The House on the Strand (1969) by Daphne du Maurier

🧪 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, while staying at Kilmarth with his (Dick's) family during summer holiday. Dick's wife, Vita, and his two stepsons are still a week or so from joining him at Kilmarth, so he has ample time to do with the potion, or you may call it drug.

🧪 The potion brings him to the past, in fourteenth century to be precise, when the house was called Kilmerth. Yes, this is a time-travelling story. The place is the same, but the landscape has changed after six century. Dick soon becomes drawn into the people's lives and affairs, though they can't see him. There is a set back though, he'd get severe vertigo and nausea if he touch them. The man who stayed at Kilmerth (the same house, but humbler at that time) was Roger, a steward to Sir Henry Champernoune. And it is this man that Dick follows everytime he drinks the potion. His fascination is centered on the faith of Isolda, a beautiful woman and wife of Sir Oliver Carminowe, but who had had a secret affair with the brother of Sir Henry's wife, Otto Bodrugan. During these time-travels, Dick wanders around the landscape, often ends up quite a distance from where he's been taking the potion.
🧪 So drawn is Dick to the past, that his present is gradually fading. It's more and more difficult to focus on things he needs to do, and this secret also puts a barrier in his marriage life, when Vita and the boys finally join him at Kilmarth. But now that Magnus will be staying at Kilmarth for the weekend, they would have fun adventures together - or so Dick thought. Unfortunately, something terrible happens, that thwarted this excitement, and Dick is left with two choices: stop the test all together and return to his own life, or continue secretly the time-travelling to the past on his own, with its consequences.

🧪 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. I think in Dick's case, he feels like a stranger when he's with Vita and the boys - the boys being only step sons. However, instead of trying to find a solution, he prefers to be out of that life and pursue another which is more engaging. We do that a lot, but with books. When one's tired of one's life, one can always be out of reality for a few hours at a time, and drawn in a good and engaging story of another life. But one must return to reality and deal with it anyway in the end. I believe that's the moral background that du Maurier wanted to highlight with her inconclusive ending. Nevertheless, this is an engaging gothic/science fiction story with a touch of historical theme. Not of du Maurier's best, perhaps, but still is fun to read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2025 (Wrap Up)

I think I have participated in this challenge once years ago, but failed completely. This year seems to be a perfect time to re-enter the challenge, as I think my reading will be more organized, and (hopefully) less frantic than before. Cloak and Dagger reading Challenge is hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook. Click the link to find more details on the challenge. It runs from 1 January to 31 December 2025.

I am aiming the Detective Level (16-25 books). And here's my list (I'll add titles after I've read and reviewed it), and this would be my goal post, to add links to my reviews.

=WRAP UP=

Today, the 11th of December 2025, I wrap up the Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2025. I have ended up reading twenty books as I have intended. Here is the list, with links to my reviews.

1. The Bird Found the Body by Bailey Booth (2023)
2. The Black Spectacles by John Dickson Carr (1939)
3. The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1908)
4. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
5. The Hollow by Agatha Christie
6. Crook o' Lune by E.C.R. Lorac
7. A Picture of Murder by T.E. Kinsey
8. Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie
9. Missing or Murdered by Robin Forsythe
10. Crooked House by Agatha Christie
11. The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth
12. Artist in Crime by Ngaio Marsh
13. The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson
14. Weekend at Thrackley by Alan Melville
15. The Theft of the Iron Dogs by E.C.R. Lorac
16. Tea on Sunday by Lettice Cooper
17. Murder by Firelight by Merryn Allingham
18. The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers
19. Still Life by Louise Penny
20. Richardson's First Case by Basil Thomson

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2025: Reviews for December #AgathaChristieSS25

The Thumb Mark of St. Peter

My last review for this year's Agatha Christie Short Stories is coincidentally the only story (or case) contributed by Miss Marple at the Thursday Night Club. If her life had seemed to have been uneventful in St. Mead, Miss Marple was by no means bored. As she was observing the life of the inhabitant of that small village, she learned a lot about human character; that would be her foundation to help solving so many cases which otherwise baffled the police. In this story, the case concerned herself. Miss Marple's niece has had an unsuitable marriage with a man with violent temper, who's inherited insanity from his ancestors. Ten years later the husband died suddenly one night, allegedly from mushrooms poisoning during dinner. But rumors soon started circulating that Mabel, the wife, had probably poisoned him by arsenic, so that everyone in the area avoided her.

Upon interviewing the cook and house maid, Miss Marple learned that the deceased had been rambling something about "pile of fish" when he's dying. Baffled that the exhumation result which was inconclusive, Miss Marple said a prayer while taking a walk in the street, and lo and behold... there she found the solution of the case. It has, indeed, something to do with fish. The "thumb mark of St. Peter" refers to the characteristic dark spots on John Dory's fish flank, which are said to be the thumbprint left by the apostle when he lifted the fish from the sea. What an interesting feature Agatha Christie had infused in this story. I can imagine how Agatha Christie, upon learning about the saying, thought instantly how she could incorporate that into a murder story. I always love her ingenuity! An interesting fact: do you know that the John Dory is also called "St. Peter's fish" in some countries?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Fruitful Sunday

One Sunday morning, Dorothy, a housemaid, is enjoying a Sunday drive with her young man with a picnic in the picture. On the way, they are stopping at a small town, where they find a fruit stall. On the display is a pretty fruit basket full of peaches, which Edward, the young man, reluctantly buy for his sweetheart. The seller keeps saying that 'they're getting more than their money's worth'. Dorothy and Edward are soon eating the fruits near the stream by the road, while reading the headline of a stolen ruby necklace worth fifty thousand pounds in the Sunday paper. When they have eaten all the fruits, what do you think they'd found at the bottom of the basket? A ruby necklace with the same specification they had read about in the paper. Is it really the stolen necklace? How did they end up in the fruit basket? And what shall they do with it? Edward is for reporting it to the police, but Dorothy insisting that they sell it.

This is another of a non-crime-mystery story. There's no mystery at all, just a fun, light story to enjoy leisurely on a Sunday afternoon.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer (1953) by Molly Clavering #DeanStreetDecember25

✍🏻 Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer is an autobiographical novel on Molly Clavering's friendship with D.E. Stevenson; both were women writers at that time. Lucy Lorimer, from whose point of view the story was told, was neighbor to D.E. Stevenson, the more successful of the two, though by no means the more talented. In my opinion, both were talented, though each had her own style in writing. Molly Clavering was represented in this story by Grace 'Gray' Douglas, a spinster neighbor and closest friend of Mrs. Lorimer. If their characters did truly represent both writers, I was surprised to learn that their writings were the opposite of their true characters. I thought D.E. Stevenson (in Lucy Lorimer) would have been more meek and sweet in writing, while Gray Douglas' (in Molly Clavering) would be more intense. But I found Molly Clavering's is more suitable to Lucy Lorimer's than the other way round. Very interesting!

✍🏻 Mrs. Lorimer was married to Jack Lorimer, and on that titular summer (which was a far cry from "quiet"), was expecting her offspring and their families came for holiday. They were consisted of three married couple, and Guy Lorimer - still a bachelor who had just been broken hearted over a broken engagement. One couple and Guy were staying at Miss Douglas', since the Lorimers' was fully occupied. You might imagine the chaos on these occasion - I'm very glad that I never married, because things like these would have distressed me a lot! Anyway, Lucy had bitten off more than she could chew; what with marriage problem of her daughter, a serious illness of the other, and love affair of the son. Not mentioning, the arrival of an old flame to her door. In all that time, only Gray's peaceful company and advice (and a cup of tea at the right time) that helped Lucy to stay cool and collected. I loved their picnic on the river bank, especially, where they sit "on a grassy bank with a young river talking quietly to itself at their feet and a heather-scented breeze drifting overhead."
✍🏻 If you ask me whether this is a good story, I can't answer you. Because, frankly, this isn't the usual story with plot or structure. This is just a snippet of the three main characters' lives (Mrs. and Mr. Lorimer, and Gray Douglas) during a particular summer, with all the quiet as well as the stormy times. They, and the only outsiders in this story, the Smellies, who lived in a charming house that Mrs. Lorimer had been wanting to buy herself, but was rejected by her husband. The Smellies (what a name!) consisted of a Mr. Smellie and her daughter Nesta Rowena. She hated her name, and preferred 'Rona' as the Lorimers nicknamed her. I thought Nesta Rowena is a charming name. I would have been proud to be called that, rather than Rona, which sounds childish. It would have been a nice name for a pet, though... :)

✍🏻 All in all, this is a charming and comfortable read during the hectic days which usually happen near end of the year. I loved Mrs. Lorimer's and Miss Douglas' friendship, loved the developing romance between Guy Lorimer (my favorite of the offspring) and Nesta Rowena Smellie (I loved her unique character and sensible personality). Many thanks to Dean Street Press for bringing this book up from the dead into our current literary world!
 

Read for:

Dean Street December 2025

hosted by Liz @  Adventures in reading, running and working from home

Six Degrees of Separation, from the Sea to the Mountains

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. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
Summary:

Thomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the grey, gloomy beach and scrape for shrimp, spending the afternoon selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and scum, pining for Joan Wyeth down the street, and rehearsing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but it remains a private dream. When a striking visitor turns up, bringing the promise of Hollywood glamour, Thomas is shaken from the drudgery of his days and begins to see a different future. But how much of what the American claims is true, and how far can his inspiration carry Thomas? Haunting and timeless, this is the story of a young man hemmed in by his circumstances, striving to achieve fulfilment far beyond the world he knows.​​​​ Here's the Goodreads summary.

I have thought of two directions to build this month's chain. I can use seascraper, and link it to shell seeker - a rather lame connection to Rosamund Pilcher's The Shell Seekers - or I could use the horse-drawn cart to lead me to another book. And I shamelessly use the latter - a book I have used just last month. In my defense, I think it's a good choice, and this is going to be a good chain; I promise!

1. The Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild

I have mentioned in last month's post, about another kind of horse-drawn vehicle, that is a canal boat. In this case, the horse walked on the bank, while a rope from the canal boat was attached to the horse. This book's main character spent some times in this canal boat. You can read more about the book here. She was called Margaret Thursday, an orphan who's named after the days of week she was born.

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

2. The Third Eye by T. Lobsang Rampa

T. Lobsang Rampa (T for Tuesday) is pen name of Cyril Henry Hoskin, an English author who penned The Third Eye, a story about a fictional lama in Tibet. I have read it pre-blogging era, so here is the Goodreads summary if you are interested, and as there was a dispute over the authenticity of the author, here's my post about it. And speaking about Tibet, here's my most favorite nonfiction so far...

3. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

Heinrich Harrer, the writer of Seven Years in Tibet - a remarkable book, by the way, here's my review - was a renowned mountaineer. And that reminded me of this book, with 'mountaineer' in the title..

4. The Dead Mountaineer's Inn by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky

This book is a locked room mystery with a touch of science fiction. It was set in a remote inn and ski chalet. The inn had been used by mountaineers in the past - hence the name. The whole story is eccentric, yet entertaining. Here's my review if you're interested.

5. The Swiss Summer

From a remote chalet in Russia, I bring you cross country, to another remote chalet in Switzerland. What a refreshing experience to be brought to these mountainous remote chalet through books! And this one would be a contender for my most favorite reading of the year. Many people found it dull, perhaps, but I loved it, as was reflected in my review. The heroine found unexpected friends while staying on Swiss Alps, and that would be the key to connect us to my last link...

6. In the Mountains by Elizabeth von Arnim

This is a less known of Elizabeth von Arnim's books. Perhaps, it's because the first half is rather boring and uneventful. A woman found peace on the Swiss Alps, away from troubles in the real world. It sounds boring, indeed. But wait until two women who were lost on the mountain, appeared on the scene. And that's how our heroine found unexpected friends on the Swiss Alps. Though it's not von Arnim's best, it's a refreshing and entertaining read. I reviewed it here.


And so, from the sea, I have brought us to the mountains. How do you like it? ;)

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

Richardson's First Case (1933) by Basil Thomson #DeanStreetDecember25

👮🏻 Sir Basil Home Thomson had been the head of CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in Scotland Yard for eight years before writing a this crime detective series with P.C. Richardson as his hero. Thus, he knew inside out how the Yard was run at the time. This series, then, was written as meticulously as it probably has ever been, as a police investigation of a murder case. P.C. Richardson is a uniformed constable, and on his first day of duty. Richardson has been dreaming of one day entering the CID while standing on the corner of Baker Street, when bam! a car accident occurs, and an old man was dead. He was identified by his talkative nephew as Mr. Catchpool, an antique store owner and registered money-lander. But Richardson is failed when trying to locate the deceased's wife, to break the news. She was later on found also dead, but not by accident. She was strangled to death in a willful murder!

👮🏻 Now here's the interesting thing about this book. Instead of putting a chief inspector of inspector in lime light while the investigation is progressing, we are treated with the running of CID machinery and bureaucracy. When a clue was procured or witnesses found, the inspector dealing with the case would report it to his superior. Then he, in turn, forward it to yet his superior, until it reached the Commissioner, who would then submit the neatly wrapped up case to the Prosecutor. Thomson even gave us the acronyms of each rank, which I did not really care about. Anyway, this writing style is unique of Golden Age Detective stories, and this makes Basil Thomson stands out among his contemporaries.

👮🏻 The murder mystery involved nephews of both Mr. and Mrs. Catchpool, due to a clause in Mr. Catchpool's will: if his wife survived him even for a few minutes, his wealth would be inherited by her nephew. Whereas if the wife's death precedes the husband, then his nephew will inherit it. So, the police's first task is to establish time of death of Mrs. Catchpool, which is not an easy task. Complications arise from every angle, especially from unreliable witnesses with their own interests. But to all this, P.C. Richardson, who is summoned to help with the investigation by his superior, makes an excellent job.

👮🏻 What I liked most of this book, is the sense that we are included in a real police investigation, instead of reading a detective story. It was a rare experience too, to follow a budding career of the inspector-would-be - for Richardson will become an inspector, as the series title has implied - from the very bottom - uniformed officer. It would be interesting to see how he would progress, and so, this series would be one I would read in order. I should thank Dean Street Press for bringing this germ to resurface!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Dean Street December 2025

hosted by Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home

Still Life (2005) by Louise Penny

🎨 Still Life is the first book in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, a crime mystery series penned by Louise Penny. It introduces us to Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and some of his team of Surete du Quebec provincial police force. Gamache and his colleagues were summoned to investigate the death of a local artist called Jane Neal. We were provided a little opportunity to know Jane shortly before her death. She was a teacher with gentle, affectionate manner - the kind that is usually loved by the students. Hence, her death shocked most of the inhabitants of Three Pines, a small peaceful village - so peaceful that they don't have any local police force. Jane Neal was pierced by a hunting arrow near the deer trail. The question arises, whether it's an innocent accident or a deliberate murder.

🎨 I don't usually like mystery with too many characters, but it somehow fits nicely in this one. The police force itself has several characters. Jean Guy Beauvoir is Gamache's sidekick, with opposite personality from Gamache. Then there are a few other agents, and Yvette Nichol, a rookie agent in the Surete whose first assignment is to work under Gamache's command. She tends to show off her knowledge, which leads usually to blunders instead of appreciation. Near the end of the case Nichol is finally sent back to Montreal by Gamache, after he has been patient enough to try to guide her without avail. Her appearance in the mystery offers more of hilarious moments than anything else, and as her faith isn't conclusive, I am hoping that she will return in the next cases.

🎨 The more the case progresses, the more we get acquainted with the characters and the village itself. In the end, I even feel like visiting it myself. I can picture myself staying at the B&B owned by a gay couple Olivier Brulé and Gabriel (Gabri) Dubeau. They are charming chatty-duo, the foods are scrumptious, and the B&B itself seems a jolly place to stay. My favorite character is Clara, Jane's most intimate friend, who's an artist, just like her husband Peter. Jane was actually murdered (of course it turns out to be murder) just after she invited her friends to her house - where hitherto no one had ever been farther than the kitchen and mudroom (why had she been secretive of her inside house; what had she been hiding?) Gamache soon realizes that the key to the murder is in Jane's painting titled Fair Day, which is going to be exhibited at the gallery. The painting is depicting the end of a fair day, the day her friend, Timmer Hadley, died of a longtime illness. Was Jane's murder related to that other death? Or was it triggered by an assault aimed to the gay couple, in which Jane scolded the perpetrators?
🎨 I loved it that the murder is all about art and artists. I have a little suspicions of that from the title: Still Life. Armand Gamache is your perfect chief inspector too; they way he led his subordinates is exemplary. I guessed the murderer correctly - I think it's quite clear after Gamache settled that the murder is all about the painting. There was a red herring, but I know instantly it's a false trail. All in all, it's a nice mystery with a little suspenseful action in the end. I might like to continue down the series, if not to appease my curiosity over agent Nichol's future, then to read more of the eloquent Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (I love the sound of his name too!)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2025: DECEMBER

And here we are, in the last month of the year. I need to start thinking about next year - but for now, let's focus on the last two stories we're going to read for 2025:

THE THUMB MARK OF ST. PETER

(a Miss Marple story)

So far, every member of the Tuesday Night Club have contributed some of their stories. And on every story, Miss Marple has successfully solved the case. But Miss Marple herself had never offered her own story. So, here, on our last month of #AgathaChristieSS25, she would tell the only story she would ever contributed to the Club. It's concerning her niece Mable, who married a violent man with insanity history in his family, and who later died suddenly. When arsenic is found in the house Mabel claims to have been intended to commit suicide, but who is telling the truth?
In this story Miss Marple describes what may have been the very first murder she solved. The story was published in the Royal Magazine in the UK in 1928. It was included in the 1932 collection, The Thirteen Problems, Miss Marple's first short story collection.

A FRUITFUL SUNDAY

(a non-detective story)

A young couple discover a ruby necklace at the bottom of their fruit basket, worth fifty thousand pounds. Well, it sounds like a promising story of what-may-happen - a kind of story I always love to read, it can be very exciting or the opposite, but I'm certainly looking forward to! The story was included in the UK collection The Listerdale Mystery, 1934, and was published in the US in the collection The Golden Ball and Other Stories in 1971.

##########

So, tell me, are you excited to do Agatha Christie Short Stories for another year? Or do you think we should take a break and come back the next year? Let me know what you think, and if you are eager to continue, what or which stories you'd like to read more? THE REVIEWS: My review for both stories

Picture Miss Seeton (1968) by Heron Carvic

🌂When a middle-aged semi-retired art teacher called Miss Seeton was walking out of an opera performance, she encountered a young man hitting a girl. She can't stand that kind of behavior, so she poked the young man's ribs from behind, with her umbrella. The man was astonished, but he vanished into the night before Miss Seeton recovered, but not before she saw his face. But lo and behold, the girl was not only fainted, she's dead! The young man had stabbed her, and what Miss Seeton has witnessed wasn't a quarrel, but a murder.

🌂 Superintendent Delphick from Scotland Yard led the murder investigation, in which Miss Seeton produced her sketch of the murderer's identity as César Lebel. He's a criminal involved ina drug gang, whose identity had never been known before - not until Miss Seeton poked her umbrella onto his ribs, that is. As an important eyewitness to the Scotland Yard, Miss Seeton must leave her house for safely (Lebel stole her purse, and hence, knew her address). So, she's staying in a village cottage she'd just inherited in Plummergen, in the Kent countryside. There we were introduced to several other quirky but interesting characters that were bound to people a small village, complete with gossips, prejudices, and all. The arrival of Miss Seeton, whom they've read in the newspaper about, and following her steps, the Scotland Yard team, stirred and excited the quiet village like never before. 🌂 To call this book a cozy mystery is a bit misleading, because there's almost no mystery in it. A murder happened, and our 'heroine' witnessed it, but the police wasn't solving that case. The identity of the murdered girl wasn't even revealed. No, Scotland Yard were, partly, after the criminal, and partly protecting their eyewitness. And they didn't do their job very nicely. Miss Seeton had been abducted (with sack thrown over her had), and enduring a few murder attempts during her stay in Plummergen, while the police couldn't even keep with her movements - they always lost her. Still, she survived, partly with the help of her umbrella (the heroine's weapon!), and her naivete. The funniest element of this book (and its most attractive point) was Miss Seeton's naivete. She seemed oblivious of the attacks thrown at her, and almost always even felt sorry for the chaser. On one occasion she nearly helped him, and would have done it had she not fallen into the pond.

🌂 In short, this books is more about a funny little adventure with a funny quirky heroine. You'd appreciate it more when you read it on some gloomy rainy days (we are in the middle of monsoon season here..), but would be disgusted with it if you'd hope of some crime-mystery.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1961) by John Steinbeck #NonFicNov25

🐩 When the itch of travelling came to John Steinbeck in the 1960s, he began a plan for a road trip journey around America. A camper-truck was made specially for him, which he named Rocinante - after Don Quixote's horse. For a companion, he brought Charley, his old French poodle (his real name was Charles - pronounced in French). The purpose of the trip, is to get to know more of his country, which he has written a lot, but not quite sure he has captured the true nature. Steinbeck started from Long Island, New York, then followed the outer border of the United States. In total, he encompasses 10,000 miles.

🐩 After furnishing Rocinante with everything he might need to be comfortable during the journey - he ended up bringing way too many - he started right away. The first transit was Maine. From there, he headed towards the Pacific Northwest. One of his (and mine) favorite is White Mountains 'with the prettiest villages in the whole nation'. While in Maine, Steinbeck observed that mobile homes was a new trend, he found many of them, parked on the open country (immune from town taxes). The park men only charged small ground rent plus fees for water and electricity. Steinbeck invited one of his 'neighbor' camper, a performing street actor, for a cup of coffee, and they had a very interesting conversation. He did that several times during the road trip, conversing with people, to get to know their views on many things.

🐩 Another interesting observation made by Steinbeck was how the writing of city signs reflected the character of the city. But his more important discovery was the lost of regional speech with local accents. He blamed television and radio broadcasted to the whole nation as the cause. People everywhere heard the same accent, and it immersed in theirs. "For with local accent will disappear local tempo. The idioms, the figures of speech that make language rich and full of the poetry of place and time must go. And in their place will be a national speech, wrapped and packaged, standard and tasteless." 

🐩 Although Steinbeck's main desire was to learn about America, he also made a not less important discovery. It's about Charley. I loved Charley! For me, he is the main attraction of the book (sorry, Steinbeck!) I loved the way he said 'Ftt', while waking up his master or attracting his attention. A truly French gentleman he is, always polite, gentle, and dignified. It was painful for him (physically and mentally) when he got prostatitis. It must have been humiliating for him every time he needs to pee, poor Charley! Anyway, Steinbeck got to learn an unknown side of Charley after an encounter with bears on Yellowstone National Park. It was a quite tensed moment. I, too, have had an interesting discovery. If you have read East of Eden, you might remember a secondary but not the least important character: Lee - the household old Chinese intelligent servant. Lee was actually the name of Steinbeck's childhood cook!

🐩 At last, Steinbeck's travels with Charley went beyond Steinbeck's dream (whose travels ever match one's expectation, right?) He wanted to learn about America, but could he conclude in the end, who, what, or how America was? It's not that easy. Steinbeck experienced one last shock before ending his travel; he experienced first hand the intense racism towards Negroes in the South. The amount of hatred he felt was enough to disgust and enraged him to, finally, soured his journey to and end, long before he arrived home. For me, the travels provided a first hand glimpse to America in the 1960s, but what pleased me the most is John Steinbeck's writing - incisive, eloquent, and witty.

Some quotes:

"It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering."

- John Steinbeck fell in love with Montana!

"You can't go home again because home has ceased to exist except in the mothballs of memory."

Read for:

Nonfiction November 2025

hosted by Heather, Frances, Liz, Rebekah, and Deb

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe (1991) by Bill Bryson #NonficNov25

🎒 Bill Bryson is an American journalist and writers; he wrote a lot of travel books, and Neither Here nor There is his travelogue focusing on Europe. Bill had been backpacking to Europe twenty years before, as a student, together with his friend (disguised as Katz in this book). And this journey he took in the 1990s was partly retracing his former one. Along the journey, he'd stopped at the same place he had visited, comparing notes (then vs now), observing the people or city's characters, tasting the foods, visiting the landmarks, and sometimes elaborating a little on the historical, cultural, or political sides of it. Then he wove them into a caustic hilarious narration.

🎒 Bill started his journey from the north, in Hammerfest, in Norway, to catch the Northern Lights. It appeared to be my most favorite part of this book. Looking at it from Bryson's point of view, I think I would love to visit Hammerfest. The people might be slightly cool, keeping-themselves-to-themselves kind of manner, towards tourists. But hey, you go to Hammerfest for the atmosphere, not the people, right? I say, the Northern Lights would be one of the most serene and magical experiences I would have ever had in my life. It would be an unforgettable one. And I think I would love to stay in Hammerfest for a while.

🎒 This book was daubed as funny by some people, and though I don't appreciate Bryson's caustic humor, the early part of the book was indeed funny. The funniest one is when in Oslo, he found a bottle of chemical liquid at the hostel, confused of its function, and decided to wash his clothes with it. Apparently that was a toilet-bowl cleaner! People who're passing him said to each other: "You know, that man smelled like toilet-bowl cleaner" - and that's the kind of humor Bryson should have kept in the book, not by putting minor 'slights' to places he visited after that. One of these is when he grumbled about Brussels - he found nothing interesting there, and all he could say about it was: "The best thing that can be said for Brussels is that it is only three hours from Paris". Isn't it rude? He also observed "Thousands shops selling chocolates or lace (and they appear to sell nothing else in Brussels)". I wanted to yell at him: that's because they are famous for that! I would love to go window shopping for the lace, or is there a live demonstration of lace making one can watch or even try? And maybe buy some for me or souvenirs for my friends (who would appreciate the artistic beauty of handmade lace). And I'd love to suggest him to have a day of Comic Strip Trail - it would have been fun! Fortunately he loved Bruges and Spa (would love to visit those two if I would ever set my foot in Europe again!)

🎒 Bryson didn't appreciate France too. When in Paris, he grumbled about rudeness of the people. And that made me think about what John Steinbeck wrote in Travels with Charley: In Search of America (currently reading): 'Two people can be in the same city at the same time, yet the city that A had seen is completely different from B's version.' He's totally right, because my experiences about Paris was totally different from Bryson. I went there in 2000 (only several years after Bryson), and the French people I met were mostly amiable - at least in three occasions during my three days visit to Paris. People at the bistro when I had my dinner on the first night were very friendly, they politely asked me where I'm from, and things about Indonesia. We had a friendly chatting during the meal (though I'd have preferred to be left alone while tasting the first steak I've ever had in France). Maybe the key is always trying to speak in French, though imperfect (I spoke half in French and sometimes in English when I couldn't find the right word; which they patiently listened to me, and corrected me if I pronounced it wrong). I also didn't like how Bryson's friend Katz grumbling when they visited the Louvre - that it's paintings and paintings. Well, what did you think you'd find in an art museum? clothes?? That attitude always annoys me in people - but I let it go because Bryson and Katz were too young at that time. 

🎒 All in all, this is a book you'd like to read if you want to travel in Europe. Bryson did not plan the journey at all, and just following his instinct and needs with go-with-the-flow attitude. I think it only works when you're young and carefree. For a man his age, you'd need at least a little planning, booking the hotel in advance, for instance. But honestly, I won't give this book more than casual browsing, since I think Bryson isn't a person who would appreciate European as it deserves. He's too American at heart. Anyway, from the countries he visited - Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Yugoslavia (as green as England and as stunningly scenic as Austria, but almost wholly untouristed), Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Turkey were among them - I think the place I was most attracted to are Bern in Swiss (cultured town with antique shops, art galleries and antiquarian bookstores, fine homes and small parks), Capri in Italy (would have wanted to visit if I'm not middle aged; the hike up the hill would kill me), and Bruges and Spa (would love to visit those two I'd I ever step my foots in Europe again).

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Nonfiction November 2025

hosted by: Heather, Frances, Liz, Rebekah, and Deb

All Things Bright and Beautiful (1976) by James Herriot

 

💚 All Things Bright and Beautiful is the second volume of James Herriot's memoir as a veterinary surgeon in Darrowby village, in Yorkshire Dales. It begins a few years after the first volume, All Creatures Great and Small, ended. It was in the end of 1930s; Herriot has been in practice for three years, and is now quite settled with his new wife Helen. Helen's appearance makes a refreshing change of Herriot's narration. Sometimes, in between stories about rescuing animals and lambing, we would be entertained with the couple's domestic life, or even signets of Herriot's first courting of Helen. They now live in a bedsitter, just upstairs from the clinic. And that makes Herriot's boss Siegfried Farnon, and his brother Tristan. only appear occasionally in the picture. 💚 Like in the first volume, Herriot blended charming, funny, and sad stories of the animals he treated. But I loved this one much more than the first book, I don't know why. Maybe it's because Herriot has been more settled and confident than before, and people trust him more. And more importantly, he told about Siegfried's inconsistent and temperamental attitude less often than before. I loved it when Herriot he wrote about the animal's unique personalities. Like Jock the sheep dog who loves to pursue (almost racing with) vehicles. It's like a game for him. He would pretend he doesn't see James when he arrives, but soon after James' car is at full throttle, Jock would shoot out from his hiding like an arrow, and races happily for some times, exhilarated by the freedom. I can almost see the dog smiling widely in my mind. On the other hand, there's a vindictive dog called Magnus, who never forgets. I don't remember exactly what Herriot did to him - injecting, or claw-clipping? But the dog was angry with his treatment, and long after that he always regards Herriot menacingly.

💚 Put the animals aside, the owners' antiques often provide equally hilarious entertainment. There's a farmer who loves to show off his knowledge. Herriot must wonder for a few minutes every a sentence or two before grasping his meaning. For instance, the farmer would say semolina when what he means is Salmonella. On the next sentence, laboratory could mean Labrador, while biblical cord is actually umbilical cord! Each "word" sent me to uncontrollable laugh. We were entertained by good and generous farmers, as well as cantankerous ones. But my heart sank with Frank, a poor farmer but with steely determination to run a farm single-handedly. Yet, by only one cow disease, his dream of having his own farm vanished in only a few weeks. In times like this, Herriot felt the burden of seeing lives slipped away without being able to help. If only it happened two or three years later, Frank would have been successful. The modern medication was about to find its way to civilization, but not yet.

💚 Herriot was grateful to witness these arrivals of modern medication. One day he treated an animal with hopeless disease. The farmer has even contacted a person who usually put away the dead carcasses, and asked Herriot to put them away. But Herriot insisted on trying a new medication on them; there's nothing to lose anyway. The following morning, they felt like seeing a miracle! It was so satisfying a story to read - and no doubt much more satisfying for the vet. Speaking of "miracle", there's one hilarious story of Sigfried, who was operating a lamb's tumor on its rectum. It only took him a few seconds to perform; with no marks of an operation ever being done, yet the tumor was gone. It's hilarious to see the astonishment in the farmer's face - he's never understood how that had happened! :))

💚 I have been crying a couple of times too over some touching story. One over the death of an old horse with tetanus, the beloved of an old man. He chose Herriot to put the horse to sleep. And the other when reading the touching story about the salvation of an abandoned golden retriever, or about a widow who struggled for twenty years to maintain the farm, alone with her sons, after her husband died, and strived. What a triumphant story it was! But my favorite was perhaps when Herriot got a call on Christmas day, when he'd been hoping to spend the day in peace. The farmer was a poor one, living a simple life. Yet, it was then and there, that Herriot felt the spirit of Christmas was upon him. The simple farmers offered him simple refreshments, but with generosity and simplicity. It was a serene and warm moment!

💚 In short, this book is about the triumph and failure in life, both of human and animal. It's also about love, struggles, courage, and resilient. It's about the dawn of a new era; a scary future (war was imminent), but also hopeful. James Herriot ended the book beautifully with his leaving home to serve in the war (Second World War). One more time, just as what he done several times throughout the book, Herriot's pondering over the lush, picturesque scenery of Yorkshire Dales; of how he loved the land, and his life as a vet, and his wife. Herriot's eloquent writing shone on this final chapter, that I ended it with a deep sigh of satisfaction. It's truly a beautiful and heartwarming book to read! 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genderang Perang dari Wamena (1972) by Djokolelono: An Indonesian Children Fantasy #NovNov25

🥁 I have unexpectedly found this treasure while idly browsing through Google Playbook titles. It's a children fantasy novella by an Indonesian writer: Djokolelono. It has never been translated, so if you don't understand Indonesian, I can give you only my loose translation of the title. Genderang means drum; perang is war, and Wamena is a district in Papua. The story is told from point of view of two eleven-year-old boys: Adi and Yun (short of Yunanto). It's not clear where they live, but it is set in the 1970s. My guess is that they live in a small town. Adi has been living in the Netherlands; his father worked in a Dutch museum, and the family have only recently moved permanently to Indonesia. 

🥁 Yun is playing at his new friend Adi's, and it is a gloomy rainy day. They can't play outside, so Adi suggests they rummage at the backyard shed. One might find interesting stuffs in the shed - don't we know it! And they do! 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.  

🥁 One of the Dutch men who was called Tristan van Allen, had stolen a drum, or tifa, a precious thing belonging to the chief of the tribe. The expedition leader told him to return it, as it would put the whole expedition in danger, but Tristan was adamant. Adi found from his father that the tifa came to his possession after being found years later by another group visiting Wamena, while the faith of the expedition itself was never revealed; they had just vanished. And now Adi and Yun are about to solve the mystery, as the tifa slowly reveals its history whenever the boys playing it. But it's not just a mystery, there's something menacing inside the tifa....

🥁 It was an exciting adventure to read! I kept forgetting that Adi and Yun are just elementary school students, they somehow sound more mature to me - like 17 or 18 years old boy, perhaps? Anyway, I was more interested in their one quarrel (the tifa foreshadows what's about to come; on the day the expedition members quarreled for instance, Adi and Yun quarrel too). The topic is about Dutch colonialism over Indonesia. Yun is expressing his hatred to the greedy Dutch, but Adi, who had been brought up in Netherlands, is saying that not all Dutch people are greedy, and that colonialism happens only when the locals aren't smart enough to detect their false politeness. This infuriates Yun, as his friend's implying that Indonesian are dumb. Well, I couldn't but pondering a lot about it afterwards, because it makes sense. And why the writer put it as the cause of quarrel? It might be a boyish quarrel (they are friends again the day after), but that was too serious a topic for a children read, don't you think? Anyway, this has been a fun read for me, and I can't wait to read more of the series. This novella is the sixth book from Weird and Wicked series, by the way.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Novellas in November 2025

hosted by Cathy and Rebecca

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2025: November Reviews #AgathaChristieSS25

I had a mixed feeling for my November reads for #AgathaChristieSS25. The Poirot one was dull, while the Tommy-Tuppence was as exciting as I would want to be in writing short stories.

The Kidnapped Prime Minister

It was during First World War, and when Poirot and Hastings were discussing about the assassination attempt towards the British Prime Minister, two government officials arrive. They ask him to locate the Prime Minister, who has been kidnapped during his journey to Versailles for a secret conference. His failure to attend the conference would be of immense consequence for the country, and might be, the world peace. The problem is, Poirot only has twenty four hours to do that. 

Once Poirot, Hastings, and two detectives arrive in France, instead of taking immediate actions, Poirot brings them to a hotel, where he sits down for four hours exercising his little grey cells. There are only two main suspects in this case, and after returning to London (what the purpose was of going to France in the first place, eluded me), Poirot makes inquiries to several cottage-hospitals, before locating the Prime Minister! As I said, it was a boring story. I wish Christie would elaborate it a little, sprinkling it with some actions or red herring. I begin to realize that Poirot's strong point is always his understanding of psychology, that his way of investigation isn't quite fit for short stories. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Blindman's Buff

Tommy and Tuppence, on the other hand, are in on an exciting adventure! Business is slacking at Blunt's Detective Agency, and they have just received warning from the Chief that their disguise has been apprehended by the enemies. Tommy, then, proposed to exercising their detecting skills. So, combined with his passion of using methods of fictional detectives, he put on a pair of black eyeshades, and testing his awareness of the surroundings only by the other senses - in short, he's practicing to be a blind man - while Tuppence's acting as his guide. In that manner, Tommy and Tuppence dine out at a restaurant, where two men (a Duke and his servant) approach them. The Duke hires 'Mr. Blunt' to rescue his kidnapped daughter, and insists on bringing both of them separately by car to his house.

The Duke appears to be merely a disguise, and the kidnap is a trap. He's the enemy, and he knows about the Beresfords' disguises. The question is, how would Tommy extricate himself from the enemy's pointed gun and the electrified metal floor which would be exploded as soon as one step onto? In the end, it's a wonderfully fun story to read, although, of course, I already knew the "solution" long before. It's quite childish, even, but still, it has action and suspense, and I always love the witty banters between Tommy and Tuppence. Tommy shines this time, with Tuppence a little on the background.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

In the Mountains (1920) by Elizabeth von Arnim #NovNov25

🗻 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 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.

🗻 Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Jewks are widows in their forties, who've been staying at a cheap pension on the valley. They are lost while searching for a better place, and what with the narrator's loneliness and the widows' apparent poverty, our narrator took them in, and they soon become friends, if not intimate acquaintances. The two women are opposite of  each other in personality. Mrs. Kitty Barnes is an upright honorable woman, while Dolly, her younger sister, is a charming, sweet creature who can't help marrying husbands-to-be, even when they were Germans. Her two failed marriages brought a scandal among friends and family, and that's where Kitty, unselfishly cut out her honorable life, and brought Dolly to a more neutral country: Swiss.

🗻 At first the three ladies spent, if not very amiable, a tolerable existence. But after few weeks, our narrator begins to feel the strain of being hostess. What with Mrs. Barness 's profuse gratitude for the hostess' generosity, but on the other hand tyrannically forced her will in the household cost-savings; not mentioning Dolly's meek smiles and agreement to all her sister's decision. In short, the narrator longs for a friendship instead of hostess-lodgers relationship, and the sense of sacrifice one must always endure. Meanwhile, secrets begin to unfold as the story's progressing - the guests' secrets at least; the cause of the narrator's grief and anxiety were never disclosed. 

 🗻 The Swiss chalet here served as the Italian castle in The Enchanted April, that is as a cure to whoever is staying in. One comes with a heavy heart, and after staying several months, one leaves it refreshed and, as in In the Mountains, with new and hopeful prospect for brighter future. And although this novella couldn't be compared with The Enchanted April - it's a bit dull, I must say - but I enjoyed the charm of the Swiss Alps, especially when the narrator's enjoying a peaceful, solitude, charming times alone there. The ending is perhaps a little bit forced, but it brings a sprinkle of sweet charms to the rather gloomy atmosphere - despite of the Swiss Alps - otherwise.

Relatable Quotes:

"It's true that the worst pain is the remembering one's happiness when one is no longer happy."

"Oh, I do so want to be wholesome inside again! Nicely aired, sunshiny; instead of all dark, and stuffed up with black memories."

"A man does seem to have more to say that one wants to hear than a woman. I do want to hear what a woman has to say too, but not for so long a time, and not so often. [...] A woman when she talks seems usually to have forgotten the salt. Also she is apt to go on talking; sometimes for quite a little while after you have begun to wish she would leave off."

"I don't know anything more happy than to be where it is beautiful with some one who sees and loves it as much as you do yourself."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Novellas in November 2025

hosted by Cathy and Rebecca

Book Pairings #NonficNov25 Week 3

The prompt for the third week of Nonfiction November 2025 is Book Pairings, hosted by Liz. My choice is my second book for this event:

Seven Years in Tibet is a memoir of Heinrich Harrer, a mountaineer and Tibetologist. It tells his experience of his escape from war-camp prison in British-India during Second World War and his subsequent stay in Tibet for seven years, including his friendship to the Dalai Lama.

As I have mentioned in my review, I've always been fascinated by Tibet. It started, I believe, after reading Tintin in Tibet, a graphic novel by Hergé, in my childhood. And accordingly, that's the first book I'm pairing with Seven Years in Tibet. 

Tintin In Tibet is about the triumphant salvation of a Chinese boy by the strong friendship and loyalty of his European friend. Chang, Tintin's friend, was the only survival of a plane crash on the Himalayas. While everyone was skeptical, Tintin was sure he's alive. From Tintin in Tibet, I learned about the rough lives of Tibetans amidst the cold weather and high altitude. About their staple food of Tsampa (Tintin and Captain Haddock were served this dish on their first night on Himalaya). Also about putting out one's tongue as a way of formal greeting (Captain Haddock took it as insult, which, as usual, triggered him to anger and comical result 😁). And, it was from Tintin, that I heard about Sherpa; Tibetan mountaineers with superior climbing skills and extreme endurance for high altitudes, whom foreigners hire as guides. And yet another thing that I remembered as I uploaded the book cover here - the Yeti. Had I not been reading Tintin in Tibet, I wouldn't have had any idea what the 'ugly beast' that Heinrich Harrer had mentioned referred to, would I? I think Tintin had taught me more about the outside world more than any geography I've ever studied in school!

The second book in this pairing is my second read of Tibet during my college days: The Third Eye by T. Lobsang Rampa.

It's a story about a boy who was trained from childhood to be an Oracle (it's NOT an autobiography, as was mentioned in the cover). A "third eye" was operated on his forehead, which enabled him of clairvoyance, aura deciphering, astral projection, and the like. It is from The Third Eye that I first learned about butter tea, a staple warming brew of Tibet; and of their butter making. If I remember correctly, it is made of yak's milk, put into a bag made from yak's skin turned inside out. A combination of hard shaking and low temperature, changes it into curdles, which would form the butter. At least that's what I remember, I might forget any little details, but that's the gist of it. And of course, the book opened my views about living in a monastery, of dedicating one's whole life to religion in a clustered place.

However, its most interesting connection with Seven Years in Tibet is the fact that there had been doubts whether it was truly written by a Tibetan Lama. Heinrich Harrer had in fact made enquiries on the case, and found out that the real author was actually an Englishman called Cyril Henry Hoskin, who claimed that his body hosted the spirit of a Tibetan Lama called T. (T for Tuesday) Lobsang Rampa, and who had probably never even been to Tibet. Nevertheless, his book has helped me understand more about Tibet, its culture, and its simple people. No doubt too, that this book helps many people to acknowledge Tibetan's cause for freedom. And the Dalai Lama himself had previously admitted that 'although the books were fictitious, they had created good publicity for Tibet.' [source: Wikipedia]

An honorable mention should be granted to The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie, which I have read for #ReadingtheMeow2025. Here's my review. When Heinrich Harrer mentioned, in Seven Years in Tibet, about some Regents who were called Rimpoche (meaning 'precious'), I was instantly reminded to the cat who was adopted by Dalai Lama in this book. He was also called Rimpoche by a cafe owner in Lhasa.


And that is my book pairings, it's amazing how one's reading of nonfiction is enriched by so many fictions, is it? How about you, have you read fiction books related to nonfiction? Have you read any of my books?

Seven Years in Tibet (1953) by Heinrich Harrer #NonficNov25

🗻 If you've been following my blog long enough, you might probably know that, besides France, Tibet is a country which I've always been fascinated. And so, for my second read for #NonficNov25, I picked Seven Years in Tibet, which I've been excited to read after three times watching the movie adaptation, starring Brad Pitt. If I have loved the movie, I loved even more the book from which it's been adapted. The book is a far cry from the romanticized version of the movie. Only bits of real facts that actually penetrated into the movie; the rest is Hollywood's doing. Believe me, if you want to know about Tibet and the early life of the Dalai Lama (yes, the current one), just start by reading this book!

🗻 The book expands from Heinrich Harrer's escape from the British war-prison in India, at the outbreak of Second Word War. Then he was an Austrian Nazi SS sergeant and a world renowned mountaineer, who always loved mountains and freedom. After several failed attempts of escape, with several different companions, he at last succeeded to flee towards Tibet. Harrer had read many books about Tibet before, and was fascinated by this mysterious country. But succeeding to flee did not bring automatic safety for these men (he was with several friends when starting the journey). One by one the member collapsed, either from physical or mental weaknesses. In the end, it was only Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter, an Austrian mountaineer, agricultural scientist, and geographer, who made it across Tibet after grueling hikes in the roughness of Himalayan cold weather and high altitude. But the simplicity and generosity of the people they've got to know along the way, compelled them to take whatever way to reach the Forbidden City of Lhasa.

🗻 Following Harrer and Aufschnaiter's journey for the first half of the book, I was fascinated by the Tibetans' kindness and generosity. They received these two strangers clothed in rags and must looked like tramps, with warmth and sincere. True, there were some who're malice, but mostly they were pure-hearted, merry people, almost childish at heart. Their devotion to their religion was a striking feature of these people. And they smile and laugh a lot; they could even laugh at themselves, and were rarely offended by other's mimicry, for instance.

🗻 Tibetan's respect for all religions is also an admirable feature. The biggest monastery in Tibet is The Tsug Lag Khang, and while inspecting it, Harrer found a bell hanging from the roof with inscription "Te Deum Laudamus". The building had been a Catholic chapel many centuries ago, and only due to their  respect of other religion, that it was preserved. Christianity and Buddhisn have much in common, anyway - this is from Harrer's view. "They are both founded on the belief of happiness in another world and both preach humility in this life".

🗻 One of the most attractive features in Tibetan life is a habit of going to meet, and seeing one's friends. "When anyone goes away, his friends often put up a tent on his road several miles out of the town and wait for him there with a meal to speed him on his way. The departing friend is not allowed to go till he has been loaded with white scarves and good wishes. When he comes back the same ceremony is observed. It sometimes happens that he is welcomed at several places on his way home. In the morning, maybe, he first catches sight of the Potala; but on his way into the town he is held up at tent after tent by his welcoming friends, and it is evening before he arrives in Lhasa, his modest caravan swollen to stately proportions by his friends and their servants. He comes home with the happy feeling that he has not been forgotten."

🗻 The second half and the most interesting part of the book is of course, when Heinrich Harrer has finally got to meet the Dalai Lama, then a fourteen-year-old boy. Here we could see the Dalai Lama not as a God-King, but a mere boy. An exceptional and very intelligent boy, as Harrer shared his observation when the Dalai Lama asked him to build a home theater: "I observed then, for the first time, that he liked to get to the bottom of things instead of taking them for granted." Though the 14th Dalai Lama used to be boyishly excited about new stuffs, his passions are not of the usual things that fascinate boys; but always ones for the improvement of his people. From this we learn from the very beginning that he IS the perfect choice for Dalai Lama. His "appointment" was of another amazing story that Harrer had got to learn. Strange as it was for us, the boy proved to be the perfect Dalai Lama. And how wonderful it is that the 14-year-old boy that we read in this book IS the Dalai Lama we currently see on news or television.

🗻 I have found a 1992 YouTube video of an interview between the Dalai Lama and Heinrich Harrer, many years after their first meeting at Potala. They kept their friendship, and Harrer kept being a Tibet enthusiast until he died in 2006, aged 93. Here's the link to the video.

🗻 Needless to say, this book is going to be my all time favorite nonfiction book. Not only that it is about Tibet, but also due to the profound depiction of the serene and peaceful way of Tibetan by Heinrich Harrer, combined with his concise but beautiful writing style. It is a wholesome book; realistic, but with a magical sense.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Nonfiction in November 2025

hosted by Heather, Frances, Liz, Rebekah, and Deb