The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1967) by Lilian Jackson Braun

🐈 Jim Qwilleran and Koko the cat are together again solving a murder mystery. We were introduced to the pair in the first book of the The Cat Who... series by Lilian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. Then Jim Qwilleran, a veteran journalist, has landed a job in a smallish company called Daily Fluxion, where he was assigned to handle a weekly column in art section - a field in which he had neither experience nor knowledge to begin with. But he soon adapted to the art world, and offered a lodging with a senior journalist - Koko's initial master, and a murder-victim-to-be. And that's how Qwilleran had been first introduced to his future partner-in-crime. When Koko - a Siamese cat whose full name is Kao K'o-Kung - lost his master, it was he who inadvertently 'supplied' clues for Qwill to solve the murder.

🐈 This second book started where we left the first. Koko moved in with Qwilleran, who has now learned of the cat's quirky interest in literature (he loves 'reading' dictionary!), and Qwill has been transferred to a new assignment: the interior design section - of which he has also zero knowledge. Right after the first issue of Gracious Abodes - the weekly magazine - has been published, the covered residence was burglarized, and the lady of the house murdered. It was soon followed by the second issue, and the next. Qwilleran must solve the murders ASAP, before he and his fellow cameraman were to be sacked.

🐈 Like in the first book, what I loved most about this mystery is Qwilleran and Koko's bonding. I liked the character of Qwilleran; I liked how he adapts to each new assignment with fresh vitality, and how he indulges with Koko's eccentricity, besides his own eccentricity - if moustache quivering when he 'smells' something fishy can be called eccentric. Koko was having more stage in this second book than the first. He's having a concerning problem mid story; Qwilleran caught him eating some of his ties, and even the green upholster of the Danish Modern (a kind of sofa) which didn't belong to him. It turned out, through a psych-cat-trist, that Koko is lonely, and needs a companion (a good lesson for an inexperienced cat owner!) 🐈 The most interesting stage of the mystery is when Koko disappeared. He was found later on at the neighbor's mansion - also one of the suspects - along with a tragedy connected to the mystery. Along Qwill's investigation, Koko had been scattering some clues - along with many red herrings too. Either when he lost his beloved ball (and Qwill would extract a clue when retracting it under a cabinet or something), or when the two were playing an invented game related with the dictionary (also Koko's beloved item). Koko would put his paw on random word in the dictionary, and Qwill would tell him (or search for) its meaning - how one find that kind of game amusing is beyond me. On the whole, just like the first one, this mystery proved to be a fast-paced exciting murder mystery, with hilarious moments with some eccentric but lovable characters (humans and cat). A very delightful read to start a new year! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

The Layton Court Mystery (1925) by Anthony Berkeley

💙 Anthony Berkeley Cox was one of the most influential authors during the Golden Age detective fictions era. He was also the initiator of the Detection Club, which was formed in 1930 by several murder mystery authors such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and their peers. As a fan of that sub genre, I was a little ashamed that I have not yet read many of Berkeley's works. I have read The Wintringham Mystery two years ago, and quite liked it, but none of his Roger Sheringham series. And so, I plan to work through the series by starting properly at the beginning, our first introduction to Roger Sheringham, the amateur detective. Interesting fact, The Layton Court Mystery was first published anonymously. 

💙 Roger Sheringham is a writer with intelligent mind. Along with his friend, Alexander Grierson, was invited to a house party at Layton Court by a wealthy businessman Victor Stanworth. At first, the atmosphere of the party was a jolly one; particularly for Mr. Grierson, or Alex, as Sheringham calls him, who has just been engaged to a girl called Barbara, also another guest at the party. However, things were quickly changed. First of all, Barbara suddenly calls off the engagement, with no clear reason. Then, the host, Mr. Stanworth was found dead in the library, shot on the head, with his hand still clutching the gun. The room was locked from the inside. The police and the coroner concluded that it was a suicide. But was it so? Roger Sheringham found some facts that didn't match with suicide idea, and with the help of Alex (the Watson to his Sherlock), Sheringham decided to investigate the murder, which, he was sure, was the true cause of his host's death.

💙 Berkeley had an idea to create an imperfect detective - contrary to the typical Golden Age detectives, which were usually good in their jobs, who could find the whodunnit when no one else could. They might made a few mistakes at first, but usually solved the case near the end. Roger Sheringham isn't that. He is confident of his deduction skill - and boasts about it a lot to Alex - but he made a lot of rush judgement, which usually leads him to a humiliating failure. I don't think this aspect appeals to me; I like it in fictions when the hero, well, acts like a hero, not fallible like we readers should be. Another thing, I felt that interactions between Sheringham and Alex were mostly redundant. I would love it if Berkeley involved the other characters more. I admit that the redundancy had something to do with the plot twist at the end (a very good one), but I have had lost interest long before the juicy part of the mystery came out. And thanks to Sheringham's many faulty deductions, and the redundancy, I have guessed the plot twist a chapter before it's supposed to be revealed. 

💙 On the whole, it is interesting as a debut series, but I would have enjoyed it more had it followed the usual course of Golden Age detective stories. I wonder if Roger Sheringham would turn better in the next cases. I might try another one, but if it's the same as this one, I might stop reading the series altogether.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol's Notebook

Keeping A Nature Journal (2021) by Clare Walker Leslie

🌿 So, this is my first read for the new year. A surprise, because I don't usually pick a non fiction to go to on a Christmas holiday. However, I have been itching to start a nature journal, and the holiday seems to be the perfect time to do it. I would share my first ever nature journal later (yay!), but first of all, about the book. Clare Walker Leslie has been nature-journaling for forty years, and is now teaching students how to connect to the natural world and record the impression into diary or journal.

🌿 "The foundation for a naturalist's learning is curiosity and willingness to pursue learning in many different ways: watching, considering, recording, researching, asking questions." And that is what this book is about. First of all, Clare encourages us to take time noticing the natural world around us, wherever we are - in the backyard, taking stroll in the neighborhood, picnicking outside, or even when doing chores inside your house, take time to see outside your windows. Be curious, and record what interest you in quick sketches, even when you're not quite sure what animal or bird or tree you're looking at. In short, Clare instructs us to be more mindful. Clare always keep her journal very near her, so that if something interesting appears, she could instantly take a quick sketch, to be perfected later on.

🌿 Next, is the main topic, that is, the journaling. Clare gives us detailed instruction and many examples of how to keep a nature journal - what to sketch, what to write, what information to put in. There are steps to draw or sketch, from leaves, flowers, trees, insects, birds, larger animals, to tree and landscape. She also gives full instruction of how to scratch a layout from an object in several seconds. From which we can add the details later, with help from guide books, if necessary. We can use colors for shading, either by using coloring pencils, crayons, or watercolors. In many of her examples, Clare often uses pen too to do shading.

🌿 All in all, this book is a perfect one to get anyone starting nature journaling. It is not overly technical, and Clare is humble enough to encourage anyone, even if one never draws, to try nature journaling. It's not the drawing that matters most, anyway, but the mindfulness and the connection to the natural world. The only drawback, for me personally, is Clare's instruction on seasonal sketching. For someone who lives outside America, or at least the West, these sections are a wasting of time. However, the rest is instructive enough, and it really encouraged me to do the hardest step: to produce the first nature journal. And I have done that on the first day of my Christmas holiday. I have planned to go outdoor every day, but alas, I caught a terrible fever on Christmas Day, followed by intestinal cramps that forced me to rest in bed for several days. But I have achieved the hardest thing - to start the nature journaling - so I'll just repeat it on any weekends ahead.

It's not perfect, but I'm proud of myself nonetheless. I am even thinking of creating a blog for these nature journals. Will update about it soon!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Reading Plans for 2026

First of all, Happy New Year, everyone! A new year means a new reading plan. For 2026, I will keep it moderate, not overly ambitious, but still with some challenges to keep it exciting enough. Here's my plans (so far)....

Personal Challenges

First of all, I have decided to take a Sabbatical from hosting Agatha Christie Short Stories Read Along for 2026. It has taken a lot of energy for me last year. I would still continue to read Christie's short stories, but maybe in the next year or two. For this year, there will be no #AgathaChristieSS.

However, I will still create a sort of mild challenge for myself. During A Century of Books, I realized that I have not read many books published in the 1970s, except perhaps some children books, and Agatha Christie's. I was born and spent my childhood in the 1970s, hence my first reading experience as adult started only in the 1980s. Now I want to rectify it by starting a personal challenge: Reading the 1970s. It's partly inspired too by Simon & Karen's Reading the Year every April and October!

It's basically reading books published in the 1970s, one year at each year. Since I would turn 55 this year, I want to celebrate it with reading my birth year: 1971. So, here it is...

Reading the 1971

Books I have Read:
- The Days of the Jackal (Frederick Forsythe)
- Nemesis (Agatha Christie)
- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Judith Kerr)

The tentative reading list:
1. The End of Summer (Rosamunde Pilcher)
2. If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? (Erma Bombeck) 3. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (Elizabeth Taylor) 4. In the Shadow of Man (Jane Goodall)
5. Then Again, Maybe I Won't (Judy Blume) 6. Summer at World's End (Monica Dickens)
7. Not to Disturb (Muriel Spark)

Let's see how many I would end up reading, but they sound really nice. My target is at least read four or five of them, but I might end up reading all (and perhaps more..). If you have any titles in mind that you think I might be interested, please let me know!

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

Once again I will be participating in Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook. My aim is for Detective Level (16-25 books). I have done the same for last year, and ended up reading 20 books. This year I'm planning to read at least 25. 

The tentative reading list:
1. The Layton Court Mystery (Antony Berkeley)

2. A Murder is Announced (Agatha Christie) - reread

3. They Came to Baghdad (Agatha Christie) - reread

4. The Ten Teacups (Carter Dickson)

5. Murder on Black Swan Lake (Andrea Penrose)

6. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) (Jesse Q. Sutanto)

7. They Do It with Mirrors (Agatha Christie) - reread

8. The Body in the Dumb River (George Bellairs)

9. The Beckoning Lady (Margery Allingham)

10. Murder in Regent's Park (A.C. Koning)

11. Murder on Wheels (Stuart Palmer)

12. The Carter of "La Providence" (Georges Simenon)

13. The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Ovidia Yu)

14. Fell Murder (E.C.R. Lorac)

15. Death Around the Bend (T.E. Kinsey)

16. Death in Daylesford (Kerry Greenwood)

17. To Fetch a Thief (Spencer Quinn)

18. Richardson Scores Again (Basil Thomson)

19. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (Lilian Jackson Braun)

20. Come A Stranger (E.R. Punshon)

21. Murder at Mallowan Hall (Colleen Cambridge)

22. Dim Sum of All Fears (Vivien Chien)

23.

24.

25.

Other than those two, I would still be participating in some of the fun reading events/challenges hosted by other bloggers throughout the year, such as the Reading Year, Paris in July, Reading the Meows, WIT Month, Spinsters September, 20 Books of Summer, Novella in November, Nonfiction November, Dean Street December, etc. 

Have you any reading plans for 2026? Or do you just read whatever you want to?

Six Degrees of Separation, from Mountains to Beach: A Wild Card

Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly meme, now hosted by Kate @ books are my favorite and best.

On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

To kick off the new year, we get a wild card by starting with the book you finished your December chain with. I love wild card!

0. In the Mountains by Elizabeth von Arnim

Excerpt from my review: In the Mountains is an epistolary novella by Elizabeth von Arnim, which is structured as diary. The author, thus the narrator, is an English woman, who seeks refuge at her chalet on the Swiss Alps. It's post Second World War, and for some mysterious and dark reason, our narrator is depressed and longed for peace and solitude of the Swiss Alps mountains to be cured. However, just when she feels quite refreshed after spending hours in languid nature while admiring the beautiful views and cold crisp air, our narrator becomes restless and lonesome. It's her birthday, and as she wants to be busy herself to avert her mind from "the thing", she gives the servants holiday. And it is when she's alone, two women clothed in black, arrive on the scene. Here's the complete review.
I always feel refreshed after reading books set in the mountain, maybe because I myself live in a tropical country, and prefer cold and crisp air than hot and damp ones.  

1. Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart

Here's another book set in the mountain, which even has "mountain" in the title too. 

Excerpt from my review: Jade Dragon Mountain is Elsa Hart's debut historical mystery novel, set in Dayan, a small mountainous town at the Chinese border with Tibet, in 18th century. Our sleuth is Li Du, an imperial librarian in exile, who is visiting his cousin, who were the magistrate of Dayan, during his journey. Dayan was an insignificant town in the vast empire, but at present it's proudly preparing for the upcoming visit of the Emperor himself, as a total solar eclipse would occur in several days... You can read my complete review here if you're interested.

This reminded me of an author whose name was associated with the days of the week.

It's not often that we have a Chinese detective in a crime-mystery novel, and although Li Du isn't a proper detective - he's more of a scholar with good deduction skill and intuition. 

2. The House without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers

Excerpt from my review: This is the first book of Charlie Chan series. He's probably the most exotic detective you'd ever read about; a Honolulu police detective, who is a Chinese-Hawaiian. Charlie Chan is portrayed as intelligent and honorable. His eagerness to learn English through poems shaped his way of talking, always polite and with admirable choices of words. It's one of the amusements this book provides, besides, of course, the mystery. You might need to read the complete review to know more about this book.

Charlie Chan, the Chinese-Hawaiian police detective, doesn't appear much in this first of the series. Nevertheless, he provided a charm to this delightful locked-room murder mystery - or to be more precise, a murder in the house without a key, which was implied in the title...

3. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier

This one also has 'the house' in the title, but with a far different atmosphere. Like most of du Maurier's, it's a gothic semi-thriller, but with time-travelling theme.

Excerpt from my review: As is usual with all of du Maurier's, this one is also a gripping story about the addiction to another life when ones' own is less eventful and stuck in a place one doesn't want to be. Richard Young has befriended Magnus Lane since university. He often stayed with the Lanes on holidays at Kilmarth, an ancient house near the Cornish coast. Magnus Lane is now a scientist, a chemical researcher or biophysicist at the University of London, and Richard, or Dick, has often been his guinea pig. Magnus has a laboratory in his house, and here he is perfecting a special concoction, which Dick has agreed to test. You can read my complete review here.

4. Genderang Perang dari Wamena by Djokolelono

This is an Indonesian children fantasy novella, where two teenagers are having a thrilling adventures while rummaging through pile of stuffs at the backyard shed. Here's an excerpt from my review: Opening a box in which Adi's father kept stuffs from the museum, they found a little drum. It's a traditional music instrument from Papua which is usually called tifa. Playfully one of them starts to beat it, and a strange thing happens. The player can't stop beating the drum, his hand goes faster and faster, while the other can't stop dancing on the tune. Then a white mist fills the shed, and the shed suddenly turns into a jungle. The boys are time-travelling to the jungle of Wamena in Papua, in the 18th century, following a Dutch expedition consisting of four white men and some locals. And here's the link to the complete review.

5. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Baillett

And here it is another thrilling adventure of two teenagers (a boy and a girl this time) that I have enjoyed very recently. Excerpt from my review: It was an entertaining story about art theft (Vermeer's A Lady Writing painting) and coincidences, full of puzzles and codes, and some suspenseful actions; not mentioning the history of art (particularly Vermeer). [...] This was an exciting read for me. I always love books with art theme, especially paintings. And Vermeer is one of painters I always admire (Girl with A Pearl Earring is my favorite by Vermeer). Apart from the far-fetched dream of Petra (the Lady asked for help and guided Petra to her location), this is an educational and entertaining read for middle grader. Read the complete review here.

6. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

The painting which was the backbone of this book is a fictional one, as well as the painter. Nevertheless, I could see it vividly in my mind, thanks to Pilcher's lovely narrative, but partly also to the cover of this audiobook version. 

Here's the excerpt from my review: The Shell Seekers is the title of a painting which hung on the wall of Penelope Keeling's abode. It was a wedding gift from his father, with herself as one of the shell seekers depicted in the painting. The story opens when Penelope is sixty years old, and has just been out of hospital and recovering from a heart attack. After that, the story runs parallelly between Penelope's past and present, giving us the view of how she had become what she is now, and why she does things that is incomprehensible to her children. And here's my review.

And so, that's how I had begun in the mountains, and ended up on the beach.

Have you read those books? If you do #sixdegree too, how it works out for you this time?

My Books of the Year and Reading Wrap Up 2025

This post marked the end of year 2025 on this blog. And what a year it has been! Looking backward, I'm quite proud of what I have achieved. Starting the year, I was about 10 books behind in my personal A Century of Books challenge. I started it in 2024, planning to read 100 books (one for each year from 1925 to 2024) in two years, allocating 50 books for each. And so, there was about 60 books I had to read during 2025. It sounds achievable, but I didn't count on the four months of Tax Course I have had to attend for work, which meant my reading and blogging dwindled severely during that months. Fortunately, I have bounced back after that, and have been zealously reading those 60 books in time, while still be able to join (and enjoy) some yearly events/challenges I regularly join in, and have reviewed them all. In short, I did it, 2025 !!

To recap my 2025 in reading and reviews, here are some stats, as well as the winner of my favorite read of the year:

CHALLENGES COMPLETED

A Century of Books - 2024-2025 (a personal challenge)

inspired by Simon @ Stuck in a Book

Books read: 100 of 100

Here's the list of the titles with link to the review posts

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2025

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook
Books read: 20 of 20
Here's the list of the titles with link to the review posts


BOOKS READ

Total Books Read: 84 🎊

🎉 BEST READ OF 2025 🎉

And to close this post, as well as this hectic yet wonderful year of 2025, I will reveal my BEST READ OF 2025!

It's been a tough competition, since I have read so many unexpectedly delightful titles this year. Here are they, with link to the review posts. You would see what I have read, my favorite of each month, the semifinalists, and lastly... the winner of best read of 2025 - my version. Happy scrolling! ;)

Battle for Top Twelve

JANUARY
1. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - 1967 2. The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - 2013 3. The Bird Found the Body by Bailey Booth - 2023 4. The Black Spectacles by John Dickson Carr - 1939 5. The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart - 1908 6. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - 1999 7. The Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - 2016 8. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa - 2013
WINNER OF JANUARY: Sweet Bean Paste


FEBRUARY
9. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - 1972 10. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery - 1926 11. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - 1998 12. The Hollow by Agatha Christie - 1946 (re-read) 13. The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford - 1945
WINNER OF FEBRUARY: The Hollow


MARCH
14. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns - 1984 15. Tea Is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex - 1950 16. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - 1927 17. Crook o' Lune by E.C.R. Lorac - 1953 18. Ten Way Street by Susan Scarlett - 1941 WINNER OF MARCH: Cold Sassy Tree APRIL 19. A Daughter's a Daughter by Mary Westmacott - 1952 20. Pigs Have Wings by P.G. Wodehouse - 1952 21. Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates - 1952 WINNER OF APRIL: Love for Lydia MAY 22. High Rising by Angela Thirkell - 1933 23. The Venice Murders by Merryn Allingham - 2025 24. The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie - 2012 WINNER OF MAY: The Dalai Lama's Cat

JUNE
25. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo - 2005 26. Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown - 1990 27. Missing or Murdered by Robin Forsythe - 1929 28. Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie - 1948 29. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher - 1987 30. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - 1932 31. The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth - 1925
WINNER OF JUNE: The Shell Seekers


JULY
32. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle - 1989 33. The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain - 2014 34. Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah - 2022 35. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - 2006 36. A Picture of Murder by T.E. Kinsey - 2018 37. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden - 1958 38. Garlic, Mint, & Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo - 2003 39. The Martian by Andy Weir - 2011 40. The Upside Down River by Jean-Claude Mourlevat - 2000 WINNER OF JULY: The Red Notebook AUGUST 41. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary - 1983 42. The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin - 2023 43. The Swiss Summer by Stella Gibbons - 1951 44. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym - 1977 45. The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew) by Carolyn Keene - 1930 46. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George - 1959 47. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa - 2005 48. Crooked House by Agatha Christie - 1949 (re-read) 49. Mister God, This is Anna by Flynn - 1974 WINNER OF AUGUST: The Swiss Summer SEPTEMBER 50. Weekend at Thrackley by Alan Melville - 1934 51. Murder by Firelight by Meryn Allingham - 2025 52. Tea on Sunday by Lettice Cooper - 1973 53. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris - 2001 54. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas - 1995 55. The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson - 2013 56. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - 2008 57. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell - 1960 58. Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald - 1979 WINNER OF SEPTEMBER: The Persian Pickle Club OCTOBER 59. Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh - 1938 60. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian - 1981 61. The Theft of the Iron Dogs by E.C.R. Lorac - 1946 62. Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart - 1965 63. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman - 1985 64. The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers - 1925 65. Crocodile on the Sand Bank by Elizabeth Peters - 1975 66. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman - 1965 67. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Baillett - 2004 WINNER OF OCTOBER: Goodnight Mister Tom NOVEMBER 68. Notes from an Island by Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietilä - 1996 69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - 1994 70. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer - 1953 71. In the Mountains by Elizabeth von Arnim - 1920 72. Genderang Perang dari Wamena by Djokolelono - 1972 (an Indonesian Children Fantasy) 73. All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot - 1976 74. Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson - 1991 75. Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck - 1961 76. Picture Miss Seeton by Heron Carvic - 1968 WINNER OF NOVEMBER: Seven Years in Tibet DECEMBER 77. Still Life by Louise Penny - 2005 78. Richardson's First Case by Basil Thomson - 1933 79. Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer by Molly Clavering - 1953 80. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier - 1969 81. Constable on the Hill by Nicholas Rhea - 1979 82. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - 1990 83. Landscape in Sunlight by Elizabeth Fair - 1953 84. The Woods in Winter by Stella Gibbons - 1970 WINNER OF DECEMBER: Richardson's First Case The Lucky Semifinalists JANUARY and FEBRUARY: Sweet Bean Paste vs. The Hollow
Winner: Sweet Bean Paste MARCH and APRIL: Cold Sassy Tree vs. Love for Lydia
Winner: Cold Sassy Tree

MAY and JUNE: The Dalai Lama's Cat vs. The Shell Seekers
Winner: The Shell Seekers

JULY and AUGUST: The Red Notebook vs. The Swiss Summer
Winner: The Swiss Summer

SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER: The Persian Pickle Club vs. Goodnight Mister Tom
Winner: The Persian Pickle Club

NOVEMBER and DECEMBER: Seven Years in Tibet vs. Richardson's First Case
Winner: Seven Years in Tibet


The Final Round

JANUARY/FEBRUARY vs. JULY/AUGUST
Sweet Bean Paste vs. The Swiss Summer
Winner: The Swiss Summer

MARCH/APRIL vs. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
Cold Sassy Tree vs. The Persian Pickle Club
Winner: The Persian Pickle Club

MAY/JUNE vs. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
The Shell Seekers vs. Seven Years in Tibet
Winner: Seven Years in Tibet


And the WINNER is....
((drumroll))

🎊 THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB 🎊
by Sandra Dallas

Though the other finalists, The Swiss Summer and Seven Years in Tibet would remain two of my favorites, each in their genre, Sandra Dallas' The Persian Pickle Club was on another level. It has a complete package of every element that I always enjoy in a book (love, friendship, a bit of mystery, the struggle (and triumphant) of the weaker, and a plot twist that is structured perfectly with a wholesome ending). The moment I closed the book, I have predicted that it might be my favorite read of the year; that kind of book would be hard to beat. And I was right. One thing I have not predicted is, that I would read three books from Stella Gibbons this year, surpassing any other writer (except Agatha Christie, which I am rereading through). In retrospect, 2025 has been a nice surprise for me. Thanks to A Century of Books and other reading challenges/events I participated in, I have read many books that I wouldn't have thought of reading, and found many gems I haven't even known exist.

How about you? Have you had a good year of reading in 2025?
What's your favorite(s)? Have you read mine? 

The Woods in Winter (1970) by Stella Gibbons #DeanStreetDecember25

❄️ The story centers on Ivy Gover, a thrice-widowed char woman, who inherited a cottage in the countryside of Little Warby. Ivy's eccentric character is the backbone of the story. She has a gypsy-strand from her ancestors, and it reflects on her longing of freedom and solitude, now that she is in her fifties. The cottage was in bad condition when she inherits it, but it doesn't concern her much. Accompanied by a rescued dog, a pigeon, and a host of several other creatures (fox and cockroaches included), she leads a carefree life which disgusted others, but suits herself.

❄️ The rough beauty of winter landscape in the woodland and Ivy's solitude existence surrounds by animals and nature are two dominant elements in this book, and I think not everyone would be charmed by these two qualities. But for an introverted like me, who is tired of the modern life's buzz, they provide a perfect escape. If only I can live carefree like Ivy - not to the extent of ignoring sanitation (the cockroaches really annoyed me) - but living on my own, without burden of constantly keeping respectability or appearances, or the worst - social convention, is what I always dream of. ❄️ However, despite of Ivy's keep-herself-to-herself kind of life, she, nevertheless, has certain effects upon her neighbors or people who interact with her. These 'satellites', so to speak, consist of a Lord Gowerville - who's lenient to her eccentricities after Ivy cured his beloved dog; Helen Green - Ivy's former boss - who's considering marrying an old flame; sisters Coral and Pearl Cartaret who has just opened a tea shop; the young vicar who fell head-over-heels with Pearl, and last but certainly not least, a runaway boy who shows up at Ivy's door one snowy evening, and became attached to her in no time. Despite of her intention of living as recluse, Ivy has had some dealings with them all, some time or other. And it just shows us the challenges of living in solitude and defying social conventions. I would have loved this more had the cockroaches didn't make appearances at Ivy's cottage. I'm okay with the idea of ignoring appearances, but living with cockroaches is too much for me. Hence, the half stars less from the rating. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Dean Street December 2025 hosted by Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home