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 Splendor of Ordinary Days (2015) by Jeff High

 

🩺 From the "ordinary days" in the title and the pastoral view of the cover, I have assumed that this novel would not be a far cry from James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small or All Things Bright and Beautiful. Just replace the veterinarian with a physician, and move the setting from English countryside to American small town, and that's that. But there I was wrong. Once again, this reminded me to not judge a book from its cover; least of all, its title. 

🩺 Young Dr. Luke Bradford has just been settled in Watervalley, a small town in Tennessee. He had moved from a bigger town a few years ago, but up till now is still feeling like an outsider. At first the story begins with just... well... ordinary days of ordinary lives in a picturesque little town. I loved the banters between Luke and his.. uh.. housekeeper? Anyway, Connie cleans and cooks for him, so Luke could almost always expect to get a warm greeting from Connie and her sister Estelle (who are often welcomed their as visitor). Luke's interaction with his eccentric patients and townfolks are entertaining too - an elderly woman who drinks too much and a cantankerous old veteran and publisher of the local newspaper are only few of them, but the most intriguing ones are the Mennonites.

🩺 I honestly have not realized of the Mennonite's existence until now - I only know about the Amish. They are apparently slightly different in culture and manners, but they are all embracing the same philosophy. And as they first appeared in the story, I began to be apprehensive of what lays ahead. This book would have deeper layer than I have first anticipated. The first 'casualty' was between two young men's supposed 'fight', one of them is a Mennonite, the other is a local war veteran. And when Luther, the cantankerous publisher, decided to publish a story about it, not without slight prejudice against the Mennonite young man, it provoked the town to their long time prejudices against the Mennonites. Apparently, it's up to Luke Bradford to maintain harmony in Watervalley, the town where he grows to love, and where the girl he loves most, Christine Chambers, lives.

🩺 Throughout the story, we are entertained with the 'ordinary days' of living in a small town with its picturesque scenery, eccentric inhabitants, and the busy days of a doctor's practice. But they are all just the background. On the forefront there is the budding relationship of Luke Bradford and Christine Chambers - including the funny scenes of his planning a romantic proposal and the unexpected turn of event which might have thwarted the couple's bright future. But most importantly, there is also a dark secret looming beneath prejudices and old time enmity between two families. The part about war memorial, and particularly Luke's speech in the end, was very touching. And I loved the mixed of mystery and superstitious that lurked behind. It's really a heartwarming novel with unexpected depth.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Remarkably Bright Creatures (2022) by Shelby Van Pelt

 

🐙 Remarkably Bright Creatures is Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel. It tells the story of three characters; of their lives and struggles, and how their lives are intertwined with each other in unexpected ways. First of all, there's Marcellus. He's a giant Pacific octopus who lives - or being captivated, as he always calls his life - in a giant aquarium at Sowell Bay Aquarium in Washington DC. Marcellus is the star of this book, and he narrated his own story on every chapter dedicated to him. I listened to the audiobook version, and I always loved when the narrator, Michael Urie's voice as a grumpy old man boomed through my headphone: "Day one thousand three hundred and..... of my captivity" Well, Marcellus's narration never failed to captivate me too! 🐙 The second best main character is Tova Sullivan, an elderly woman in her seventies, who comes daily to clean the Aquarium on night shifts. She's a widow, and has been struggling after her only son Eric (18 years old) vanished on a boat incident in Puget Sound thirty years ago. His body was never found, and the authorities were never sure what caused the incident (was it accident, or suicide?) Tova is certain it could not be suicide, but what really happened? That episode; the uncertainty of it, is always nagging at her heart, and she never gets her closure. Doing the cleaning at the Aquarium gives her joy and comfort, to at least cope with her current life. I loved how she always greets every creature at the Aquarium, like they are her children or pupils. Well, she's their guardian, anyway. But her most wholesome relationship is with Marcellus. Their bond is really heartwarming - an unlikely friendship between two creatures. It was remarkable how they communicated without ever understanding each other's language, but they understand each other so well, nonetheless. 🐙 Last and, unfortunately, least, is Cameron Cassmore; a thirty-ish orphaned young man who was brought up by his aunt, after his drug-addict mother left him. He never knew who his father was, and so, when finding a college portrait of his mother with a boy, he assumed that he must probably have been his father. And so, driving a camper, Cameron is heading to Washington in quest of his (presumably) father. Not surprisingly, he got a job at the Aquarium, and working on a night shift when Tova sprained her ankle and couldn't work for a while. He eventually be friend with Tova, and of course, Marcellus. Cameron is a self-centered, spoiled brat and a crybaby, and I find no other quality to like him better. From start to end. Someone said in Goodreads review that he's warming up near the end, but I disagree. Cameron is simply an ass. And he ruined the whole story for me. Not that it's a perfect one. There are too many unimportant things and conversations scattered about. I found myself bored with these, and only Marcellus' (and occasionally Tova's when she's alone) line that lift up my interest. 🐙 This book might have a brilliant premise - an intelligent and curmudgeonly Giant Pacific Octopus in his attempt to bring happiness to his favorite human. But the structure is not very neat. I feel I might need more of Marcellus' narration than the humans interaction. He's so observant and intelligent, that it was he, Marcellus, who first solved the mysteries that the humans are searching. I believe he's clever enough to tell the stories (half of it, at least) of the humans, only from his observation behind the glass tank. Anyway, I loved the beautiful friendship between Tova and Marcellus, and she had done for him at the end. Marcellus was a much better friend an elderly woman could find, rather than her friends from the knitting club - nosy old women most of them, and not necessary for the story. All in all, it's a beautiful story about friendship, family, forgiveness and acceptance. All it needed to be a perfect one is just a neater writing. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The End of Summer (1971) by Rosamunde Pilcher

🌸 Jane is a twenty one year old Scottish girl who has lost her mother in childhood. Her father has immediately moved them both to the United States, where he's been working as screenwriter for Hollywood. After years in America, Jane still miss Elvie, the beautiful estate near the Loch where she had spent happy childhood. Elvie also correlated with Sinclair, Jane's cousin, to whom she had secretly dreamt of marrying some day. 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. Jane is torn between her duty to look after her father, and her heart. But as her father brings home a lover, Jane knew he would be looked after, and decides to go with the young lawyer to Elvie, leaving her American beach home, including her "date" with a young surfer she has just made acquaintance with, the day before.

🌸 Arriving at Elvie, though, Jane soon finds out that Sinclair isn't what she has thought him to be. There is long-buried secrets which shaped Sinclair to his true self, a rakish and opportunity-seeker, and which secret is also affecting Jane's future. Now Jane needs to make a decision, should she accept Sinclair's proposal - a marriage she had been dreaming growing up - or should she listen to her instinct?

🌸 Many readers said The End of Summer isn't Pilcher's best, and one in particular daubed it as her least favorite of Pilcher. I haven't read many of her, my only other acquaintance with her was The Shell Seekers, which I loved, and even got to be one of my favorites in 2025. But I think, The End of Summer is not that bad. It maybe lack of depth, at least when compared to The Shell Seekers, but the characters are well drawn, and I loved the picturesque description of the Scottish landscape. Jane is not a memorable main character, rather weak and insipid. My favorite is perhaps the lawyer, David Stewart; he's a true gentleman and well balanced person.

🌸 I was kind of interested about the surfer Jane chatted with on the beach, though. It's ashamed that we don't hear about him any more. It will be lovely if we can follow Jane when she's back in California and meet again with him. But of course, the circumstances are changed, so maybe it's not a good idea. Still, although the story is set mostly in Scotland, I kind of love the beach house (or shack) where Jane and her father live. My favorite scene is perhaps the arrival of David Stewart at the beach house (the first time Jane met him) - it ends up hilarious at the end, but at the moment, it was quite thrilling. Jane was alone (her father was on business trip), it was a dark night. Jane saw a silhouette of a man approaching the house from the beach, which should be deserted after sunset, and this terrified her, imagining every evil scenario imaginable. 

🌸 On the whole, it was an okay read; short (only 150-ish pages), and with an unexpected twist concerning the family secret, and a pleasant ending (the one I have been hoping).

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Maniac Magee (1990) by Jerry Spinelli

🏃🏻 Jeffrey Magee had been unfortunately orphaned at about fifteen of age, and has been living with his uptight aunt and uncle ever since. The aunt and uncle had been living separately albeit in the same house. This caused unhappiness in the house, and one day, when Jeffrey has had enough of that, he ran away. By 'ran away', I mean that Jeffrey was literally running, away from home, to nowhere to be exact, as long as it's out of the home he never really felt. Jeffrey is a runner - a terrific runner - and while other people walk to travel from one place to another, Jeffrey just runs. He soon becomes a nomad, running on the streets by day, and by night sleeping in the park or the zoo, or anywhere his legs brings him to.

🏃🏻 One day he came across some boys playing baseball, joined in the game, and successfully played it to the astonishment of everyone. That's the beginning of a legend Jeffrey is shaping his life into - or 'Maniac', as people are beginning to call him. Besides running and playing baseball, Jeffrey has the knack of untying knots - from shoestrings to yo-yo, you just name it. But that are all practical things. What Jeffrey astonished, not only children or teenagers, but adults also, was his indifference to racial distinction at that time. At Two Mills, the town where he lives, people don't just go casually from East End to West End. East Enders are where the blacks live, while the whites live in the West End. However, to Jeffrey, the two Ends are just locality, and the blacks and whites are just skin colors. He interacts and mingles with both residents without feeling any barrier.

🏃🏻 What is it that Jeffrey has been seeking during his runaway? At first it was not clear. He lives in several temporary homes - even a buffalo pen at the zoo - but he always runaways when things go not as he expected. So, what was his expectation? It became clear near the end. It is love and acceptance that would make Jeffrey call a house home. It is that character, and his love of human being that surpasses racial barrier, that makes Jeffrey an exemplary figure for middle-grader readers. It was clever of Spinelli to attract his readers first with some of Jeffrey's 'heroic' acts - at least from middle-grader's point of view: brilliant baseball player, fast runner, courage in facing bullies, and his overall good manner and helping hands. From then on, it is easier to interest them (the readers) to the racial issues. Overall, it's an interesting read, with unusual main character and some funny scenes intermingled with the moral lesson slipped gently and unobtrusively between the lines.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Walk Two Moons (1994) by Sharon Creech

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

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

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

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

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Up the Down Staircase (1965) by Bel Kaufman

👩🏼‍🏫 Sylvia Barrett is an English teacher with idealistic hope of inducing her pupils to the love of writing, and of Chaucer. However, teaching at a minority high school like Calvin Coolidge High, opens her eyes that nurturing and shaping young minds is not a simple task. This book is a parody of American public school system, particularly in the 1960s when this book was published (I have no idea how relevant it is today). 👩🏼‍🏫 The book is structured as a compilation of memos and circulars from the office or the authority, inter-classrooms notes between teachers, fragment of discarded notes dropped in the trashcan, essays to be graded, Sylvia's letters to her best friend out of school, and one of my favorites: notes from the students dropped in the class suggestion box. Through all the entangled communication, readers would catch the frustrating degree of bureaucracy which involved in a teacher's daily task (when the teachers complained, the answer will be: "Let it be a challenge"). I was wondering how Sylvia could manage to divide her time between reading all those instructions and whatnots, actually teaching a subject, and reading and writing notes to her best pal teacher Bea Schachter (how they exchange notes during school hours, I wonder? Do they use students for courier? This was 1965, before internet era, anyway). 

👩🏼‍🏫 And the students. I have left talking about them for last, because they are the best part of this book. I believe that one can value a teacher from his/her students. That is, a good teacher would reflect his/her influence on the student's improvement. And by reading all those notes from the suggestion box, I could surmise that Sylvia is a dedicated and affectionate teacher. The suggestion box is a brilliant idea from Sylvia (the school ought to adapt that to their system). Basically, it's a box where any student could drop notes, whether signed or anonymous, usually on a particular subject. But sometimes, even students from other classroom dropped notes to say something to Sylvia. This is a good idea, because the students could express their honest views on things without being afraid of punishment or judgement. From that notes, Sylvia could gather how the students gained from her teaching, and what were their problems.

👩🏼‍🏫 There are students who signed their names - usually those who approved of her, or loved her teaching. But the anonymous letters are the most interesting; these were from students who, at first, hated her, or disapproved of her teaching. There's one who signed as "The Hawk", complete with a doodle, who always end his notes with 'this is the last time I'm writing to you' or something like that. However, The Hawk would always write again everytime Sylvia asked their opinion or suggestion, and always with the same ending, haha! I think Sylvia's success with her pupils is, first of all, because she listens to them. These students, who come from low social background with all the problematic nature, often need to be listened, understood, and appreciated.

👩🏼‍🏫 Amidst these chaotic life Sylvia must endure everyday, she received an offer from a private school who'd give her position of English teacher with comparatively free reign; less students, focusing on the teaching, free subjects and less clerical duties, and she could even have a seminar on Chaucer - the topic she loves. Moreover, the building offers comfort, not like the public school's with its broken doors or windows, and lacking of... well... almost everything needed to teach, as Sylvia put it in one of her letters to her friend:

We have keys but no locks (except in lavatories), blackboards but no chalk, students but no seats, teachers but no time to teach.

The question is, will Sylvia accept the offer and have her own ideal of teaching? Or will she remain at Calvin Coolidge and face the same chaos and frustration everyday?

👩🏼‍🏫 This was not a very comfortable read for me. I skipped almost all the official memos - I didn't understand half of it anyway - and only read the more interesting communications of human beings (internal memos to other teachers, or the students'). Nevertheless, this is a touching story of dedicated teachers who fought alongside their pupils against poverty and hierarchy, to obtain a better life for future generations.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Olive Kitteridge (2008) by Elizabeth Strout

🔴 Olive Kitteridge is Elizabeth Strout's third published book, which won Pulitzer prize in 2009. At first few chapters I asked myself, how on earth could this book win a Pulitzer? It seemed an ordinary literary fiction. But after finishing it, I realized there's the hidden layers beneath the seemingly a book about the lives of some residents of a coastal town Of Crosby in Maine. It is not a novel, to begin with, but a structure that is called short story cycle or story sequence or composite novel - a collection of short stories in which the narratives are specifically composed and arranged with the goal of creating an enhanced or different experience when reading the group as a whole as opposed to its individual parts. [Wikipedia]

🔴 Olive Kitteridge is the main character here, although she didn't always appear as one. Sometimes she's just a passing character that someone mentioned, or just commented upon; but sometimes, like at the last chapter, she became the main character. Nevertheless, she is the connecting element that tied tall the stories together. Olive was a high school math teacher, a cantankerous woman with sharp tongue and abrasive manner. The first story, "Pharmacy", is about her husband, Henry Kitteridge. He's a pharmacist, and had a soft spot for his employee, Denise Thibodeau. At this stage (Henry and Olive were in their 30-ish, with an only son who's in junior high school), I bitterly thought that it's no wonder that Henry is thinking of having an affair with another woman; his wife was always so rude and sharp, either to him or to their son Christopher. But Henry is always a sensitive man, and still loves his wife, despite all that.

🔴 Through thirteen disjointed stories, we followed eventful events of the Kitteridges, as well as some other residents. And as the stories unfolded, I slowly realized what had shaped Olive to be her self. Her past (tragic death of her father and her mother's abandonment) wounded her soul deeply, that I think it had hardened her. Though beneath, she's still a generous and kind person. A bitterness that came during her marriage with Henry, only added the sourness in her. Later on, her perimenopause and menopause stage only made things worse. Her disappointment over her son Christopher's unsuitable (to her) marriage, seemed to be he last straw. And so, she became this unbearable woman.

🔴 On the whole, this hasn't been a charming book to read. It seems that in telling the real lives of people in a town - which is greatly relatable to ours - Kitteridge focused mainly on the dark aspects only; disappointment and disillusionment ranked on top, with bitterness of love (and the lack of it) followed soon. Most of the characters have had hopes and dreams, but more often than not, the opposite happened. It seems that all our adult lives were spent to learn about it, so that in seventies, you'd learn finally to accept things as it is - things that's beyond your control.

🔴 Though this book distressed me a little, I loved the ending - Olive certainly deserves that. She is the epitome of strength, courage, and resilience. I was reminded of what my father had taught me when I was a teenager. When you put an egg and a potato into the same boiling water, they would react differently. The egg would be hardened, but the potato would be softened. Whenever you are having hard times, you can choose how to react, like the egg or the potato. Like Olive, most of us react like the egg; but only a few then change to be a potato in the end. Happiness is in store for the latter!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Persian Pickle Club (1995) by Sandra Dallas

🧵 You might thought that Persian Pickle Club was some sort of a cooking club (I did), but it's not. It is a quilting club of local farmer-wives in a small village of Harveyville, during the Depression-era of Kansas in the 1930s. It's not been raining that year, and the crops were burning up, and jobs were hard to be found. People were hard up, and money were scarce. The Persian Pickle Club was not only a quilting club. They sewed during the gathering, but it's also a place where they exchanged gossips, and supported each other during the hard times. It's a like a beacon during a dark stormy night that gave you comfort and hope; something to look forward to during the dreary days. 🧵 The women would gather once a week in one of the member's house. The host would provide a pattern they're going to quilt that day, and the refreshments. Each member would contribute a piece (or pieces) of fabric that would be sewn in to the quilt. Then they would sew the pieces during the day, and when that's done, they will "frame" it. The "pickle" here is what a quilter calls a paisley fabric. On their first meeting, the members contributed a piece of their paisley fabric, which then made it in the quilt. That's how they named the club the Persian Pickle. And just like the quilt they sewn, their friendship was so tightly bind, that one member's secret would be kept secret forever, even from their husbands. 🧵 Rita was the newest member of the club. She's a town girl, and but for her and her husband's poverty, would not be thinking of living in a farm. Queenie Bean, from whose point of view the story unfolds, quickly became close friend with Rita, who never felt belonged into the club. Through birth and death, fearful incident to tragedy, their relationship grew stronger and stronger, amidst their different background and passion. Rita wanted to be a writer, and during her work as a journalist for a newspaper, bones of a man had been found in the backyard of one of the club member, apparently murdered. The deceased was a scoundrel, and no one shed tears for his death, but the question remained, who'd killed him? And so, when I have thought this was a story about friendship and caring-for-your-neighbor kind of book, a murder mystery was suddenly thrown before me. Not mentioning the fearful incident that has befallen Queenie and Rita one terrible night - who's dunnit?

🧵 Rest easy, though, this would not turn to be a crime novel. The mystery is something that highlighted the solidarity amongst these women. It's clear that whatever happens to one of the club members, she would be protected and taken care of by the others. Her secret would be their own secrets. On the whole, I think this was one of the most satisfying reads I've ever had lately. I loved everything about it, the quilting (you'd feel the soothing effect of the activity although you aren't doing it) and the deep friendship between those women. I loved Queenie's personalities; how she (and her husband Grover) treated the Massies, the squatter or drifter - as people called them. Queenie treated them like a true neighbor, although it's Grover and Queenie who let them stay at the unused shed.

🧵 I loved also how Sandra Dallas had picked quilts to symbolize the beauty of community - you see it, don't you? Different pieces of fabric, with different shapes or colors or designs, sewn together into one beautiful artwork, and how that one artwork represents the love and thoughts, struggles and happiness, of all who's been providing the fabrics and sewing them together? What a lovely, heartwarming story, spiced with a little mystery, and closed with something you wouldn't have seen coming. You know how wholesome it is when a whodunnit story only reveals the murderer's identity on the very last sentence before the end? Well, that's what this book feels too!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Side of the Mountain (1959) by Jean Craighead George

🌳 Sam Gribley, a boy of about thirteen or fifteen, ran away from home, and determined to live on Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, the land of Gribley's ancestors. Every boy must have thought of running away and living in the wild; few perhaps made it true, but mostly for one or two days only before they went home. Sam Gribley, though, made it for months! And this book is telling you of his adventures, complete with detailed account of Sam's day to day activities; his way of securing shelter, water, and food, and how his wit guides him to survive even the snowiest days in winter.

🌳 Sam made his house by hollowing-up a huge and sturdy tree. How'd he done it? By learning a lot about living in the wild from books in the library. How to fish, how to burn the inside of a tree to hollow it, and how to make fire (he failed on his first night, but eventually became a pro after learning from a farmer he encountered). He eats fish he caught by his self-made rod, and learns to season it from plants or roots he forages from the forest. Sam also knows how to set traps for small animals like rabbits. But his ingenious idea came to him after watching a falcon flew on the sky. He stole a young Falcon from the nest (the mother certainly couldn't count!), and trained it to hunt food - very clever!

🌳 One of the setbacks of living alone in the wild is loneliness. Well, Sam is never very lonely. He has Frightful's - the falcon - company, but he also befriends a weasel he nicknamed the Baron. Well, it's not really Sam's pet like Frightful, but the three creatures live side by side in harmony. Sam's 'biggest' threat is rather from human being, than the animals or the weather. From campers (during summer) and hunters, to old ladies picking wild strawberries, who told reporters about the wild boy living in the forest. But the one he did make friend with is a man whom he nicknamed Bando, as he first thought him a bandit, but actually a schoolteacher who'd been lost. Funnily enough, this man - Bando - nicknamed Sam as Thoreau; what an appropriate name! I loved their friendship and everything they are doing together.

🌳 On the whole, it is delightful adventure story; informative, funny, refreshing, and insightful. The most hilarious part for me is perhaps when Sam decided to throw a Halloween party for the forest's inhabitants. He collects foods and placed them neatly around the tree. It was thrilled to see the animals' joyful gathering that night. However, at sunrise the morning after, Sam found that the party isn't over! The animals, no doubt ran out of food, ransacked Sam's inventory for the upcoming winter. And they made a whole mess in his tree house. It seems that all party is always the same, whether with human or animal guests - you inevitably found such mess the morning after. Human guests are slightly better because they know when the party is over, but the animals just didn't know when to stop!!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Books from Two Women Writers New to Me: Mini Reviews

Cold Sassy Tree (1984) by Olive Ann Burns

🧡 Set in the early of 20th century of Southern America, here is a remarkably vivid story of a small rural village in Georgia, named after some iconic sassafras tree that shaded the village during hot summer days: Cold Sassy Tree. It's told from the POV of Will Tweedy, fourteen years old when the story begins. His Grandma had just been dead for three weeks when Grandpa E. Rucker Blakeslee announced that he is going to marry the young milliner who's been working at his store: Miss Love Simpson. The news shook both family and the village, like never before - the scandal, and the sheer audacity of it. Amidst all the turbulences, Will Tweedy learned substantial things, while growing up into adolescence. 

🧡 This is a wonderfully crafted story, vividly portraying the gossips and prejudices of rural villagers. I liked the heterogeneous characters; they are who drive the story. It tackles the theme of family, women's struggles, death, and religion. It is humorous, witty, and near the end, poignant and full of wisdom.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tea Is So Intoxicating (1950) by Mary Essex

☕ Germayne freed herself from what she felt as a boring marriage with a man called Digby, leaving her daughter, and ran away with her lover David Tompkins. They settled in a cottage in a small Kentish village called Wellhurst. David is the dreamy kind of chap. Right then his dream was to open a tea house; having worked at a tea house himself, though only as a bookkeeper. Although he didn't posses skill and experience, neither as cook nor businessman, David insisted that he's sure to make the tea house, aimed to cater weekend hiker and daily tourist, successful. The village's negative reaction and gossips doomed the tea house to be a failure from the start, not mentioning the Tompkins' lack of ability. And to add complication, entered an Italian flirtatious cake-cook that David hired, over whose furtive winks some men completely lost their heads.

☕ This is my first of Mary Essex - pseudonym of Ursula Bloom - and I liked her style. It's a satire without being too blatant; it's funny, though quite subtle. Based on this book only, I'll place her between Barbara Pym, Nancy Mitford, and PG Wodehouse. I know those are three different poles, but if you could draw three lines from them to one center point, that's where you'll find Mary Essex. A very entertaining and refreshing book!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Bud, Not Buddy (1999) by Christopher Paul Curtis

🔵 Bud Caldwell was named Bud by her mother, and before she died, she thought him to not let anyone call him Buddy. From this only, I could imagine that Bud was brought up finely by his single parent, despite of being poor. But where was Bud's father? We could only guess from Bud's point of view, of which this story was written, that he had left his wife and son on the lurch - a fact that his mother was often angry of.

🔵 Another stuff that his mother left Bud before she died was some posters of a band, her portrait, and some pebbles with dates scribbled on it. All these, and a blanket, were all of Bud's treasured belongings, put inside a worn suitcase, which he always carries with him wherever he goes.

🔵 Bud had stayed in an orphanage, then in a foster home, where he was showered by injustices, that he had had enough. Her mother also taught him that 'when one door is closed, another will open'. Bud didn't understand at first about this closing and opening of doors - he's just a ten years old boy anyway. But now that he's thirteen he began to understand. It's like when he had had enough being bullied at the foster home, that he ran away. That was closing of one door, and sure enough another door was immediately opened.

🔵 One more thing that Bud began to realize, is that the man playing saxophone in the band posters, was definitely his father - though he couldn't understand why her mother was always angry when she saw those posters (but we knew, of course). And now Bud is sure that he must find his estranged father. Can he? Is his father still a musician? And if - big if - Bud could find him, the bigger question is, would he accept Bud as his son?

🔵 I loved this book. Its strongest attraction is Bud's personality, which was built finely with love and dignity by his late mother. He's an intelligent, optimistic and funny lad, and quite self-sufficient too - no doubt due to his mother's undivided love and trust. What a simple, tender, and satisfying read it has been, set in Michigan in the 1930s during Great Depression.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967) by E.L. Konigsburg

👼 Claudia Kinkaid was restless and yearned for something exciting happening to her, beyond being an obedient eldest daughter taking care of her brothers. So, she ran away. But it's not an impulsive one like any kids used to do. She planned it carefully for weeks; from the financial side (she saved her daily money, skipping Sunday's fudge), to the practical side like where she'd stay in hiding (Metropolitan of Arts Museum - a genius choice, isn't it?), and how to hide clothes she'd need to bring unnoticed, and many little details.

👼 Lastly she carefully chose which brother she'd choose to be her partner-in-crime: Jamie. He's the 'wealthiest' of them all for one thing. And he's the craftier too. So off they went for the carefully planned runaway adventure. No one suspected them, and for a few days they lived 'comfortably' at the Museum. Claudia has thought all the tricks, while Jamie's only task was as a treasurer.

👼 Then they saw a marble statue called Angel, which is believed to be made by Michelangelo, but no one had the proof. The museum bought it cheaply from an art collector, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Since they practically lived in the museum, Claudia and Jamie accidentally found a clue to the true maker. Will Claudia be a heroine who found the clue to Michelangelo's unknown masterpiece? Will she come home a different Claudia than the one who ran away? Because that's the whole point of running away, isn't it?

👼 I loved this book. Not only adventurous, it's also educative. Who wouldn't be thrilled to live in an art museum - free to roam around and look at one's favorite art at leisure without being jostled here and there by the crowd? Most interestingly, the story is told as letters and files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to her lawyer. We know this from the start, and it creates a bit of mystery how she would meet the Kinkaid children. All in all, it's a cheerful and funny middle grade story, a wonderful read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Maud Martha (1953) by Gwendolyn Brooks #NovNov24

🔸️The titular Maud Martha is an African-American girl lives in Chicago in the 1920s And through this novella we follow her life, her views from little girl to adulthood. It feels like reading a personal memoir, with vignettes of seemingly unimportant everyday life. It is from the character, personal struggles, and the glimpse of the outer world, that we are able to form an idea of what was really happening.

🔸️ Maud Martha was born from a respectable parents, and was brought up with her sister Helen and her brother Harry From childhood she felt insignificant and always came after the others. Her father, for example, loved her sister Helen more than her. She realized also that the color of one's skin determine one's quality of life. Helen is always more liked than her because of her lighter skin. The same with her husband, who was much lighter than Maud Martha. He even enjoyed a semi-normal social circle when he attended these events alone. The darker your skin color is, the more marginalized you are.

🔸️ During her childhood, Maud Martha and her family almost lost their house, and it left a deep impression in her. After she's married, Maud Martha dreamed of having a proper house, but what they ended up was a kitchenette (only a little above a studio apartment?) These seemingly unimportant vignettes brought us to understand the extend of what African-Americans at that time must endure.

🔸️ As a story, it lacks a plot and cohesion. The charm lays in the writing. Gwendolyn Brooks is a Pulitzer winning author, and it is her poetic prose that lent this otherwise monotonous novella its sharp tone and impeccable beauty. One more thing: it is one of the books which, I think, is best enjoyed in audio version.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/5

Read for:

Novellas in November 2024

hosted by Cathy @ 746 Books & Rebecca @ Bookish Beck

Where Are You Now? (2008) by Mary Higgins Clark

📞 Ten years ago "Mack" Mackenzie walked out of his apartment without a word and has never been seen again. However, on every Mother's Day after that, there's been always a short phone call from Mack to his mother, saying that he's OK. Before anyone receiving the call has time to ask anything, however, he'd ring off. Thus, his family "accepted" that Mack is alright; he just wants to be left alone.

📞 On the tenth Mother's Day after he's been missing, however, his little sister Caroline couldn't take it anymore. She shouted over the phone that she will search and find Mack no matter what. After that, a piece of paper was found inside the collection bag at a church. It's a message to Caroline from Mack, to leave him alone. She brought this evidence to the police, but the detective in charge wasn't interested.

📞 When a girl called Lissie Andrew was missing after leaving a bar alone at night, the same detective found out that Caroline lives at the same apartment building with her, and suspected that there's probably a connection somehow of these two missing cases. The police then connected Lissie's case with other missing cases of young girls, one of them only days after Mack had gone missing ten years ago. Did Mack has something to do with the crime, then? When the police suspected him, Caroline is determined now more than ever, to seek the truth and to clear her brother's name.

📞 This is my second Mary Higgins Clark of the year - the first was Pretend You Don't See Her, which I liked. Where Are You Now? might not as fascinating as Pretend You Don't See Her, but it's equally highly entertaining. I can see similarity in tropes from both novels. The main characters are young women. There are always a long list of suspects. They are usually connected to one another or are acquainted with the heroine, either relatives or professional acquaintances. I guess these connections enabled the author to throw curfews and red herrings on the plot. I have no complain, because that is what makes a good suspense novel, doesn't it? Needless to say, I was enjoying this much. Same as the first read, I have also listened to the audiobook. I found it both soothing and exciting at the same time, which was what I've needed after a tedious time.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Under the Tonto Rim (1925) by Zane Grey

🌳 Lucy Watson is a welfare worker who was assigned by the government to teach home and social skills to the mountainous backwoods families in the forest under the Rim Rock in South West. A city girl, Lucy is an orphan, and a sister is all she has in the world. Her rebellious sister Clara had eloped with a young man years before. Now all alone in the world, Lucy is determined to impart household skills and social etiquette the these simple backwoods people, to make their lives better. Would she be able to achieve her ambition?

🌳 Lucy's first obstacle is the backwoods young men - the wild and rugged of them - or so people, with whom she met before arriving at her destination, warned her. They predicted that one of them would soon marry Lucy before she finishes her job, just like few teachers before her. The young men's leader seems to be Edd Denmeade, the elder of the Denmeades' offspring, in whose family Lucy would work first. This adds to Lucy's apprehension.

🌳 This is neither a pure western world with gunshots and actions, nor adventure novel I've expected it to be. Rather, it's a romance, glorifying the power of nature and love. Lucy soon discovers, that when her 'pupils' have benefited from her guidance, she, too, has gained a lot more. First, that these people, some of them at least, show higher moral standard than city people. Second, Lucy learns the strength and comfort from the forest - its tree, its streams, its foliage and bush.

"She [Lucy] found out presently, that going into the forest was a source of comfort. When there seemed no comfort she went to the lonely solitude of trees and bush, of green coverts and fragrant wild dolls, and always she was soothed, sustained. She could not understand why, but it was so. She began to prolong the hours spent in the woods, under a looming canyon wall, or beside a densely foliaged gorge from which floated up the drowsy murmur of stream. All that the wild forest land consisted of passed into her innermost being."

🌳 You might imagine this book is a bit boring. It is not. Especially when Clara, the "lost" sister sent an appeal to come and live with Lucy. She comes in pale and dejected condition, but the woods and it's simple backwoods people soon mend her health, both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, the dark past follows her even into the woods, and its consequences is about to change her, Lucy, and the Denmeades' lives forever.

🌳 I was completely charmed by Grey's comforting prose and his minute description of the woods and nature elements. I felt like I was in the deep of woods with Lucy, every senses in me quiver with excitement as I experienced everything myself. If you ever need to escape in a book, this one will satisfy you!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

#CCSpin: Stormy, Misty's Foal (1963) by Marguerite Henry

🐴 First of all, my initial #CCSpin #37 book, that is no. 8 of my list, was The Duchess of Bloombury Street. However, upon checking my Google Playbook - which is one of the sources for my readings nowadays - I found out that, alas, 'this item isn't available in your country'. That was annoying, because I had wanted to read that book, and now, apparently, I can't. Well, until it's available again (will they?) I can't read it! Anyway, as I couldn't get hold of the book, I switched to no. 9: Stormy, Misty's Foal, which proved to be a success! 

🐴 Based on historical real-life story of equine and human characters, Stormy, Misty's Foal is a children novel (third of a series) set in Chincoteague island in Virginia (now made famous by this series). The nearest island is Assateague, which is famous for its wild ponies.

🐴 The Beebes are the owner of Beebe Ranch, the family consisted of Mr. Beebe and his wife, who lived there with Paul and Maureen, their grandchildren. Paul and Maureen, aged around thirteen, own a horse called Misty, which was foaled from wild horses in Assateague (its story was told in the first book).

🐴 Misty was now close to foaling, but what made the family more anxious is the beginning of storm that hit their land with hurricane and floods. It was a prelude of the famous Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, one of ten most disastrous storms in the US history of 20th century. The Beebes must evacuate from their beloved ranch by helicopter, but they could neither bring Misty with them nor leave her alone in the stable. So, they put her in the kitchen with enough hay for the time being, then left their house.

🐴 Most of the story was about the struggles of the Chincoteaguers in dealing with the disaster. Through these vignettes we are brought to see how humanity triumphed over devastation. Their heroic salvation of their fellow human beings run parallel with their indefatigable efforts to save the animals from perish.

🐴 Reading my review you would think this is a bleak story; but it's not. There are the sense of hope and triumph throughout the story, sprinkled with humour and kindness, that will warm you heart. If you love horses, then this story would doubly entertain you. It's a satisfying feeling when a horse delivers its foal safely onto the world, right? (this is not a spoiler, as the title had hinted it) All in all, this was a wonderful reading for me, I loved every moment of it!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Behind a Mask: or, A Woman's Power by Louisa May Alcott: An Audiobook Review #NovNov23

🎭 Who would have thought that years after reading Little Women (which I found flat and too stereotypical), I would be fascinated by Louisa Alcott's writing? And yet, here I am, surprised at finding such a brilliant novella I had no idea she's ever written!

🎭 Behind a Mask or A Woman's Power is one of Blood and Thunder Tales, a thriller series, which Alcott had written years before Little Women. The first of these was a novelette titled Pauline's Passion and Punishment which she wrote while in financial straits. After she entered it in a competition, and won the prize, Alcott published it anonymously under the name of A. M. Barnard.

🎭 Behind a Mask told the story of Jane Muir, a deceitful governess who came to join the wealthy Coventry family, to guide the 14 year-old Bella Coventry. The household consists of Mrs. Coventry (Bella's mother), Gerald (oldest son - an idle gentleman), Edward (youngest son - the romantic young man), and Lucia Beaufort (a cousin who loves Gerald, and regarded as his wife-to-be). There's also Sir John Coventry, uncle to the children, who lives near their house.

🎭 Jane Muir arrived as a shy, demure, polite young woman of 19, who had been persecuted by endless marriage proposals of her former employer, a guy called Sidney, who happened to be Gerald's acquaintance. But right after she was alone in her bedroom at the first night, we saw immediately that she was actually a thirty years old actress, who was in disguise with wig and fake teeth.

🎭 Mrs. Coventry and Bella were instantly charmed by Miss Muir, while Edward fell head over heels for her. Sir John also gradually found comfort in this girl's company. Only Gerald and Lucia who were suspicious. Thus, it was amusing to watch how Miss Muir gradually won over the family's heart. Even the skeptic Gerald was soon infatuated by her, after she confessed that she'd actually come from a respectable family, and an equal to her employer. Jane's enemies are now Lucia - who's watching her lover slowly slipped away from her, and Lucia's faithful maid.

🎭 Jane's aim was certainly to marry one of the men, to be a Coventry; but the question is, which one? To succeed she must act quickly before the truth overcome her plot, otherwise she would be ruined - penniless and homeless. Will she succeed? Moreover, will this story make her a heroine - a lower class woman's ambition to secure a better life, or will it be 'truth will win over evil' - a condemnation of ambitious female sex in 19th century a la Thomas Hardy?

🎭 I loved everything about this novella! It's like watching a genius actress performing her act, live. Alcott's narrative described Jane Muir's gestures in little details - her sighs, drooping eyelids, her tremble, voice modulation, hand on the heart - everything is perfect. She performed each in the right time, with right amount, to create the right effect. It's so satisfying to read and follow her actions. I know she's deceitful, but I can't help wishing her successful, and the suspense was delicious right to the end.

🎭 Needless to say, this was one of the best novellas I've ever read. No matter what people call this kind of story - a thriller? a sensation novel? - it works for me. What an satisfying read of a brilliant writing! Or should I say 'a satisfying listening', because its was the audiobook version which I've enjoyed for this novella - and it was superbly performed (as usual) by B.J. Harrison. He was such a brilliant performer - not only narrator. He gave each character a perfect modulation in speech, and gave this sensation novella a credit by making it 'live'.

Rating: 5 / 5

This book counts for:

Novellas in November 2023
hosted by Cathy @ 746 Books and Rebecca @ Bookish Beck

Betsy-Tacy (1940) by Maud Hart Lovelace #NovNov23

👭 My third novella for #NovNov23 is a children semi-autobiographical novel from Maud Hart Lovelace, depicting a little girl called Betsy Ray and her best friend Tacy Kelly. This book is the first of the series, beginning when Betsy was five years old.

👭 Betsy is an imaginative, precocious child who loves to tell stories. Unfortunately there isn't any little girl her age nearby to whom she can tell them. Therefore, when the Kellys moved in across the street one day, she's so joyful to find out that there's this thin girl of her age. Her name's Tacy - short of Anastasia - and she is bashful.

👭 Reading this book felt like following the two little girls around doing delightful little things. Like bringing your lunch out to have a picnic under the tree, or making a playhouse out of a piano box. There're also the more playful and adventurous activities like creating multi colored sand in glass bottles, then sell them to their friends and neighbors. I loved how the elderly neighbor, not only did she bought it properly, she displayed it proudly on her drawing room. This made the girls so happy when they were 'making call' to the lady. Yes, the girls also played making calls, complete with borrowed clothing items from their mothers. Mrs. Ray even given some of her calling cards!

👭 But it's not all. Like I've mentioned above, Betsy is imaginative. So when the girls are getting bored, they play by Betsy's imagination. An old dog cart could make them travel to big city, and a pair of feather could make them fly.

👭 All in all, this was a lovely, playful read. The different characters of Betsy and Tacy made them perfect for each other. I loved the adults here - especially Betsy's mother. The neighbors and the schoolteacher were also amiable people who were never condescending towards the girls.

👭 I loved also the picturesque landscape of Hill Street, which Lovelace portrayed so vividly and beautifully. I listened this story from audiobook, narrated quite nicely by Sutton Foster - at least she doesn't high-pitch her voice when the scene is excited. This is the kind of book that makes you warm and happy; not overjoyed, but like sunshine that warms you through and would make you believe that it is good to be alive anyway, despite everything else.

Rating: 4 / 5

This book counts for:

Novellas in November 2023 #NovNov23