Vittoria Cottage (1949) by D.E. Stevenson #DeanStreetDecember

💚 In this quiet domestic post-war novel, we get acquainted with Caroline Dering, a forty something widow who lives in a rural village of Ashbridge, and the owner of the titular Vittoria Cottage. She is a simple, quiet, and charming woman, doting mother of two daughters and one son.

💚 Caroline's son is in Malaya, serving the British military. Her older daughter, Leda, is nineteen, and in love with Derek, son of the local squire. In this peaceful atmosphere, Caroline's life is suddenly stirred by the arrival of a Robert Shepperton, a widower who is recuperating from war and the loss of his wife and bombed London house. Reluctant at first to accept the fact, Caroline realizes that she is in love with Mr. Shepperton.

💚 Complication arises in the form of Caroline's sister Harriet, a vivacious actress from London, who, soon after her arrival to stay at Vittoria Cottage, falls in love with Mr. Shepperton. It is with anguish that Caroline watches them comfortable in each other's presence. But whom does Robert Shepperton - who always have reasons to visit Vittoria Cottage - really love?

💚 In contrast with these middle-age triangle-love, is Leda and Derek turmoil relationship. Leda is a spoilt girl who must get what she wants, while Derek a lazy chap. They want to get married, but Derek's father and Caroline advise them to wait until Derek finishes his law school (which he hates), and get settled.

💚 My favorite character, excepting Caroline and Mr. Shepperton, is Caroline's son James, who comes home from war midway through the book. He's Caroline dearest offspring, and James is so care and tender towards his mother. I love their relationship. If only every man in the world can treat his mother like James to Caroline, I believe our world would be much better to live in.

💚 All in all, this is a charming and comforting story of domestic life in a rural village after WWII. A perfect vehicle to catch a glimpse of post-war life - the peacefulness of the middle-ages, as well as the restlessness of the youths, all interwoven in one beautiful canvas, skillfully crafted by D.E. Stevenson. A very soothing read for the hustle-bustle of life during the end of year.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

I read this book for:

Dean Street December

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

Murder on the Menu (2023) by Alex Coombs

Thanks to Bedford Square Publishers and NetGalley for providing me review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🥣 Chef Charlie Hunter arrived at Hampden Green, a little village in the Chiltern Hills, an idyllic English countryside, to open a new sheet to her life. She bought Old Forge cafe, and determined to transform it into a high quality restaurant with high quality foods she's capable to cook. It's no matter that she doesn't have financial stability to start with, Charlie is a hardworking and relentless woman, she will progress little by little.

🥣 One thing she didn't count for, is the hostility showed by the locals. First DI Slattery, who seems to dislike her from the start without apparent reason. Then there's the local builder, Dave Whitfield, who's known as a pompous bully - or knobhead, as Charlie's first staff Jess called him. He was found dead few days after Charlie punched him for bullying her. That's right, Charlie Hunter is a tough woman besides a good chef. Of course, this automatically made her a suspect.

🥣 In no time, our chef made acquaintance with the locals. Ollie the drug dealer, Luke the handsome Yoga teacher, the duke and the psychic, are only some of them. One of these new "friends" of hers is a murderer. But which one? And what's the motive?

🥣 As a debut cozy mystery in a series, Coombs has successfully laid her foundation. We get a glimpse of Hampden Green and its inhabitants, also some backstory of Charlie's past. The café's two staffs are interesting additions to our heroine's personality. I only wish that the narrative was made more straightforward, it feels rather redundant. For me the premise is rather dull, some concession in building contractor or others, which I didn't follow very well, but got the gist.

🥣 What's missing in this novel, though, Coombs compensated with the mouthwatering descriptions of the cafe's menu, the morning preps, mise-en-place, the cooking process itself, to the plating. These are what I've picked this book for on the first place, and for that element alone, it's paid off.

🥣 If you love reading food-related cozy mystery, this book would suit you, though for me it's a bit too violent and vulgar to be called cozy. The mystery itself is lacking finesse; at least I could easily guessed the murderer, in spite of the twist, and thought that Charlie should have been less trustful. I can only hope the next on the series would be much improved.

Rating: 3 / 5

**Murder on the Menu will be published on 7th December 2023.

The Foolish Gentlewoman (1948) by Margery Sharp #CCSpin #DeanStreetDecember2023

🎀 Post-war England found six unlikely group of people living in the same living quarter of Chipping Hill, home of a middle-age widowed Isabel Brocken, the titular 'foolish gentlewoman' of this book, a sweet person by nature, and innocently kindhearted. Her brother-in-law Simon, a pompous misogynist gentleman, is staying as guest, while his bombed house is in repair. To his chagrin, he's not the only guest. Also staying with Isabel is Humphrey Garrett, her recently-demobbed nephew, and Jacqueline Brown, her ex-ATS companion. Completing the assemble are the Pooles: Mrs. and Greta Poole, mother and daughter whom Simon hired as caretaker-slash-cook.

🎀 The post-war vibes are poignantly depicted in this book. Simon's disapproval of post-war changes and longing for the return of pre-war orderly world; Humphrey and Jacqueline's need of peace and rest after their hectic lives during war. They spiced up the whole story for me.

🎀 After a moment's struggle, the six of them reached a harmonious existence. But just as they have settled down conveniently, a complication came in the shape of Tilly Cuff. Tilly is Isabel's poor distant cousin, who had grew up with Isabel and Simon, but on opposite position of the classes.

🎀 Young Isabel was in love with a young man, but the man loved Tilly. Isabel found and read his proposal letter to Tilly, but she tore it up, and so, deprived Tilly of a life better than being governess and companion all her life. Of this youthful vice Isabel repented, and now determined to have a reconciliation by means of inviting Tilly to stay at Chipping Hill, and later on gifted her the house and most of her money.

🎀 Her generous idea was opposed by the three others, but most strongly Simon who couldn't bear to see the Brocken's estate being given to stranger like that. But Isabel, to anyone's surprise, didn't budge. Tilly arrived at last, and with that, the end of the peacefulness at Chipping Hill.

🎀 Saying that Tilly stirred the whole household is an understatement - putting it upside down would be more appropriate. Years of having to put up with difficult employers and colleagues made her bitter and malice. Even the Pooles, who had hitherto managed to be left alone by the family, couldn't avoid Tilly's evil snare. Isabel saw all these transformation in Tilly. What do you think she would decide concerning her idea, would she do it anyway? Or could Simon and the others make her realize of her foolish attempt?

🎀 This is a seemingly light read, but actually much deeper than I first thought. Isabel turns out to be not as foolish a gentlewoman as Simon had thought, she just think differently. But when she knows she's right, she sticks to her idea. When it comes to her conscience, she does what it tells her, no matter how others think or even oppose.

🎀 And Tilly - she's the most complicated of all. Seeing what she does to others is pretty annoying. How can a person be such malevolent and inconsiderate? But once we consider her past, well... every action of hers began to make sense. I never agree with her reactions, one shouldn't throw one's anger upon others who are innocent, but I understand that sometimes, under continuous pressure, one might snap.

🎀 My favorite character here is Isabel. She's not foolish to me, but a sweet person, who knows what she wants, and dares to be herself. It often happens, that someone calls another 'fool' because the other doesn't share the same views. There's rarely wrong with either views or opinions, because we each have our own priority in life, don't we? I also admire Mrs. Poole for her determination to make best of what life has to offer.

🎀 All things considered, this was a wonderful read. And after my disappointing start with Stone of Chastity, I can finally enjoy reading Sharp.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

I read this book for:

Dean Street December
hosted by Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home

Shelf Control #7: Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery

Shelf Control is a weekly feature created by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies, and celebrates the books waiting to be read on your TBR piles/mountains. Since early January 2023, Shelf Control has moved base to Literary Potpourri.

As I was browsing for a Christmas e-book or two to read next month, I found this book I forgot I've ever bought, how long ago has it been on my shelf?

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery

Summary from Goodreads:
"In the heart of Paris, in the posh building made famous in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Pierre Athens, the greatest food critic in the world, is dying. Now, during these his final hours, his mind has turned to simpler things. He is desperately searching for that singular flavor, that sublime something once sampled, never forgotten, the Flavor par excellence. Indeed, this flamboyant and self-absorbed man desires only one thing before he dies: one last taste.
Thus begins a charming voyage that traces the career of Monsieur Arthens from childhood to maturity across a celebration of all manner of culinary delights. Here, as in The Elegance of Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery’s story celebrates life’s simple pleasures and sublime moments while condemning the arrogance and vulgarity of power."

I have almost read The Elegance of Hedgehog for Paris in July this year, but I got bored at first chapter, and so didn't continue. I wonder whether Gourmet Rhapsody would better suit me. I like food-theme stories, and it might add charm to this book. So, I think, I'll keep it a try!

Have you read this book? Do you think it's worth reading?

A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia (2016) by Clara Benson

💰 Ticky Maltravers is what you would call in 1929 as the toast of London high society. One would surely find him in parties, and people use to invite him in their dinner parties. One could say that Ticky almost never eats at his own home. Does that mean Ticky is a loveable person? Not necessarily. At his own birthday party (thrown by his friends, of course, Ticky NEVER had his own party), someone poisoned him. Investigation that follows reveal that the poison must have administered by one of the guests, who is one of his so called friends.

💰 Freddie Pilkington-Soames is at another dinner party when it happened, and he (by a hilarious complication such as what usually befalls Bertie Wooster in P.G. Wodehouse realm) went straight to his mother's house very drunk. His mother, Cynthia, is one of Ticky's circle who attended the party. She and Ticky came home in a taxi (Ticky lives several houses near hers), and dropped dead in front of her house after saying that he's been poisoned!

💰 Normal people would have telephoned the police or an ambulance, but not Cynthia Pilkington-Soames. Of course, in a story which was a combination between Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse, the characters won't take the ordinary road. No, instead, Cynthia asked Freddie to move the body to the deceased's own house. Freddie who, being very drunk, couldn't think straight, did what his mother bid him. The body-moving scene was very hilarious, involving some heaving, some miscalculation, and a toy wheelbarrow! But it was done eventually.

💰 When Freddie woke up the next morning, sober and the intelligent himself again, he realized with a chagrin that he mistakenly put the corpse to the house nextdoor instead of Ticky's (which would have been thought of as a drunken-man-collapsed-after-party-incident, and won't raise much suspicion). As it was, the queer incident puzzled the police.

💰 Freddie is a journalist, and he was lucky to have secured Ticky's case to handle, as he need to know whether the police suspected him or her mother's involvement (and to avert suspicion if any). One thing lead to another, and before he knew it, Freddie has become an amateur sleuth. He has a bigger advantage than the police, because he's one of the circle - the insider - while the police can't get anything from those posh people.

💰 As you can imagine, this was a highly entertaining murder story. When I said it's a cross between Wodehouse and Christie, I wasn't exaggerating. While the hilarity and the gentry's life reminds you a lot of Bertie Wooster, the plot has Christie's touch in its simplicity and complexity at the same time. And considering this was Clara Benson's debut novel in the series, made it more amazing.

💰 I'm fond of every element in this book, but most importantly the characters. They all feel real. Ticky is what I can imagine a slimy social parasite is. Someone who takes for granted others' generosity because he has everybody in his grasp. And the name choice is brilliant, Ticky the tick! The posh gentry are what I imagine the suspects are going to be - indifferent of anything else as long as their reputation is save. And that's what made Ticky a successful blackmailer (you know it's a blackmail from the first, of course, thanks to the title), and a potential murder victim.

💰 Freddie is my favorite, he's the bridge between the gentry and working class, and he has such a pleasant personality. I loved what he did in the end, he completed it remarkably; only few people can resist the temptation when they had other's vulnerability in their hands. All in all, it's a successful debut, and I can't wait to continue on through the series!

Rating: 4,5 / 5

Six Books Saturday #4: Female Amateur Sleuths

#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. 

Any regular reader would have noticed that lately I've been reading a lot of crime novels. Today I will share my six favorite female amateur sleuths, whose series I'd love to read through. I love them partly for their sleuthing styles, but partly, also, for their personal characters. Here they are, in no chronological order:

Six Favorite Female Amateur Sleuths

Rachel Murdoch from Rachel Murdoch Mystery by Dolores Hitchens

A smart and agile seventy years old spinster who loves sleuthing with her clever cat Samantha.
🕵️‍♀️🐈

Hildegard Withers from Hildegard Withers Mystery by Stuart Palmer

An intelligent thirty years old school teacher and a romantic spinster.
🕵️‍♀️❤

Edna May Oliver as Hildegarde Withers

Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong from A Lady Hardcastle Mystery by T.E. Kinsey

The collaboration of a lady and her maid results in an unusual pair of amateur sleuth. Their dynamic relationship is part of their charm.
🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♀️

Vera Wong from [book] Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

A Chinese-American elderly woman, owner of a tea house, with cheeky and affectionate personality, who uses her brilliant cooking ability as her main sleuthing tool.
🕵️‍♀️🍜

Joyce Meadowcroft from A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman

An elderly woman, ex nurse, witty and charming. One of the four residents of retirement village who love to solve murder mystery.
🕵️‍♀️👵

Flora Steele from Flora Steele Mystery by Merryn Allingham

A bookshop owner turns sleuth, partnering with a handsome crime writer, results in a fun bookish mystery series.

🕵️‍♀️📚

Have you read any of them? Who's your favorite female amateur sleuth?


Next Six Books Saturday: 30th December 2023.

Would you join me in: Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024? #AgathaChristieSS24

Throughout her literary career, Agatha Christie had written no less than 167 short stories! How many had I read? I have no idea. I know I've devoured many of her short stories collections, but the problem is, I tend to see them as what they are, a collection of stories; one book containing several stories. Meaning that I regarded each of them as mere elements of a book, never as a story of its own. And that's why I never remember all the story, well.. maybe one or two with standout titles.

That's what I've been wanting to do, giving credit to each story by reading and reviewing it as stand alone. And what's more appropriate than to start the project right on the centenary of Christie's debut short story: The Coming of Mr. Quinn, which was first published in 1924? And so, here's my...

Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024

What is it?

- Reading & reviewing Christie's short stories as standalones.
- Two short stories a month, starting from 1st January to 31st December 2024.
- I have curated twenty four stories in no chronological order, with equal proportions of the Poirot, Marple, Harlequin, Tommy & Tuppence, Parker Pyne, and some non detectives.
- Most importantly, would you like to join me in this journey? 😉

The reading list:

JANUARY: The Coming of Mr. Quin (Harley Quin)
JANUARY: The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman (Hercule Poirot)
FEBRUARY: The Pearl of Price (Parker Pyne)
FEBRUARY: The Affair at the Bungalow (Miss Marple)
MARCH: The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl (Hercule Poirot)
MARCH: The Unbreakable Alibi (Tommy & Tuppence)
APRIL: Have You Got Everything You Want? (Parker Pyne)
APRIL: The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor (Hercule Poirot)
MAY: The Sign in the Sky (Harley Quin)
MAY: The Crackler (Tommy & Tuppence)
JUNE: The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael (Hercule Poirot)
JUNE: The Blue Geranium (Miss Marple)
JULY: Manx Gold (NN)
JULY: The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper (Tommy & Tuppence)
AUGUST: The Gate of Baghdad (Parker Pyne)
AUGUST: The Man Who Was no. 16 (Tommy & Tuppence)
SEPTEMBER: The Herb of Death (Miss Marple)
SEPTEMBER: The Bird with the Broken Wing (Harley Quin)
OCTOBER: The Hound of Death (NN)
OCTOBER: The Voice in the Dark (NN)
NOVEMBER: The Dead Harlequin (Harley Quin)
NOVEMBER: The Girl in the Train (NN)
DECEMBER: The Chocolate Box (Hercule Poirot)
DECEMBER: A Christmas Tragedy (Miss Marple)

How it works:

* Early each month I will post a reminder of what two stories we will read that month, as well as any background info, if any. You can put links to your reviews of the month in the comment section.
* You're free to put reviews of two stories in one post if you like, or in two separate posts, as long as it's published within the allocated month.
* You're free to post it on your blog, twitter, or instagram. Just note that I might not do instagram posts/comments, but as long as you put the link in the comment, others might find your reviews.
* I might include a topic of discussion every now and then, whenever I feel like it. I'll publish these in my own reviews. Be sure to check my reviews, and you can answer/respond in the comment or in your own reviews if you want.
* You can join in whichever month/story you'd like, no obligation to complete all - it's not a challenge! As long as you read them within the month.
* Don't forget to visit, read, and comment each other's review - it's always fun to exchange idea/opinion with others who read the same thing with you!
*The hashtag we will use: #AgathaChristieSS24

Easy-peasy, right? Only two stories a month - less than 100 pages to squeeze into your tight schedule. 😉


Well, are you in?