Mr. Katō Plays Family (2018) by Milena Michiko Flašar #WITMonth2026 #20BOS26

 

👴🏼 Milena Michiko Flašar, who wrote of Mr. Katō Plays Family, is a Japanese-Austrian author who currently lives in Vienna. She was born from A Japanese mother and an Austrian father. This book is originally written in Germany, and is translated to English by Caroline Froh. This would be my second and last book for #WITMonth2026. Mr. Katō Plays Family tells the story of a recently retired Japanese man in his sixties, who lives with his wife in a suburban town of Japan. The story opens with our protagonist on the way back from hospital after his routine checkup for his heart - the report is good - but nevertheless, he wished there's something wrong with his heart, so that there's something to talk about with his wife. From then on, we learn how Mr. Kato's marriage has been going sour for sometime. He's been turning a bit curmudgeonly of late; his wife wants him out of the house; and there are Mr. Kato's unfulfilled dreams, like having a dog - a Pomeranian whom he would have called Shiro - which idea disliked and dismissed by his wife. We learn that there are so many regrets on things unsaid and undone, and Mr. Kato is at lost how to repair it or begin anew. 👴🏼 On that fateful morning, when Mr. Kato took a rest at a cemetery, during his walk, he met an extraordinary girl. She is called Mie, and she appreciates Mr. Kato's ingenuity and improvisation skill which he inadvertently shows when he thinks nobody's looking. Mie turns out to be owning a business called Happy Family, which specializing in providing people whom you can hire to act and play roles in real families. Intrigued, Mr. Kato was hired by Mie, and his first assignment is to be a grandfather to a little boy who misses his own who never shows up. Apparently Mr. Kato did very well in his role-playing - a natural, you might say. However fluent he communicates with families who hired him, still, he fails to communicate either important or mundane things he wishes to say to his own family. 👴🏼 The idea to describe the RHS (Retired Husband Syndrome) that affected either the wife or Mr. Kato - the retiree himself - through the contradictory condition between real and acting lives, is a clever idea. Add that with the writing structure of alternating real dialogues with stream of consciousness, makes this story feels more poignant. In the end, although the idea of people wanting 'stand-in' people to act as their relatives is both rather implausible (someone is bound to realize that they were not the real person, isn't it?) and disturbing (are human beings have become that pathetic that we need actors to play our roles?) I really-really wish this phenomenon is just the actor's imagination, and not the real condition. Because if it is, the human race is nearly doomed! As a reading experience, this book is neither wonderful nor bad; it provides, at least, some funny scenes and quite heartwarming in regard of the family-and-love theme. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

#WITMonth2026 hosted by Meytal @ Biblibio

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

When the Cranes Fly South (2024) by Lisa Ridzén #WITMonth #20BOS26

 

Admittedly, it was "the cranes" that had first attracted me to this book. As you might know, I have become a nature enthusiast lately - I even managed a nature journaling blog besides this book blog. Birds is one of my favorite subjects for nature journaling, and so I was keen to know whether this is a book about cranes. It's not, but nonetheless, it is a wonderful book, and I am glad I have picked this as one of two books I've intended to read for #WITMonth2026. It's penned by Lisa Ridzén, a Swedish author, and translated by Alice Menzies.

This turned out to be a heartrending - beautiful yet bittersweet - story about an elderly man of 89, who is nearing the end of his life. After his wife, Frederika, was brought to a care home for dementia, Bo has been living alone in his house in Swedish countryside, only accompanied by his beloved dog, Sixten. While the story progresses, we get to know Bo's past and present life through Bo's dreams - you might realize that elderly people of nearly 90s sleep a lot - and the entries of the care-taker's log book. Everyday there are care takers who work on shifts to take care of Bo - preparing food, helping him washing, cleaning, and in general making him comfortable. Through these mediums, we learn about Bo's difficult childhood - especially his bullying father. The anger and injustice he felt throughout his adolescence had hardened him to adulthood, and made it difficult for him to be easygoing in his own relationship with Hans - Bo and Frederika's only son. 

Now Hans is insisting to take Sixten away from Bo, as with his own condition, Bo would be unable to take proper care of a dog. While to Bo, apart from his pal Ture, Sixten is the only company he has in his near nonexistence. I was so mad at Hans' stubbornness in taking Sixten away. Can't he see that his father is extremely lonely - the loneliness that only elderly people and those who directly care for them understand? That Sixten provides company, comfort, and the last 'pillar' Bo could cling to? So what if it's not ideal for Sixten; the dog is happy living with Bo anyway. I always believe that, in regards of elderly people after 80, it is best to just let them have what they feel are most important. It won't change anything anymore, but it would at least make them happy, comfortable, and peaceful when their days are numbered. That's what I am doing for my 86-years-old mother. And that's what I would want others do to me when I have myself reached the same age.

I loved how Bo talks to his wife all the time in his mind: "You won't believe what our son is doing today"... It's the only way to lessen the painful fact of things (that Frederika is 'no longer there' due to dementia), so that we can better accept the reality. I think it's not a wrong way to put our loved ones always on our mind - to make them always alive, in spirit, if not in flesh. I talk to my late Father in my mind every now and then, letting him know what had happened to my Mother, news of our acquaintances, and general news of myself. He is no longer with me, but it's just temporarily. One day we will meet again; and in the meantime, I will put him up to date with my life. Anyway, my favorite Bo's caretaker is Ingrid - she knows how to treat elderly people as a human, not merely a subject. She put what Bo wants into consideration, not just insisting on what she thinks best, or what the doctors ordered. 

On the whole, this book is not for lighthearted readers. It talks about the painful, uncomfortable business of getting older and/or dying; about the importance of saying what you need to say to your loved ones before it is too late; and about love, family, friendship, and forgiveness. Most importantly, it inspires us on how to treat elderly people; that is compromising between doing the best (we think we can) for them and letting them have what they want most - if the two are contradictory. But also, not less importantly, about what elderly people's feeling and desires - that they can't communicate better and just do what we tell them, doesn't mean they are happy with our arrangement; it's that they are too tired to argue or complain. Elderly people needs peace and comfort, but also to be treated as human being, not as accessories, workload, or a burden. We just need to listen when they talk (though sometimes repeatedly or incoherently or boring), and spare them their (last) dignity. We need to be with them more often. Stocking their favorite food in the refrigerator doesn't help (well, it helps a little), but what they want most is to be with their family, to feel they are still important and to be loved by the family. I wish I could do all for my Mother before her end. In the end, what an inspirational and touching this book is!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

#WITMonth2026
hosted by Meytal @ Biblibio

20 Books of Summer 2026

hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Then Again, Maybe I Won't (1971) by Judy Blume #Reading1971 #20BOS26

 

This would be a short post, partly because Judy Blume's Then Again, Maybe I Won't is a light reading; there's not much to talk about, partly because, on the other hand, I have a lot to talk about at my new blog. Oh, I have not mentioned that I have a new blog, have I? It's on nature journaling, and it's called A Sprinkle of Nature [click the link if you'd like to pass by - you'd be welcomed to visit if you want to ;)]. I also put the link on the side bar under "My Other Blog".

Anyway, this is about a teenage boy (thirteen years) called Tony Miglione, who narrates the novel. He comes from a middle class family in Jersey City, his dad works as electrician, his mother a housewife. His dad "struck gold" when one of his personal inventions was bought by a big business owner. The family became suddenly rich, and they moved to an upper-class district in Long Island. Here Tony begins observing some "unpleasantness" that often make his stomach aches of anxiety. The neighbor's boy Joel, whom Tony befriended, turns out to be a shoplifter, and a telephone-prankster. Then his mother becomes a terrible social-climber, that got his grandmother angry (and Tony disgusted). 

This short novel talks about the unpleasant business of puberty, especially here from male teenager's perspective; social climbing; and cultural status. The Migliones are Italian Americans, but they tried hard to blend in with the upper class American (Tony's mother's name is Carmella, but she let the snobbish neighbor calls her Carol). One thing that disturbed me most is Tony's voyeurism. He often spies on Joel's pretty elder sister Lisa through binoculars (which he received for Christmas gift, reasoning that he's going to birdwatching), when she's dressing or undressing. That's disgusting, and I wonder why the therapist he's seeing didn't say anything about it. Anyway, like I say, it's a light reading, it's not very fun, but not very bad either. I was just happy enough to feel the 1970s vibes (when teenagers riding bikes everywhere, and make plans to meet at a place only through telephone one week before - and both parties remember and show up!)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

20 Books of Summer 2026

hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Murder on Wheels (1932) by Stuart Palmer #20BOS26

 

🚘 The second book in a series always make me apprehensive; will it be better from, or at least the same as, the first? Will the writer improve their writing or will it be a flop? I am glad that Stuart Palmer did the first with the Hildegarde Withers series. Like the first one, The Penguin Pool Murder, this book also has an unusual kind of murder for Hildegarde and Inspector Piper to investigate. Hildegarde, still with her sharp notice of small details, and her invaluable umbrella, chose to run her own investigation separated from Piper's. This cute pair of detective-amateur-sleuth decided to make it a competition!

🚘 One winter afternoon, the traffic officer near Fifth Avenue found, first a driverless Chrysler roadster on the street, then a body of a man flopped down the same street, apparently from the sky, with a noose around his neck. Piper and Hildegarde took to investigate the case, as soon as they learned that it was most certainly not a suicide. The victim is identified as Lawrence "Laurie" Stait, who came from a highly respectable family (an old money of New York), and who has lived in a big house with his identical twin brother Lewis, his domineering eccentric grandmother, his dotty aunt, a nerdy cousin Hubert, and half a dozen servants. Perfectly identical as Laurie was to Lew in appearance, they were completely different in character. Laurie was always acknowledged as the space goat of the family - always befriend dubious characters - while Lew is the dependable and sweet one. Hence, it's not a surprise to anyone, that someone has murdered him.

🚘 The almost impossible murder was the first striking point of this book for me. An eyewitness - a taxi driver - told Piper and Hildegarde an astonishing story of the way the body "appeared" on the street. It was first "rise right up out of the seat (of the car)," into the air, then fly down the street, backwards! Had the taxi driver been drunk and hallucinating? Or was it the true account of Laurie's tragic demise? How was it possibly done, then? And most importantly who had motive and who had no alibi when the murder happened? Was it the "cowboy" Keeley, whose sister had had an affair with Laurie last summer? The noose (or what they called lariat) was almost identical with the one he always use for his shows. Or was it one of the family? The aunt and cousin Hubert had a strong alibi - two tickets of the opera - but Lew's alibi was from the flirty maid Gretchen. And what about the torn opera ticket that Hildegarde and Piper found outside the house in the snow? Did it mean that someone else has gone to the theatre when they were supposed to be at home? 🚘 I loved this book for its perfect balance between: a). the murder plot - yes, it's rather complicated and I doubted if it is plausible in real life - but it's fantastic as a mystery novel; I also loved the plot twist, though not unsuspected (by me at least); b). the often hilarious encounters of Hildegarde and Piper, not mentioning the appearance of Mrs. Stait's (the grandmother) parrot; the ending scene between the dog and the parrot is the perfect one to end this kind of murder mystery!; and lastly c). Hildegarde and Piper's dynamic relationship, halfway between partner-in-crime and affectionate/romantic-interest. You'd wonder all the time: would they, or would they not...? And I half suspect Palmer would keep it that way for the rest of the series, because if the scale tipped a little more to one side, the balance would be ruined, and the series would not be as perfect as it is.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

The Little Paris Bookshop (2013) by Nina George #ParisinJuly2026 #20BOS26

📘 This would be my last read for #ParisinJuly2026. It's not my first choice, actually. I have been meaning to read a nonfiction about gardens in Paris, but alas, the book is not currently available. Since The Little Paris Bookshop had been on my radar for some time, I plunged in, and read it instead. And it turned out to be a perfect book to end Paris in July! Plus, it took me to to another journey through the river by a barge. Lovely!

📘 The titular bookshop is owned by Jean Perdu, a lonely man around fifty, who, twenty one years ago bought a barge and restored it into a floating bookshop on the Seine. He named the barge "Literary Apothecary", since Perdu has a rare gift of seeing through his customer's soul, and sensing which books would heal their wounded soul. Ironically, it was his own soul that he failed to heal. Twenty six years ago, he had had a love affair with a Provençal girl called Manon, even when knowing that Manon would marry her fiancée Luc. However, one day Manon left him, without warning or explicable reason. This had hit Perdu very hard, that he didn't even open the letter Manon had left him. He just kept in inside the drawer of a table in the room of his apartment building in Rue Montagnard where they'd been together, and shut that room forever. He had been living as an eccentric recluse ever since. 📘 Until one day, a woman moved in, who has apparently been dumped by her husband with nothing except the clothes she wore. And, since Jean Perdu owns an unused table, he reluctantly gifted it to the newly-widowed woman called Catherine. There in the drawer, she found the unopened letter from Manon, who had told him that she was actually dying of cancer! The truth knocked Jean so hard, that he impulsively decided to raise the anchor of the Literary Apothecary, and set-off to Provence in search of... what exactly? He didn't know either at that moment. Just when the barge is about to unmoor, Max, his emerging-writer-neighbour at Rue Montagnard who's been depressed over his writer-block, asked Jean to take him along. And so, off go the two men, who, along the journey would become like father and son. They are, later on, joined by another broken-hearted Italian man called Cuneo, whose real passion is cooking. These trio's journey was to become a rediscovering-of-one's-soul and the healing process to remove any past wound, and to find new life, and... love! 📘 What I loved most of the book is Perdu and co.'s journey on board the book barge. I loved the glimpses of small harbour town or countryside that dotted the river banks. I loved the freedom of the three men, who, due to their hasty departure, didn't bring enough money to buy food and supplies, and therefore were selling books whenever they moored for the day. That journey is an escapist's or armchair traveler's dream. My least favorite part is Manon's diary. Manon is the woman Jean Perdu had been grieving about. How could I like a woman who was egotistic enough to love two men at the same time; and marry the one, and expected the other - the lover - to never leave her. Couldn't she see that that would break both men? But egotistic persons seldom can see things from others' perspective, always from their own selves. That marred the book for me, but the rest is entertaining enough. The book barge (it's a pity that it was never mentioned again at the end - Literary Apothecary deserves a better ending!); the joie de vivre that you can feel in your bone through the book; the small town or countryside of their transits; the food; the passionate French; and... Provence. What an appropriate book to close my #ParisinJuly2026 - many thanks to our fabulous host: Emma :). Au revoir!

Favorite quotes:

"It was a common misconception that booksellers looked after books. They look after people."

"Memories are like wolves. You can't lock them away and hope they leave you alone."

Read for: Paris in July 2026 hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Three Bags Full (2005) by Leonie Swann #20BOS26

 

🐑 I have made the second mistake this year, reading wise. I have let myself be tempted by another hyped book which is soon to be a major movie with top actors, just like Remarkably Bright Creatures. And this story was also about, and told from the point of view of, a certain animal. While Remarkably is alternately told from the point of view of human characters and Marcellus the 'remarkably bright' octopus, Three Bags is told mainly from the POV of a flock of sheep's. Both creatures - octopus and sheep - are clever enough to have solved a mystery that the humans failed. However funny or cute the idea was - a flock of sheep turn detective - this story has layers of darkness, and lacks of clarity in the mystery solving. 🐑 The clever sheep belong to a shepherd called George Glenn, who lived in a cozy Irish village of Glennkill. He was a good shepherd - taking a good care and love every one of his sheep, often talks to them, and read stories at night. The books were mainly romances, but one day he read them a detective story, but stopped before finishing it. It was supposed that from these stories reading, and George's continual conversation with the sheep, that they observed much about humans (and detecting). One day, though, the sheep found that their shepherd is dead - pinned to the ground with a spade. The sheep knew that it was a murder, and, led by Miss Maple (the sheep version of Miss Marple?) - "the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world)" - they investigate the murder. 🐑 As I mentioned before, the idea is cute and quite promising - how a flock of sheep investigate a murder? They stalk the humans, and listen to every conversation. The humans are none the wiser because, hey, who would imagine that the sheep understand what you said, and if they do, how would they "revealed" it? No, the humans mostly ignore their existence. But Miss Maple - being the smartest sheep in Glenkill; and possibly the world - keeps mulling over the "clues" in her head, until - bingo! she's got it! The revealing to the humans is going to be more difficult, but for this too, she had thought a smart solution. So, what's my problem?-you might wonder. First of all, I didn't know what's happening most of the time, since we only get snippets of truth alternately from sheep and humans. You can imagine that sheep cannot fully understand what humans are talking or doing, and we are only presented with mostly the sheep's perceptions. For instance, the sheep dug the earth and found hidden down there "the thing". It's clear that George had buried 'the thing', but what was it?? - I wanted to scream to my tablet everytime they mentioned "the thing" (I listened to the audiobook). And when much later, it was revealed to be plastic bags containing dry grass, and had caused one of the sheep (Mopple the Whale who's always hungry) fainted and slept for 24 hours, we can only vaguely suspected what the bags had contained. Is-it-what-I-think-it-is? kind of situation. And that changed my mind about George - he's not a lovely character I have thought before. 🐑 Then, 'the darkness' that overshadowed the whole story. You'd get the creepy feeling of a haunted and suicidal soul all through. What with the 'ghost' and death the sheep kept talking about, and a sheep called Zora who's obsessed with 'the abyss'. She loves to perch alone near the cliff in silent, and looks at the abyss for a long time. And I kept thinking, while reading, what this book is really about?! The twisted ending topped it all. This is not a murder mystery, and certainly not a cute "sheep detectives" you'll probably think; this is a bunch of crooked-mind people; and some really cute and smart sheep (Mopple the Whale and Miss Maple) plus some others with dark and suicidal thoughts. The 'actual' murder mystery, however, kept a mystery through the end. And one more thing before I ended this post, why did George promise the sheep a journey to Europe? Isn't Ireland a European country?? What was the point of this book, really? Rating: ⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

A Secret Garden in Paris (2024) by Sophie Beaumont #ParisinJuly2026 #20BOS26

🌺 Paris and gardens are two of my favorites subjects, so of course I was delighted to win this book from #ParisinJuly2025 - thanks Emma! This book is about three women who have two things in common - they are in struggles, and they love flowers or gardens. First, there's Australian Emma who is grieving over her mother's death. There's a secret of her mother's past which she had had no time to tell Emma before her death - a secret about Emma's biological father's identity. Now, sad and wondering, Emma is staying at her Parisian grandmother's; and to busy herself, she decided to make over the garden, which had been neglected after her grandfather's death. One day, she visited a flower stall at the Marché aux Fleurs, located at île de la cité - a site which is actually in my "go-to" list of Paris (fingers crossed that I would have chance to visit one day, but if not, let me just dream about). 🌺 Arielle Lunel, a young widow with two little children (twins), works as florist at one of the stall, and she's an unusual one. To Arielle, flowers are not just plants, but they are also representing human emotion. That's why many of her customers visits the stall regularly whenever they need a flower arrangement. Just like this young man, David, who visits everyday, either to buy flowers for his mother's grave, or for ehm...other personal reason, who knows? Arielle's problem is related with her controlling parent-in-law who are proposing trying to take away the twins. Last but not least, there's Charlotte Marigny, a successful middle-aged garden designer with a marriage problem. Her husband Tom has been gradually reserved and withdrawn from his wife and children. Distressed, Charlotte fled to Paris; and during one of her wanderings, she visited Arielle's flower stall. 🌺 After presenting each of these three women's cause of troubles, which lead them to fruitful friendship and beautiful journey around flowers and gardens - their mutual passion - the story dwindles a little. The solution to each problem is too easy and too sudden, and felt rushed. I get the idea of using Paris and gardens for a healing point, but still, they are too suddenly resolved. Emma's garden, for instance, despite the fact that she's never been gardening before, and only learns from internet and book, yet the embryo of the garden 'miraculously' emerged just like that. Charlotte's husband also 'miraculously' awaken from his previous reserve - I had even thought it a much more serious case, like the beginning of Parkinson's disease, for example, which often changes the sufferer into a more reserved and withdrawn personality. 🌺 Fortunately, the gardens provided a much better angle for this book. My favorite part is when Emma had to take a friend of a friend (a tourist from Australia) on a garden tour (visiting gardens around Paris, in place of the usual tourist landmarks). It was her grandmother Mattie - my favorite character in this book, by the way - who came up with a nicely-curated tour. Not only that, Mattie - who had worked as illustrator - also produced a specially illustrated map for the tour, with a little scribbled note on the historical background. I would love to pay for such a tour - if only for the illustrated map. The route is as follows: they started apparently from Place des Vosges, and headed for Jardin de l'hotel de Sully, through the door to the secret garden. From there, to Rue des Rosiers, to visit Jardin des Rosiers through the grilled entrance into the hidden garden behind, where they enjoyed quiet times, accompanied by birdsongs. Next, they walked across Pont Marie, over Ile Saint Louis, to have lunch at one of the cafes or bistros, and ice cream at Berthillon at Rue Saint-Louis. Of course, after that they had to visit the Marché aux Fleurs at île de la cité. Their last destination was Jardin de Luxembourg, where the dancing faun statue "reminds us that in letting go, in trusting to the moment, we open ourselves to the gift of joy." [p.153] 🌺 So, you can see, that this book's main charm is in the gardens and flowers, and everything that they represented, either hope, joy, love, or just our connection to the nature. And I loved this book solely for that reason (and a little for the character of Mattie)! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Paris in July 2026 hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

The Carter of "La Providence" (1931) by Georges Simenon #ParisinJuly2026 #20BOS26

 

🚤 This would be my starting point of reading the wide-read French detective stories of Georges Simenon. Maybe I should have started from the first book, but somehow this title sounds more interesting. First, I didn't know exactly what a Carter is - is he the driver of a horse cart? Then "La Providence" should be the name of the cart, but somehow I couldn't imagine a horse cart had a name, let alone an elegant one such as "La Providence". So, curiosity drove me to read - or in this case listen to - the (audio) book. I wasn't far wrong, the Carter is indeed a man who managed a horse-drawn-cart, and the lived at the stable, caring for the horses. But the cart isn't conveying passenger, but to tow a canal boat or barge! 

🚤 Since I have read - and enjoyed - The Narrowboat Summer (by Anne Youngson) last month, I was very excited to read a murder mystery set around the canal. A woman with stylish clothes, heavy make-up and jewelry was found strangled to death in a stable near the lock keeper's cottage near Dizy. Quite an incongruous sight it made, as how and why did the woman had come to the (usually) quiet place, at which she was so out of place? That was Inspector Maigret's first thought. He began to ask questions, to the lock keeper, the bargemen; until one Colonel Sir Walter Lampson, the owner of Southern Cross yacht admitted that the dead woman was his wife, Mary Lampson. She's been missing from the yacht for several days. Maigret also investigated a barge who arrived at the Lock the night Mary Lampson dead: La Providence. 🚤 La Providence was owned by the Cannelles, and they had a Carter called Jean, who's handling the horses that tow the barge along the towpath. He's a silent man with mysterious background, almost never opened his mouth, but worked nicely with the horses, and slept with them in the stable. Considering that he was made the title of the book, I started to wonder whether he was the murderer, or the space-goat. Maigret had been focusing his investigation on the yacht, when one of Sir Walter Lampson's crew was also found strangled to death. Some clues began to "emerge" here and there, and it's up to Maigret to put all the piece of puzzles into the correct places. 🚤 After reading my fair share of the Golden Age Detective mysteries, this book felt very different in structure. GAD are usually focusing on the plot - how the murder had been done - and the stages of investigation, and thus, emphasizing on the logical mind. The Carter of "La Providence", on the other hand, seems to be more atmospheric. It seems that Sir Walter Lampson's nonchalant reaction to his wife's death, for instance, or Willy's and Sir Water's mistress' manners during interviews are more important than the finding of the clues. I wouldn't reveal anything, but the ending is also heavy with emotion. Maigret seemed to be performing his duty more as a decent human being than a police officer. Add that with the amusing technicality of canal boats operating business, made this book an unusual read, entertaining and amusing.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Paris in July 2026 hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

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

The Man Who Broke Out of the Bank and Went for A Walk Across France (2014) by Miles Morland #ParisInJuly2026 #20BOS26

 
🎒 The idea of, first, leaving one's job while one loves it; and second, going across France by walking, are two unthinkable things for me. Hence, my instant attraction to this memoir. It was the year 1989, and Miles Morland was forty five years old when he decided to retire from his high position in an investment banking company in Wall Street and London - the work he had grew to love in the last twenty years. So, why retired? Miles slipped a bit about this job - which he portrayed as "shouting down the phone" - and his subsequent decision, sandwiched in between his account of "the Walk". As a transition phase between active and post-retirement life - when Miles had no idea what he would do next - Miles and his wife Guislaine decided on taking a "mission impossible" adventure.   

🎒 Neither Miles nor Guislaine had ever walked long distance, or did trekking, or hiking, let alone a cross-country walk. Yet, they let themselves be challenged by the idea. Here I admired them both for undertaking such monstrosity. The most interesting part of this memoir, for me, is the preparation. For a newbie, you can imagine how many stuffs they must have researched, considered, and shopped for. And the fact that this had happened in the 1990s, when there were no internet or social media, made it doubly interesting. Miles is a 'map connoisseur', thus he armored himself with many maps, atlases, and guide books, before deciding what route they would take. Finally yhey agreed upon starting from Gruissan-Plage on the Mediterranean Sea, and finishing on the Atlantic coast at Capbreton, across France small towns and countrysides. 🎒 I loved the part of Miles' studying the maps, even pulling a thread to mark the route, to see the topography of their future journey; as well as how thoroughly he browsed from several different guides to find a recommended gîte or small hotel to stay the night. Guislaine then would call the establishment to make booking. They did all without at first knowing how the premise looked, nor how good (or bad) the service was. This was before the internet - you can google it nowadays. It reminded me of my own trip to Europe twenty six years ago. How exciting it was to browse for a small hotel - I browsed a guide from the library at the CCF in Surabaya (Centre Culturel Français), where I'd been taking a French course. Then one of the teachers helped me with the booking through facsimile. When I arrived in Paris - tired and hungry - lo and behold, the hotel didn't find any booking under my name! Apparently, a smaller hotel on the same street 'borrowed' my hotel's name for getting guests. The fax number was theirs (the impostor's), but the address wasn't. Needless to say, this hotel was not what I had expected, but I was too tired to complain or move (and the actual hotel was fully-booked anyway), so I stayed the night there anyway. Just like what the Morlands experienced during their Walk; sometimes the actual hotel or gîte was far from what they imagined, or advertised as; but when they were lucky, they'd get exactly what they have bargained for. And that, I think, was more fun and exciting than planning or booking hotels nowadays, when you can see photos and testimonies from fellow travelers - and yet, sometimes it wouldn't meet your expectation either! 🎒 On the whole, I loved this memoir. Sometimes travel memoirs tend to exaggerate things, and to make it less boring, adding dry humour or sarcastic comments. Miles Morland did neither. He didn't try to sound more exciting than his actual feeling, and didn't try to be funny. In fact, reading this memoir felt like listening to your friend, telling you of his adventure, from the beginning right to the end. It's not overly fascinating, yet, it isn't boring either. You just want to know what happens next, and curious of how your friend felt or cope with what he faced from time to time, be it a struggle when he's lost (out of his own fault or the map's), or a blissful rest when it's badly needed. One more thing worth noting, both Miles and Guislaine found that the Mephistos shoes are the perfect one for that kind of Walk (not sport shoes, to my surprise). As you might know, blisters are one of walker's nightmare. The memoir was dotted with, alternately, funny, disappointing, and blissful moments. Their routine might be boring, but for those moments. And Miles also slipped a bit of historical background that I would never have known, i.e. about the Black Prince. And all that makes this memoir an enjoyable read, which will take you through some of the eccentric or picturesque French countryside. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Paris in July 2026 hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Hidden in Paris (2011) by Corine Gantz #ParisinJuly2026 #20BOS26

 

🎀 It was on the summer solstice in Paris, that this story had begun. The French has their own celebration on that day, La Fête de la Musique. Annie, an American housewife, has been living in a big house in the 16e arrondissement de Paris, with her husband Johnny and three little boys. Theirs are a happy marriage - or so thought Annie - until, on the way to some dinner and dancing, Johnny grimly told Annie that he "have something I have to tell you". You can only imagine what it was, because in the next chapter, Annie (already at home) got news that Johnny had been killed in a car accident - a combination of booze and speed. 🎀 Fast forward to two and a half year later, Annie still lives in the same house. The boys apparently have accepted their father's death - they never even said anything about their dad, at least that I remember. But Annie, well, she's doing it rather badly. Annie becomes anti-social, neglecting her appearance, and her home - especially her kitchen - and her boys have been her only solace and protection. Them, and an old friend called Lucas, a blue blooded handsome Frenchman, who had been a loyal friend of Annie and Johnny. Nowadays, he comes visiting almost everyday, and the only friend Annie has. It was he who's get Annie realizes of her financial problem, and advised her to sell the house. But Annie loves her house so much, and finally came out with a solution: tenants! 🎀 Two American women and a young man are the three tenants that ends up living with Annie - three persons bringing three personal problems to Paris. Lola with her (verbally) abusive husband and unhappy marriage; Althea with her anorexia, rooted from abusive mother. Last but not least, there's Jared, who is drained after caring for his dying mother and grieved over her death. Annie thinks the womanizer Lucas is attracted to Lola, with her Hollywood celebrity appearance, but she's completely wrong. Lucas had been in love with her for ages. And when nobody would think the emaciated Althea is anyway attractive, Jared is instantly in love with her on first sight. Lola, on the other hand, is always haunted by the thought that she's done a crime by bringing the children to France without Mark's knowledge. 🎀 Along the book, all these characters are struggling and evolving amidst the charm of Parisian "joie de vivre" mannerism, its people and culture, and its culinary (brought in perfection at Annie's kitchen most of the time). Annie's home is the catalyst of the changes in every character, especially in Lola and Althea. That, and the charm of Paris, of course. I could not relate to any of the characters, but I felt pity for Althea. Her mother was a true bit*h, and she should have not raise any children! I was a little surprised with Annie - she befriended Lola easily and took to herself to help Lola with her problem, but ignored Althea completely. Why hasn't she tried to reach for her? If not befriend her - which was impossible as Althea closed the door for social interaction - at least tried to sympathize and more understanding, instead of ignoring her completely. Luckily, there's Jared. All in all, this wasn't a bad book, at least it entertains you with the Parisian vibes. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for: Paris in July 2026 hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

One Fine Day (1947) by Mollie Panter-Downes #20BOS26

 

🧡 One Fine Day reminded me of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Besides the fact that the whole story covers only one single day, it was also written in the semi-stream-of-consciousness style, of which Woolf was famous for. And both are incidentally set in the post World War - one the first, and the other the second. It was 1946, just several months after the war. Stephen Marshal has returned, unscathed, from the war; and now he and his wife Linda were expecting to be back to their normal life again. But of course, things could never be back to the time before the war, it would become a new normal. And that is the main theme of this book: adapting to the significant changes upon the middle-class' lives, and their struggles for it.

🧡 The Marshals came from middle class families, who were used to have servants to take care of the household. When they were hungry, there's food on the table ready. The garden were always neat and fresh when they looked at it. The floor and furniture were always immaculately clean and shining, and so were the laundry, and dozens of other convenience they used to take for granted. They never thought about the cook, the gardener, or the maids. The war changed all that; nowadays servants are difficult to get, and so they must work on almost everything by themselves. Classes was beginning to dissolve; the cleaning woman who comes in the morning doesn't even call Laura 'Madam' any longer. On that fateful day, after Stephen left for work, and Victoria, their only child, to the gymnastic class, Laura is left alone in the house to clean the breakfast and several other chores awaiting for her.
🧡 And it is during these chores, that Laura is contemplating their circumstances. She is a dreamy and imaginary kind of woman, who's often lost to her thoughts and observations. So, while tidying the house, for instance, she would contemplate about the wisdom of maintaining this big house, which others, including the cleaning woman, thought foolish and extravagant. But despite of the house' perpetual demands, she and Stephen love it. By the way, I love Panter-Downes' personification of the inanimate objects like the house, as having emotion like human beings. While queuing for bread and cakes - they still have food rationing, with the coupons to do shopping with - Laura would contemplates about how tiresome and never-ending household works are - is it worth it? However, it is when she must look for their dog Stuffy, who are missing somewhere, and meet a gypsy man, that Laura would have her 'revelation', and answer to all her questions. 🧡 I love this book. The middle classes' struggle is quite relevant to what my family (especially my mother) had had to face. My mother, born in 1941, was brought up in a big house with several servants, probably three or four. She often tells me about her childhood; how my grandmother forbade Mama to even enter the kitchen; and how everything was always provided for 'the little miss' by the servants. Even when my mother needed a drink, she just asked a servant to procure it for her. It's just how it was at that time. Naturally, when Mama married and moved to our tiny house, she's incapable to do all the houseworks by herself. She had learn how to cook, but that's all. A maid was being lent from Grandmother's house for a few hours to help Mama cleaning. And that keeps happening even until now. Although little by little, Mama and me take over most of the household chores, we still need a cleaning lady to do the hardest chores. Therefore, I can relate very much with Stephen and Laura's struggles. It's not vanity, but it's just how they hade been brought up.

🧡 Needless to say, this has been a memorable read for me. It's not overly fantastic, but it feels like a warm and cozy old blanket to curling up under.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

20 Books of Summer 2026

hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

 

To Fetch A Thief (2010) by Spencer Quinn #20BOS26

 

🎪 When I stumbled upon this new-to-me mystery series, which is narrated by a dog (who can resist such a thing? not I), I knew instantly I have to read it some day. I decided to start not from the beginning, but on the third book, which has a circus element; I always love circus element in a book. It turns out to be: a great FUN! It has everything I expected it to have, and perhaps more...

🎪 Bernie Little is a Private Investigator, the owner of Little Detective Agency. And Chet, his partner, is a dog. He (Chet, not Bernie) was the best leaper of his class at K-9 police school. However, he failed the last leap due to something or other. But it didn't matter, because that was when he first met Bernie Little. And the rest was history, so the humans always say. Little Detective Agency isn't a big one, Bernie has always been in need of money. But that isn't any problem for them both. Their deep bond and partnership, makes them always happy; what do you need more? The story begins when they are on a divorce case, and the client gives Bernie tickets to a circus. So they went to the circus, Bernie, Chet, and Bernie's son, who currently lives with Bernie's ex wife. To their disappointment, the main attraction, an elephant show, was cancelled because Peanut, the elephant, and its trainer have been missing. 🎪 Popo the clown hired Bernie and Chet to investigate the case, since the police (the officer is Bernie's friend) seem to be disinterested. They (the police), along with the circus owner, believe that the trainer, who is the most humane trainer in treating animals, must have been crossed to the animal-justice-organization side. But Popo knew better, or did he? And how do you think can an elephant gone missing just like that without any witness? Well, thanks to Chet's wonderful smelling skill, he found Peanut's trace, and that leads to another, and another, that in no time, Chet and Bernie must deal with bigger dangers than they have ever expected. 🎪 On the whole, this is a combination of crime mystery (there are the theft and a murder - or is it?), and adventure. On those two aspects themselves, this is fun to read. But the biggest attraction, that makes this series a success, is how Quinn portrays Chet, the dog narrator, he is as genuine as he is plausible. It feels like you are really viewing the world, and the humans, from a dog's perspective. Chet understands English; he's capable of following what Bernie and other humans are saying. Well, at least, common English conversation; he has difficulties, though, to follow many slangs and sayings, which to him is confusing. And these are the few funniest parts of the book, which would often throw you with uncontrollable laughter. Here's an example, which takes place after Chet, unknowing to Bernie, has saved his beloved human friend:

"I've got a strong suspicion you saved my bacon last night." [Bernie to Chet] Bacon? There'd been bacon last night? Cheetos, yes, but that was it. Had I somehow missed out on bacon?

🎪 And that kind of thing happens a lot. It's even funnier when there's food mentioned, like in that instance, bacon. Because food, Bernie, and their adventure together fighting the crime, were uppermost in Chet's thoughts. Those, and many confusing human's manner. Another funny thing is Chet's memory. He could remember some of what Bernie said to him, or the thugs they have caught in the past, but he is always lost somewhere in the middle of a long thought. And he would always be like "...what was that again? It's not important, the important thing is...." Chet is soo adorable! I loved how Quinn let Chet be just a dog. He might understand what humans are saying, but other than that, Chet behaves and thinks as a normal animal. I suspect, that is one factor that make people love Chet, and this series, so much. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for: 20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

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

The Guest Cat (2001) by Takashi Hiraide #ReadingtheMeow2026 #20BOS26

 

🐈 My second (and last) read for #ReadingtheMeow2026 hosted by Mallika, is a Japanese semi-autobiographical novel by an acclaimed Japanese poet Takashi Hiraide. It was based on Hiraide's own part of life, where, as freelancers, he and his wife had lived in a small rented cottage in the quiet part of Tokyo, and their attachment to a certain cat. Hiraide wrote this as a novella, with his poetical style of writing, combining a beautiful narrative with a touching story of relationship between human and animal, spiced up with a little mystery at the end.

🐈 The narrator, like Hiraide himself, is a freelance writer, who rents a small cottage which had been a kind of pavilion to a big house, where the landlady lives. The cottage is uniquely placed, tucked into a corner down a kind of zigzagging alley. I love how Hiraide describes the cottage and the alley, which he calls Lightning Alley - due to its zigzag shape, similar to lightning (I suddenly thought of Harry Potter's scar!) Anyway, a cat invites herself to their kitchen one day. This cat, which is called Chibi, does not seem to belong to anyone around the neighborhood. Sure, the boy next door is kind of the formal owner, but in reality, Chibi just let herself being fed and played with for only a certain time by the boy. At night she sleeps at the narrator's cottage, inside a box in the cupboard. The cat let itself in from a tiny gap at the window (Chibi is a small cat). At a particular time every morning, she would leave, just in time to see the neighbor boy go to school.

🐈 Despite Chibi's seemingly 'aloofness' (she never allows anyone touch her, and she never lets out even a single meow), the narrator and his wife are soon attached to her. The guest cat brings bright shine to their existence, and slowly but surely, Chibi seems to be part of their family. Just like how Chibi had first appeared at their cottage, one day she just stopped coming. This distressed the young couple not a little - just as if their child is suddenly missing. They wait and wait in vain, then one day the author heard from his neighbor (mother of the boy who 'owns' Chibi), that the cat had been found lifeless in a nearby street corner, presumably having been hit by a passing vehicle. You can imagine how grief-stricken the couple had become.
🐈 The depth of the narrator and his wife's attachment to Chibi could be seen from how they were distressed when the landlady decided to sell the house, which meant that they have to move out. The thought that they would be far away from where Chibi had been buried (under her favorite tree), forced them to find a house nearby from where they could still take a look at the tree. It is clear that they did not have a proper closure to Chibi's tragic demise. And that's understandable, because of the little mystery that surrounds the beloved cat's death. I won't reveal anything here; it is sufficed to say that human's relationship with animals and dealing with grief are two most important aspects of this novella. The ending is ambiguous, highlighting the fact that we could never know everything we want to, and some tragedy could remain mystery forever. One just needs to try to cope with it, and move on.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Reading the Meow 2026

hosted by Mallika @ Literary Potpourri

20 Books of Summer 2026
hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

Murder at the Spring Ball (2021) by Benedict Brown #20BOS26

🥂 Beginning a new series is always an exciting reading experience. It is doubly so when the debut proved to be a success, just like this one. Murder at the Spring Ball is Benedict Brown's first book of Lord Edgington cozy mystery series, set in the 1925 England. It's charm is thanks to the combination of the Golden Age Detective vibes - complete with red herrings, incompetent police officer, Poirot-ish style of rather dramatic denouement - and an unlikely sleuth of a former detective and his fourteen years old grandson. There's a little jazz, a little dancing, a little Downton Abbey-ish atmosphere, and a good murder mystery. What else would one need to enjoy one self thoroughly?

🥂 Elderly but still formidably Lord Edgington had been shutting himself from the world after the death of his wife. But now he was suddenly 'awaken', and intended to shake himself out of the heavy 'slumber' with a kick: a grand ball at Cranley Hall, to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. He surprised everyone, though, by appointing Christopher, his teenage grandson and not altogether special, to be the party organizer. The ball gives us plenty of fun, from the planning, right up to the ball itself, where the first murder is about to be committed. Christopher, of course, made several blunders - imagine a fourteen-year-old organizing a grand ball! His ordering of too much flower for decoration is pretty hilarious; and his worrying whether it was his abundant flowers that have poisoned someone, is rather cute.  

🥂 The first victim is Lord Edgington's annoying daughter, who was poisoned to death via the champagne she'd been drinking through the evening. And now Lord Edgington, together with Christopher as his assistant, is conducting a murder investigation - to the chagrin of the Police Inspector - who was his former rival - who was tasked for it. The murderer must be someone who were at the ball: the family, the servants, and Christopher's nemesis: Marmaduke Adelaide, whom Christopher likes to call Marmalade, and who often bullies him at school. Lord Edgington suspects that whoever the murderer is, was trying to kill him, and/or the entire family at the party. But who would want that? And what's the motive? 

🥂 I love Christopher from the start, he loves nature and reading Dickens, with healthy appetite - a nerdy introverted like me. I also like the way Lord Edgington educates him (to be a future Chief Inspector like himself?) He encourages Christopher to build his own deduction; never mocking or scolding him too hard when the teenager makes mistake (which is quite often), and always ready to praise when he makes a good job. The way Lord Edgington helps Christopher arranging flowers (the abundant flowers he mistakenly ordered) in the vases until far to the night - a gentle way to let his grandson made mistake and be responsible to the outcome, while learning from it). But what I love most is the duo's dynamic. When Lord Edgington was succumb to his grief after not one, but two of his offsprings murdered (yes, there was a second murder), it was Christopher who made the effort to 'awaken' his grandfather.

🥂 In short, this is such a delightful murder mystery and a beginning of a series, which I would definitely continue on. You can feel a bit of the 1920s vibes, if not from the narrative, at least from the ball. Christopher has been inadvertently introducing jazz to the family reminded me so much of how Rose first brought jazz to Downton Abbey!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for: 20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

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

20 Books of Summer 2026 and Reading the Meow 2026

Hooray to the return of two of the most anticipated yearly reading events for me! First is 20 Books of Summer 2026, which will be hosted by AnnaBookBel. She's going solo this year, but this reading event, which runs from June to August, was started by Cathy, then continued by AnnaBookBel and Emma last year. Also make its return in June, Reading the Meow 2026, hosted by Mallika. I have almost given this one up, thinking that Mallika was perhaps too busy to host, but I'm very grateful that she's just announcing it a bit later than usual. Anyway, here's the list of my possible reads:

20 Books of Summer 2026

1. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (2001) - also for #ReadingtheMeow2026
2. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (2012) - also for #ReadingtheMeow2026
3. To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn (2010) 
4. In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall - also for my #Reading1971 5. A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont (2024) - also for #ParisInJuly 6. Murder on Wheels by Stuart Palmer (1932) 7. A Walk Across France by Miles Morland (1992) - also for #ParisInJuly 8. The Hidden Gardens of Paris by Susan Cahill (2012) - also for #ParisInJuly 9. French Windows by Antoine Laurain (2023) - also for #ParisInJuly 10. The Carter of "La Providence" by Georges Simenon (1931) - also for #ParisInJuly 11. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen (2024) - also for #WITMonth 12. Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee (1959) 13. Mr Kato Plays Family by Milena Michiko Flasar (2018) - also for #WITMonth 14. Much Dithering by Dorothy Lambert (1938) 15. One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes (1947) 16. The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson (2020) 17. Murder at the Spring Ball by Benedict Brown (2021) 18. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (2005) 19. An Afternoon Walk by Dorothy Eden - also for my #Reading1971 20. Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce (2018)

Reading the Meow 2026

1. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (2001) 2. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (2012) 3. Paw Prints in the Moonlight by Denis O' Connor (2004) Of course, they are possible reads only, I might or might not read them (or adding new titles instead). it all depends on the availability of the titles when I pick the books to read, and, as usual, it also depends largely on my mood. Anyway, have you read any of those titles? And would you participate in either reading events?