w400-h236/a-century-of-books.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>This is another project (I won't call it challenge, to not adding pressure to the otherwise fun and exciting activity) I undertake starting this year, which is inspired by Simon @ <a href="https://www.stuckinabook.com/" target="_blank">Stuck in a Book</a>. The idea is to read 100 books published during the last hundred years - one title for each year. I don't set any timeframe for myself, but I guess I'd able to finish this in two years. Part of the fun is to browse and find new books I have never heard of before, or books that I have wanted to read in the past but have been forgotten. The other is, of course, reading an interesting assortment of those books! :)<br /><br />Here is my initial list in Google Sheet, with links to the ones I have read and reviewed. It's still incomplete, and I will keep adding (or changing) books along the way. Just reading one book for each year, how difficult will it be, right? <br /><br /><google-sheets-html-origin><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" data-sheets-root="1" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="76"></col><col width="471"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"A Century of Books"}" rowspan="1" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-weight: bold; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">A Century of Books</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1925","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1925</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Under the Tonto Rim (Zane Grey)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Under the Tonto Rim (Zane Grey)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1926","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1926</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Blue Castle (L.M. Montgomery)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Blue Castle (L.M. Montgomery)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1927","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1927</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-wintringham-mystery-1927-aka-cicely.html"}{"1":23}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":23}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Wintringham Mystery (Anthony Berkeley)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-wintringham-mystery-1927-aka-cicely.html" target="_blank">The Wintringham Mystery</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Anthony Berkeley)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1928","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1928</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Mystery of the Peacock's Eye (Brian Flynn)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Mystery of the Peacock's Eye (Brian Flynn)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1929","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1929</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Missing or Murdered (Robin Forsythe)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Missing or Murdered (Robin Forsythe)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1930","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1930</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase (Carolyn Keene)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase (Carolyn Keene)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1931","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1931</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Danger Calling (Patricia Wentworth)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Danger Calling (Patricia Wentworth)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1932","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1932</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1933","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1933</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"High Rising (Angela Thirkell)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">High Rising (Angela Thirkell)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1934","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1934</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Miss Buncle's Book (D.E. Stevenson)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Miss Buncle's Book (D.E. Stevenson)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1935","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1935</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Twice Round the Clock (Billie Houston)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Twice Round the Clock (Billie Houston)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1936","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1936</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Wheel Spins (Ethel Lina White)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Wheel Spins (Ethel Lina White)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1937","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1937</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"How Do You Live? (Genzaburo Yoshino)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">How Do You Live? (Genzaburo Yoshino)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1938","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1938</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Artists in Crime (Ngaio Marsh)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Artists in Crime (Ngaio Marsh)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1939","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1939</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Black Spectacles (John Dickson Carr)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Black Spectacles (John Dickson Carr)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1940","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1940</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sapphira and the Slave Girl (Willa Cather)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sapphira and the Slave Girl (Willa Cather)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1941","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1941</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Babbacombe's (Susan Scarlett)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Babbacombe's (Susan Scarlett)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1942","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1942</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Moving Finger (Agatha Christie)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-moving-finger-1942-by-agatha.html" target="_blank">The Moving Finger</a> (Agatha Christie)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1943","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1943</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Five Find-Outers: The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage (Enid Blyton)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Five Find-Outers: The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage (Enid Blyton)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1944","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1944</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Death Comes as the End (Agatha Christie)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Death Comes as the End (Agatha Christie)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1945","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1945</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Moomins and the Great Flood (Tove Jansson)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Moomins and the Great Flood (Tove Jansson)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1946","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1946</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fire in the Thatch (E.C.R. Lorac)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/03/fire-in-thatch-1946-by-ecr-lorac.html" target="_blank">Fire in the Thatch</a> (E.C.R. Lorac)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1947","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1947</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Misty of Chincoteague (Marguerite Henry)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kate Hardy (D.E. Stevenson)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1948","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1948</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Finn Family's Moomintroll"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Finn Family's Moomintroll</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1949","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1949</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Crooked House (Agatha Christie)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Crooked House (Agatha Christie)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1950","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1950</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Old Herbaceous (Reginald Arkell)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Old Herbaceous (Reginald Arkell)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1951","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1951</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Daughter of Time (Josephine Tey)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Daughter of Time (Josephine Tey)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1952","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1952</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Apricot Sky (Ruby Ferguson)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Apricot Sky (Ruby Ferguson)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1953","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1953</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Excellent Women (Barbara Pym)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Excellent Women (Barbara Pym)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1954","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1954</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sweet Thursday (John Steinbeck)<br /></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1955","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1955</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/02/fresh-from-country-1955-by-miss-read.html"}{"1":22}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":22}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fresh from the Country (Miss Read)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/02/fresh-from-country-1955-by-miss-read.html" target="_blank">Fresh from the Country</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Miss Read)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1956","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1956</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Near Neighbors (Molly Clavering)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Near Neighbors (Molly Clavering)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1957","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1957</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"A Winter Away (Elizabeth Fair)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">A Winter Away (Elizabeth Fair)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1958","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1958</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Greengage Summer (Rumer Godden)<br /></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1959","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1959</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">My Side of the Mountain (Jean Craighead George)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1960","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1960</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1961","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1961</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Travels with Charley: In Search of America (John Steinbeck)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1962","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1962</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Joan Aiken)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Joan Aiken)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1963","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1963</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1964","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1964</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1965","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1965</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1966","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1966</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Dorothy Gilman)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Dorothy Gilman)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1967","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1967</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1968","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1968</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1969","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1969</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1970","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1970</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Woods in Winter (Stella Gibbons)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Woods in Winter (Stella Gibbons)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1971","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1971</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Judith Kerr)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Judith Kerr)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1972","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1972</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1973","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1973</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Princess Bride (William Goldman)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Princess Bride (William Goldman)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1974","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1974</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Mister God, This is Anna (Flyn)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1975","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1975</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Crocodile on the Sandbank (Elizabeth Peters)<br /></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1976","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1976</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Letters from Father Christmas (J.R.R. Tolkien)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1977","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1977</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Quartet in Autumn (Barbara Pym)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Quartet in Autumn (Barbara Pym)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1978","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1978</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Bookshop (Penelope Fitzgerald)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Bookshop (Penelope Fitzgerald)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1979","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1979</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1980","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1980</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Duncton Wood (William Horwood)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Duncton Wood (William Horwood)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1981","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1981</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Hotel New Hampshire (John Irving)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Hotel New Hampshire (John Irving)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1982","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1982</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1983","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1983</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1984","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1984</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cold Sassy Tree (Olive Ann Burns)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Cold Sassy Tree (Olive Ann Burns)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1985","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1985</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":" "}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Ruby in the Smoke (Philip Pullman)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1986","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1986</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1987","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1987</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Shell Seekers (Rosamund Pilcher)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Shell Seekers (Rosamund Pilcher)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1988","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1988</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Dances with Wolves (Michael Blake)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1989","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1989</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Blitzcat (Robert Westall)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Blitzcat (Robert Westall)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1990","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1990</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Animal Dreams (Barbara Kingsolver)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1991","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1991</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1992","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1992</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Thief of Always (Clive Barker)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1993","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1993</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Club Dumas (Arturo Perez-Reverte)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1994","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1994</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"At Home in Mitford (Jan Karon)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">At Home in Mitford (Jan Karon)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1995","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1995</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Persian Pickle Club (Sandra Dallas)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1996","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1996</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Under the Tuscan Sun (Frances Mayes)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Under the Tuscan Sun (Frances Mayes)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1997","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1997</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1998","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1998</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Alexander McCall Smith)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Alexander McCall Smith)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"1999","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1999</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bud, Not Buddy (Christopher Paul Curtis)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Bud, Not Buddy (Christopher Paul Curtis)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2000","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2000</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Scarlet Feather (Maeve Binchy)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/03/scarlet-feather-2000-by-maeve-binchy.html" target="_blank">Scarlet Feather</a> (Maeve Binchy)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2001","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2001</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Five Quarters of the Orange (Joanne Harris)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Five Quarters of the Orange (Joanne Harris)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2002","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2002</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Art of Hearing Heartbeats (Jan-Philipp Sendker)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Art of Hearing Heartbeats (Jan-Philipp Sendker)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2003","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2003</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Housekeeper and the Professor (Yōko Ogawa)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Housekeeper and the Professor (Yōko Ogawa)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2004","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2004</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Ten Big Ones (Janet Evanovich)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Ten Big Ones (Janet Evanovich)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2005","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2005</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2006","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2006</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2007","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2008","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2008</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bruno, Chief of Police (Martin Walker)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Bruno, Chief of Police (Martin Walker)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2009","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2009</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-easy-life-in-kamusari-2009-by-shion.html"}{"1":25}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":25}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Easy Life in Kamusari (Shion Miura)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-easy-life-in-kamusari-2009-by-shion.html" target="_blank">The Easy Life in Kamusari</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Shion Miura)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2010","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2010</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/days-at-morisaki-bookstore-2010-by.html"}{"1":25}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":25}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Days at Morisaki Bookshop (Satoshi Yagisawa)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/days-at-morisaki-bookstore-2010-by.html" target="_blank">Days at Morisaki Bookshop</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Satoshi Yagisawa)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2011","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2011</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Martian (Andy Weir)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Martian (Andy Weir)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2012","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2012</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/02/cigarette-girl-2012-by-ratih-kumala.html"}{"1":14}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":14}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cigarette Girl (Ratih Kumala)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/02/cigarette-girl-2012-by-ratih-kumala.html" target="_blank">Cigarette Girl</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Ratih Kumala)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2013","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2013</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Murder at Sissingham Hall (Clara Benson)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Murder at Sissingham Hall (Clara Benson)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2014","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2014</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Murder Most Unladylike (Robin Stevens)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Murder Most Unladylike (Robin Stevens)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2015","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2015</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"In the Market for Murder (T.E. Kinsey)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">In the Market for Murder (T.E. Kinsey)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2016","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2016</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Whistler (John Grisham)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Whistler (John Grisham)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2017","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2017</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-cat-who-saved-books-2017-by-sosuke.html"}{"1":23}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":23}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-cat-who-saved-books-2017-by-sosuke.html" target="_blank">The Cat Who Saved Books</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Sosuke Natsukawa)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2018","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2018</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2019","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2019</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-secret-guests-2019-by-john-banville.html"}{"1":17}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":17}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Secret Guests (John Banville)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-secret-guests-2019-by-john-banville.html" target="_blank">The Secret Guests</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (John Banville)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2020","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2020</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Snow (John Banville)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Snow (John Banville)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2021","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2021</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-man-who-died-twice-2021-by-richard.html"}{"1":22}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":22}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Man Who Died Twice (Richard Osman)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-man-who-died-twice-2021-by-richard.html" target="_blank">The Man Who Died Twice</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Richard Osman)</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2022","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2022</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Golden Mole (Katherine Rundell)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Golden Mole (Katherine Rundell)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2023","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2023</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"What You Are Looking For Is in the Library (Michiko Aoyama)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">What You Are Looking For Is in the Library (Michiko Aoyama)</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2024","6":1}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2024</td><td data-sheets-hyperlinkruns="{"1":0,"2":"https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/eleven-huskies-dr-bannerman-vet-mystery.html"}{"1":14}" data-sheets-textstyleruns="{"1":0,"2":{"2":{"1":2,"2":1136076},"9":1}}{"1":14}" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Eleven Huskies (Philipp Schott)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a class="in-cell-link" href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2024/01/eleven-huskies-dr-bannerman-vet-mystery.html" target="_blank">Eleven Huskies</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> (Philipp Schott)</span></td></tr></tbody></table></google-sheets-html-origin><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Do you find your favorite books in the list? Or books you're exciting to read? Or do you want to recommend books I'd love to read for certain years? Please tell me on the comment section. I would love to hear some suggestions!<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-86988696206032774162024-02-22T07:30:00.005+07:002024-02-22T07:30:00.143+07:00Book Tour: The Library Murders by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #8)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyA-J9iJZHRnpEOqjWeWTYy44OLlOLB2N08TWhuyIYPnSFKjCeA8KCl3TUfizOo1q7A-KltgSL9No_bH4gX-fNGzEEOvBlsgBJSOAPjIo4WaLYcOGp1MO7oR41R5ZeFyKwGVH_oWj6q9pePX4hFrus4ZBPm3sGbt9GhOSSnwyZBve6L7I25i0kIVxNN6BX/s2339/The%20Library%20Murder%20v2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyA-J9iJZHRnpEOqjWeWTYy44OLlOLB2N08TWhuyIYPnSFKjCeA8KCl3TUfizOo1q7A-KltgSL9No_bH4gX-fNGzEEOvBlsgBJSOAPjIo4WaLYcOGp1MO7oR41R5ZeFyKwGVH_oWj6q9pePX4hFrus4ZBPm3sGbt9GhOSSnwyZBve6L7I25i0kIVxNN6BX/w260-h400/The%20Library%20Murder%20v2.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>It’s my stop today on <i>The Library Murders</i> by Merryn Allingham <b>Books on Tour</b>. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.<br /><br />📚 <b>About the Book</b>:<br /><br /><i>Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele and her fiancé, crime writer Jack Carrington, discover words can kill as they solve their most puzzling case yet…<br /><br />It’s a sunny morning in Abbeymead as Flora cycles through the village and knocks on the door of the local library, planning to deliver a gift to librarian Maud Frobisher to mark her retirement. But Flora is shocked when she finds Maud slumped in the corner, and even more startled when she recognises the man holding the murder weapon – an enormous hardback book.<br /><br />Flora’s known Lowell Gracey since her college days, but what is he doing working for Maud and now the main suspect in her murder? Suspicion mounts when Flora and Jack discover that Lowell is heavily in debt, and that a priceless rare first edition has recently gone missing, but Lowell is adamant that he’s innocent, and Flora believes him.<br /><br />The pair are once more drawn into an investigation, but who would kill a beloved librarian?Perhaps Rose Lawson, a mysterious newcomer to Abbeymead known to be in dire financial straits? Or pompous bestselling author Felix Wingrave, who rumours say would do anything to get his hands on a valuable book for his collection?<br /><br />Then the village is rocked by the discovery of a second body. Flora and Jack realise a vital clue lies in the pages of a novel – but the plot is thickening and the killer is closing in…<br /><br />Flora and Jack are determined to solve this fiendish case by the book – but will this be the end of their story?<br /><br />A completely page-turning and addictive cozy crime mystery. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis will adore this unputdownable series!<br /><br /></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGioEUiqJFO5DVNbxSIeBRqREIUsj5s0ppsHpi653Ax_hkX-a3EoKAGtpqRPU5yqIodJz1XtcsEiYM5TLLR_Ykxx91shcY5SPuKjRE4LugdYM6SDZhRdFJDWi1PEVSTNd6ySseuKepLNKPOnbsrq5oD0ErUiYGG-oWrfhuvJRoZpPhEljlu5jcikCJhQi/s1080/The%20Library%20Murders%20-%20Books%20On%20Tour%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGioEUiqJFO5DVNbxSIeBRqREIUsj5s0ppsHpi653Ax_hkX-a3EoKAGtpqRPU5yqIodJz1XtcsEiYM5TLLR_Ykxx91shcY5SPuKjRE4LugdYM6SDZhRdFJDWi1PEVSTNd6ySseuKepLNKPOnbsrq5oD0ErUiYGG-oWrfhuvJRoZpPhEljlu5jcikCJhQi/w400-h400/The%20Library%20Murders%20-%20Books%20On%20Tour%20.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>📚 <b>My thoughts</b>:<br /><br />It's good to see that the 8th book in this bookish-themed series brings us back to the charming Abbeymead village, meeting our beloved amateur-sleuth couple: Flora Steele and Jack Carrington. And this is probably the most bookish crime fiction I've ever read. Everything surrounding the mystery is about books. The victim is a librarian. The weapon is a hardcopy of Lord of the Rings (imagine how thick and heavy it is), smashed to the victim's head. The killer's motive isn't far away from literary world. And even the key clue to solve the mystery is in, or part of, a book!<br /><br />The murders (yes, there's a second murder - also quite bookish) happens during a crime-writer conference which is held in Abbeymead. Jack is co-hosting, while Flora caters a bookshop stall for the participants. So, of course, beside the recurring characters (which are Flora and Jack's friends or neighbors), all the suspects are mainly literary people. And this bookish aspect makes this book very satisfying for book lovers.<br /><br />Needless to say, I loved almost everything about this book. Flora and Jack's dynamic relationship after they're engaged added a sweet touch to the story, and the plot itself is cleverly woven. One thing which is a bit off to me is the denouement. While the second murder is wrapped up neatly, the first one isn't very clear. I wished to know more about it. But other than that, it is a perfect getaway book if you love books (who doesn't? 😉), picturesque village in the 1950s, loveable characters, splashed with a touch of romance and sprinkled with witty dialogs. <br /><br />📚 <b>About the Author</b>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz-JecXottrIswOExpArgqQKPhFWzUGxko8y0vqDN4bbYS7TibP1HPifAbZErm_IVN67eGHd_G-FsLON7ajDnOI1c7mIBBSu7yoaTJ5LGxCMHRWC4d1HUU5NoQlmopLpNBCFIOYftj6W8jIPtDvqJDbT1l8g5GtHG0KAb4ET6cx853twSvqicUdw4SIvq/s400/D1445%20G%20small.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz-JecXottrIswOExpArgqQKPhFWzUGxko8y0vqDN4bbYS7TibP1HPifAbZErm_IVN67eGHd_G-FsLON7ajDnOI1c7mIBBSu7yoaTJ5LGxCMHRWC4d1HUU5NoQlmopLpNBCFIOYftj6W8jIPtDvqJDbT1l8g5GtHG0KAb4ET6cx853twSvqicUdw4SIvq/w150-h200/D1445%20G%20small.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.<br /><br />Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.<br /><br />📚 <b>Social Media links</b>:<br /><br />Website: https://merrynallingham.com/<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites<br />Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrynwrites<br /><br />Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here: https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham<br /><br />📚 <b>Purchase Link</b>:<br /><br />Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CLRWF1ZXsocial<br /><br />Be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-67119853914977939772024-02-21T07:30:00.001+07:002024-02-21T07:30:00.131+07:00The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (2008) by Jeanne Birdsall<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb4cD-PIDMhW_n_8D5_eVk6NuQknwuRMuX8mpiZ1qTpu3JR1smfm5_frvvKIhpOewuybFviYppdr3vBFtQYe2ovGYj52LJZ9PfzdXBrERCNlZGCLM5TtpEAD4_g11bAO-ReymKKjwmoqT8HDnhyphenhyphentK3N4u0o5PkntJsGIWcEFJ2GRrU_ATRxZoWAwSL6v4/s450/the-penderwicks-on-gardam-street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb4cD-PIDMhW_n_8D5_eVk6NuQknwuRMuX8mpiZ1qTpu3JR1smfm5_frvvKIhpOewuybFviYppdr3vBFtQYe2ovGYj52LJZ9PfzdXBrERCNlZGCLM5TtpEAD4_g11bAO-ReymKKjwmoqT8HDnhyphenhyphentK3N4u0o5PkntJsGIWcEFJ2GRrU_ATRxZoWAwSL6v4/w273-h400/the-penderwicks-on-gardam-street.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>👭 When Rachel (Hamlette) of <a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hamlette's Soliloqui</a> announced the <a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/2024/01/announcing-we-love-sibling-stories-week.html" target="_blank">We 🖤 Sibling Stories Week</a>, I knew it's time to revisit The Penderwicks - the first of which series I'd read many years ago. The Penderwicks consist of the father, four sisters (who might remind you of the four sisters in <i>Little Women</i>), and a dog.<br /><br />👭 It's four years after their mother's death, the Penderwick sisters live on Gardam Street, still with their father, and the dog. Rosalind, the elder, has grown up to be the little housewife of the family. She's responsible, much matured for her age, and little Batty - the youngest - depends on her much like a child to a mother (she can't sleep before Rosalind tells her a story - nobody can tell stories like Rosalind!). The second sister Skye is the tomboy (like Jo in Little Women?) and the most intelligent one. She's obsessed with math, logics, and scientific stuffs. Jane, on the contrary, is the most imaginative and romantic one in the family. She's the poet and writer. Last but not least, is little Batty, the imaginative kid who loves animals.<br /><br />👭 On the fourth year of their mother's death, the Penderwicks is visited by Aunt Claire who brings an unpleasant tidings from the past: a letter written by their late mother right before her death. It's her wish that Mr. Penderwick starts dating again. This gives the Penderwicks such a consternation, who had hitherto live comfortably in each other's company. The sisters, worrying that they might end up living with a terrible stepmother, devise a plan to thwart any chance of their father marrying again.<br /><br />👭 The Save-Daddy Plan - that's the name of their mission. As usual, when something crucial happens, Rosalyn as the eldest, would call for a MOPS - Meeting Of Penderwick Sisters, where they vow of secrecy. It's decided then that, as they couldn't prevent their dad of dating - it's their mother's wishes too anyway - they could choose a terrible date for daddy, that he would hate! Little do they know that Mr. Penderwick himself has some secret plans on his mind about this dating business. You can imagine how hilarious they're to read - hilarious, warm, and charming!<br /><br />👭 I love the sisters' dynamic relationship, and how they support each other, while always maintaining the Penderwicks honor! My favorite plot is Skye and Jane's swapping homework - Jane is writing play for Skye, while Skye is doing an essay for Jane. You know how these would go in consequence. They provide more laughter and drama to our delightful read! All in all, it's a satisfying, entertaining read.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Read for:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/2024/01/announcing-we-love-sibling-stories-week.html" target="_blank">We 🖤 Sibling Stories Week</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by Rachel (Hamlette) @ <a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hamlette's Soliloqui</a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha59_R_QaGjFBSS6k7AlEI_58-zQvOR3Y0qaGSVjF2o5qszSJUnDQRYCJ4vHoL1bpPX95XG4vlY0HOfTZZ_FYrNwwO2fTG-QcLmZ5rDu7X5Yq7tGgSIvlWvIL0w8CE-sALV20B17NOnP56S4ui1qJu-uOb0s5xMuU3894XR6t_-R3nr5-2ysJGRZbvwlct/s320/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha59_R_QaGjFBSS6k7AlEI_58-zQvOR3Y0qaGSVjF2o5qszSJUnDQRYCJ4vHoL1bpPX95XG4vlY0HOfTZZ_FYrNwwO2fTG-QcLmZ5rDu7X5Yq7tGgSIvlWvIL0w8CE-sALV20B17NOnP56S4ui1qJu-uOb0s5xMuU3894XR6t_-R3nr5-2ysJGRZbvwlct/s1600/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-77790477464805196922024-02-19T07:30:00.002+07:002024-02-19T07:30:00.144+07:00Cigarette Girl (2012) by Ratih Kumala #IndonesianLit<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7IESlAq6NbQANj6cN81moMItwKzsTtHpLvUFqhpavqwanJGbRqCUVmelDMKzRHtb0aU7DG-il2R4lZeFjrFFvVMPMQKOO1kOZhcbYo2e2DQ3l2Qqf7lyl_pBfxCHPzRszILcrlzUb9n0qMb91MnCaypu6BRq1gdFfOmMPmf5V208aMIiz8kH6EUDvTCU/s500/cigarette-girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7IESlAq6NbQANj6cN81moMItwKzsTtHpLvUFqhpavqwanJGbRqCUVmelDMKzRHtb0aU7DG-il2R4lZeFjrFFvVMPMQKOO1kOZhcbYo2e2DQ3l2Qqf7lyl_pBfxCHPzRszILcrlzUb9n0qMb91MnCaypu6BRq1gdFfOmMPmf5V208aMIiz8kH6EUDvTCU/w261-h400/cigarette-girl.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>🚬 I'm proud to say that <i>Cigarette Girl</i> is the best Indonesian historical fiction I've read so far. A highly entertaining story with good plot and pace. Most importantly, it is unpretentious, unlike most of others in the same genre from the same country. This is my second read, and I enjoyed it as much as before.<br /><br />🚬 Whether we, Indonesians, like it or not, cigarette is always part of our culture. For me personally, the aroma of tobacco sticks to my memory. It is something I grew up with. My late father was a smoker until many years later when he stopped smoking. The tobacco smell coming from my father's body or clothes always associated to me the sense of love and protection. No matter how hard life is, it will be okay because my father will there for me. God, how I miss those feelings right now! Nowadays people might condemn cigarettes as silent killer etcetera, but I always have a soft spot for cigarettes, tobacco, and cloves. But enough about me, now about the story itself.<br /><br />🚬 Tegar, Karim, and Lebas are the offsprings of a wealthy cigarette business owner Soeraja. They are summoned home as their father is dying. Unexpectedly, on his death bed, Soeradja mentions a woman's name they've never heard of, but enrages their mother: Jeng Yah ("Jeng" is a respectable address to a woman, similar to Ma'am). Who is Jeng Yah? And why does their father want to meet her? The brothers decide to solve the mystery and look for the answer by taking a trip to M town, where it all began.<br /><br />🚬 Parallel with the present line, Ratih Kumala brings us to the past. It all began in the early 1940s when the Dutch was still colonizing Indonesia. A visionary ambitious young man called Idroes Moeris was working as a cigarette roller, but longed to produce and sell his own cigarettes. His time came when the Japanese arrived in 1942 and confiscated Moeria's boss' belongings. Fortunately the boss still keep some cloves and tobacco in stock, which Moeria then bought for his first venture in cigarette industry.<br /><br />🚬 Soedjagad was Idroes Moeria's colleague, and close competitor, not only in stealing the heart of a pretty girl called Roemaisa - daughter of a scribe - but also in buying the boss's cloves. Roemaisa rejected Soedjagad's proposal because she fell in love with Moeria; and we know who eventually got the cloves. These brought bitterness to Soedjagad, and from then on he was like a thorn in Moeria's flesh, a shadow that shrouded his life.<br /><br />🚬 Both competitors thrived as two big cigarette industries, but Moeria was always leading with his genius business inventions and good taste in concocting delicious sauce for his clove cigarettes. Soedjagad, meanwhile, was always copying his ideas, but lacked Moeria's secret recipe of the sauce. But it would all change in the hand of their successors.<br /><br />🚬 Moeria and Roemaisa had two daughters. The elder one is the most beautiful and intelligent. Her name is Dasiyah, but people called her Jeng Yah. The enigmatic Jeng Yah. Dasiyah inherited her father's knack of cigarette making, and was soon entering the industry. How did she meet Soeraja, and what happened then, is an engaging mystery to unfold!<br /><br />🚬 What I liked most from this book is how Ratih Kumala alternately and proportionally tells the story from the point of view of characters from both the past and present, and was able to connect them so seamlessly, yet we still distinctly perceive the time difference. It is equally amazing how she could explore each character - present and past - beautifully in just under 300 pages. <br /><br />🚬 I love mostly the portrayals of the three Soeraja brothers. Tegar was made the heir from childhood, but envied his brothers for happily living their childhood, while he was forced to learn about family business. Lebas, the laid-back child, on the contrary, envied Tegar for being with their father all the time, while he and Karim played together alone. And Karim, the calm trustworthy Karim, who later becomes the mediator between the two opposite-pole of his brothers, is satisfied to work for their family business. Lastly I'm satisfied with ending, with the way the three brothers react to the revelation of Jeng Yah and their family secret history.<br /><br />🚬 On the whole, it is a story about two most important events in Indonesian history: Japanese occupation which led to independence proclamation in 1945, and the 1965 genocide. They are nicely presented through the intricate stories of love and jealousy, ambition and struggles, business intrigues and betrayals, as well as the interesting history of clove cigarettes industry. <i>Cigarette Girl </i>has also been made a Netflix series, currently playing. I haven't had chance to watch it (some people had recommended it), but I'm pretty sure that the book, as usual, would be much better.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Read for:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/2024/01/announcing-we-love-sibling-stories-week.html" target="_blank"><b>We <span style="text-align: left;">🖤 </span>Sibling Stories Week</b></a><br />hosted by Rachel (Hamlette) @ <a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hamlette's Soliloqui</a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDl0MNB5ah5WpdtSn9tvfhlp7IPTPX8pwqmRiUit2xCmiJ1CztvsKTd5bNA_Xx_lHBXxF2oNQS4g_DnP5PZh10aTp3MW6ZINnAbjQbY8_5xIOgDHnmFsh0U_2QuCFZD6yvd75ntq3Ydgifx7hRscFYEwW_iTekflaO6GTD7pitqPLJ9-G13SRzFj4W4nY/s320/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDl0MNB5ah5WpdtSn9tvfhlp7IPTPX8pwqmRiUit2xCmiJ1CztvsKTd5bNA_Xx_lHBXxF2oNQS4g_DnP5PZh10aTp3MW6ZINnAbjQbY8_5xIOgDHnmFsh0U_2QuCFZD6yvd75ntq3Ydgifx7hRscFYEwW_iTekflaO6GTD7pitqPLJ9-G13SRzFj4W4nY/s1600/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-22742798541527290642024-02-16T07:30:00.001+07:002024-02-16T07:30:00.133+07:00The Affair at the Bungalow: A Short Story #AgathaChristieSS24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvIaYQhVpq_t0CCYr8IyCJE559_HwSBHx1glwvg5fASAYKG6QiziZQt94R8dTpbdWyfPPXq8e39hnCCtaskTbgV1RPp-J9gR2MwyiH5xf40uUUmR6DSDo2EoGYFIRRcHgbjXk2STttxwkOr5pA1PYYrVlv8D4LVnQQM0knvQYswCe4FK6Yw2N4mU11y-m/s308/agathachristieSS2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="269" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvIaYQhVpq_t0CCYr8IyCJE559_HwSBHx1glwvg5fASAYKG6QiziZQt94R8dTpbdWyfPPXq8e39hnCCtaskTbgV1RPp-J9gR2MwyiH5xf40uUUmR6DSDo2EoGYFIRRcHgbjXk2STttxwkOr5pA1PYYrVlv8D4LVnQQM0knvQYswCe4FK6Yw2N4mU11y-m/s1600/agathachristieSS2024.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>💎 In a dinner party, a pretty young actress, Jane Helier, tells a remarkable story. She's the type that people usually think beautiful but silly. So that when she begins with "it happened to a friend of mine", the others - Miss Marple included - are all convinced that the friend is Jane herself.<br /><br />💎 A burglary committed in a riverside bungalow, belongs to a wealthy man, taken for his mistress, an actress. A young man got a letter from Jane Helier, invited him to discuss a play at the bungalow. But Jane never actually sent him the letter. He came, and met a girl who called herself Jane Helier. He was served a cocktail, and passed out. The moment he came to himself, he's lying out in the road. And then the police arrested him for burglary; the jewelry which was kept at the bungalow was stolen. <br /><br />💎 It was a remarkable story, indeed. No one present could solve the mystery: who really stole the jewelry, why the deception? Everyone is perplexed, even, it seems, Miss Marple. However, just before she leaves, Miss Marple whispers something to Jane. A cryptic message, it seems to us, but it shows that Miss Marple has solved the perplexing mystery, which appalls Jane.<br /><br />💎 It is surprisingly a short and simple story with a brilliant plot twist! I wouldn't have guessed the truth. A superb short story for Agatha Christie's fans!<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-62513095981731497732024-02-14T07:30:00.002+07:002024-02-15T07:24:10.196+07:00The Easy Life in Kamusari (2009) by Shion Miura #JapaneseLitChallenge17<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsN8Edg8fChJK0GMA_t9yjTyilT7D104hep4kmCzHyaU_RDSWuwHubhj7N0eDIKlFSd1_KQ2F843WIihwgZ4pCNywdB9leV1q3f_hV3WNyN1YJZAQQS6j4yfMG-v7KpYBliEGWmXeoOphB8Xfpr907N8qfM4kFlxLpdGMN685Aa_oV81kv2QwWzLcfHUE/s2475/easy-life-in-kamusari.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsN8Edg8fChJK0GMA_t9yjTyilT7D104hep4kmCzHyaU_RDSWuwHubhj7N0eDIKlFSd1_KQ2F843WIihwgZ4pCNywdB9leV1q3f_hV3WNyN1YJZAQQS6j4yfMG-v7KpYBliEGWmXeoOphB8Xfpr907N8qfM4kFlxLpdGMN685Aa_oV81kv2QwWzLcfHUE/w266-h400/easy-life-in-kamusari.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>🌳 Yuki Hirano has just finished high school and doesn't know what to do next. So, his parents enrolled him to Mount Kamusari to be trained as a forester. As Yuki was, in a way, forced to take the job, he arrives at the small village grumbling. More so because Yoki Iida, in whose house he would live, snatched and threw his phone away, so that he feels desperate, lonely, and out of place.<br /><br />🌳 Forestry works are no leisure. Yuki struggles in his first training, but soon gets the hang of it. And it is then that he realizes the beauty of this village at the foot of Mount Kamusari, and appreciates the meaningful job he has in preserving nature. The easy life in Kamusari is far different from his former life in Yokohama city, and he embraces this new life. Yuki even let's himself attracted to a girl older than himself, Nao - a local teacher and sister-in-law of Yuki's boss, Seiichi.<br /><br />🌳 This book provides a really comfort reading. Shion Miura's writing transported me to the everyday simple life on Kamusari, brought me to meet the people, and learned much about forestry, the little village tradition. I love how the Nakamura team member accepted Yuki in no time, and especially Yoki's household: grandma Shige (Yoki's mother), Miho (Yoki's wife), and even Noko the dog. They grew to love him eventually. But the best part of this book is the detailed description of the forestry work - it's really remarkable, and even kind of epic sometimes. All in all, it's beautiful, refreshing, funny, and warm coming-of-age story. <br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-20391149047646859782024-02-12T07:30:00.001+07:002024-02-12T07:30:00.124+07:00Fresh from the Country (1955) by Miss Read<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoxoZ_AILWb0LKMw2QVzbriitExO4QfQV9bM2nSuRUjIDlVJrqM7Plnyft8AT1eS97yvBJhIxR4QI2DvTWiGtZDP_QZsHtB6LnO-TiVDQGpsmIWdAzn-97CzBg4GqpmsiX3Sl3LzxiDS4cCmx-Ddv4sOUn1Lo36cugtgczC9Fk8FxhyKLTBRmdOxggKVI/s500/fresh-from-the-country.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoxoZ_AILWb0LKMw2QVzbriitExO4QfQV9bM2nSuRUjIDlVJrqM7Plnyft8AT1eS97yvBJhIxR4QI2DvTWiGtZDP_QZsHtB6LnO-TiVDQGpsmIWdAzn-97CzBg4GqpmsiX3Sl3LzxiDS4cCmx-Ddv4sOUn1Lo36cugtgczC9Fk8FxhyKLTBRmdOxggKVI/w261-h400/fresh-from-the-country.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>👩🏻🏫 Miss Read is the pen name of Dora Jessie Saint MBE, an English writer and schoolmistress who was famous for her novel series such as the<i> Fairacre</i> and the <i>Thrush Green</i>. She also wrote some children novels, as well as a couple of standalone novels like this one: <i>Fresh from the Country</i>.<br /><br />👩🏻🏫 Anna Lacey is a "fresh from the country" young teacher who's starting her career in a London suburb primary school. The story is about her challenges and struggles. Not only the kind of new teachers would face in their early stage of educational career, like dealing with unrelenting pupils, facing "difficult" parents, or even "rum" characters of her colleagues. Those are minor challenges, as little by little Anna gets the hang of the teaching business. The real struggle for her is the contrast of city life with her countryside origin.<br /><br />👩🏻🏫 Anna experiences a culture shock. Being used to simple life with simple country folks, she's having hard time to adapt with the boasting or greedy people around her. Not mentioning their obsession in money and achievement. Poor Anna is always distressed near the end of term, and can only return to herself after a few days breathing the pure and calm air in the country.<br /><br />👩🏻🏫 Overall, it's a refreshing read that calm you down after work rush, and it makes me want to read the countryside series. This charming and at time funny book was first published in 1955, and re-printed by Furrowed Middlebrow (the imprint of Dean Street Press) in 2020.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-68167587104127639562024-02-09T07:30:00.001+07:002024-02-09T07:30:00.147+07:00The Pearl of Price: A Short Story #AgathaChristieSS24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVSsEZbRPzje1xkL2DYEnStLaxI2OO6cMAaWJcFRW9joVS369YoKJwV3NxsgFAV8How4ITq4ttDz48EPd5CHPDe_PPNuxZfjXAV-NVf2aky-ldp8ffVT5P0YVpLdCj85FlsLvvPOq8kbSjS74lBgWKvEvm7H_BN9wJt9BWSqmaLn4mrsd2p2Z6AiYOsI6/s308/agathachristieSS2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="269" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVSsEZbRPzje1xkL2DYEnStLaxI2OO6cMAaWJcFRW9joVS369YoKJwV3NxsgFAV8How4ITq4ttDz48EPd5CHPDe_PPNuxZfjXAV-NVf2aky-ldp8ffVT5P0YVpLdCj85FlsLvvPOq8kbSjS74lBgWKvEvm7H_BN9wJt9BWSqmaLn4mrsd2p2Z6AiYOsI6/s1600/agathachristieSS2024.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>💜 I didn't remember of ever reading a Parker Pyne mystery before. Or if I had, it slipped my memory. In this story Pyne is having a holiday trip to Petra, in the Middle East - a journey which, no doubt, was inspired by Christie's own journey with husband Max Mallowan.<br /><br />💜 Among Pyne's fellow tourists were a wealthy American with his daughter and also secretary, an archeological doctor, a British politician, and a few others. The American girl is wearing pearl earrings, which her father boasts of costing him very expensively. The earrings' screws are rather lose, and the day before the incident, she had almost lost them, witnessed by the others, coincidentally, after a talk about honesty. <br /><br />💜 On their journey to the next day, the girl is, again, losing one of her pearl earring. But this time, they are nowhere to be found. Which means, that one of the men present had stolen them. Which one, though? They searched each other without avail. Parker Pyne must use his deduction ability to solve the mystery.<br /><br />💜 It is a very straight forward case. I'm pretty sure everyone can easily guess the whodunnit, but perhaps not the howdunnit. Or maybe, if you pay close attention throughout the story, you'll guess it right. It's clever, easy, and pretty straightforward. <br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/5<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-13873361853034859442024-02-05T07:30:00.008+07:002024-02-05T07:30:00.151+07:00#MurderEveryMonday: Covers with City on or in the Title<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9K8u9h_qm7wb4afmwwSJjpWeumRcUtbrPaqJznvmcf6Suiuohs4eHyywUWWrEqsYdoHvzCeZu3Uwx-VffOIq8X4Vy84GUaK7ZkAbfXQaI7otp-njLykHWm5gV6pKhxLXlAWNrpcvgvPH1u72CP2Fds7An61TR4NEaR71YdK6VUKYgRdWFwIKV67mGlLNG/s478/murdereverymonday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9K8u9h_qm7wb4afmwwSJjpWeumRcUtbrPaqJznvmcf6Suiuohs4eHyywUWWrEqsYdoHvzCeZu3Uwx-VffOIq8X4Vy84GUaK7ZkAbfXQaI7otp-njLykHWm5gV6pKhxLXlAWNrpcvgvPH1u72CP2Fds7An61TR4NEaR71YdK6VUKYgRdWFwIKV67mGlLNG/s320/murdereverymonday.png" width="212" /></a></div><br /></div><b><br />Murder Every Monday</b> was created by Kate @ <a href="https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/2023/02/05/murdereverymonday/" target="_blank">Crossexamining Crime</a> and @<a href="https://twitter.com/ArmchairSleuth" target="_blank">ArmchairSleuth</a>. Put simply, the plan is for readers to take a photo of a crime fiction book (novel or short story collection) which meets a given week’s theme criteria and to then share it online, using the hashtag #MurderEveryMonday.<br /><br />This week's theme is:<br /><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Cover with a city on or in the title</span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWchyEhLpjEOIaqOKrVSw-4BPI_imdVUEZI206Y6HsMl2vmZ8oOKZtwinriYV0l-u69HcI1PvckOTlY68iacdWY9tji56wfAYJSQPAk3LUKRxh_DClUZuE6t3-bkiC2f_46eMmacwiy9-kTbsi5rt6WMoyJl05-wp2sGSzo28bmiUuULG5SNek_hxJKNv/s2244/cover-with-city1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWchyEhLpjEOIaqOKrVSw-4BPI_imdVUEZI206Y6HsMl2vmZ8oOKZtwinriYV0l-u69HcI1PvckOTlY68iacdWY9tji56wfAYJSQPAk3LUKRxh_DClUZuE6t3-bkiC2f_46eMmacwiy9-kTbsi5rt6WMoyJl05-wp2sGSzo28bmiUuULG5SNek_hxJKNv/w274-h400/cover-with-city1.jpg" width="274" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE_pOYQYgHXrudvYoQXKajCuxmfOh29ro0p4kvjtEGXVFsS2Tn7XLflmG9KzDvLzIi1WFEGcE-y1zd4774VAjV3hklvSm_WqDcGnMpIwi1DXKvB64NJ9syFabFbndkn60dvSTaziK00nNXjk1y6fp2G0FmqZnH74Dmk-rLIF-8jZxn1wAo2nN3xF8aEhe/s2244/cover-with-city2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE_pOYQYgHXrudvYoQXKajCuxmfOh29ro0p4kvjtEGXVFsS2Tn7XLflmG9KzDvLzIi1WFEGcE-y1zd4774VAjV3hklvSm_WqDcGnMpIwi1DXKvB64NJ9syFabFbndkn60dvSTaziK00nNXjk1y6fp2G0FmqZnH74Dmk-rLIF-8jZxn1wAo2nN3xF8aEhe/w274-h400/cover-with-city2.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYdw9oSn2F3XIjyKCsCPhq1l3DY-J4a2r1IbqhzBr1-KaGqlTMNjZvPLRPa-3qwN5fY3htbkz91LkvTFvEIvvptd56aUxpIJMzTdRs9UVqWexy1D_Li2CQedYEDkIIo3MJW9RWf1kIiLAQCW7WS0wCB-CQGH6uFUQnsfpgUnWLal8uM-UqoUQ71WR4IE-/s2244/cover-with-city3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYdw9oSn2F3XIjyKCsCPhq1l3DY-J4a2r1IbqhzBr1-KaGqlTMNjZvPLRPa-3qwN5fY3htbkz91LkvTFvEIvvptd56aUxpIJMzTdRs9UVqWexy1D_Li2CQedYEDkIIo3MJW9RWf1kIiLAQCW7WS0wCB-CQGH6uFUQnsfpgUnWLal8uM-UqoUQ71WR4IE-/w274-h400/cover-with-city3.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_FgWF3mwd6fwap1JUFZBlSb0oz9shkcupubQNyGbLtmML2rjYa6isahkAiIjIHR2be93LzYh41nKaYuAuWAV0inkijTD3LrO-E9m7IzW2oOrNKCfJ6A5JKkj_2Psb08uO9XxYwiUeSHWjbFcHWyqj8vzQl9hrA7QWHu6KXaoTMf3gUmKZDr8XeDHRwJk/s475/cover-with-city4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_FgWF3mwd6fwap1JUFZBlSb0oz9shkcupubQNyGbLtmML2rjYa6isahkAiIjIHR2be93LzYh41nKaYuAuWAV0inkijTD3LrO-E9m7IzW2oOrNKCfJ6A5JKkj_2Psb08uO9XxYwiUeSHWjbFcHWyqj8vzQl9hrA7QWHu6KXaoTMf3gUmKZDr8XeDHRwJk/w249-h400/cover-with-city4.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?<br /><br />If you want to participate, here's <a href="https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com/murdereverymonday-theme-list/" target="_blank">the list of the weekly theme</a>:<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-73390857448994670512024-02-02T07:30:00.001+07:002024-02-02T07:30:00.133+07:00Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024 - FEBRUARY #AgathaChristieSS24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR97HAXyW6dtCBBq_pHAYC551hWUbIw3AI9E0MFIa-3o9HLo5Zj3rZ1FP07llzH3LvzoPCSpQz1E-VHGG6K_0niltmDqFNspN2SKu15cTiGg2nmz0MEB6dHcJzqPeGGQzUrDQ6dwYHauleTL6491LBH4gBwvI_4WLDoyXKcWp2Y7nWqb8MBWc9xsbv3D93/s308/agathachristieSS2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="269" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR97HAXyW6dtCBBq_pHAYC551hWUbIw3AI9E0MFIa-3o9HLo5Zj3rZ1FP07llzH3LvzoPCSpQz1E-VHGG6K_0niltmDqFNspN2SKu15cTiGg2nmz0MEB6dHcJzqPeGGQzUrDQ6dwYHauleTL6491LBH4gBwvI_4WLDoyXKcWp2Y7nWqb8MBWc9xsbv3D93/s1600/agathachristieSS2024.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Thank you all of you who have participated in #AgathaChristieSS24 January! I will recap all your reviews (hopefully soon!) and will include the links in the January post. <br /><br />In February we will read two stories:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180;"><b>THE PEARL OF PRICE</b></span></div><br />Published in 1934, this is a Parker Pyne story. He joins a party of people from Amman, through Jordon to Petra. When talk turns to the nature of honesty and a pearl earring goes missing, the group suspect each other of theft.<br /><br />The journey is, of course, inspired by Christie's experiences with husband Max Mallowan. She wrote this particular story after she and Max had visited the temples and rock tombs of Petra, a location which also features in the novel <i>Appointment with Death</i>.<br /><br />This story first appeared in the UK in Nash’s Pall Mall Magazine, and was later included in the 1934 collection <i>Parker Pyne Investigates</i>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">THE AFFAIR AT THE BUNGALOW</span></b></div><br />A beautiful actress becomes embroiled in a tale of theft, adultery and confusion. Even Miss Marple claims to have trouble solving this mystery. <br /><br />The story was first published in 1930 in The Story-Teller magazine, then was later included in <i>The Thirteen Problems</i>.<br /><br />I have found an audiobook (?) of this story in YouTube Soundbook Stories. I haven't even heard about YouTube Soundbook; have you? Anyway, here's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlqKCyPzltk" target="_blank">the link</a> if you're interested.<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-69224707683642620842024-01-31T07:30:00.001+07:002024-01-31T07:30:00.134+07:00Days at the Morisaki Bookstore (2010) by Satoshi Yagisawa #JapaneseLitChallenge17<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaBrKxSI5ZkE_RPL4B7ulq67ZOjZg-DPw473QvKTN_DNoZ6K0SqTGJQyPk9m01Cc3hIe2ngr0tDf3PXmsFj5XGdl1emuEg6hJ9PHt-OhXHTjkg8ea0obvVfohseEXymHKeN6y5LTi0MqltckfqxzLz8yp8Hx77r7_VunBGiF8sxOIMBT3CG6Uwg95UTUu/s2400/days-at-morisaki-bookshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaBrKxSI5ZkE_RPL4B7ulq67ZOjZg-DPw473QvKTN_DNoZ6K0SqTGJQyPk9m01Cc3hIe2ngr0tDf3PXmsFj5XGdl1emuEg6hJ9PHt-OhXHTjkg8ea0obvVfohseEXymHKeN6y5LTi0MqltckfqxzLz8yp8Hx77r7_VunBGiF8sxOIMBT3CG6Uwg95UTUu/w265-h400/days-at-morisaki-bookshop.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>📚 Jimbocho district in Tokyo is probably every booklover's dream. I googled it, and found that it is indeed daubed as a book town. As of 2021 it has 176 used bookstores. Imagine being lost there! The Morisaki Bookstore in this story is one of these used bookstores, which belongs to three generations. Its current owner is Satoru, uncle of the heroine, a twenty-five-year girl called Takako.<br /><br />📚 After a bad breakup with her boyfriend, who married another girl, Takako was total wreck a d jobless. She accepted her uncle's invitation to stay rent-free in a room above the store. She isn't a reader, and at first felt suffocated sleeping with piles of books around her room. But little by little, she regained calmness, with the help of her caring uncle (whom she felt more connected with), and of course, the healing power of books. She even gets to know a bookish young man at her favorite coffee shop.<br /><br />📚 If only that story was elaborated more, this book would be my favorite. But no, after she's feeling better, Takako decided to look for new job, and it means that she must move out of Morisaki Bookstore. Then the story began to shift to a totally different direction. <br /><br />📚 Satoru leaves alone at the bookstore after his wife Momoko left him five years ago. She left just like that one day without ever contact him, and so he lost hope of ever seeing her again. Then one day, several months after Takako left, Momoko returned. She just came without explanation, as if she never left. Satoru asked Takako's help to solve the mystery around her uncle and aunt's past dark secrets.<br /><br />📚 This second part of the story didn't even centered in the bookstore. The revelation and the secret itself took place at another village. Why titled a book "Days at The Morisaki Bookstore" if half the story wasn't connected to either the bookstore or books at all? And I hate Momoko's character - a coward with fake personality and a selfish woman. She disappeared for five years, and then suddenly came back like nothing happen! Are we readers supposed to sympathize with her and her struggles? No! Her conducts are inexcusable. I felt really sorry for Satoru, he didn't deserve Momoko - but then, love is often blind, so...<br /><br />📚 In short, this story is too disintegrated and quirky for my taste. The first part is quite lovely, I loved Satoru and the bookstore, but hated everything in the second part.<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐1/2<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I read this for:<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Japanese Literature Challenge 17</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by <a href="https://dolcebellezza2.wordpress.com/2023/12/12/japanese-literature-challenge-17/" target="_blank">Dolce Bellezza</a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKEMS_KOmCDPASFW6Yle7sKCN_mfYob80usw_tlt7gVIfibqV0Z_8DVUAJcs4084hc3iAwIs19FMkMG9NlVz1nlaAhVyKngl7lv4EFD4sSGvRlZBc-fSORQHybRVEKSidN07NKtJA6AsLWivjiRUtXe5udwuLkYAmG-27C9du5BbTvScBWt2mkZa_5ddq/s1440/japanese-lit-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1440" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKEMS_KOmCDPASFW6Yle7sKCN_mfYob80usw_tlt7gVIfibqV0Z_8DVUAJcs4084hc3iAwIs19FMkMG9NlVz1nlaAhVyKngl7lv4EFD4sSGvRlZBc-fSORQHybRVEKSidN07NKtJA6AsLWivjiRUtXe5udwuLkYAmG-27C9du5BbTvScBWt2mkZa_5ddq/s320/japanese-lit-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-15090306562097844132024-01-29T07:30:00.002+07:002024-02-12T07:10:29.325+07:00The Secret Guests (2019) by John Banville (Benjamin Black) #JohnBanville2024<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5aV-OE1hH8SwlhNLj-kFxcQc8N37lXTlgjiPMJnKvYR1Ss45K415I5oVsDOyNhKStb6O7vcjCdYFiHSakNJ__xvPE5t53Pvj42TbaiLc4AtYbbRalD7ouqRsZZVQrHzV7auTNcY8aSGdjXcBfAGG7Z_PhahFyRLTmrzogkCYy9zeKjqcC6_rOtztADsg/s1000/the-secret-guests.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5aV-OE1hH8SwlhNLj-kFxcQc8N37lXTlgjiPMJnKvYR1Ss45K415I5oVsDOyNhKStb6O7vcjCdYFiHSakNJ__xvPE5t53Pvj42TbaiLc4AtYbbRalD7ouqRsZZVQrHzV7auTNcY8aSGdjXcBfAGG7Z_PhahFyRLTmrzogkCYy9zeKjqcC6_rOtztADsg/w264-h400/the-secret-guests.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>👭 First of all, I didn't know that Banville writes crime fiction, lest of all that he writes this genre under a pen name of Benjamin Black. As I'm a fan of mystery, I chose <i>The Secret Guests</i> to be my first #JohnBanville2024, hosted by Cathy @ <a href="https://746books.com/" target="_blank">746 Books</a> and Kim @ <a href="https://readingmattersblog.com/" target="_blank">Reading Matters</a>.<br /><br />👭 As you can see from the cover, the secret guests are two teenage girls - the elder is fourteen, the younger ten. The story opens during German Blitz in World War II, and the girls' parents - like many other parents at that time - are arranging to send their children away. At first I didn't realize the girls' identity. Margaret, the younger, is watching night bombing from the window. The mother calls the elder as Lilibeth. Then I thought, oh she's nicknamed just like Queen Elizabeth II. Silly of me of course, because the girls I'm reading are indeed the two royal princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret. This is a historical fiction!<br /><br />👭 The British Royal family evacuated the princesses, not to the countryside, like others, but to the neutral Ireland. They're about to stay at Duke Edenmore's estate, Clonmillis Hall, chaperoned by an English secret agent, Celia Nashe, and accompanied by an Irish detective, St. John Strafford (with an "R"). They were escorted to Clonmillis Hall by a diplomat.<br /><br />👭 First half of the story unfolded at very leisurely pace. We follow the two girls, disguised as Ellen (Elizabeth) and Mary (Margareth), settle into the boredom of rural household - Ellen with her primness indifference, while Mary is in her precocious and inquisitive nature. Celia Nashe and Strafford, on the other hand, started their impromptu cooperation not in a conducive manner. <br /><br />👭 The plot itself doesn't appear until about the second half through. Someone found picture of the royal family in old newspaper, and was able put two and two together. And so, the princesses are now in danger. Could their two rather questionable guards protect them from imminent danger?<br /><br />👭 I was slightly disappointed by the detective and the secret agent. Celia Nashe with the insecurities of a female agent among the male dominant field of job, and Strafford with his bad health - a hindrance against, otherwise, an abled detective - in every critical moment. The fast-paced actions in the last chapters are quite entertaining, though I was a bit daunted by too much murders near the end, especially the last cold-blooded one - is it needed, though?<br /><br />👭 My little disappointment, however, was compensated by Banville's beautiful narration, narrated in equal eloquence by Barrie Kreinik in this audiobook I listened too. It is the writing style rather than the plot that convinced me to read more of St. Strafford series (this book is the first). Hopefully he's getting better next time!<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐<br /><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Read this book for:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://746books.com/2023/10/23/announcing-a-year-with-john-banville-for-2024/" target="_blank">A Year with John Banville</a></b></div></b><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by Cathy @ <a href="https://746books.com/" target="_blank">769 Books</a> & Kim @ <a href="https://readingmattersblog.com/" target="_blank">Reading Matters</a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCFivi7ernAZKMdt5xGJQVrB3iXZdy8gbJaPqwRwS48ynOK_-rYf55thmHLSmWsVEhm8MesrvvCPlSYpBoEq5xVLMVIzWwgV2924HQZQ1LM8lReQrQVcwHWIfF2d_Ka50w7EfnDE0jFAu0usJeAUs656QiSvtvYMyBr2oqSJUIEZD7Tztmu2BqrJALU1K/s1080/a-year-with-john-banville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCFivi7ernAZKMdt5xGJQVrB3iXZdy8gbJaPqwRwS48ynOK_-rYf55thmHLSmWsVEhm8MesrvvCPlSYpBoEq5xVLMVIzWwgV2924HQZQ1LM8lReQrQVcwHWIfF2d_Ka50w7EfnDE0jFAu0usJeAUs656QiSvtvYMyBr2oqSJUIEZD7Tztmu2BqrJALU1K/s320/a-year-with-john-banville.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-9637323565520635632024-01-27T07:30:00.001+07:002024-01-27T07:30:00.158+07:00Six Books Saturday #7: Exciting Reading Events in 2024<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjpGG0qsulyyer-2RfcST67RPa4eEep5kTxutdM_HyflRNOsBo4Dx55rj-Jy7XZ1pN9j2uctX_WUnywpaB2SJF60THgnUR9G4JRIpKSUXxox42S49qpwrp_9vIar8swFVGz2Oz4GDQnCoYr3V9uWCPqJRoRIS0V0kGzMfIz7pNIqGHjtfpUKsICSSpr9_n/s947/six-books-saturday.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="947" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjpGG0qsulyyer-2RfcST67RPa4eEep5kTxutdM_HyflRNOsBo4Dx55rj-Jy7XZ1pN9j2uctX_WUnywpaB2SJF60THgnUR9G4JRIpKSUXxox42S49qpwrp_9vIar8swFVGz2Oz4GDQnCoYr3V9uWCPqJRoRIS0V0kGzMfIz7pNIqGHjtfpUKsICSSpr9_n/w400-h265/six-books-saturday.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><i><b><br />#SixBooksSaturday</b> is my personal monthly bookish meme, inspired by Six Words Saturday, which I've stumbled upon @ <a href="https://travelwithintent.com/" target="_blank">Travel with Intent</a>. It's basically <b>to list six bookish things of random category</b>, which I'd decided on the spot. Anything is possible according to my whim. I post Six Books Saturday on<b> last Saturday of each month</b>. If you're interested, you are, of course, welcomed to join me. There's no rule, really. You can post six anything about books. </i><br /><br />During last Christmas holiday (how long ago it seems now!) I've actually started preparing a sort of 2024 reading plan post, but somehow it never really came off. So, I think I will do that for this month's Six Saturday.<br /><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;">SIX EXCITING READING EVENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 2024</span></b></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>A Year with John Banville</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by Cathy @ 746 Books & Kim @ <a href="https://readingmattersblog.com/" target="_blank">Reading Matters</a><br /><a href="https://746books.com/2023/10/23/announcing-a-year-with-john-banville-for-2024/" target="_blank">Details of the event</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNX9DaD_cWxrr_3GimXl5Xh7uzv9URM9i7l27mDCaRl-3NiUIAn1f9FaHcaYFkFJ18enID11JsA1v_XQQORjhH6fYa_KJQ2s_JC6yPc5sNtIyLxjB0A5OSzw1KIHG3XPsVnO-_aEbe9EUD8Os7VcON284LqjJEAUkSj6jiZ5yAqpKcSkW2Kx7XmfaKLpF/s1080/a-year-with-john-banville.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNX9DaD_cWxrr_3GimXl5Xh7uzv9URM9i7l27mDCaRl-3NiUIAn1f9FaHcaYFkFJ18enID11JsA1v_XQQORjhH6fYa_KJQ2s_JC6yPc5sNtIyLxjB0A5OSzw1KIHG3XPsVnO-_aEbe9EUD8Os7VcON284LqjJEAUkSj6jiZ5yAqpKcSkW2Kx7XmfaKLpF/s320/a-year-with-john-banville.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />After <a href="https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2022/11/mrs-osmond-by-john-banville.html" target="_blank"><i>Mrs. Osmond</i></a> last year and <i>The Sea</i> from pre-blog era, I've been meaning to read more of John Banville, but didn't know where to start. So, when I found out that Cathy & Kim's choice for A Year with a writer this year was John Banville, I couldn't resist to join. My plan is to read at least three books, but judging from how much I'm currently enjoying <i>The Secret Guests</i>, don't be surprised if I ended up reading more..<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">We ❤ Sibling Stories Week</span><br /></b>hosted by <a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hamlette's Soliloquy</a><br /><a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/2024/01/announcing-we-love-sibling-stories-week.html" target="_blank">Details of the event</a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OGMZs0onQWwGx2ieHWGlLKx_S5wMKgvRX04B3dM5GM6X4D94hS5SgcEx3xAmav_dqjaNjpwGqgdHR1s6b5eBsrEQYZw9rndwdQNegxHQ1lSoXLif4LJ1Qcho0AWkgmPbiI8B6dJsLIpOhS-pRVSkveJV46g3Y4IVQMWQHEar2WmryzXiuGYzQEGRblM-/s320/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OGMZs0onQWwGx2ieHWGlLKx_S5wMKgvRX04B3dM5GM6X4D94hS5SgcEx3xAmav_dqjaNjpwGqgdHR1s6b5eBsrEQYZw9rndwdQNegxHQ1lSoXLif4LJ1Qcho0AWkgmPbiI8B6dJsLIpOhS-pRVSkveJV46g3Y4IVQMWQHEar2WmryzXiuGYzQEGRblM-/s1600/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I have joined Hamlette's We ❤ L.M. Montgomery Week last year; it was a tremendously fun event, and I enjoyed it very much. This year she will be hosting another equally interesting reading event, and of course I've joined it without thinking! I have <i>The Penderwicks at Gardam Street</i> on my TBR - I'd love to read it for this event. And, if I still have time, I'd read<i> Cigarette Girl</i> too. It's an Indonesian historical fiction I've been meaning to re-read since last year.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Zoladdiction 2024</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by me<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwvn3q5dDW4yY1We8XPxEMGa3yCOGQVZZwxqv4WTucxY_HXOcvkm01ZHczNFd_oVgjIoFdWTs3XH9WA3vjOwyhy9oyLzSr2w3qh4tmhxPuvEuteXBMcQrvMEEsRkyQTsPIv9XDYgf9oconJp1wz09fJATv2yASRzgrp7Uq6KiVpK27of3l4oQQtDGYnIy/s421/zoladdiction2024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwvn3q5dDW4yY1We8XPxEMGa3yCOGQVZZwxqv4WTucxY_HXOcvkm01ZHczNFd_oVgjIoFdWTs3XH9WA3vjOwyhy9oyLzSr2w3qh4tmhxPuvEuteXBMcQrvMEEsRkyQTsPIv9XDYgf9oconJp1wz09fJATv2yASRzgrp7Uq6KiVpK27of3l4oQQtDGYnIy/s320/zoladdiction2024.png" width="241" /></a></div><br /> </div>Of course, Zoladdiction - the event of reading Emile Zola - will return this April! This time it will be pure reading, no game, meme, or anything like that. I don't think I'll have enough energy to do more than just reading together. This year I'm thinking of re-reading my all-time favorite novel (not just from Zola): <i>Germinal</i>. This will be my 3rd read, and I'm going to listen to the audiobook. I might also read a few short stories, but let's just see. I'm going to post the official announcement around March, so... wait for it!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">The 1937 Club</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by Simon @ <a href="https://www.stuckinabook.com/" target="_blank">Stuck in a Book</a> & Karen @ <a href="https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings</a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb5bFAaqDK8RovJGPYyUu5W02czmgOVFoFE2KaklevQRV84z3WE_Rw5OpTqJpVQfnqdgDEx8-IwwwvMYXvA_YERudBacrgyhf51i1H3PuaqvsAH8wsWQGqSoMjcBugZhgAHdJ7AB6Ckb7bbsYcwlBekDspqRif3_McOKh-6kNDvvsewqlYpNcE-h0na-3/s260/1937-club.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="260" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb5bFAaqDK8RovJGPYyUu5W02czmgOVFoFE2KaklevQRV84z3WE_Rw5OpTqJpVQfnqdgDEx8-IwwwvMYXvA_YERudBacrgyhf51i1H3PuaqvsAH8wsWQGqSoMjcBugZhgAHdJ7AB6Ckb7bbsYcwlBekDspqRif3_McOKh-6kNDvvsewqlYpNcE-h0na-3/s1600/1937-club.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />The club runs every April and October, and for this coming April we're tackling books published in 1937, which is exciting! I have searched for some interesting ones I'd like to read, but as usual, my final choices might be totally different from initial plan, so I'm not going to reveal the books in mins for now... let it be a surprise when the time come! :P<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Paris in July</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by Emma @ <a href="https://wordsandpeace.com/" target="_blank">Words and Peace</a> </div><br />The Francophile in me is always looking forward to this event, where I can transport myself to France through books, music, and everything we usually do in Paris in July!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dean Street December</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by Liz @ <a href="https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Adventures in reading, running and working from home</a></div><br />I know I have just left December behind less than a month, but I'm always excited to read through Dean Street Press' books, especially the Furrowed Middle Brows' ones. It usually provides calmness amidst the chaotic end of year.<br /><br />Some more honorable mentions of events I can't wait also to participate this year:<br />* <b>Reading the Meow</b> by Mallika @ Literary Potpourri (fingers crossing that she will host again this year!)<br />* <b><a href="https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2023/08/14/announcing-moominweek-26-august-to-1st-september-2024" target="_blank">Moomin Week</a></b> by Mallika & Chris @ Calmgrove<br />* <b><a href="https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/2023/11/06/ww23wu/" target="_blank">#WitchWeek24</a></b> (reading Joan Aiken) by Chris & Lizzy @ Lizzy Ross Writer<div>* <b>Novellas in November 2024</b> (had fun last year, and can't wait to do it again)<br />* <b>Non Fictions in November 2024</b> (would be my first participation)<br /><br /><p>Do you plan to join those events? Any other fun event I'm missing?<br /><br /><br />Next Six Books Saturday: <b>24th February 2024</b>.</p></div>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-25984388492835710432024-01-26T07:30:00.002+07:002024-01-26T08:26:44.512+07:00The Cat Who Saved Books (2017) by Sosuke Natsukawa #JapaneseLitChallenge17<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZGHs388TIsG4oEPLSpKV6Bn7B0Ya1sj6Ftk8x3eHsl6uNRczBKDVgoCcWEwcJPDRkAoRV6_fPoRoPNKEJrzkr7HXExBVOZqP1JG4lamgwKULbMp5sImEOKQYwnMxNp0kogyAEsqg0TzHmFwnIUT_Vx8zFFjodKdLhD6fsOfpY4J__L2z6MtZUrfiAzgf/s400/the-cat-who-saved-books.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZGHs388TIsG4oEPLSpKV6Bn7B0Ya1sj6Ftk8x3eHsl6uNRczBKDVgoCcWEwcJPDRkAoRV6_fPoRoPNKEJrzkr7HXExBVOZqP1JG4lamgwKULbMp5sImEOKQYwnMxNp0kogyAEsqg0TzHmFwnIUT_Vx8zFFjodKdLhD6fsOfpY4J__L2z6MtZUrfiAzgf/w265-h400/the-cat-who-saved-books.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>🐈 My first read for #JapaneseLitChallenge17 hosted by Dolce Bellezza is a bookish magical realism story translated by Louise Heal Kawai, about the power of books, and how books give you in return, courage and empathy. Rintaro Natsuki is an orphan who was brought up by his grandfather, the owner of a small second-hand bookshop. Now that the old man is dead, Rintaro is alone and devastated because he would soon have to close the shop and live with another relative. The day after the funeral, however, a tabby cat suddenly appears in the bookshop, and starts talking to him!<br /><br />🐈 The talking cat - his name is Tiger, asks Rintaro to help him saving books - well, force him to do it is more likely, because Rintaro doesn't have more choice than to comply, albeit grudgingly at first. And so, the unlikely partner will go on several magical adventures to save books. They are accompanied by Rintaro's school friend on their two last adventures. <br /><br />🐈 Why and from whom or what do the books need saving, you might ask? It is from people who have mistreated books, despite of doing it out of good intention. Like in their first adventure, they are dealing with a man who hoards books. He collect tons of books, put them into cages, and read them as fast as he can. In a way, he do read the books, but not as what the books are intended to be.<br /><br />🐈 Then there's also mutilator of books; a man who thinks that as people run out of time to read, he cut out books to show only the essence of it, and throws away the rest. In a way, people could read more books, but not really reading them.<br /><br />🐈 This book is a hardcore bookish book, and could only be appreciated by people who love books or book readers to be. The story is short and straightforward, and for me personally, it lacks a charm to make you want it not to end soon. I didn't quite feel absorbed into the story, and instead felt I'm reading a story. In short, it's a book about the power of reading, but it lacks the power in itself. Quite an entertaining bookish book, but that's just it. <br /><br /><br />Two of my favorite quotes:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="color: #660000;">"<i>A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is mere scraps of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, had been endowed with a soul.</i>" </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: #660000;">"<i>Books have souls. A cherished book will always have a soul. It will come to its reader's aid in times of crisis.</i>"</span></blockquote><br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">My first read for:<br /><br /><b>Japanese Literature Challenge 17</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">hosted by: <a href="https://dolcebellezza2.wordpress.com/2023/12/12/japanese-literature-challenge-17/" target="_blank">Dolce Bellezza</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MhCuTMa1Yl9kJkUMzcjodSI3O1IbewxTANb6thK_fGsA3FqyeCeydGOgu8gF2NnXwNV2-BcVlr7W6K8UxOuJ7l0aTiSggs_9qtNcwX5ID5fm3HuHmuU0TgU3fLDo2E7GrHmkS5HFxioS-tq838pD7_btLWZctAE6Qf90LMApgSTaSiUGJhtNsGEsSyju/s1440/japanese-lit-24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1440" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MhCuTMa1Yl9kJkUMzcjodSI3O1IbewxTANb6thK_fGsA3FqyeCeydGOgu8gF2NnXwNV2-BcVlr7W6K8UxOuJ7l0aTiSggs_9qtNcwX5ID5fm3HuHmuU0TgU3fLDo2E7GrHmkS5HFxioS-tq838pD7_btLWZctAE6Qf90LMApgSTaSiUGJhtNsGEsSyju/s320/japanese-lit-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-11793752229941925082024-01-24T07:30:00.001+07:002024-01-24T07:30:00.140+07:00The Man Who Died Twice (2021) by Richard Osman<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKJVqU1h28uvRIQQNflgWn4aldTUg_eAbgqS2xt_llKR3srDqLR-zuFyPfcax0MMdsecM21qZnrzrOvQDS-M8lwKX-0mMwMB1pJ-svKy1cWUjzyw4IZ5WiMdjQQjOrcMsePFVt5tqAH0_Y-hrOwiJ3OEt80yV1QdiBmdzoX01pIlFagy1TtYhcDETCaDK/s500/the-man-who-died-twice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKJVqU1h28uvRIQQNflgWn4aldTUg_eAbgqS2xt_llKR3srDqLR-zuFyPfcax0MMdsecM21qZnrzrOvQDS-M8lwKX-0mMwMB1pJ-svKy1cWUjzyw4IZ5WiMdjQQjOrcMsePFVt5tqAH0_Y-hrOwiJ3OEt80yV1QdiBmdzoX01pIlFagy1TtYhcDETCaDK/w260-h400/the-man-who-died-twice.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>👵🏻👴🏻 My first acquaintance of <i>The Thursday Murder Club</i> was a few years ago, and the second book was long overdue. Is it as good as the first? Some writers only fascinated me with their first, while the rest was usually a flop. But not Richard Osman. This second installment is as good as, if not better than, the first. Reading it felt like reunited with old friends you're fond of. Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron are who they are as I always remember them. Elizabeth are her old spy self, but the others are now more adept to Elizabeth's way, and to murder investigation business. Both Joyce and Ron, in particular, had bigger contributions in this story than before.<br /><br />👵🏻👴🏻 The story begins with two things. First, Elizabeth has a blast from the past when a letter from a man whose death years ago she had witnessed during her M15 days - the titular man who died twice - arrived. Of course, a man can't possibly be dead twice; it was a fake death that Elizabeth had witnessed. Now the man is back, and wants Elizabeth's help. That part wasn't a surprise, we've read similar situation in crime novels before. The surprise in this one is the identity of the man - he turned out to be Elizabeth's ex-husband! Douglas Middlemis is an old member of M15, who is being chased by a Mafia leader for stealing his diamonds, and is now hiding in Cooper's Chase with another fellow M15, a girl called Poppy. <br /><br />👵🏻👴🏻 The second big thing is much bleaker. Ibrahim is severely mugged! When you are eighty, being mugged could be a life or death situation - both physically and, maybe more importantly, psychologically. Of course the three friends couldn't let the matter go. The teenager who had mercilessly attacked their beloved friend must pay for it, one way or another!<br /><br />👵🏻👴🏻 Then several murders are committed, and our four elderly amateur sleuth are back in action - this time more adventurous and dangerous. And even when the three of them are in the midst of solving murder mystery and hunting stolen diamonds, they still have time to arrange a sweet revenge for Ibrahim's mugger.<br /><br />👵🏻👴🏻 Just like the predecessor, <i>The Man Who Died Twice</i> is sweet, hilarious, and full of action. The plot is plausible and cleverly woven. Like the first book, my favorite parts are of Joyce's diaries. She has an uncanny way of telling a story. Joyce is, and always will be, my favorite character from the series. She's funny and always unexpected! In this one, she's twice solved a few of tricky mysteries - outperforming Elizabeth for a change! Now I can't wait to read the 3rd (and 4th) book!<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-58797095656428619362024-01-22T07:30:00.004+07:002024-01-22T07:40:58.531+07:00The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman: A Short Story #AgathaChristieSS24<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5epCXbazW8jbZqmbdkcW27gXVhcE8sjqnhZNWzGOjO8-Gc2wHJ248St3VRODyrjj-b2TTtpPeLMAzI2h30cPoiF6SOmhC-XEjo5cSOVcMBDgs7j5HEpB4_ehVkkAS5udf9u8uk6gplcyEK0Yu5ebduL-uBKJb2awVHZhShyEON0wdq-VmGvmgfHW_cl8k/s308/agathachristieSS2024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="269" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5epCXbazW8jbZqmbdkcW27gXVhcE8sjqnhZNWzGOjO8-Gc2wHJ248St3VRODyrjj-b2TTtpPeLMAzI2h30cPoiF6SOmhC-XEjo5cSOVcMBDgs7j5HEpB4_ehVkkAS5udf9u8uk6gplcyEK0Yu5ebduL-uBKJb2awVHZhShyEON0wdq-VmGvmgfHW_cl8k/s1600/agathachristieSS2024.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>🔺️ Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are in the middle of conversation with their guest, a Dr. Hawker, when the latter's housekeeper tells him about a terrible phone call she's received from a Count Foscatini in Regent's Court, exclaiming that he's been murdered! Naturally, Poirot and Hastings follows the doctor to the count's flat.<br /><br />🔺️ Jane @ <a href="https://howlingfrog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Howling Frog Books</a> has pointed out in <a href="https://howlingfrog.blogspot.com/2024/01/agathachristiess24-january.html" target="_blank">her post</a>, the fascinating idea behind the, then, modern flats which provided dinner-service. Indeed, it is a fascinating idea, I didn't know that was a thing back then! The system is providing dinner service for the residents by phone order. The kitchen, located at the top of the building, would then send down one course at a time, via a service lift. A very convenient arrangement for well-to-do bachelor gentlemen, indeed!<br /><br />🔺️ When the three men arrive at the flat, the count is at the dining room, dead. The weapon, a marble statue, is there, as well as the remaining of dinner for three. The lift boy has told them that the count has entertained two guests that night, while Mr. Graves, Foscatini's manservant, was out. The dinner service would prove an important key in this murder case, as well as the untouched dessert of rice soufflé. At least, it is important for Hercule Poirot. Hastings, as usual, failed to see something amiss, as are perhaps, most of us.<br /><br />🔺️ Short the story is perhaps, it is entertaining and delightful nonetheless. And another neat deduction process from Monsieur Poirot! Now, a light <b>topic for discussion</b> for #AgathaChristieSS24:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #783f04;">If you could afford it, would you buy/rent a modern flat with dinner service?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I will! I think it's a brilliant idea for working people living in apartments like me. Preparing meals and washing dishes really take time. All I want to do after work is just having a good shower, eating a satisfying dinner, and relaxed a bit until bedtime. I would be more than happy if those meal prep and washing dishes could be get off of me, not mentioning the menu planning and grocery shopping! Also, it's amusing to be served random dishes I don't know beforehand. Meal times would be rather adventurous. <br /><br />What about you, what do you think?<p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-14406832973507505312024-01-19T07:30:00.001+07:002024-01-19T07:30:00.147+07:00The Wintringham Mystery (1927) aka Cicely Disappears by Anthony Berkeley<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9L-EhjpXbPXJeC6o8_k3i0E3NLLyX3VTZ9z7ux0-JCMcLhbu5rlVIxJzURDj6qJNi6xXZ9EP-aHl7kN8JxRllSDYf6aUl0bPTogBHV5VetVTIsxEm4TLvPFjsWVNyd6OjgHMqKSREVOvyt1p88-sldIkiwjagPeVwhxDLaFjHmqPq7_P10qZCcmYxd1B/s400/the-wintringham-mystery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9L-EhjpXbPXJeC6o8_k3i0E3NLLyX3VTZ9z7ux0-JCMcLhbu5rlVIxJzURDj6qJNi6xXZ9EP-aHl7kN8JxRllSDYf6aUl0bPTogBHV5VetVTIsxEm4TLvPFjsWVNyd6OjgHMqKSREVOvyt1p88-sldIkiwjagPeVwhxDLaFjHmqPq7_P10qZCcmYxd1B/w261-h400/the-wintringham-mystery.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />🕵️♂️ To me, our hero Stephen Munro, with his batman-turned-manservant Bridger, is a cross between Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey with his butler Bunter and Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster with his Jeeves. Steven Munro is as intelligent as Peter Wimsey, though much poorer. And the dynamic relationship between master and servant, is not unlike that of Wooster-Jeeves, though less comical. <br /><br />🕵️♂️ The story begins when Steven Munro found himself without a penny. But for the amount of Bridger wages for the month, his wealth had exhausted to nothing - a situation which forced him to accept a job as footmen at Wintringham Hall, where his younger self used to be invited as guest. Surprisingly, he faced this calamity stoically, and was even a bit excited with the new adventure. Bridger, who had anticipated his master's new situation, has also secured a job as under gardener at the same house. <br /><br />🕵️♂️ A dinner party is held that night, and we were introduced to the curmudgeonly Lady Susan, the proprietor of Wintringham Hall; her nephew, Freddie (also Munro's childhood friend); her distant relative Cecily, and companion Millicent; as well as some invited guests. Freddie insisted in having a kind of ritual or seance, where one of them would disappear, He also insisted upon Munro joining them to cite the rites. Cicely volunteered to be the one to disappear. <br /><br />🕵️♂️ The silly fun soon turned to disaster when strange voices and even a scream was heard in the dark. And Cicely was nowhere to be found! At first they thought Cicely had cleverly pranked them, and she's hidden somewhere laughing at their ignorance. But few days had gone, and still, no Cicely. Now they were terrified. Something had gone wrong, terribly wrong.<br /><br />🕵️♂️ Steven Munro hadn't been a footman for long. The oily butler didn't like him, and got him sacked. Only to be "invited" later on as guest by Lady Susan, as she realized his true quality. Good for her and the household, because at the end of the day, he helped investigating the mystery, together with Pauline, his longtime sweetheart but now engaged with a hideous man. <br /><br />🕵️♂️ This book a is the perfect old school Golden Age detective story. Interestingly, Berkeley first published it under his pen name: A. Monmouth Platts, as a serial in The Daily Mirror, along with a competition with prizes for those who could solve the mystery. Even Agatha Christie couldn't refrain from competing, and eventually won the second prizes. The mystery is puzzling, a combination of a missing person, stolen jewelry, double identity, superstitious, and of course... murder. Quite a jolly read for this rainy season!<br /><br />Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2<br /><br /><p></p>Fanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.com4