#MurderEveryMonday: Cover with Painting Equipment

Murder Every Monday was created by Kate @ Crossexamining Crime and @ArmchairSleuth. Put simply, the plan is for readers to take a photo of a crime fiction book (novel or short story collection) which meets a given week’s theme criteria and to then share it online, using the hashtag #MurderEveryMonday.

This week's theme is:

Cover with an artist/painting equipment on

I've found four books from three queens from Golden Age era which have paintings on the covers. I've only read one, though, Five Little Pigs, which was fantastic. Here's my review .

Have your read any of them? Which cover(s) do you like most?

If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme

Six Degrees of Separation, from Western Lane to The Unfinished Clue

Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly meme, now hosted by Kate @ books are my favorite and best.

On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

This month we start from yet another book I haven't read:


0. Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

A coming-of-age novel about an eleven-year-old girl who was shaped by her father to be a sport machine.

"Eleven-year-old Gopi has been playing squash since she was old enough to hold a racket. When her mother dies, her father enlists her in a quietly brutal training regimen, and the game becomes her world. Slowly, she grows apart from her sisters. Her life is reduced to the sport, guided by its the serve, the volley, the drive, the shot and its echo.

But on the court, she is not alone. She is with her pa. She is with Ged, a thirteen-year-old boy with his own formidable talent. She is with the players who have come before her. She is in awe.

An indelible coming-of-age story, Chetna Maroo’s first novel captures the ordinary and annihilates it with beauty. Western Lane is a valentine to innocence, to the closeness of sisterhood, to the strange ways we come to know ourselves and each other." ~Goodreads

The main character has lost her mother, and that would be the link to my first chain, a girl whose mother has just passed away in a book I've read very recently:

1. The Weather at Tregulla by Stella Gibbons

My review

Una Beaumont lost her chance of studying acting in London after her mother's death, and she saw her chance of freedom in a self-centered painter who regards his painting above anything else.

This reminded me of another book with a self-centered painter I've read lately:

2. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

My review

Hercule Poirot investigates a murder which happened sixteen years ago. He classified the five suspects as five little Pigs, following a nursery rhyme.

Agatha Christie loved to title her books with nursery rhymes. Another of these is one of her famous books:

3. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

My review

And Then There Were None was originally published as Ten Little Indians, and the order of the murders were also following the nursery rhyme. I read it in junior high school and it was the first book I've read set in Devon.

Another Golden Age murder mystery set in Devon:

4. Murder in the Mill Race by E.C.R. Lorac

My review

A quiet little village was disturbed by the murder of its prominent figure, Sister Monica, whose body was found drowning near the mill.

The mill here instantly reminded me of another book, also with 'the mill' in the title:

5. The Mill in the Floss by George Eliot

My review

I read this book many years ago, so I had to read my own review to find any thing to link with the next chain. And I got it! There's a minor character in this story called Stephen Guest. And that reminds me of another Stephen Guest on another book I've read recently:

6. The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer

My review 

It's a perfect Golden Age detective story with a charming detective, wonderful plot with surprising twist,  proportionate writing with decent pace, a tinge of efficient romance, pleasant and believable characters, set in an English countryside.


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

Operation: Happy by Jenni L. Walsh

Thanks to Zonderkidz-Books and NetGalley for providing me review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🐕 Happy is a big fluffy sentry dog - a German shepherd-collie-husky mix. And this is a story about an American Naval family. The year is December 1941, the main setting is Pearl Harbour. You know what will happen, but if you imagine this would be a heartwrenching story about dog in WW2, relax, because the author has guaranteed through her opening credit:

For dog lovers everywhere.
(Don't worry, Happy is going to be okay.)

Are we okay? Can I go on, then? 😀

🐕 I have mentioned that Happy is a sentry dog, but when his holder is retired, he has a new owner: a twelve year old girl called Jody. Happy's eyesight is weakening, while she's approaching her golden years. Jody is used to live from place to place, according to where her naval officer father was ordered to go. And amidst all the confusion and unsettling feeling of the ever changing circumstances, Happy is, for Jody, her solid rock, the stability she longs for.

🐕 The book opens with the Zuber family (Dad, Mom, Jody, and her older sister Peggy) and Happy on board a ship towards their new abode in US Naval base at Ford Island, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The fast changing environment causes Jody to feel a little shy and nervous. But she is a resourceful and optimistic girl. To overcome it, she has started a best-of-list for every place she had lived in. Right now she's starting Fort Island list. The list starts sunny and cheerful, but Jody also notices her mother's growing nervousness.

🐕 The first sign that WW2 is touching America is when the siren began to wail. Then air raids and hiding in the bunker became almost a routine, until the Pearl Harbour attack. It was during these terrifying moments that Jody's character shines through. Her father judged her correctly by making Jody the leader of Team Zuber, while he's fighting for the country. Happy is constantly on guard during these attacks, he knows the way to the bunker, and always make sure that his girl, and Pebby, and Mom are save.

Happy doesn't leave my side. He's like a second skin. I don't mind. He's my constant, always there. My number one.

Jody is also starting another list during these moments, trying to have what fun she can amidst the gloomy circumstances.

🐕 After Pearl Harbor attack, Jody, Peggy, and Mom must leave Fort Island, and stay in an apartment in San Fransisco, while Dad is staying behind. While Happy thinks they are finally safe now without air raids and what not, some events unfold before him, that Happy knows he needs still to keep on duty. Mom is having a nervous breakdown, she becomes lethargic, can't do anything, can't make any decision, and sometimes seems to be oblivious of her surroundings. Jody and Peggy are never sure which Mom will they see when they're coming home from school, the Sad Mom or the Old Mom?

🐕 During these moments, Jody takes charge and do in her utmost to ensure they live as normally as possible. The 'attack' on Peggy by a man at their apartment hall, forces Jody to take responsibility as an adult. Can she lead Team Zuber to safety until Dad's return? And what will she do to ensure she's having happy moments with Happy while they still have time?

🐕 I love everything about this book. It's alternately funny and heartwarming, sad and cheerful. Sometimes the story is told from Happy's point of view, and these are my favorite. Happy's eyesight might be weak, but not his nose. He can smell Jody's nervousness - it smells bitter like broccoli - and her smile smells like vanilla. And of course, I love Jody. She's brave and resilient, and I admire her for taking adult responsibility almost without a flinch, and always humble on taking compliments.

🐕 All in all, it's a lovely, heartwarming coming-of-age historical fiction about a dog and his girl's hopeful and courageous journey during one of the darkest moments in history. I read at Jenni Walsh' website that this story was actually inspired by real-life experiences of a young Pearl Harbor survivor. This story also inspired me for creating a bucket list with my eighty-two-year mother, who, like Happy, is having a weakening eyesight. And like what Jody did, to and with, Happy, my mother and I will do things together that will make, her especially, happy, while we still have time!

Rating: 5 / 5

**Operation: Happy will be published on 2nd April 2024.

The Cryptid Files: Loch Ness by Jean Flitcroft #WitchWeek23 #NovNov23

🦕 It's been four years since Vanessa's mother died, and unlike her twin brothers Luke and Ronan, who's getting on with life nicely, Vanessa's heart is still gripped with anger and grief she's unable to cope with. Her father's growing intimacy with his girlfriend Lee doesn't make it any easier. Now her father's proposing a family holiday in Scotland, which Vanessa would've accepted gratefully, if his father hadn't mentioned that Lee is coming too. Not only coming along, she realized later on that they are staying at her house! What a preposterous idea!

🦕 On the other hand, visiting Scotland would be exciting for the twelve year old Vanessa. She might be able to complete her mother's search about Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. Like her late mother, Vanessa is fascinated with this Cryptid creature. She has even met Nessie in her dream when she's fainted near the bank of the loch.

🦕 When she's taking the boat to the loch alone (her father and Lee, who had promised to take her, don't show up), the boat overturned, and Vanessa is drowning into the deep dark water. When she's awake, she finds herself lying in a sort of cave. Inside her head she hears a soothing voice telling her to scrape moss from the wall under the cave, and eat it! Strange as it is, Vanessa eats the moss anyway, and just like the voice said, it makes her stronger, and enable her to swim deep in the water without breathing air: "Swim down deep enough and you'll find me" said the voice. And she swims on.

"She was aware now of a large shape glowing at a distance beyond her.... A huge object moved slowly towards her.... As it approached her, the glow grew more intense and the water warmer... She found herself face to face with large real-life eyes, only a couple of inches away from her. [...] 'Put your arms around my neck and I'll show you my Loch.'"

🦕 Vanessa did as she's told, and with that, a strange unlikely friendship between two creatures is cemented. Like Vanessa, Nessie had lost her mother when they came through the lock-gate many years ago. They were stuck, and couldn't come out to the sea. Nessie's mother crushed by boat when they swam under it while the water got shallow. That is what draws them together - that, and the fact that Vanessa believes in Nessie. And that believe, in turn, saved her from death. But how about returning up the land, back to her family? Could Nessie help Vanessa one more time?

🦕 This was unexpectedly a poignant and heartwarming novella. I have just lost my father three months ago, and I can imagine how hard it would have been for a twelve year old girl to cope with losing her mother. The safety and comfort of having a mother is too acute for teenage girl at that age. Though it is a fantasy story, I'm so relieved that Vanessa found Nessie's presence soothing. It might not replace a mother's love, but at least it might soothe her wounded heart a little. From then on Vanessa would be able to accept the lost of her mother, but from time to time she might perhaps relapse into sadness when something reminds her of her mother. Well, at least that's what I've been having with my late father...

🦕 I loved how each chapter starts with snippets of articles about Nessie's history and sightings. It helps elevating Nessie into the spotlight. Unlike some stories where Nessie are indicated in titles or subtitles only but her role is insignificant, this story keeps a nice balance between the humans and monster. Nessie here isn't a cute childish creature, but graceful and elusive, worthy of its legendary status.

🦕 On the whole, it is a middle grade fantasy that also touches a sensitive issue of grief, told poignantly to remind us about the true value of love, family, and friendship. It is short but wholesome, fantastic but down to earth.

Favorite quotes:

   "Life without adventure is no life at all."

   "There's nothing like imagination to get you through life."

Rating: 5 / 5

I read this book for:

Witch Week 2023 (Cryptozoo)

hosted by Chris @ Calmgrove & Lizzie @ Lizzie Ross

Novellas in November 2023

hosted by Cathy @ 746 Books & Rebecca @ Bookish Beck

The Spirit Murder Mystery (1936) by Robin Forsythe #RIPXVIII

👻 Eileen Thurlow is what you would've called in 1930s as a spiritualist. She is an ardent supporter of spiritualism, and is learning to become a medium. She persuaded her uncle to do a séance to prove her theory that a faint music she had been hearing lately wasn't of this earth. Skeptical at first, John Thurlow eventually agreed. And he did hear a faint organ playing! He checked outside, the sound wasn't heard anymore.

👻 Still curious, John Thurlow decided that night to investigate the source of the organ sound, bringing his pistol for precaution. The next day he was nowhere to be found. Few days later his dead body was found on an empty corner, together with the body of another man who had been missing several days before. John's head was smashed with a heavy tool, while the other man was shot. The other man was known to have been jealous when his girl got intimate with John Thurlow. So, were they killed each other in an amorous duel?

👻 Algernon Vereker, a painter slash amateur sleuth, is sojourning in the same village. And he wastes no time to investigate alongside Inspector Heather, with whom, a sort of sporting competition is running. Can he beat his rival this time?

👻 This turn out to be highly entertaining. Séance, a mysterious music, even an apparition in the room where Algernon is alone, made this a perfect Halloween read. The crime itself is ingeniously crafted, I think. Because there are two murders at the same time. If John had shot the other man first, the man couldn't have been able to smash John's head after that. And vise versa, it's impossible for John to shoot the other man after his head was smashed.

👻 The solution is well thought and unexpected. The how, in this case, is the more interesting question than the whodunnit. After my second read of Antony (Algernon) Vereker's mystery, I admire Vereker's wonderful deducting ability. Similar to Christie's Hercule Poirot, Vereker doesn't do the detection alone. He gathers his facts through the helps of his easy-going womanizer friend Manuel Ricardo (Ricky) - with whom he enjoys some funny, witty banters - and his rival Inspector Heather (yes, they exchange facts during the investigation). And like Poirot, Vereker's strong point is, what Poirot used to say, his grey cells.

👻 All in all, this is a highly entertaining mystery. Eerie atmosphere: checked. Suspenseful actions: checked. Difficult mystery solving: checked. End result: a superb read!

Rating: 4 / 5

This is the 5th book of the series, re-published by Dean Street Press, and I read this for:

#RIPXVIII

British Crime Classics Challenge 2023

For Bingo Card: Spooky Mystery
For Monthly Theme: Spooky Mysteries

Six Books Saturday #3: Bookish Books to Read Next Year

#SixBooksSaturday is my personal monthly bookish meme, inspired by Six Words Saturday, which I've stumbled upon Travel with Intent. It's basically to list six books of random category, which I'd decided on the spot. Anything is possible according to my whim. I post Six Books Saturday on last Saturday of each month. If you're interested, you are, of course, welcomed to join me. There's no rule, really. You can post six anything about books. 

This time around, I usually begin to make plans for the next year - reading wise. I've been having a soft spot for feel-good books-about-books lately, and so, that is theme I explore today:

Six Books-About-Books I Want to Read Next Year

What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Have you read any of them? Or do you have more suggestions for other equally good books with similar theme?

Next Six Books Saturday: 25th November 2023.

Blogger-Inspired Wishlist, Ep. 10: #1962Club

Blogger-Inspired Wishlist is a feature where I post recent additions to my wish list, which had been inspired by reviews from my fellow bloggers. It includes some synopsis, as well as some excerpts of the review which have intrigued me, complete with a link to the blogger's original post. 

This episode is rather special. Last week I've had fun with #1962Club hosted by Simon and Karen. Not only I got to read three new-to-me authors, I have also found a lot of interesting books, read and reviewed by fellow participants. And today's episode is all about those books I'm adding to my wishlist, inspired by those amazing reviews!

Unlawful Occasions by Henry Cecil

Inspired by Mallika @ Literary Potpourri 

Synopsis:
Mrs Vernay and her husband live in a flat above the Chambers of Brian Culsworth Q.C. in the Temple. One day Mrs Vernay receives a visit from a Mr Sampson and she gets the impression that he is a blackmailer. She then immediately seeks advice from Mr Culsworth in his chambers below. Mr Culsworth's client, a Mr Baker is bringing an action to recover his share on a win on the pools. The story of these people becomes inextricably linked in a brilliant novel of suspense and humour.

From Mallika's review:
"The answers to all these questions and the predicaments of the various characters provide the element of suspense in the book and keep one engaged and reading (and indeed guessing) right till the end. There is a fair bit of humour (wry humour) as we do this, mostly in Mr Baker’s thread, and many instances find the reader at least smiling even if not laughing out loud."

Birds (Poems) by Judith Wright

Inspired by Brona @ This Reading Life 

From Brona's review:
"Birds is Wright’s personal, reflective collection that evokes a similar response upon her readers. We all have our own experiences and memories of certain birds that these poems bring to life. By capturing such precise details and describing the mannerisms of each bird, Wright allows the reader to bring to mind the birds that they know intimately, finding their own connection through her words."

The Twelve and the Genii by Pauline Clarke

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

Synopsis:
Max discovers that the wooden soldiers which once belonged to the Brontes are alive and determined to return home.

From Liz's review:
"Where nowadays we’d read of social media posts, in this fine book we’re treated to a brisk debate in the local paper’s letters pages about whether they are the soldiers and where they should go, and when Philip gets involved and sends off to let an American academic know, the peril increases. The whole village gets a sort of collective excitement about it all, with many of the inhabitants longing to see what there’s rumoured to be seen, not all for financial gain."

Hand in Glove by Ngaio Marsh

Inspired by Reese @ Typings 

Synopsis:
The April Fool's Day had been a roaring success for all, it seemed - except for poor Mr Cartell who had ended up in the ditch - for ever. Then there was the case of Mr Percival Pyke Period's letter of condolence, sent before the body was found - not to mention the family squabbles. It was a puzzling crime for Superintendent Alleyn.

From Reese's review:
"Though not her best, still a pretty strong entry in the series, I thought. I find her later ones a bit weaker as a rule, but this was amusing, and the obfuscation worked on me--I'd picked the wrong person for the murderer."

Mine for Keeps by Jean Little

Inspired by CLM @ Staircase Wit 

Synopsis:
Away at school, Sally Copeland has always dreamed of going home, but now that she’s there, she feels frightened and unsure of herself. Will her brother and sister accept her? Will she be able to do things for herself? And what will it be like to go to a regular school and be the only one with cerebral palsy?

From CLM's review:
"Mine for Keeps was Little’s first book and immediately established her as a talented children’s author, skilled at depicting young people with disabilities or other issues without sentimentality.  However, they weren't "problem books" per se because her characters were so universal. Mine for Keeps reflects her own experience transitioning from classes for the visually impaired to a mainstream school at about the same age as Sal."

The Wells of St. Mary’s by R C Sherriff

Inspired by Ali @ Heavenali 

Synopsis:
The trouble began when Lord Colindale, millionaire newspaper-owner and ‘strong man’ of British politics, came down for a week-end to Colonel Joyce’s country house. For a year Colindale had been forced out of public life by crippling rheumatism which neither the specialists nor the watering-places of Europe had been able to alleviate. By chance they had visited the Wells of St Mary’s , once famed for their cures, now derelict on Joyce’s land. At Henry Hodder’s insistence Lord Colindale had drunk the flat, metallic water.
When it was announced in the newspapers that Colindale had been cured by the waters and Colonel Joyce had given the well to the town, there was no limit to the exploitation which the people, under Jim Blundell the mayor, could envisage. But Henry, who had come to regard the well as his own, knew the secret of its healing power. All set to put money in his purse, he waited until the Casino was half-built before demanding his share of the profits – as the price of silence.

From Ali's review:
"Although there is a murder in this novel it is not a crime novel – it has the pace of a thriller in parts but is also really quite funny. The committee is wonderfully portrayed – and various moral conundrums brilliantly explored. This was a real treat."

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

Inspired by Rosemary @ Scones and Chaises Lounges 

Synopsis:
Young, beautiful, and adventurous Nicola Ferris loves her life as a secretary at the British Embassy on the lush island of Crete. Then on her day off, she links up with two hiking companions who have inadvertently stumbledupon a scene of blood vengeance. And suddenly the life Nicola adores is in danger of coming to an abrupt, brutal, and terrifying end . .

*Actually, this book didn't impressed Rosemary much, but somehow, something tells me I might find it quite entertaining. So, I'll give it a try!

Apple Bough by Noel Streatfeild

Inspired by Gareth @ Somewhere Boy 

Synopsis:
The Forums are a musical family, and one child, Sebastian, shines out as a prodigy. He is a brilliant violinist and when his talent is recognised, he is wanted the world over. Myra, Wolfgang (named after Mozart) and Ettie thought it was wonderful at first, but after four years of touring the world with their brilliant brother they've changed their minds. Now, what they long for, is a home of their own, not a hotel in Vienna or Venice or Moscow.
But to their mother and father, a life of travel is exciting - all any child could want. How can the children make the grown-ups see sense?
Myra makes a plan - 'Operation Home' - and is determined to make it succeed.

From Gareth's review:
"A tiny part of the appeal of The Growing Summer was that it centred around four children with the bizarre surname of Gareth, which made it special to me. Apple Bough is about four children with the no less bizarre surname of Forum. 
...If it seems unusual to name a book after a house that’s hardly ever glimpsed, it seems less so as you come to realise how closely the children’s dreams of stability are bound with the memory of their old house. Apple Bough is not just their home, it’s an emblem of home."


Have you read any of them? Spotted one or two of your favorites?