Sunbirds (2024) by Penelope Slocombe #NetGalley

Thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for providing me review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🐦 This is not a book about birds, but about people. People who long for freedom that seems to be possessed only by birds. People who, just like birds, fly high, leaving the present place to another, whenever it likes to, without responsibility, without reserve. The question is, is it possible for human being to take the same way of life as of birds?

🐦 Torran was 18 when he left home in Taigh na Criege, Scotland, to go for a spiritual journey to India in 1997. One day he walked out of his hotel in Himalayan town of Manali, and disappeared. For months his parents had searched everywhere without avail. They didn't even know whether their only son was dead or still alive.

🐦 Seven years later, someone gave them a tip that Torran is alive, living happily in a secluded community away in Himalaya, a place called Sunshine House. Once again Anne went to Himalaya to find her son. Could she find him at last? Or more precisely, did he want to be found?

🐦 This is Penelope Slocombe's debut book, and she's inspired by real life phenomenon. Nearly two dozen Western travelers had disappeared in Northern India’s Kullu Valley between the mid 1990s and the early 2000s. I never get the idea of these hippies, my question along the story was reflected in Esther's (Torran's cousin) comment: "How could one person hold their own needs and desires so high above everyone else's?" I mean... the boy could have let the parents know that he's not coming back, that he'd found his way of living, and please leave me alone. The parents would be devastating, of course, but at least they'll get closure. Disappearing like that is just mean and selfish.

🐦 On the whole, this is quite a poignant story of helplessness, of coping with daily struggles. Anne, the mother, felt that she's not a good mom no matter how hard she tries. And through the story we meet others who feel trapped in the world he or she is at present, and the long to break free, which in my opinion, is simply irresponsibility. I loved the Himalayan, back-to-the-nature themes; loved the birds appearances - a purple sunbird, a blue-throated barber, and a whistling thrush - but found the ending is rather inconclusive. I have a feeling the author purposely made it like that to emphasize the tone of the book, but I just dislike stories that aren't rounded up nicely at the end.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

**Sunbirds will be published on August 1st, 2024**

#MurderEveryMonday: Cover with the 'Secret' on the Title

Murder Every Monday was created by Kate @ Crossexamining Crime and @ArmchairSleuth. 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.

This week's theme is:

Cover with the 'secret' on the title

Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?

If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme.

Six Degree of Separation, from The Anniversary to Away with the Penguins

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.

This month we start from yet another book I haven't read:

0. The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop

The Anniversary is a simmering page-turner about an ascendant writer, the unresolved death of her husband, and what it takes to emerge on her own. It’s a novel that asks: how legible, in the mind of the writer, is the line between reality and plot? How do we refuse the people we desire? And what is the cost, to ourselves, to others and to our art, if we don’t? [Goodreads]

For my first link on the chain, I pick a murder mystery that centers on the anniversary of a wife's death:

1. The Crooked Wreath by Christianna Brand

Excerpt from my review:
"Sir Richard Marsh is a wealthy man; the owner of Swanswater estate, but he's turned a bitter man. When his wife, Serafita, was still alive, he had cheated on her. After her death, Sir Richard married Bella, his mistress. But, perhaps out of guilt, he made in his house a shrine for Serafita, complete with her portrait, and a wreath. Her ballet shoes were also kept around the house (she was a ballerina). Every anniversary of her death, he made his family gather around this shrine to do a kind of memorial ceremony." Here's the complete review.

The word "crooked" from the title forms the link to the next book. Also, both book have a character who loves ballet.

2. Crooked House by Agatha Christie

"The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That is until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection." [Goodreads]

The most memorable character in this book is Josephine, the victim's granddaughter who loves ballet. Another book with another memorable Josephine is...

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Excerpt from my review:
"From the four sisters, I think Amy is the most natural one, for her age. Beth is too good to be true; she is more like an angel than a little child! Megan and Jo are typical contradiction in books’ characters; they even reminded me of Anne and George in Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five. It seems that girls are mostly divided into two categories. The feminine ones love pretty dresses, play with dolls, like to cook, and always think about getting a husband. While the tomboy ones like to be called with boy’s names, dislike dresses." Here's the complete review.

The four sisters remind me instantly of the other four sisters, who I like better:

4. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

Excerpt from my review: 
"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." Check also my complete review.

The next link would be another middle grade novel with a widower father and his daughter in the center:

5. The Cryptid Files: Loch Ness by Jean Flitcroft

Excerpt from my review:
"It's been four years since Vanessa's mother died, and unlike her twin brothers Luke and Ronan, who's getting on with life nicely, Vanessa's heart is still gripped with anger and grief she's unable to cope with. Her father's growing intimacy with his girlfriend Lee doesn't make it any easier. Now her father's proposing a family holiday in Scotland, which Vanessa would've accepted gratefully, if his father hadn't mentioned that Lee is coming too. Not only coming along, she realized later on that they are staying at her house!" And here's the complete version.

One of the most interesting parts of this book is the unexpected bond with an animal that is live changing. Another book with the same trope which is equally heartwarming is...

6. Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior

Excerpt from my review:
"Three scientists do research on how to save Penguins in a colony in Antarctica, but they are in financial difficulty. Veronica is eager to leave her money for this research, and despite the scientist team's warning that their quarter is by no means adequate to accommodate an elderly, Veronica stubbornly comes to Antarctica to see the penguins. What'll happen next? Will Veronica change the penguins? Or is it her life that will be changed by the penguins?". You can read the complete review here.


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

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024: MAY #AgathaChristieSS24

May is finally here, and I am looking forward to a milder weather here where I live, and a calmer month in general. Let's see what kind of stories we are going to read!

THE SIGN IN THE SKY

It's another Harley Quin's story, in which Mr. Satterthwaite attends the trial of a young man accused of murder. Shortly after the guilty verdict is returned, Satterthwaite runs into Harley Quin. Can they prove the man innocent? Or is he actually a murderer?

The story was first published in book form in the collection The Mysterious Mr Quin, published by Collins in 1930, which altered the title slightly from the original magazine publication's A Sign in the Sky. The collection was dedicated to its eponymous hero and is the only book of Agatha Christie's to be dedicated to a fictional character!

THE CRACKLER

Tommy and Tuppence are sleuthing again after a clever counterfeiter who has been flooding both sides of the Channel with phoney bank notes. This story sees the Beresfords as the Busies, in an Edgar Wallace-type adventure, which parodies Wallace’s slapdash, action-laden thrillers. "We need several hundreds of yards of extra book shelf if Edgar Wallace is to be properly represented" Tuppence says at one point, referring to Wallace’s vast output.

This story was published by Collins in the collection Partners in Crime, 1929, and the title was changed from The Affair of the Forged Notes to The Crackler. It was adapted for radio in 1953, starring Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim. It also featured in the 1983 TV series Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime, with Francesca Annis and James Warwick.

Both stories seem quite fun, don't they? Happy reading, and enjoy!

Zoladdiction 2024 Wrap-Up

May is here, and it means that Zoladdiction 2024 is coming to the end. I don’t know how the others had managed – April has been so crazily hectic for me, I couldn’t even check your blogs, let alone read all your Zola posts – so sorry! On my part, I have read and reviewed two short stories, and barely managed to finish the audiobook review of Germinal (a 3rd re-read) in time. All in all, I’m pretty relieved that I completed what I had planned to read, but it got me re-thinking about the future of Zoladdiction. I have hosted this event for eleven years now, but it begins to feel like a burden. My responsibility at work is increasing, following the company’s growth, and April happens to be the busiest month of the year with the annual tax report, and what not. That being said, I don’t know whether I’m going to host Zoladdiction next year or not. Let’s just see then!

I would like to thank all of you who had participated in Zoladdiction 2024, and wish you had a good time! Especially Brona, whose chronological read of Rougon-Macquart brings her to A Love Story (Une Page d'Amour); Nancy, who had read the same book (Une Page d'Amour); and Mallika, who had read the same short story I've reviewed earlier: Captain Burle - thanks to all your reviews! If you have reviewed or posted anything Zola but not mentioned here, please leave link to your post on the comment below, I’ll add them to this post, and will try to make time to read them!

The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage (1943) by Enid Blyton: The Five Find-Outers #1

🔥 Every now and then I always allow myself to a nostalgic reading. Enid Blyton's The Five Find-Outers is one of my earlier introduction to novels. Her Famous Five is probably the more well-known series, but I think I like The Five Find-Outers (and a Dog) a little better, as this series involves more mystery than adventure.

🔥 This one is the first in the series, where we are first introduced to Larry and Daisy, Pip and Bets - four teenager (age around eleven and thirteen, Bets is the younger - ten, perhaps?) live in Peterswood village. One night as they are watching their neighbor's cottage burnt down, they meet a rather smug boy who has just moved to the neighborhood with his parents. His name is Frederick Algernon Trotteville, but they nickname him Fatty - not body shaming the rotund boy, but it is derived from his initial (F-A-T). They don't really like the boy who's too much into himself, but they like his little dog Buster. So, they welcome Fatty into the group.

🔥 The burnt cottage belongs to a Mr. Hick, a kind of scientist, who claims that he lost his most precious papers during the fire. People begin to talk that someone burned that cottage on purpose. Fatty happened to notice a tramp hanging around Mr. Hick's garden the night of the fire. Was he the perpetrator? The children decide to play detective and investigate. They call their club the Five Find-Outers and Dog.

🔥 It's delightful to follow the five children's enviable lives; with freedom to spend their days outside school, doing chores, and meals. They usually gather at Pip and Bets' place to discuss any progress on the investigation and to decide their next steps. It's ranging from finding clues to interviewing suspects. But they must solve the mystery quickly before the local police (whom they nickname Clear Orf - his favorite phrase when seeing children around) beats them.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

3rd Reading of Germinal by Émile Zola #Zoladdiction2024

❤ Time and again I have mentioned that Germinal is my all time favorite book. I haven't yet found any other which is as compelling and eloquently written as this Zola's chef-d'œuvre - magnum opus. This was my third read (listen, actually) of it, and I still hold on to my conviction, that Germinal is the most magnificent work I've ever read.

❤ Germinal is about the life and struggles of mining workers in a small town of Montsou, where Étienne Lantier (offspring of the Macquart line, with history of drunkards in the family), is looking for a job. He serves as the outsider's point of view of the local struggles (this is Zola's usual trope - a newcomer who changes or stirs the existing ground). Germinal has quite many facets of the story, the social injustice towards the working class; their hatred to the bourgeoisie; the struggles of the bourgeoisie - sandwiched between their inferior and superior of the "bosses" in Paris. It also touches on the socialism dream, and, of course, Zola's pet topic: naturalism.

❤ The strong point of Germinal lays in, as are with Zola's other books, his vivid narration of the landscape. You'd feel suffocated just by reading about the condition in the coal mine, hundred meters below the earth, which Zola brought to life through his magnificent research and detailed description. Another strong point is the eloquent prose with which he told this drama of human nature with its raw emotion. You'd feel the characters' anguish as if you are their kin.

❤ I think Germinal is one book that has to be read, not listened to. Either the audiobook I listened to uses edition with less qualified translation, or Zola's words are more eloquent read inside my head, rather than narrated. I don't blame the narrator, though, Leighton Pugh do a great job. I have listened to his narrating The Ladies Paradise, and really liked it. Germinal is just too eloquent to be narrated, that's what I think. Other than that, I think I wasn't supposed to read this book during my current mental condition. It conveys a huge amount of sorrows and helplessness (though with a little sparks of hope of brighter future in the end), and now just isn't a good time to read about these dark elements. Thus, I decided to give Germinal a rest for at least five or ten years before taking it again for the fourth time. Or maybe.... a great book is supposed to be read not more than twice, to preserve its magnificent quality? I don't know... 

Read this book for:

Zoladdiction 2024

Have You Got Everything You Want? by Agatha Christie #AgathaChristieSS24

💎 A recently-married young wife is on board the Orient Express to Constantinople to join her husband, who had been there some days before. She recognizes a man whose name is familiar to her from The Times ad she often notices: 'Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne.' Well, Elsie is unhappy right now, so she consults Parker Pyne.

💎 A week before her husband left for Constantinople, Elsie found on the blotting paper few lines of her husband's writing: 'wife', 'Simplon Express', and the most curious one: 'just before Venice would be the best time'. Elsie is naturally worried, and Parker Pyne takes the matter in his hand.

💎 Near Venice, a little incident happens, and during the confusion, Elsie's jewelries were stolen. A Slavic woman is their suspect, but they find nothing on her. Where the jewelry could have been? At one point Elsie can't trust Mr. Pyne any longer as he didn't deliver what he had promised. But Parker Pyne proofs he's a good detective besides his skill of making people happy.

💎 It is a light story, and the perpetrator isn't hard to guess. Nonetheless, it's an entertaining piece of story with a bit of cuteness. I guess that's what makes every Christie's a comfort read for me. It's not just about the mystery (and they are usually simple-clever), but Christie seems to always promote love as the greatest mystery of human being. And she delivers them with a humorous cheekiness. ❤

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino #1937Club

🖤 Genzaburo Yoshino was graduated from college in the 1920s with a degree in philosophy, but his interest was soon shifted to politics. In 1925, Japan passed the Public Security Preservation Law, forbidding its people to say or write anything critical to the government. Yoshino was arrested and imprisoned for eighteen months after attending political meetings with socialists. After being released, a friend offered him a job of editing ethics textbook series for younger readers, to teach them the importance of free and rich culture to human progress. Yoshino thought such books would bored young readers, so they came up with the idea of writing it as a novel instead. How Do We Live? is the end result.

🖤 The story is about a fifteenth year-old boy called Honda Jun'ichi, but nicknamed Copper. It's an interesting story how Jun'ichi got this nickname. His father died two years before, and his last wish was that Copper would grow into a good human being. So, Copper's uncle begins to guide and advice him. They become very intimate and inseparable.

🖤 One day Copper and his Uncle are on top roof of Ginza, looking down on the busy street of Tokyo. At that moment Copper realized how tiny his existence was, just like a single molecule within the wide world. And that's when his Uncle starts writing a letter-like notes to Copper in a notebook. His topic ranges from science (Coppernicus - that's whom Copper got his nickname from), philosophy, ethics, to culture (Buddhism) and history (Napoleon).

🖤 Through out the story, we are presented alternately with Copper's struggles at school, as well his impressions of human beings; and with the Uncle's long notes on various topics accordingly to what Copper has faced or shared to him about. Inspiring and reflective though they are, I think these lectures could have been too long-winded, if they were addressed to young readers. My favorite part is when Copper befriends a poor boy, whose family own a tofu shop. Well, not so poor as they have few employers, but is considered poor compared to the wealthy families the boy is in school with. I just wondered why the poor family chose this school for the boy in the first place. Anyway, it provides a nice education for Copper. Another one is one of Copper's friends is bullied, and how Copper, when the moment come when he should've stood up for his friend, failed to do so, and it tormented poor Copper. What a huge learning he got from that experience, what with his understanding mother and intelligent uncle! 

🖤 All in all, it's a gem from bygones that I'm very glad to have found, thanks to the 1937 Club! Speaking of 1937, it's refreshing to be able to take a journey to Japan in that era. I would love to seeing newsreel film at the theater, like what Copper and his uncle do for leisure.

A few wonderful quotes:

"A heroic spirit that's not devoted to human progress may be empty and meaningless, but goodness that is lacking in the spirit of heroism is often empty as well."

" When you have made a mistake, to recognize it bravely and to suffer for it is something that in all if heaven and earth, only humans can do."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read this book for:

The 1937 Club

hosted by Simon @ Stuck in a Book & Karen @ Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings

The Classics Club Spin #37

I am almost completing my annual task of tax reporting at work, and I think I deserve some excitement, that is…. The Classics Club Spin! I will allow the Spin to decide which book I will read for May. But first…

What is Classics Spin?
It’s easy. At your blog, before next Sunday 21st April, 2024 create a post that lists twenty books of your choice that remain “to be read” on your Classics Club list. This is your Spin List. You have to read one of these twenty books by the end of the spin period. On Sunday 21th, April we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by the 2nd June, 2024.

My list:

--UPDATE: I'll be reading: Cold Comfort Farm-- 

1. A Room with a View (E.M. Forster) – DNF several years ago, just because I was not 1n the right mood.
2. Frenchman’s Creek (Daphne du Maurier) – planning to read for Daphne du Maurier Reading Week (if happening).
3. Lucy Gayheart (Willa Cather) – I used to do a personal Willa Cather reading month, and been meaning to start again this year.
4. The Cornish Coast Murder (John Bude) – planning to read for A Century of Books, year 1935.
5. Queen Lucia (E.F. Benson)
6. Cranford (Elizabeth Gaskell)
7. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street (Helene Hanff)
8. Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons)
9. Stormy, Misty’s Foal (Marguerite Henry)
10. The Enchanted Barn (Grace Livingston Hill)
11. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)
12. Cider with Rosie (Laurie Lee)
13. Miss Marjoribanks (Mrs. Oliphant)
14. Excellent Women (Barbara Pym)
15. The Nine Tailors (Dorothy L. Sayer)
16. Rhododendron Pie (Margery Sharp)
17. The Black Arrow (Robert Louis Stevenson)
18. The Reef (Edith Wharton)
19. A Woman of No Importance (Oscar Wilde)
20. Maltese Falcon (Dashiel Hammet)

Spot a favorite or two? Which ones do you hope the Spin pick for me? I’m hoping for no. 2 and 4, but any book will be nice!

Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R. Lorac #1937Club

🦇 I am familiar with English idiom of "bee in the bonnet", but "bats in the belfry" is a new one that I got to know only from this title by E.C.R. Lorac. It's the 12th book of Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald - a police figure of my favorite from Golden Age detectives.

🦇 Bruce Attleton, once a successful writer, but is now struggling, is missing from his house. Two of his guests at dinner party where he was last seen try to take the matter in their own hand. They suspect a man called Debrette who must be behind it, most probably a blackmailer.

🦇 Their investigation brought them to The Belfry - an old dilapidated building with a tower, where Debrette is said to stay. It's a spooky old house, but few days later Debrette, too, vanished. The amateur sleuths found Attleton's suitcase with his passport inside The Belfry. At that point, they involved the police, and... enter Robert Macdonald. The thorough searching resulted in the finding of a mutilated corpse inside the wall. Whose was it? Attleton? Debrette? Did the one murdered the other?

🦇 This is my third Lorac so far, and I think it's going to be my favorite. A spooky house, an over-zealous amateur sleuth in Robert Grenvile, a cute love story, identity confusion, and an intricate plot that leaves us guessing until near the end. Even MacDonald wasn't so sure of who commits the murder until the murderer was forced to make a desperate move.

🦇 All in all, this book possesses every aspect of a great and highly entertaining crime story. The presence of youngsters in the center of the mystery: Robert Grenvile (who wants to marry Attleton's ward), Elizabeth Leigh (the ward), and Neil Rockingham added a refreshing charm that melted even Robert MacDonald's usual formal manner, that he becomes more charming and less serious in this story.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read this book for:

The 1937 Club

hosted by Simon @ Stuck in a Book & Karen @ Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings

Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh #1937Club

🍾 I know I have read Ngaio Marsh years ago in high school, but can't remember which one or how many, so I shall count this as my first introduction to Roderick Alleyn. The Chief Inspector is on holiday, and happens to be travelling on the same train with a theater company on their way to perform in New Zealand. Alleyn soon befriends some the theater members, though only reveals his true identity as Scotland Yard officer to Albert Meyer, owner of the company: Incorporated Playhouses.

🍾 Mysterious things start to happen on board the train: Meyer was nearly murdered after allegedly being pushed off the train. Then one of the female actresses lost her money. But things got really beyond control after their successful first night performance. Meyer wanted to surprise his wife, the famous actress Carolyn Decres, on her birthday, by a theatrical trope of a huge bottle of champagne falling down from the ceiling after she pulling down a rope. Well, she pulled the rope, but the huge bottle hit Meyer on the head instead, and killed him.

🍾 The incident happened, no doubt, because someone who knew about the arrangement - and everyone knew and were involved in it except Carolyn - had tinkered the contraption just before the party started. Who had opportunity and motive? Alleyn cooperates with local policemen to investigate.

🍾 This is a delightful old school Golden Age crime fiction involving a series of interviews, checking on alibis, and the intricately calculated plot. Part of the delight is the 1930s behind-the-stage theatrical life atmosphere which added a unique charm to this story. The company was inspired by the similar theater company Marsh had joined herself, and that's how it felt real.

🍾 I also loved the cultural touch of Māori in this story. One important clue is a tiki - a tiny statue with human images carved into wood, bone, stone, or other material - that Alleyn gifted to Carolyn Decres for her birthday. And a Māori Doctor is a prominent figure in this mystery. Allen's confusion of the local slang used by the police is quite hilarious and reminds us that the crime is happening in New Zealand.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read the book for:

The 1937 Club

hosted by Simon @ Stuck in a Book & Karen @ Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings

Preparing for the #1937Club

I am very refreshed today after a week of holiday, which I spent mostly with preparing for the upcoming #1937Club, hosted by Simon @ Stuck in a Book and Karen @ Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings. I have read the three books I was intended to read, and am now finishing review of the last one. Next week will be super tight for me, so it's better to settle everything by this weekend.

1937 was a glorious era for Golden Age Detective writers, there are so many titles to choose from, that I ended up reading two. The other one is an Asian middle-grade classic. I won't reveal the titles now, just wait till my reviews published!

Meanwhile, I will share books published in 1937 that I have read so far:

Golden Age Crime Fiction:
Three are from Agatha Christie: Death in the Nile, Dumb Witness, and Incredible Theft. The other is from J. Jefferson Farjeon: Mystery in White.

Classics:
- The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
- Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
- To Have and Have Not (Ernest Hemingway)
- Jane of Lantern Hill (L.M. Montgomery)
- The Turn of the Screw (Henry James)

Graphic Novel:
The Broken Ear (Adventures of Tintin #6)

Will you join #1937Club? What will you be reading?

The Miller's Daughter and Captain Burle by Émile Zola #Zoladdiction2024

Starting this year I will try to read more of Zola's short stories, as I have read all but one of the Rougon-Macquart series. For #Zoladdiction2024 I have read two stories, with mixed outcome.

THE MILLER'S DAUGHTER

🔷️ This one is set in a small French village of Rocreuse during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Pere Merlier, the miller, is the mayor. He owns a picturesque Mill which he loves almost as much as his love for his daughter, Françoise. When the German troops entered their village, the French army picked the Mill as their fortress. It breaks Pere Merlier's heart while his beloved mill received shots after shots. Françoise' fiance, Dominique, is not a French; he came from Belgium. But he shoots the German to protect Françoise, and that's why the German captured him to be executed. I won't tell you the end, but it's quite suspenseful.

🔷️ But what made me fell in love with this story is Zola picturesque description of the Mill and its surrounding. I imagine he really found that beautiful corner, and captured it just as a painter would paint it, Zola painted it using his pen as brush. And he presented that artful and poignant suspenseful story in just 40-ish pages. Just amazing! Writers... that's how you do a short story!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


CAPTAIN BURLE

🔷️ Compared to the above first story, this one is, unfortunately, rather flat though quite interesting, and of a different vibe. Captain Burle had had a brilliant military career before he resigned to do administration job as a Quartermaster. But one thing never changes, his nickname is "Petticoat Burle" and women is his weakness.

🔷️ Major Laguitte has served under Captain Burle and maintained a friendly terms with the family. He witnessed how the Captain was more and more captivated by the widowed owner of a "cafe". Then one day he found discrepancies in the Captain's bookkeeping. And that would be the downfall of the honor of the family's name as well as the army's. Something must be done, but what?

🔷️ This story talks about respect, honor, dignity, and friendship; expectation as well as disappointment. Madame Burle, who had high expectation of her son to marv on military career, was hugely disappointed, and so she put her efforts into making her grandson Charles - a tender child - to be what his father failed. Poor Charles! I really admired Laguitte's loyalty to the Burles. And Zola really excelled in manipulating emotions in each character. Not a bad story, but not as poignant as I have expected.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor by Agatha Christie #AgathaChristieSS24

🔫 Poirot was asked to investigate the death of a Mr. Maltraverse, who had bought a life insurance policy for a huge amount only two weeks ago. He was found dead in the grounds of his house, Marsdon Manor, with a rook rifle near his body. Cause of death from the doctor is of internal hemorrhage.

🔫 Poirot and Hastings then interview the local doctor, Mrs. Maltraverse, and a young soldier who had visited the Manor few days later. From them Poirot found a discrepancy, upon which to build his case. Was it death by natural cause, or suicide? Or worse, could it's been murder?

🔫 Despite of the rather dry premise, I actually enjoyed this story. I could guess how it had happened, though narrowly missed to guess the perpetrator. It's a simple plot, but without Poirot's brilliant deduction and knowledge of human psychology, it would take longer to solve the mystery. The way of denouement is very clever on Poirot's side. And as usual, Hastings is conveniently there solely to guide us, readers, to wrong conclusion. If you ignore him, you would get nearer to the truth!

🔫 Regardless of that, I still love the dear old Hastings, because when he's around, the story becomes more charming. And I always cherish Poirot-Hastings hilarious banter like this one:

"And what do you think of Dr. Bernard, Hastings?"
"Rather an old ass."
"Exactly. Your judgements of character are always profound, my friend."
I glanced at him uneasily, but he seemed perfectly serious. A twinkle, however, came into his eye, and he added slyly:
"That is to say, when there is no question of a beautiful woman!"
I looked at him coldly.

🔫 It's a banter like this that makes Hastings one of my favorite sidekicks, though he is a terribly unreliable narrator!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Club Dumas (1993) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

📚 I must thank Simon @ Stuck in a Book who inspired me to challenge myself in A Century of Books, without which I wouldn't have found, let alone read, this book, first published in 1993. It's a book-about-books, so I thought there's a fat chance I would like it. And, it's about Alexandre Dumas too, one author I always admire for his brilliant story writing. Plus, it's available on Everand (previously Scribd), where I mostly read e-books or listening audiobooks from.

📚 The Club Dumas is a literary mystery-thriller in the antiquarian bookish world, set in Spain. Our literary detective is Lucas Corso, a middle-aged book mercenary whose job is to hunt down rare editions for wealthy bibliophiles. When a book collector was found dead hanging from the ceiling, a part of handwritten manuscript of The Three Musketeers was on the floor nearby. Corso, who's hired to investigate its authenticity, seemed to be plunged into Dumas' fictional books, where he meets vilain characters such as Milady and Rochefort.

📚 Paralel to that, another client hired him to find rare editions of an occultist book, The Nine Doors (fictional), which is believed to contain instructions to summon Satan! There are three editions left in the world, which led Corso to dangerous adventures in Toledo, Prague, and Venice, while a beautiful young girl who insists to be called Irene Adler (from Sherlock Holmes' universe) follows him everywhere as his guardian. Is she an ardent lover or a mysterious enemy?

📚 Any bookish person, especially those who adore classics, would be thrilled to read this book. There are many mentions of great works, besides those of Dumas, such as Moby Dick (Lucas and his friend called themselves The Brotherhood of Nantucket Harpooners), Sherlock Holmes (Irene Adler's address in her passport is 221B Baker Street), and many more. If you are fan of Dumas, this is a book you'll definitely enjoy.

📚 But if you love books, art, and puzzling mystery, this book will make you happy, regardless of the Dumas effect. The occultist book, The Nine Doors, contained nine paintings, which Corso found slightly different in each original edition he investigated. It's like "find five differences in this picture" kind of game. And the paintings are quite lovely.

📚 The story itself is engaging and fast-paced. You'll feel that there are two parallel mystery, the Dumas and The Nine Doors, and it leaves you wondering whether the two are separate cases or one complex case? Because aspects of the one often appear in the other. The truth is quite unpredictable, and, in a way, rather underwhelming. This book is also nostalgic; bringing me back to the 1990s, when floppy disks are used to save data. It reminds me of our family's first computer. The thriller isn't perhaps really my cup of tea, but I cherished the 1990s atmosphere it brings!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The Owl Prowl Mystery (2024) by Diana Renn

Thanks to Regal House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🦉 Backyard Rangers is a group of four middle grade students who has concern for wildlife protections. After rescuing turtles in the previous adventure, now they are back with another fun project involving owls.

🦉 Bella is the new celebrity barred owl in Marsh Hollow, where the kids live. Birdwatchers and wildlife photographers from neighboring towns come rushing to meet the super friendly owl who, so friendly it seems to be, that it often appears near human beings apparently without fear. But Miles, one of the rangers, found clues which led them to believe that someone has actually baited the owls - a practice which endangered them. It is now up to these four kids to bring the crime into spotlight, and save the owls' wildlife future.

🦉 As I love birds, lately I've been trying to read more books about birds. So, when I saw this title in NetGalley, I knew I have to read it. And it pays off - it's a fun wildlife adventure/mystery to read. Hopefully more fiction under this eco-mystery genre would be published in the future, especially for middle-grader. It's a good way to promote love for nature in younger age.

🦉 The birds, birdwatching, and everything around birding are aplenty in this novel, but they're not all. There's the real personal struggle in each character, to balance with their eco-sleuthing. Their studies is one thing, but there are mentions of health problem (Delaney suffers from scoliosis), personal disability (Miles with his ADHD), family problem, and others.

🦉 Other than wildlife conservation idea, this book also warns us that appearances can be misleading - in animals as well as human beings. I think this adventure gives Miles and co. the foundation to be better eco-sleuths in the future. Will there be a third book? Please say yes, Diana! Meanwhile, I'll try to get a copy for the first!🦉

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

**The Owl Prowl will be published in 13 August 2024**

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024: APRIL #AgathaChristieSS24

How have your #AgathaChristieSS24 so far? I am enjoying mine. Reading short stories as standalones is well worth it! But now we are in the second third of our journey. Here are two stories we are going to read:

HAVE YOU GOT EVERYTHING YOU WANT?

Boarding the Orient Express at the Gare de Lyon, a young woman discovers the presence of the detective Parker Pyne on the train, who is there to solve a jewel robbery that hasn’t happened yet. She thinks she might know the intended victim…

Published in 1934, this story first appeared in the US in Cosmopolitan magazine, and later in the collection of short stories, Parker Pyne Investigates. One interesting fact about this story is that Parker Pyne seems to become Poirot's shadow. Like Poirot, Pyne travels down the Nile and encountered murder. He's travelling on the Orient Express, meeting people in crisis, and even collaborating with Ariadne Oliver to solve the mystery. Not mentioning the appearance of another figure who usually appears in Poirot's stories...

THE TRAGEDY AT MARSDON MANOR

Elderly Mr Maltravers is found dead in a field, with his grieving wife claiming it has been natural causes. But as he recently took out life insurance, the company bring in Poirot to establish if it was suicide. The story was first published in 1924 as a book in the collection Poirot Investigates by Bodley Head.

Which one are you more excited to read? I think I will read the Poirot first, as it sounds rather boring. Then end it with the seemingly more fun Parker Pyne. What about you? ;)

Zoladdiction 2024 Master Post #Zoladdiction2024

Today, April the 2nd, we are celebrating the birthday of one of the greatest French authors in 19th century: Émile Zola, by kicking of Zoladdiction 2024! Bon anniversaire, Monsieur Zola!

We will read and post about Zola and Zola's works the whole month. This time I don't have time to prepare a linky, so please leave a comment with your links below this post. Don't forget to use hashtag #Zoladdiction2024 to share it in social media. I will post a wrap up at the end of the month or early next month, and will include your posts, so please make sure you share them to me.

Now let's grab our book, read, enjoy, and share!

#MurderEveryMonday: Mysteries with "April", "Fool", or Pranks

Murder Every Monday was created by Kate @ Crossexamining Crime and @ArmchairSleuth. 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.

This week's theme is:

Crime fiction which includes the words ‘April’ or ‘Fool’ in the title or cover which shows a joke or a prank

The first book has both "April" and Fool" in the title, while the second has only the "Fool". But the third has neither of words nor the cover showing a prank. However, a prank is in the plot - a prank gone wrong, which becomes the method of the murder.


Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?

If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme:

Six Books Saturday #8: Favorite Émile Zola's Books

#SixBooksSaturday is my personal monthly bookish meme, inspired by Six Words Saturday, which I've stumbled upon @ Travel with Intent. It's basically to list six books of random category, which I'd decided on the spot. Anything is possible according to my whim. I post Six Books Saturday on last Saturday of each month. If you're interested, you are, of course, welcomed to join me. There's no rule, really. You can post six anything about books.

As Zoladdiction 2024 will begin in two days, it's more than appropriate, methink, to soft-kicking it off by sharing some of my favorites from the Rougon-Macquart cycle. I have read all but one from the series (I couldn't get through with Doctor Pascal - yet) - and even read some of them more than once. So, without further ado, here's my...

SIX FAVORITES FROM ÉMILE ZOLA

1. Germinal

I might have said this over and over again, that Germinal is my all time favorite - not only of Zola, but of all. It has all the elements of what a good book is supposed to be. Here's my first and second review. I'm currently listening to the audiobook for Zoladdiction, let's see what I'll think of Germinal after the third read!

2. L'Assommoir

This one is the most mind-blowing for me. Maybe because it was my first introduction to the Rougon-Macquart. But L'Assommoir is also the most picturesque in the series.

3. La Bete Humaine

Another picturesque book from Zola's bibliography, so vivid and beautiful! And it is dear to me especially since is talks about kind and evil in human being, a topic which I have interest in. Here are some posts which I have dedicated for this book.

4. The Conquest of Plassans

Another masterpiece from Zola, with a surprising twist in the end and a great momentum building. My review.

5. The Ladies Paradise

Who would have thought that Zola would write something with a love story, and a happy ending? Yes, a happy ending - a rare occurrence if you read Zola's. It is the lightest of the Rougon-Macquart and actually quite a fun read! Review of my second reading (listening from the audiobook).

6. The Fortunes of the Rougons

It's the first of the series/cycle, and you know how it usually is - laying the background, foundation, and all. It is also a remarkably entertaining story with various plots following several characters. Some of them would also appear in later books. I have read it first in 2015, then reread it in 2020.


Have you read any of them? Which one is your favorite? If you haven't, which one would you like to read first? You can join us in Zoladdiction 2024 and read it to celebrate Zola's birthday!


Next Six Books Saturday: 27th April 2024.

Brooklyn (2009) by Colm Tóibín #ReadingIrelandMonth24

🔶️ Set in the 1950s of Ireland, the main character is Eilis Lacey, an intelligent young girl of 19, living with her mother and sister Rose. She's learning bookkeeping and wishes to work as bookkeeper, but no works available in their small town of Enniscorthy. Unlike her confident and independent sister Rose, Eilis is more obscure, passive, and obedient. She always do what others tell or expect her to do.

🔶️ Through Rose, a priest who's coming from New York City promised Eilis a job in a department store in Brooklyn. Obedient as always, out to Brooklyn she move, leaving her beloved home town. Not because she really wants it - in fact, she's a bit reluctant to leave - but more because Rose and her mother subtly push her out. Her mother likes Rose better, and is quite the selfish type of a parent.

🔶️ Thanks to Father Flood, Eilis is settled in a respectable boarding house and started her work nicely. She even takes a night classes in bookkeeping, planning to work as accountant later on. But she quickly feels uprooted, lonesome, and doesn't belong anywhere. So, when a young Italian plumber called Tony courts her, Eilis just naturally accepts him in her life. I doubted if she's really in love with him. Tony is head over heels fallen for her, but Eilis is just goes with the flow, so to speak.

🔶️ When she begins to feel happy with her new life, a surprising news came from Ireland, that forces her to come home. Tony persuades her to marry him in secret before leaving, as he knows her so well that her hometown might lure her to never come back to Brooklyn. Once again she complies with his suggestion. Tony wasn't wrong. Her mother once again steers her to marry a local beau, in order to make her settle in Ireland. Eilis never told her mother of her secret marriage, and she keeps procrastinating in making decision whether to stay on her own land, or to return to her husband. For an indecisive person like Eilis, it is rather amusing to see what the ending would be. But it's worth the waiting, as we got to enjoy Tóibín's beautiful writing - warm and engaging.

🔶️ I loved to read Eilis' loneliness and grieve; somehow I could relate with her loved one:

"...that was like how she felt when ... died and she watched them closing the coffin, the feeling that ... would never see the world again and she would never be able to talk to ..." or "...an actual pain that...was dead and there were things like this, ordinary things, that ...would never know, that would not matter to...now." - those are what I've been feeling since my father passed away eight months ago. I'm able to let him go; I believe my father "lives" in peace in heaven now, but I still can't move on from feeling a pang of not being able to talk to him or share anything anymore.

🔶️ Another thing that I could well relate with:
"...Was it difficult being an only child?"
"It matters more now, I think, when my parents are getting older and there's just me..." - How true it is! And so, you can imagine how this book got me to think and reflex a lot. Not only these relatable things, but also personalities of the characters and what induced them to act as they did. Eilis and her mother are interesting individuals; Eilis' habit of procrastinating reminded me much of Lily Bart from The House of Mirth. I'm also amused by Eilis' mother's attempt to keep Eilis at home with her. It seems selfish, but I could understand why. Sometimes you just can't help it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read this book for:

Reading Ireland Month 2024

Hosted by: Cathy @ 746 Books

The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl by Agatha Christie #AgathaChristieSS24

🧣 Anthony Eastwoods is a crime writer who is in, what we call "a writer's block". He has come up with a catchy title for his next book: "The Mystery of the Second Cucumber" - one that will interest many readers - but couldn't get on with matching plot. Then, one phone call solved his problem.

🧣 Anthony receives a call from a foreign woman asking for help as she's in great danger, mistaken him for somebody else. She gives him an address, and a password: "cucumber". This single word and the weird coincidence pique Antony's curiosity, so he goes there to meet the girl. I won't tell you what he will face, as it will ruin the whole mystery.

🧣 Suffice to say, that this is the most interesting story I've read so far for #AgathaChristieSS24! The adventure is highly engrossing, and the element of surprises are delightful. Anything that you'll imagine is going on, well... I bet the truth will be far away from that. Guess what title and plot Anthony did eventually decide to write! 😉

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Howl's Moving Castle (1986) by Diana Wynne Jones #MarchMagics2024

💙 Fantasy genre is never my cup of tea. Excepting the Harry Potter series, I rarely enjoy fantasy novels as much as, say, crime or literary fiction. But people have been praising Diana Wynne Jones' classic Howl's Moving Castle, and when Chris @ Calmgrove announced the upcoming of March Magics 2024, I thought this is a good time to try it. It is also my choice for the 1986 entry for A Century of Books. Did it exceed my expectation? Not really...

💙 The story is told from the perspective of Sophie Hatter, a 18-year-old eldest girl of three sisters in a magical kingdom of Ingary. Accustomed to the "rule" that an eldest will never succeed, Sophie accepts her dull existence as a hatter in the family shop, with no bright future ahead. Until the Witch of Waste finds her and turns her into an old woman, apparently with no reasonable motive - but that will be part of the mystery.

💙 Ashamed of her condition, Sophie runs away from home, and finds herself in Howl's Castle. Howl is a wizard with notorious reputation as young girls' heartbreaker. He lives in a "castle" which constantly moves, and has several doors which are portals opening to various places. They are bewitched by Howl's fire demon Calcifer. The latter was bound to a contract with Howl, and longs to break it.

💙 Enter poor Sophie, who needs someone to lift the Witch of the Waste's curse, and thinks that Calcifer might do that if she helps him break his contract. She pretends to be a cleaning lady to get to stay in the castle. And thus, the unsophisticated Sophie, who doesn't realize her own magical power, becomes member of the household, which, besides Howl and the fire demon, also consists of an apprentice boy called Michael. A lot of hilarious adventures spring up from these unlikely gang, as the mystery around themselves is slowly unfolding, and the need to conquer their enemies grows.

💙 I wonder whether I'd enjoy this more had I read it as a child - maybe. But I felt like wanting to know a lot more about the character's struggle than the writer permitted. I might have compared this to Harry Potter. The latter swept me to its universe so easily, but I felt none about this one. It is a nice fantasy story, but not as impressive as I would've expected.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Read this book for:

March Magics 2024

hosted by Chris @ Calmgrove

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (1966) by Dorothy Gilman

🃏 Emily Pollifax is a 60ish years old widow who lives in New Jersey in the 1966s, bored with her life to the extent of having a flitting thought of committing suicide (luckily she dismissed it immediately!) Her doctor orders her to find something that she has been desiring to do, but couldn't, and do it now. Well, her childhood dream has been to become a spy, but surely she can't be a spy in her sixties? Or can she?

🃏 Mrs. Pollifax decided that she can at least try. So, she went to the headquarters of CIA in Langley to volunteer as a spy. If only becoming a spt is that simple! But, through a combination of coincidences and misunderstandings, Mrs. Pollifax is found by a Mr. Carstair, who, at the moment is looking for a spy who looks like ordinary tourist. And so, Mrs. Pollifax is a spy now, and her first task is to disguise as a tourist in Mexico, and retrieve a package from a bookstore while on "holiday".

🃏 Can you imagine a combination of Paul Gallico's Mrs. Harris (Mrs. 'Arris) series and John Le Carre's spy book? That's what this book feels like. Mrs. Pollifax is as funny, feisty, and warmhearted as Mrs. Harris, but she can be as resourceful and brave as any other spy. And Mrs. Pollifax turns out to be quite a brilliant one, despite of her seemingly fickle old woman.

🃏 As is with Mrs. Pollifax, the story itself is as unexpected. The uprising political tension during the Cold War seems real enough, though not as bleak as the reality might have been. I love Mrs. Pollifax's relationship with Farrell, the real spy who's been captured and imprisoned together with her in Albania. I like how he calls her Duchess, and his amusement of Mrs. Pollifax's clever thinking, and of her obsession with solitaire (the card game). I also love the Albanian soldiers who's kind to Mrs. Pollifax - that was too implausible maybe, but added a humanity touch to the story nonetheless; and also source of a few hilarious scenes. But the runaway scenes are the most brilliant and hilarious ones!

🃏 All in all, it's a charming, funny, and sweet story with spy-adventures - rather than thriller. It's also a good way of learning a little about the Cold War and Albanian culture in the 1950s.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2