Death Around the Bend (2017) by T.E. Kinsey

 

🏁 Having been through four books in this Lady Hardcastle Mysteries, a historical cozy mystery series by T.E. Kinsey, I can say it now for certain, that this is, by far, my most favorite in the sub genre. In case you're not very familiar with it, this cozy mystery is set in the early 1900s, where Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid Florence Armstrong are the amateur sleuths. They have become inseparable and an unconventional pair before the series began, having met dangerous escapade in the past - the past that we did not know all the detail when starting the series, but which were unfolding throughout the series - a little in the first, a bit more in the second, and so on. What makes this duo most interesting is their relationship - companionable but with due respect. They live in a small village of Littleton Cotterell, and are usually assisting Inspector Sunderland - who becomes their friend - investigating local murder cases.

🏁 In this book, however, Lady Hardcastle and Flo are invited to the country estate of a Lord Riddlethorpe, who had been building a motor racing company. There will be motor racing and parties, and it would have been a jolly time for both ladies - who've been having fun with riding car - had there not been a series of murders. This time Lady Hardcastle and Flo couldn't work together with the charming Inspector Sunderland - though he still assists them in little ways. Instead, they're dealing with a surly police officer who arrested people without enough evidence. The first murder happened in the midst of excitement of the first day of the race. Lord Riddlethorpe owns three racing cars, and there's another one brought by a guest. The car number three had been tampered with, crashed, and killed the driver. 🏁 And so began the snooping and sleuthing for Lady Hardcastle and Flo. They're snooping at the garage (and found how the racing car must have been tampered, but by whom? And why?), and they are 'recruiting' a lazy footman to do more snooping. Flo herself mingles with the servants, and listens to things. The murderer must be one someone staying in the house. Is it Lord Riddlethorpe (but that is foolish, isn't it?), or Lady Lavinia, his sister? Or one of the guests - Harry (Lady Hardcastle's brother), Mrs. Beddows (a bullying woman), Herr Kovacs (Lord Riddlethorpe's competitor), Miss Titmus (a timid young woman, school friend of Lady Lavinia and Mrs. Beddows, who loves photography), or Mr. Waterford (a racing expert and partner of Lord Riddlethorpe)? The motive is surely related to the car racing, or is it? 🏁 As usual, the book begins in leisurely pace, Lady Hardcastle and Flo's usual bantering and teasing, then their visit to Lord Riddlethorpe's, the exciting car racing and summer parties ahead. Then suddenly a murder took place, then a second one, and the atmosphere changed into a gloomy and more intense one. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are gathering titbits of evidences and suspicions, but they haven't got any clue of the whats and whos. Until very suddenly, something clicked, and Lady Hardcastle instantly knew the answer, saw the immediate danger of another would-be victim, and the actions and denouement which follow. In the end, it proved to be a very delightful cozy mystery to read - lighthearted and sometimes funny at the start, but full of thrills and actions in the end. The plot is a good one too, with the final twist. I couldn't guess the murderer (which is always a sign of a good mystery). I also loved how Kinsey always puts in a bit of revelations of Lady Hardcastle's or Flo's pasts. In this one, we learned more about Flo's childhood - her circus life, and she had entered it, very interesting. Last but not least, there's the motor racing! As a former F1 lover, I cherished the racing scene near the end - that would cement this book as one of my favorites from the series! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

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

Book Tour: Murder at the Homecoming (2026) by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #13)

It’s my stop today on Murder at the Homecoming by Merryn Allingham Books on Tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book. My blog has somehow been slipped out of the poster - a technical glitch, I'm sure - but I'm doing the stop as I have promised, anyway. So, here it is... 📚 About the Book

Amidst the smell of sherry trifle and the sound of lively music, the guests raise their glasses. But as a loud scream interrupts the toast, amateur detectives Flora and Jack Carrington learn that not everyone is in the party spirit… Sussex, 1960: Flora and Jack are delighted to be invited to the welcome party for Ambrose Finch’s long-lost son, finally back home after disappearing ten years ago. They’re eager to meet the young man they’ve heard so much about – and perhaps learn why he left in the first place… But when Ambrose’s maid goes to fetch the cake from the kitchen, her screams interrupt his big toast. Flora and Jack are horrified to find the cook hired for the occasion lying unmoving on the flagstone floor. The sickly-sweet smell of cyanide is their only clue, but the poor cook had no enemies. There are plenty at the party who do, though: Ambrose’s new secretary, Robin – at war with his former employer, a fellow guest – and his business rival, Chester, whose appearance at the party is suspicious in itself. Ambrose seems to have drafted the guest list to cause maximum conflict. But why? the poison intended for someone else? Flora and Jack can’t resist investigating, in an afterparty they never saw coming… And when another of Ambrose’s employees is found dead, they must work out why all roads lead back to the Finch family. But can they uncover whose past sins have come home to roost, before it’s too late? An utterly charming and completely page-turning cozy mystery novel filled with brilliant twists. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and J.R. Ellis.

📚 My Thoughts Here we are, returning to the beloved village of Abbeymead in the 1960s of Sussex, and to Flora and Jack Carrington, now in their fifth year of marriage bliss. As usual, the story picked up where we left in the previous book. The School House, which Jack had been keen on buying, but Flora was still reluctant to move on, becomes the current crime scene. One of the last events of the last book had been Ambrose Finch's delightful moment when a detective he hired had been successfully located the prodigal son, Lucas Finch, who left his father's house ten years ago. It was his homecoming celebration which becomes the opening of this book. Lucas Finch had been staying in Rome, Italy, when the detective (his name is Gotobed - what a name!) found him. Almost every one in Abbeymead are invited to the homecoming party, including Flora and Jack. However, the merry occasion soon become a grim one, when the hired cook (Alice Jenner's friend) suddenly collapsed - dead, after accidentally drinking a poisoned amaretto, served for the guests. Who was it intended to be? And what was the motive? Suspects are aplenty in this case, since Ambrose Finch had actually invited several - let's say people who'd had grudges to either himself and Robin Armitage, his secretary. There was a sort of reconciliation dinner preceding the party, which was intended to enable all the previous 'enemies' to bury their hatchets. Has one of them been attending the party while planning to commit a murder? While Inspector Ridley is busy investigating another murder of a more influential personage, the poisoning of a hired cook is threatening to be sidetracked. But the cook was Alice Jenner's best friend, and her murder needs to be solved. That's why, despite her usual disapproval against Flora and Jack's sleuthing activities, Alice asked Jack to investigate. The same request comes from Robin Armitage's fiancée, who believes that the poison had been intended for him. This time I suspected something fishy right from the start, and guessed the murderer so easily around the middle of the story. I was surprised that Flora and Jack haven't thought about it long before. The signs are flying everywhere waiting to be noticed, but both are ignoring them all the time, and focusing their mind on (too) many conjectures, instead. With Jack's profession as crime writer, and Flora's fondness of detective stories, I would have thought they'd be sharper in their deduction. This had, after all, been their thirteenth sleuthing adventure! What I loved about this series, is Charlie Teague's continuing character development. He's still helping Flora delivering books around, riding Betty (Flora's old beloved bicycle), when he's not very busy in The Priory's kitchen as cook helper. He's been even attending a patisserie course in London, after which he would be in the path of being a pastry chef. Well done, Charlie! But in this case, in particular, I loved how Charlie was made a hero after averting a dangerous scheme against his beloved Mr. and Mrs. C. To be honest, I have been expecting Charlie to be the Albert in Agatha Chirstie's Tommy and Tuppence. He's funny and intelligent, and is more down-to-earth than Albert. Well, it's my personal wish anyway. On the contrary, I was more and more annoyed with Alice Jenner. What kind of a friend was it who asked you a favor to do something, and then scolded you of doing it? If I were Flora, I would not befriend someone who wouldn't even try to support what I love to do. But I guess that's easier said than done, especially when one lives in a small village like Abbeymead. All in all, the mystery isn't as exciting as I had hoped, but the side story and character development compensate it. The ending is full of hope for a more exciting future, and we get a hint of where the next murder would be happening! ;) Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚 About the Author

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s. Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking. 📚 Social Media & Buying Link Mailing List: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/merryn-allingham Website: https://www.merrynallingham.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/merrynwrites Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8364492.Merryn_Allingham Here's the link to get a copy of this book: Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FP2K5DL6social

And be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!

The Case of the Perjured Parrot (1939) by Erle Stanley Gardner

🦜 I have been meaning to return to Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series, which I enjoyed very much growing up. I picked this title in particular, due to the parrot involves (I love birds!) Unlike most of murder mysteries involving animals, where the animals rarely take the stage, and only serve as attraction; in this one, the parrot became the central part of the case (thank you, Mason!) Casanova, the parrot, was owned by the murdered man, an eccentric millionaire called Fremont Sabin, who often spent solitary time in his cabin up the mountain, accompanied only by his beloved parrot. 

🦜 Perry Mason was hired by the man's son, Charles Sabin, to investigate the murder, which he (the son) was sure to be committed by his father's second wife, a gold digger, called Helen Watkins Sabin. The killer seemed to be a bird-lover, since he deliberately provided the parrot food and water, after he killed its master. So, the parrot was the only witness to the murder. However, Perry Mason found out later on that the parrot was probably not Casanova at all - this one cursed too much. Where was Casanova, then and why was he substituted with another? 🦜 Mason's second finding was that Fremont Sabin had been secretly marrying another woman. And another parrot was found at this woman's house, also called Helen! This parrot keeps repeating an incriminating sentence: 'Put down that gun, Helen [....] you've shot me!' Was it Casanova? And which Helen he's been accusing? 🦜 I forgot how entertaining these Perry Mason mysteries can be! This one is no exception. It was fast-paced, full of twists and red-herrings, and what always makes this series stand out from the rest, is the courtroom scene and Mason's performance as lawyer. For me, that's always a satisfying moment of reading - just like Poirot's denouement in Agatha Christie's. The parrot as the key of the mystery added its charm. But made me giving this book a five star is the unexpected twist at the end. You know how you think you have solved the mystery, but suddenly, out of no where, a twist comes and blows your sweet theory away? That's the wow factor for me, and many thanks to Mason for ending this one very beautifully!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

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

The Demon in the House (1934) by Angela Thirkell

🚲 Having read the first in Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire series: High Rising, I tried to enjoy the third one, still about the Morland family. Unfortunately, it focused more on the Morlands - especially Tony Morland, a monster of a child! - while the other supporting characters only acted as, well, supoorting characters. They provided neither new interest nor parallel plot to make the story more entertaining. No, this one is all about Tony Morland and his exploits.

🚲 If you hadn't been acquainted to Tony Morland, he's a child of thirteen year old, the youngest of Laura Morland, a widow. They lives in an English countryside of High Rising, Laura - the mother and writer of 'good bad books' (trash to some, but bestseller to others); her exasperating and spoilt son - the demon in the title; and Stoker, the cook and only servant. Tony is a chattering little brat, who's always bragging about his superiority in every subject; whose exploits never failed to give his mother a terrible headache and anxiety; and whose nonstop condescending monologues exasperated others. Well, except maybe, Master Wesendonk, or Donk as Tony always calls him, who always seems to listen to Tony, and do what he was told to. There could never have been a more unsuitable pair of boys you'll ever see in your lifetime! 🚲 The story starts one summer holiday, when Tony asked her mother for a bicycle. He got a borrowed one, which he used it mostly to boast his skillful bike-riding to his two friends: Rose and Dora, whom he always patronizes. However, Tony and his bike give his mother apprehensions - she even imagines all sort of disastrous scenarios that could have happened to her son. Beyond Tony's exploiting his mother and two friends, we are also entertained by some recurring characters like Adrian Cotes, Laura's kind publisher, whom she successfully matchmade into a happy marriage in High Rising. George Knox, Laura's neighbor and close friend, also returns with his Victorian style of conversation, which always made me smile, because he often loses in his own flow of sentences, and then forgetting what he originally wanted to say. 🚲 And that's all about this book, a book about nothing but funny anecdotes of British upper-class lives in the 1930s. Readers might found Tony's 'terrorizing' people around him cute, but it was the one factor that's dampening my enjoyment of this book. If I had had a son like that, either I would, either kill him or else, kill myself! He really got me strung all the time, and it tired me after reading this book. I guess it's not a good one for an introverted people. I still want to read more of Thirkell's, but maybe not the Morlands story for the time being. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Death of a Kingfisher (2012) by M.C. Beaton

🦜 Judged from the title, I had, at first, thought this was a cozy mystery (this was my first introduction to M.C. Beaton's, by the way). But of course, I was wrong. This isn't just a murder of a bird - though it was the first murder victim - but several chapters later, it's proved to be a proper murder mystery. Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, our main character; a red-haired and hazel-eyed intelligent officer, with little or no ambition of stepping up the ladder of police office career, but is contented to serve in the remote village of Braikie near Lochdubh. He's quartered in the police station with his partner, a lazy laid-back veteran who's always hungry, Dick Fraser. Macbeth reports to Chief Inspector Blaire, who hates him and doesn't hesitate to sabotage his works if need to. 🦜 The kingfisher lives in the woods, which the current local tourist director renamed The Fairy Glen. It was found one day hung from a tree branch, with a noose around its neck. This was seen as an attack to The Fairy Glen, who would sabotage this tourist attraction? Maybe old and wealthy Mrs. Colchester who'd objected to the beautiful serene glen (which she owned) being monetized. But just as Macbeth planned to interview her, she was murdered in a cruel scheme. Money, then, became the suspected motive. But it proved to be a very trying case as one by one Macbeth's suspects or next leads became murdered. I've lost counting after the third, but someone counts that there were no less than nine murders in total! 🦜 Two third of the story seemed to be promising. A complex case with a cruel murderer(s), with a hint of love interest for Macbeth, not mentioning the "office politics" in the police station. However, near the end, the mystery became wilder and out of control. And when the suspects became lesser in number, Beaton put in new ones with more incoherent schemes. It felt like the writer, having started the book quite lovely, had no idea how to end it. The ending was very inconclusive, and I still didn't know how few of the murders had been committed, nor why, nor by whom. It was a heap of confusing crimes. Needless to say, this was a disappointing book from a promising series (it is the 27th, and has currently been running on to 38!) Maybe it was a wrong choice from the beginning? Maybe I should have picked another title? Well, if this is your favorite series, please tell me which one I'd better start with. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

The Convenience Store by the Sea (2020) by Sonoko Machida #JapaneseLitChallenge19

🛒 This book brings us to the seaside town in Japan: Mojiko, Kitakyushu, where you'd find one of the convenience store chain called Tenderness. Now, while I might not be able to relate to a library - in which many heartwarming stories have been set - a convenience store is my day-to-day existence. You see, I live in the second biggest city in Indonesia, where you won't find many libraries (except in universities), but convenience stores scattered abundantly on almost every corner of the streets. We have three in my apartment building, and they are, indeed, very convenient. From fresh fruits and (not so fresh) vegetables, to groceries; hot dumplings and coffees, to ATM machine, you'll find everything in these convenience stores. Let's say, you're moving to your new apartment, bringing nothing but yourself, well, you can find practically everything you'd need to survive in a day or two - food & drink, toothbrush, towel, even underwear, from these stores.

🛒 The story has no plot, but constructed from several interconnected short stories, all related to Tenderness and the main characters, who works at the store. In a way, you can say that the convenience store is a character itself. The first and last stories are told from Mitsuri's POV. She's a mother of a teenager, a passionate worker at the store, and quite a successful manga writer. Hers served as a starting point of the story, revealing about the store and its workers, and the conclusive end of it, tying the lose-end bits. The rest are told from third person's POV, usually about patrons of the store or families of the workers. They all have struggles in either self-acceptance or identity crisis, but all found comfort from the convenience store - well, maybe not the store itself, but the workers. 🛒 Two of these are brothers: Shiba and Tsugi. The first is a handsome and affectionate manager, whom Mitsuri called the Pheromone Manager; basically a magnetic creature who seems to attract everyone around him. It would be okay if it stops there. But making this Shiba guy a sort of celebrity with a few fan clubs, always being surrounded by ladies when he's on duty - well, it seems very off. Why must the writer create such a perfect character that seems inhuman? It was one element that made me sick, but apart from that, it's a cute and heartwarming story.
🛒 What I loved most is how the store provides a dining space next door to the store, so that customers can buy ready-to-eat food and eat them on the spot. As the store is located on the lower part of an apartment building for senior citizens, it makes sense that it caters the elderly people with ready-made breakfast or lunch. It provides an amazing space for people to socialize, and indeed, many of the characters find comfort and friendship from the cozy place. The convenience store on my apartment building also recently provided a little dine-in space on its second floor, but only a long table by the window with several chairs. But still, it was an improvement. And while the food they sell are not as varied (and delicious) as in imagined in Tenderness, it is convenient indeed. All in all, this turned out to be a book I could well relate to, but too soppy for my liking.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Japanese Literature Challenge 19

hosted by Dolce Bellezza

Pearly Everlasting (2024) by Tammy Armstrong

🐻 Pearly Everlasting is a Gothic woodland story, inspired by a true account of a woman nursing a bear cub alongside her daughter, which was captured by a photographer. Set in New Brunswick, Canada during the Great Depression of 1930s, the story depicted a logging camp dwellers. Pearly Everlasting is the daughter of the cook, and she had been brought up alongside a bear, whom her mother named Bruno. To Pearly, an only child, Bruno is not just a pet, he's her brother. The result was rather unsettling - at least for me. A bear should be treated as a bear. In this story, Bruno is spoiled by the family, so much so that he resembled more of a spoiled brat than an animal - pet or wild.

🐻 All the residents of the camp has been accepting Bruno as Pearly's pet. But one day, a mean supervisor was in charge to supervise the logging, and he hated Bruno. He attempted to buy and kidnapped Bruno, but failed as all the camp residents stand for Pearly's family. Then one day the supervisor was found dead - by pearly, no less - and Bruno was suspected as the murderer. When someone attempted to poison him, Pearly decided that she can't stay put any longer, and brought Bruno away. Tammy Armstrong brings us to an adventure through the snowy parts of Canada, introduced to some eccentric people such as the Song Catcher - a woman who travels cross country to collect folklore songs, and sells them to public. The adventure is also Pearly's chance to experience life outside the camp. The question is, would she eventually return to the camp? And what would happen to Bruno? Could the world normalize a girl who lives alongside a bear?

🐻 The main attraction of the story, besides Bruno, is the poetic style in which Tammy Armstrong wrote it. Unfortunately, that is also the one that put it off for me. Somehow, I couldn't relate to the story (nor the characters). To me, this is a beautiful narration, but void of a warmth which good stories usually bring to our hearts. The idea of a woman suckling a bear alongside her daughter was too much for me - I mean, why? Why not treat the bear as a bear? Is Bruno meant to be the book's attraction - a cute bear cub behaves like a boy? Well, it fails to do that. He's not cute at all; at time he's even annoying. And I couldn't relate to Pearly either. On the whole the story felt like watching a weird movie from afar. And maybe, the narrator (I listened to the audiobook) failed to enliven the story. Partly due to her droning voice, and partly, I guess, because it's half poem and half prose (which I realized, must be quite difficult to narrate). In the end, I couldn't like it; I even stopped listening after 75%. I felt like I couldn't be bother anymore whether Pearly and Bruno made it back to the camp or not.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Call Mr. Fortune (1920) by H.C. Bailey

🧁 Mr. Fortune is a laidback country doctor called Reginald "Reggie" Fortune, who was left in charge of his father's medical practice when he was away. If the "call Mr. Fortune" in title left you the impression that Reggie is so good and dependable a doctor that he is much sought for - well, you're wrong. Actually, Reggie was much a better detective than he was as medical practitioner. Not that he's not a good doctor, but because he's rather sluggish in his work ethic, but in murder cases, his brain work much faster than the police's.

🧁 This book is the first in the Reggie Fortune series, and consists of six murder cases: The Archduke’s Tea, The Sleeping Companion, The Nice Girl, The Efficient Assassin, The Hottentot Venus, and The Business Minister. My favorite is perhaps the first one, with The Efficient Assassin coming on second. I believe the collection's most appealing element is Reggie Fortune's character and mannerism. Like I said, he's a laidback person, often breaking conventions (even when he's with the police officers), but he's also strict in his conviction about justice. No matter who commits the crime, whether it's royalty or commoners, Reggie would do his best to find the truth. His bantering with Lomas, the Chief of CID, is another attraction that makes this book a charming read.
🧁 On the murder investigation itself, I kinda like Bailey's style, combining Fortune's knowledge of human body, his sharp observation, and wonderful deduction skill. I liked the way Fortune obscured his deduction and actions from Lomas, which looked foolish at first, but then applauded afterwards when the whole thing was revealed. The cases are varied from cold blooded murder to mild cases. I originally do not love short stories, but here Bailey succeeded in maintaining the balance, which resulted a thoroughly enjoyable mystery without excessive triviality. I'd definitely read more from Bailey after this!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

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

Six Degrees of Separation, from Flaslight to Little House in the Big Woods

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 have not read:

0. Flashlight by Susan Choi
A novel tracing a father’s disappearance across time, nations, and memory. One summer night, Louisa and her father take a walk on the breakwater. Her father is carrying a flashlight. He cannot swim. Later, Louisa is found on the beach, soaked to the skin, barely alive. Her father is gone. She is ten years old. Shifting perspectives across time and character and turning back again and again to that night by the sea, Flashlight chases the shock waves of one family’s catastrophe, even as they are swept up in the invisible currents of history. This book's theme reminds me of another book deals with disappearance or missing persons:

1. The Stranger's Companion by Mary Horlock

Excerpt from my review: The Stranger's Companion is a historical mystery and gothic thriller which is inspired by real events in Sark, a small island, part of the British Channel Islands, in 1933. The clothes of a man and a woman was found neatly folded on the edge of a cliff, but no one knew whom they belong to. And that's how this story also begins. Here's the complete review.
I won't spoil the whole story to you, but there is an element of children's amusement turned tragedy in the story. And it's that that reminds me of the next book, which has the same element, also as an important key to the whole story:

2. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

Excerpt from my review: The titular greengage summer is the summer when five siblings were staying at Hotel Les Oeilletes in a French seaside village. The complete review is here. To go to the fourth book of the chain, I choose the easiest part, by using the word "Summer" in the title. And it's another book I have just read recently, which, naturally, set in a summer.

3. The End of Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher

Excerpt from my review: Jane is a twenty one year old Scottish girl who has lost her mother in childhood. [...] One day in this titular summer, Jane has a lovely surprise - a family lawyer called David Stewart brings a summon from Jane's grandmother, for Jane to come home to Elvie. Here's the link to my complete review.
Again, I will take the easiest way, and pick the word "End" in the title.

4. Howards End by E.M. Forster

Excerpt from my review: Howards End is either Forster's dream or prophecy of what kind of people who should or would shape England as a nation in the turn-of-the-century (it was published in 1910). You can read the complete review here. In the story, Ruth Wilcox inherited a house (Howards End, that is) - "Ruth is the only Wilcox who loves the house as a home, cares for its lovely garden, trees, and all. She values the 'spirit' of the house; while the others only value Howards End as property; they care more about motors, business, money, and luxury." (excerpt from my review). This reminded me of another book, where another woman inherited a house.

5. The Woods in Winter by Stella Gibbons

Excerpt from my review: The story centers on Ivy Gover, a thrice-widowed char woman, who inherited a cottage in the countryside of Little Warby. Ivy's eccentric character is the backbone of the story. She has a gypsy-strand from her ancestors, and it reflects on her longing of freedom and solitude, now that she is in her fifties. And here's the complete review. For the last title, I'll go with another book with "woods" in the title, and so, here it is...

6. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

And so, from a rather sad book about missing person, my six degrees of separation brought me to a heart-warming children classic.


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

A Murder is Announced (1950) by Agatha Christie: A Reread

📰 From the first four (based on publication dates) murder mysteries of Miss Jane Marple, I think this one is my favorite. Miss Marple is less "faded into the background" than the other three. She even arranged a rather theatrical performance to induce the murderer to show themselves, so to speak. Much like what Hercule Poirot often does. It's quite surprising, came from Marple, and I liked that.

 📰 The inhabitants of a little village called Chipping Cleghorn (what a charming name for a village!) were not a little surprised one day, finding an odd advertisement in their local gazette: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.’ The early chapters are about several different houses in Chipping Cleghorn - our characters to be - revealing how the advertisement had stirred them. And believe me, after three of them, I could cite the advertisement by heart! The general reaction was exciting; they took it as an invitation for a soiree with murder game as main entertainment. And so, all of the characters did appear at Little Paddock a little before 6:30 p.m., with their own "reason" to stop by.  

📰 The residents of Little Paddock, however, saw the advertisement, and were half annoyed and half amused. That is a nasty prank, who would have done that?! Little Paddock belongs to Letitia Blacklock, a sixty-ish spinster who had worked as secretary to a wealthy businessman. She lives with her companion, Dora Bunner, an old schoolfriend whom she had taken in the year before. A young war widow, Philippa Haymes, is also boarding there; as well as Letitia's cousins she hadn't seen before: Patrick and Julia Simmons. Last but not least, a foreign girl called Mitzi, a hysterical creature but a splendid cook. Annoyed as they all were, they did their best to prepare for the inevitable visits of their curious and highly excited neighbors.

📰 When the clock chimed at 6:30, a succession of events started: the lights went out; a man with a pistol opened the door and shot twice; then he collapsed after another shot. After the men from the guests fixed the fuse, the lights came, and they found the mysterious man dead, while the bullet from his shot had grazed Miss Blacklock's ear. Is it a an attempted murder to Miss Blacklock? But why did the man then killed himself? Suicide out of remorse? Inspector Craddock, who investigates the case, is as appalled as the Chief Constable, when enters Miss Jane Marple, an old gibberish spinster who's visiting her friend at Chipping Cleghorn. Of course there's no further question, it was a murder after all. And not just one, for two more are following as the investigation is progressing.

📰 I remember the excitement excitement of my first reading of this book many years ago. The premise is a clever one: announcement to a murder, then the murder is committed with an audience as eye witnesses. What a daring and cold-blooded kind of murder! My favorite part is when the two spinsters who were guests at the Little Paddock (Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Mugatroyd) are reconstructing the event (the scene is a bit funny but also thrilling). Although, as usual, we don't get to know the final answer 'till the end, I guessed the murderer correctly! All in all, this was a perfectly-constructed murder mystery (the proportion of mystery and thriller, action and reflection, are so well balanced). I guess I have just found my favorite Miss Marple mystery!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton

🗻 Every time I hear the word "Shangri-La", my head always produces the famous luxury hotels in South East Asia. I vaguely know that Shangri-La is a kind of mythical paradise-ish place somewhere near China. But I hardly know that that myth was brought to surface by James Hilton's novel: Lost Horizon. It is, indeed, a remarkable book - half mythical, half adventurous. And this Shangri-La is actually a hidden place in Tibet, near the Himalayan, where time stood still, and peace reigned.

🗻 Four passengers were on board a plane from Afghanistan, to avoid the forthcoming civil war. They were Hugh Conway, a British diplomat; his deputy, Mallinson; an American called Barnard; and a missionary woman, Miss Brinklow. Conway had shown himself as brave, calm, and resourceful, either during WW1, or his service as diplomat, as was endorsed by Mallinson. So, it is not surprising that when the passengers found out that they were probably been kidnapped - the plane flew off course, and the pilot knew no English - they were all relying on Conway's resourcefulness to be in charge.

🗻 The plane finally crashed on top of a high mountain near the Himalayan, and the pilot was dead; but not before whispering that they need to find shelter at a monastery up the valley. When they were about to prepare for the journey to the unknown territory, there came a procession of some Tibetan lamas, who introduced themselves as lamas from the said monastery. Thence they were brought and rescued, and soon Conway and his friends found out the unreality, as well as the reality, of this place called Shangri-La. Shangri-La is a kind of paradise, but at the same time, it could be regarded as prison. For Conway, to whom freedom, peacefulness, and nature have absolute charm, it is paradise. But to Mallinson, who adored the comfort of modern city, it is a prison. The problem is, there's almost no way out from that hidden and protected Shangri-La. So, what is this Shangri-La, with its quality of utopian tranquility and immortality? To say nothing of it being a cross-cultured between East and West.

🗻 I loved how the story was told by Conway's friend's, who, in the end, did not get hold of all the facts. It just added the surreal aspect to the whole story. Is Shangri-La real? Or is it just hallucination from Conway's side? Did this peaceful and beautiful place ever exist? Or is it a mere dream? All in all, it's an entertaining adventure story, with a touch of mystery, and the certain atmosphere you'd particularly find in every story about Tibet.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

If Life is A Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? (1971) by Erma Bombeck

🍒 My second book for my personal project of #readingthe1971s is a memoir from Erma Bombeck, an American humorist, whose newspaper humor columns had entertained many readers from 1965 to 1996. She is even daubed as the best-loved humorist of her day (from A Biography of Erma Bombeck at the end of the re-published version of this book). We aren't lucky enough to be those readers, but we have this memoir to be equally tickled to uncontrollable laughter that could endanger your career (if you read this during office hours).

🍒 If Life is A Bowl of Cherries is about mundane situations every mother in the 1970s must have had on daily basis, related to children, marriage, motherhood, housekeeping; from game shows to family vacations, and anything in between. One reviewer in Goodreads said that this book is like a standup comedy, which I agree. Erma's views of her world is critical, without too much sarcasm. Here's a sample (from Introduction, page 9):

Children are becoming an endangered species, energy has reached crisis proportions, marriages are on the decline, and the only ones having any fun anymore are the research rats.
You cannot help but envy their decadence.
Throughout the years, these furry swingers have been plied with booze, pot, cigarettes, birth control pills, too much sun, cyclamates, caffeine, Red Dye No. 2, saccharine, disco music at ear-shock decibels, late nights, and a steady diet of snack food.
If people haven't asked themselves these questions, they should: How come there are still more rats than people?

 
🍒 Through all of these jumble of seemingly distressing stuffs that an overworked mom must have endured, we are entertained with nostalgia of that bygone era. My most favorite part is when Emma is talking about letter writing - an art that Gen Z and Alpha would never understand.

The letter-writers who really bug me, though, are the ones with the stationery whose paper matches the envelopes. Sure it's easy to write a letter when you have all the equipment, but for me, it's a real hassle finding clean paper, a pencil, and a stamp.

🍒 It warmed my heart with nostalgia. I remember those days of writing letters, buying stamps, the excitement of finding in the mailbox a letter from your friend, and more excitement still of reading your friend's response to your letter a week before. Ah, those beautiful days of the bygone era, how I miss it so much! Not mentioning the stationery papers; I remember vividly on my school days, of collecting those beautifully printed - and even scented - stationery papers which we were collecting just like our parents had been collecting stamps. Then the e-mail - nowadays chatting apps - came and killed it.

🍒 Beyond the hilarious everyday life - struggles, triumph, and anything in between - which Erma Bombeck illustrated perfectly, there's a layer of depth too. The chapter of "When Did I Become the Mother and the Mother Become the Child?" is very related to my own current personal struggle. It is saddening when your parents are getting older and becoming more and more dependent on you. The parents who you grew up thinking they are so strong and dependable, now are so weak and fragile - something that you never thought you would see, but that's it.
🍒 On the whole, this book is quite entertaining and in a way, nostalgic. I loved to be immersed into those bygone era, which I miss so much. Although what we were having here in Indonesia were not the same as Erma's American life, I felt it's relatable enough. This was the kind of book that I expect to read for my #readingthe1971 project. I wish the rest on the list would be as good as this!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Murder in Regent's Park (2015) by Christina Koning: The Blind Detective series

👨‍🦯I can't believe that I haven't heard about this Blind Detective series until very lately, where have I been?? Anyway, a blind detective is an awesome idea for a cozy mystery, and Christina Koning did a marvelous job at drawing the character of Frederick Rowlands, our blind amateur sleuth. He was blinded after the war (the story is set in 1922), and lives in the countryside of Kent, trying his hands at farming. Not very successfully, it seems, when an old friend, Chief Inspector Douglas, offered him a temporary job as his assistance. A murder has been committed to a girl (a dancer) in London, and the killer left a playing card near the body. It was a braille playing card, and that's why Rowlands enters into the scene. The Chief Inspector wants him to blend in with men with the same predicament (blind, that is) to locate their (presumably blind) murderer.

👨‍🦯 And so, Rowlands is back into the whirlwind of London, and particularly to St Dunstan's Institute for the Blind, where Rowlands had been one of the inmates for years. Rowlands suggested that the Institute arranges a reunion party, and he and his wife Edith help with the preparation. I loved Edith Rowlands, here's an exemplary sensible, wise, and intelligent woman, who is so supportive of her husband. Meanwhile, more murders of young girls took place, and a new similarity was found: they were all lured by an advertisement to get a job as a painter's model. And so, there's another possibility that the murderer is an artist. But which one is true? Since a blind man could not have been a painter, right? But since Rowlands and the police had zero clue, they follow up both lines. 👨‍🦯 This new line of inquiry brought Rowlands' interest to the artistic world; one of these is his old flame - which spiced up the story a little! ;) Rowlands even agreed to sit as model to a painter, who's one of his suspects. I also liked this painter character; and from the start wished that he's not the murderer... And so, we are brought from the blind institute, to house parties of influential personages, to art gallery, and of course to the slum district of London where Rowlands interviewed some of the murdered girls' acquaintances. His blindness is almost no hindrance for Rowlands as he has been used to rely more and more on his other senses. Still, it doesn't guarantee him out of danger, as he is getting nearer to the truth. 👨‍🦯 All in all, this has become my new favorite murder-mystery series! I love the premise of a blind detective, it makes him more interesting to read. And I also love Fred and Edith Rowlands, though the Chief Inspector is quite an annoying person - he's rather a bully and a snob. The mystery itself is highly entertaining, a combination of whodunnit with a bit of thrilling action near the end. The art side added another charm to the story. But the factor which I admired most from Christina Koning is how she writes about the bygone era of 1930s so smoothly, I almost forgot that she wrote it in the 2010! It's a delightful read on every level. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

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

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man (2025) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

👵🏻 Vera Wong is back! Here is a series I am always looking forward to the next installment. I have read and enjoyed the first one: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - it was a blast; hilarious and heartwarming. I have been quite apprehensive for the second book; will it live to my expectation after that successful debut? But I have worried over nothing; this second book, if not as hilarious as the first - touches on a more relevant issues of the world we are living.

👵🏻 If you aren't yet familiar with Vera Wong, she is a Chinese woman of sixty-ish of age, who lives in Chinatown of San Francisco; and owner of a teahouse she named: VERA WANG'S WORLD FAMOUS TEAHOUSE. Of course it's an exaggeration, and her deliberately mistyping "Wang" (you know who Vera Wang is, don't you?) instead of "Wong', is a typical Chinese people. After her successful first murder-solving, Vera Wong cheekily added "Investigator" after teahouse owner. Maybe "matchmaker" should also be added, since two of her suspects list on the first murder case have been a couple ever since. These two appear once again in this story, along with some other characters, who now become Vera's big family. She only has one son - Tilly - and he, too, has been in relationship with the police officer who investigated the first murder, Selena. On their moving in together, Vera has started to regard Selena as a daughter-in-law - again, typical of Chinese mothers; they are always way ahead of us!

👵🏻 It all begins when Vera's credit card was scammed. When she went to the police station (to meet Selena - her daughter-in-... ahem, her son's girlfriend), she met a confused, and definitely distressed, girl called Millie. Vera brought the girl to the teahouse; and after brewing her a cup of tea (Vera always knows what kind of tea for every person and circumstance), and giving her something to eat, she had no difficulties to extract what had bother the girl. Vera always has the knack to do so - it's the charm of a Chinese mother, no doubt, which she always mentions. Millie told Vera about her missing friend, a guy called Thomas, who is a successful online influencer. And when Vera was snooping on Selena's files, she found information concerning the missing guy, marked as John Doe, who has been found dead. That's how Vera's snooping has brought her just another murder case to solve.

👵🏻 Like in her first case, Vera begins with compiling a suspects list. This brings her to the "glittering" world of content creators and social media influencers. She attends an influencers party, and even starts her own social media account, and hey.... her first video (of her calmly brewing tea, taken by one of the suspects-slash-new-friends) became viral in one night. And boom... Vera could have added "social media superstar" to her already numerous titles. These videos, along with her delicious foods, her fragrant tea, and her knack of comforting people, are Vera's weapons to solve the murder case.

👵🏻 I have been prepared for what this story might bring (which it does): many hilarious moments, delicious Chinese foods, and heartwarming scenes when all the people related to the case (plus Vera's entourage from book one) gather around her as one big family. What surprised me, though, is the depth (and rather dark) of the theme Jesse Sutanto brought as a background, which she acknowledged, was inspired by real occurrences she's been told while visiting an Asian country (Sutanto is Indonesian-born who currently lives in America). It resulted in a mix between light-hearted murder mystery (but not so mysterious after you'll get to the background) and grim reality. A delicious read, as always, and I can't wait for the next book!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Night on the Milky Way Railway (1934) by Kenji Miyazawa #JapaneseLitChallenge19

🚅 Giovanni (a strange name for a Japanese boy, by the way) is a poor boy who is usually so tired after his part time job, that he doesn't do good at school. This makes him seems to be a dreamy and weak, that even his friends leave him out when they are playing or having fun. They also ridicule Giovanny because he had said once that his father would come home soon and buy him otter-skin coat. It isn't clear what or where his father is - whether on fishing trip (a prolonged one), or else in prison. I suspect the latter. That is how Giovanni is feeling towards the upcoming Star Festival, or Milky Way festival. Feeling left alone, that even his closest friend Campanella is having fun in the festival (and looks at him with pity), Giovanni suddenly finds himself on board a steam train, after he goes on top of nearby hill and gazes above at the Milky Way.

🚅 But the train isn't a usual one; it's a dream train on a dream track. The train passes some stations, named after the constellations. It embarks from Northern Cross, and on the track are Swan station, then Scorpio, and some other names I forgot. Campanella is on board the same train, which pleases Giovanni, and also some others strange men. One of them is a bird catcher, who catch bird so easily, just by lifting his hands above, and then eats them as it is, which strangely tastes like chocolate cakes.

🚅 Along the journey, we were entertained with more and more strange and magical occurrences, that in the end it doesn't feel very special anymore. It feels more like a long and incoherent dream that we remember nothing after waking up. I could see why it has become a children classic, but for me personally, this is just a confusing story. The galactical theme is a pretty attractive tool for educating children about our galaxy. And the end might be good to preparing children of the frailty of human's life, but I feel it's too dark for children.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Read for: 

Japanese Literature Challenge 19

hosted by Dolce Bellezza

The Boy and the Dog (2020) by Seishū Hase #JapaneseLitChallenge19

🐶 After a devastating combination of earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, a young man found a stray dog in front of a convenience store. The name tag shows its name as Tamon. The man took the dog in, after making sure that the owner couldn't be found/contacted by the vet - no doubt it has been separated from the owner after the disaster. The young man, Kazumasa, has lost his job, and was at loose end to take care of his sister and their ailing mother. He was offered a job related to criminal activity, which he took for the money he desperately needed. He always took Tamon while on the job, as his guardian. One day the criminal operation failed, and Tamon was brought away by the criminal; and then he became Tamon's new owner.

🐶 The story consisted of several parts, each dedicated to Tamon's "adventures" with its different owners. It usually stays with one owner, taking care of them - or becomes guardian to him/her - until its 'services' are no longer needed, so to speak, either because of the owner's death or changed circumstances. Then Tamon will disappear one day, to be found several days or weeks later, usually in poor condition by the next-owner-to-be. One thing that Tamon's owners always notice, is that Tamon is always looking to the south direction whenever it is on journey with the them, as if there's something or someone in that direction it wants to come home to. It makes whoever owns Tamon for the moment, becomes a bit jealous of its dedication and purpose. But meanwhile, Tamon never fails to protect them. 🐶 Tamon's journey spanned for five years before he arrived at or found what he's been looking for. I won't reveal exactly whom or where it was, since it's part of this book's charm - the little mystery of Tamon which baffles us until the last chapter. The theme of the book is of the beautiful bond between human and dog. Tamon's owners are mostly the desperate or downtrodden individuals; and Tamon's friendship and deep connection with them always provides encouragement and comfort when they need it most. It shows the wonderful gift dogs have for whomever choose to accept it. 🐶 On the whole, this was a heartwarming story - consists of unrelated events, but tied together by the same affectionate dog, whose main goal in life seemed to be helping humans to find comfort in sorrowful moments. And if you happen to shed some tears in end - like most stories about dogs tend to do to us - so what? It's tears for the wholesomeness of life, anyway.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Japanese Literature Challenge 19 hosted by Dolce Bellezza