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

Walk Two Moons (1994) by Sharon Creech

🔴 Walk Two Moons is narrated by Salamanca Tree Hiddle (or Sal), a thirteen year old Native-American girl, on a mission to bring her mother back home. After giving birth to a still-born baby, Sal's mother had gone to depression. One day she just went away from home, and her last postcard to Salamanca was sent from Idaho. Hitherto Sal has been tormenting by guilt (was her fall from the tree the cause of her mother's miscarriage?), and by loneliness (does my mother not love me enough to leave me?) Then Sal's grandparents take her on a cross-country road trip, tracing Sal's mother's steps to Idaho, from where Sal hopes of bringing her home.

🔴 During the road trip, Sal entertains her grandparents with stories about her school friend Phoebe Winterbottom, whose mother has also disappeared from home; about her annoyance about Mrs. Cadaver, to whom her father seems to be attached lately; about Ben Finney, a boy with whom Salamanca begins to be attracted. The farther they leave Euclid, Ohio (Sal's current home), the more her story unfolds. We get to learn about her happy life with her father and mother back in Bybank, with the animals and the trees she's grown to love. And of course, the mystery of anonymous messages Phoebe's family has been receiving; and the best part of the mystery, which is about the "lunatic". A young man had been coming to Winterbottom's house and looked for Mrs. Winterbottom. Phoebe concludes that it was him who has sent those letters, and that he is a lunatic. Moreover, after her mother's disappearance, Phoebe's convinced that the lunatic has kidnapped her. At some point, Phoebe (and Sal) even believe that Mrs. Cadaver might have done something bad to Mrs. Winterbottom. 

🔴 At first, Salamanca feels that Phoebe's story is related to her own story; their mother were both disappeared. But the more she tells Phoebe's story, the more she realizes that it's not so. Gram and Gramps (Sal's grandparents) try hard to cheer Salamanca up during the trip by visiting some landmarks. But when Gram is having a stroke when they're near their destination, Sal must drive the car by herself ever so slowly to Lewiston, Idaho, for four hours. What will she find at the destination? Will her mother come home? 

🔴 As is indicated by the title, Walk Two Moons is a novel about passing judgement to others. 'Walk two moons' is derived from an aphorism that Sharon Creech found in a fortune cookies, 'Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins.' It reminded me instantly to Atticus Finch's advice to his children in To Kill a Mockingbird. But beyond that, this novel's also dealing with coping with one's loss, building new relationships, and accepting and being proud of one's identity. All in all, it's a touching story with a twist in the end.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Notes from an Island (1996) by Tove Jansson & Tuulikki Pietilä #NonficNov25 #NovNov25

🐚 For thirty years Tove Jansson, the Finland author who's famous for the Moomin series and The Summer Book, spent her live together with her partner on an island. This 96 pages book is a memoir of that phase of her life, illustrated by her beloved partner Tuulikki Pietilä, or Tooti, a graphic artist.

🐚 Tove and Tooti, who longed to have a simple and peaceful live, decided to move onto an island. The first island they chose, Bredskär, was a perfect one, 'leafy and welcoming'. The way Tove described it, you'd think they have lived in paradise; 'with a little forest with a woodland path, a little beach with a safe place for the boat, even a little marsh with some tufts of cotton grass'. But unfortunately, they boasted about it to friends and relatives, and soon enough, people were coming to their island on holidays, and their live began crowded once more. The only solution is to find another inhabited island which would give them the solitude they had been craving. They found it in Klovharun, a skerry in the Gulf of Finland, that's 'shaped like an atoll', complete with a lagoon in the middle. For me, it is less inviting than Bredskär, and I wonder whether Tove and Tooti had not regretted that they didn't keep secret about it in the first place - I would! Anyway, to make Klovharun habitable, they need to build a cabin. Problem aroused, they need permission from the Government to build, so they erected a tent meanwhile - it could be long to come, or didn't come anyway.

🐚 Then enter Brunström, who would help them building the cabin, and proved to be their true friend for thirty years. Brunström told them not to wait for permission, but start building anyway, which they did. The book consists of logs by Brunström and Tove, telling us how the cabin progressed. Midway building, the permission finally arrived, which they celebrated together. Later on Tove brought her eighty-year-old grandmother Ham to live with them on the island. I was afraid at first, it's hard for an elderly to live a rugged living on the island. But Ham is a bad-ass grandmother. I chuckled reading how, when the tent where she lived was flooded, she just laughed while wading ashore. 🐚 My favorite part is when Tove and Tooti took a helicopter to another part of the island to experience the breaking-up of the ice - 'Unbelievable tabernacles floated by, driven by a mild south-west breeze, statuesque, glittering [...] And they changed colour whenever they felt like it - ice blue, green, and in the evening, orange. Early in the morning they could be pink'. It must have been a once-in-a-life-time experience, and it felt serene and magical. Pity they didn't witnessed the moment when the ice did crack. But maybe it would have been too much for them. They lived on the island until their seventies, when Tove realized that she was becoming afraid of the ocean and its power. It's time to say goodbye! Though living on that island doesn't seem attractive for me - too demanding - this little book is realistic and unique, written and illustrated wonderfully.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Nonfiction November 2025

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

Novellas in November 2025

hosted by Cathy and Rebecca

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2025: NOVEMBER #AgathaChristieSS25

 

THE KIDNAPPED PRIME MINISTER

(a Hercule Poirot story)

In this story, a national scandal of a kidnapped Prime Minister lands Poirot and Hastings in a spot of international espionage. When the British Prime Minister and his secretary are kidnapped in France, Hercule Poirot is summoned. However, with only a day and a half to find them, even Poirot is tested to his limits. 

The story was first published as a book in the collection Poirot Investigates, 1924, by Bodley Head. It was adapted for the TV series Agatha Christie’s Poirot in 1990, starring David Suchet. Interestingly, it was also adapted for the Japanese anime series Agatha Christie's Great Detectives in 2004, as a two part episode, which featured Poirot teaming up with Miss Marple's great niece.

BLINDMAN'S BUFF

(a Tommy & Tuppence story)

While lunching in the chic Gold Room, Tommy masquerades as a blind detective. The Beresfords are approached by the elegant Duke of Blairgowrie for help in locating his missing daughter. Before going off to aid the duke, the “blind” Tommy dictates a vital menu to Tuppence. Tommy is imitating Thornley Colton, “the blind problemist,” the sightless detective created by Clinton Holland Stagg (1890-1916). Colton depended on what he heard, felt, and smelt to solve his mysteries; Colton’s “eyes” are his secretary, here played by Tuppence. It was not all, Tommy and Tuppence receive a warning; who is after them? We are on the last stage this year's challenge. I think it's time for me to curate another compilation of stories for next year. Which detective(s) would you like to read next? Or from which collection(s)? Let me know in the comment, and I would give it a consideration. Meanwhile, happy reading!

Six Degrees of Separation, from a Classic Horror to a Children Adventure

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. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Summary: Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.
I had almost read this one for last year's #RIP, but decided against at the last moment, as I feared it would distress me. Sorry Mrs. Jackson, maybe another time. But meanwhile, it makes a good start for this month's #SixDegrees, as I have read several books set in a castle. Better still, I picked one, also with "castle" in the title:

1. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's castle might not be a castle you might expect, but hey... you can call your home whatever you want, right? :) Here's my review.

Fantasy genre isn't my cup of tea, but from time to time I'd read one or two from it. This year, though, my reading has been quite eclectic, that I have read, not one, not two, but three! So, for my second degree, I'd picked another fantasy novella that I quite liked:

2. The Upside Down River by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

It's a fantasy-adventure, where a boy and a girl were in quest of a river with reversed flow, from the sea to a mountain top. I have read this for #ParisInJuly2025, and loved it! You can read my review here. My third degree, thus, is a novel where the river set an important role on its characters.

3. Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald

Offshore is about the lives of houseboat dwellers community who lived precariously on the bank of River Thames, at Battersea reach, London. Some of them works on the land, but chose an abode on the houseboat. This novel won the Booker Prize in 1979, and for a change, I loved it (I usually don't like prized-winning books). Here's my review.

4. Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild

The same houseboat dwellers, but on different circumstances, were mentioned in this Noel Streatfeild's charming novel, about an orphaned girl called Margaret Thursday. During her runaway, she lived on a canal boat, which was drawn by a horse, who walked on the canal bank. It was a mode of transporting cargo in England from mid 29th century to mid 1960s. Horse did have interesting career in those days, didn't they? Read my review here. The fifth book on this chain has also horses with interesting career.

5. Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart

Lippizaner stallions seem to be horses with the most interesting career in the world. They are horses who were trained to do traditional dance moves - one of which is called the levade, or 'airs above the ground', where the horse rears up and holds his pose. You might see these moves on a circus, which was one of the main set of this book. Here's my review, if you are interested. And talking about circus, in the last book of the chain, circus was also involved as part of the mystery.

6. Five Go Off in a Caravan by Enid Blyton

When the famous five were going caravan-ing during summer holiday, they met a circus caravan. They even befriended a circus boy and his chimpanzee. But when they were told by the circus owner to move their caravan without apparent reason, they knew something was amiss. No need to tell you, I think, how much I enjoyed this book (or any other by Enid Blyton), as you can read by yourself in this review.


And so, from a horror novel, my six degrees of separation brought me to a children adventure.

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

Chasing Vermeer (2004) by Blue Baillett

 

👨🏻‍🎨 First of all, I was quite surprised by the mixed reviews this book gets on Goodreads. There are many two stars, but also four stars. I always liked books where people either love or hate. This book has average stars of 3.72, not that bad. So, why not? Thought I. In the end, I'm glad I have decided to read it. It was an entertaining story about art theft (Vermeer's A Lady Writing painting) and coincidences, full of puzzles and codes, and some suspenseful actions; not mentioning the history of art (particularly Vermeer), that this story induces to middle grader. What not to enjoy?

A Lady Writing by Johannes Vermeer

👨🏻‍🎨 Calder and Petra, who live in London, are ordinary high school students, but with intelligent and extraordinary passions. Calder is obsessed with pentominoes that he always keeps in his pockets. Pentomino is a polygon in the plane made of 5 equal-sized squares connected edge to edge [wikipedia]. Whenever he is unsure about something, he would pull one block from his pocket, and the letter it represents would be his "guidance" to what he should do next. He and his friend Tommy even created a code using all letters from pentominoes. Petra, on the other hand, is an imaginative girl, who, at present, is obsessed with a book titled Lo, written by Charles Fort, who believes that life is not a series of coincidences but is an interconnecting web of patterns.

The Pentominoes

👨🏻‍🎨 Their class assignment required Calder and Petra to write their interpretation of art - what-makes-an-object-art kind of thing. Calder found out that the painting on the curio box he owns, was none other than Johannes Vermeer's The Geographer. He found that out when delivering books order of to a Mrs. Sharpe's house, and saw the painting. Curiously, Mrs. Sharpe is the previous owner of the book Lo, which Petra has taken from a giveaway box outside a bookstore. Stranger still, an unknown woman in lemon yellow jacket with ribbons on her hair, has appeared in her dream, asked to be rescued. Who is she?

The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer

👨🏻‍🎨 Meanwhile, more strange things are happening. Three persons in London have received a mysterious anonymous letters asking for their helps to solve an art mystery. On the other hand, a valuable painting of Vermeer, A Lady Writing, has been stolen when in transit between the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and The Art Institute of Chicago, where it would be exhibited. An equally strange advertisement has been published in newspapers, apparently from the thieve, claiming that he/she had stolen it for a good cause: to raise awareness that someone else painted some of what we believe are Vermeer's works. From so many coincidences - or are they 'interconnecting patterns' in Charles Fort's theory? - Calder and Petra believe it is they who must solve the mystery, and find the stolen painting. Can they do that, while FBI has failed?

👨🏻‍🎨 Needless to say, this was an exciting read for me. I always love books with art theme, especially paintings. And Vermeer is one of painters I always admire (Girl with A Pearl Earring is my favorite by Vermeer). Apart from the far-fetched dream of Petra (the Lady asked for help and guided Petra to her location), this is an educational and entertaining read for middle grader. Just as common people who don't have interest in art before, become art connoisseur, thanks to the thief's challenge, so do middle graders who read this would have been interested more in Vermeer and his works. Such a good idea from the writer! I also love the coincidence, or strange phenomenon topic in Charles Fort's book Lo, which does really exist. Is coincident real? I believe so, co-incident means more than one incidents that occur at the same time, concerning one particular object, right? So, if two people with some interest gather forces in one project, they would be focusing in the same field, and so, there's bound to be many such co-incidents happening all around them. Charles Fort's Lo also taught us to be more open minded to strange occurrences - that we cannot fathom what's happening, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

What an entertaining, educational, and inspirational this book proved to be!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Year in Nonfiction #NonficNov25 Week 1

The yearly Nonfiction November is one of annual bookish events I'm looking forward to this year. It's currently hosted (or co-hosted) by these five wonderful women: Heather, Frances, Liz, Rebekah, and Deb. They would alternately host each week from 27 October to 30 November 2025.

To kick Nonfiction November 2025 off, here's the first week prompt (hosted by Heather):

My Year in Nonfiction

I'm not an avid nonfiction reader; fiction always has more appeal to me, as it enables me to be immersed into another universe. So for me, #NonficNov25 is a good opportunity to explore more of non fiction.

What books have you read?

I haven't read many nonfiction this year, because I keep most of it for #NonficNov25 😁. The two books I have managed to read were all for #ParisInJuly2025:

A Year in Provence

by Peter Mayle

Peter Mayle is perhaps the pioneer of the sub genre of foreigner-falls-in-love-and-moves-to France. There are so many similar kind of memoirs out there nowadays. A Year in Provence is the first of a series. It's quite entertaining; I rather liked Mayle's dry humor. But one thing's for sure, I won't read any of this genre again for the time being; one or two is enough, they are all almost the same in gist.

Garlic, Mint, and Sweet Basil

by Jean-Claude Izzo

It's an essay on Jean-Claude Izzo's (a native Marseilles poet and noir novel writer) love for Marseilles: its sea, its cuisine, its people and culture; and the subject that made him famous: Mediterranean Noir. It's probably the most charming nonfiction I've read lately.

What was your favorite?

I must say Garlic, Mint, and Sweet Basil. Izzo wrote it so passionately, that it's impossible not to fall in love a little with Marseilles!

Have you had a favorite topic?

Isn't it obvious that everything about France, I would devour with gusto? 😃

Is there a topic you want to read about more?

Birds and Nature are two subjects which I am interested right now, besides traveling. But the latter is probably limited to countries or regions that I really want to explore.

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

To induce myself to the love of nonfiction, of course. Also to find more interesting nonfiction from other participants, to wider my choices.

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Would you participate in #NonFicNov25 too?