I'm having great fun with this week's theme, there're so many titles to chose from. Here's my offer:
Cover for a mystery with an item of clothing in the title
If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme.
Monday, August 5, 2024
#MurderEveryMonday: Cover with Items of Clothing in the Title
I'm having great fun with this week's theme, there're so many titles to chose from. Here's my offer:
If you want to participate, here's the list of the weekly theme.
Friday, August 2, 2024
Agatha Christie Short Stories 2024: AUGUST #AgathaChristieSS24
THE GATE OF BAGHDAD
Parker Pyne is touring the Middle East when one of the officers, Smethurst, tells Pyne he’s worried about something. Smethurst is killed before he can reveal the full story and it's up to Pyne to find out why.
This is one of the few Parker Pyne mysteries to involve a murder, his cases generally revolving around romance and unhappiness. The story references one of Agatha Christie’s favourite poems The Gates of Damascus by James Elroy Flecker (1884-1919).
THE MAN WHO WAS NO. 16
The only reason I've chosen this particular story was that this would be our 16th short story for #AgathaChristieSS24! So... "no. 16" in the title of the 16th story. Oh I know it's lame. Nonetheless, I'm glad to get to read another Tommy and Tuppence, aren't you? And this one has a special little surprise! ;)
This is the final case in the collection Partners in Crime. Having received a warning from Mr. Carter, the Beresfords prepare for another encounter with their rival, Russian agent and master of disguise, No. 16.
In the face of danger, the Beresfords decide to tackle this case using their “little grey cells” to arrange facts “neatly, and with order.” Agatha Christie surely enjoyed poking fun at the great Hercule Poirot, almost as much as the Beresfords enjoyed aping him. At the end of the case, however, Tommy is presented with some news from Tuppence that the real Poirot would not have found amusing.
They are both rather amusing, right? Can't wait to read them!
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Paris Virtual Walks to Wrap Up #ParisInJuly2024
My first introduction to Frye's virtual tour was Montmartre in Bloom. I loved to find little hidden gems like this patch of flowers tucked up somewhere around Montmartre, for instance. As a photographer, Frye has a keen eye of beauty and proportion, and thus his videos are usually very nice to watch.
My next virtual walks are all in the park, garden, or just a little hidden green space that is hushed up from Paris' noise.
🌱 Springtime in the Jardin des Plantes
🌱 Autumn Bike Ride in Vincennes
🌱 Hidden Garden Walks
- La Coulée Verte
- a green space near Place de la Bastile
With these (virtual) walks, I - reluctantly - say goodbye to #ParisInJuly2024. Huge thanks to Emma @ Words and Peace to host this fabulous event!
My contributions:
Book reviews:
--click the titles to go to my review--
📚 Perestroika in Paris (Jane Smiley)
📚 Perestroika in Paris (Jane Smiley)
Movie review
--click the title to go to my review--
--click the title to go to my review--
Music & Travel
--click the link to go to my post--
🎵 The Daily Francophile Playlist
🎵 The Daily Francophile Playlist
🚶🏻♀️Virtual Walks in Paris (+Wrap Up)
I have enjoyed every moment of my journey to Paris (and other regions in France), but for now, I must say... Au Revoir!
Monday, July 29, 2024
Pretend You Don't See Her (1997) by Mary Higgins Clark
🤐 Lacey Farrell is a young energetic girl, working as a real-estate agent in Manhattan, and loving her job as well as her life. All those are about to change completely when Lacey witnessed a murder while in the course of selling a luxurious apartment.
🤐 The apartment belonged to a young girl called Heather Landy, who died last year, presumably committing suicide. Her mother doesn't believe it's a suicide, but doesn't have proof. Until the day before the deal with a potential buyer, a Mr. Sandy Sovrano. Heather's mother found a clue in her daughter's diary, and wanted Lacey to come the next day. Lacey came exactly when Sandy Sovrano shot Heather's mother. Before her last breath, the victim whispered her dying words to Lacey, to bring the diary to Heather's father (already divorced).
🤐 Lacey is the only witness who could identify the murderer, so the police put her in witness protection program. But we have read or watched so many thrillers to know how difficult it is to keep absolute secret. And how distressing it is for the witness. Lacey starts a new life, she even finds a romantic interest from the gym - a handsome and kind radio talk-show host. But Lacey knows that the only way for her to return to her normal life is by solving the mystery of Heather's death from the diary - which, of course, she copied before giving it away to Heather's father and the police. Not mentioning that the murderer knows Lacey's whereabouts and is now pursuing her...
🤐 I forgot how I used to love Mary Higgins Clark - she's crowned the queen of suspense for a reason. What I love from this book is the perfect balance Clark maintained between the mystery, suspense, and the characters development, even a sprinkle of romance. The suspense isn't the kind that scares you all through, but something of a page-turner. It will be interspersed everytime with the characters' everyday life, so that the end result is a fun read with cheerful tone rather than a dark thriller. Just the perfect combination for a holiday reading or just a refreshing reading after a day's working like mine.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Friday, July 26, 2024
Book Tour: Murder at Cleve College by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #9)
📚 About the book
Bookshop owner Flora Steele and writer Jack Carrington fell in love solving mysteries. Now they’re taking their first steps as husband and wife… straight into their most perplexing case yet.
Sussex, 1958: A radiant Flora is being twirled across the dancefloor by her dashing new husband, Jack. It’s the perfect wedding in Abbeymead, until a mysterious stranger is found dead just outside the village.
But when Flora finds an envelope tucked into the man’s silver cigarette case, the address is key to discovering the poor chap’s name – Russell Farr. He isn’t known to any of the villagers, so at first all signs point to a tragic accident. That is, until they discover Farr previously worked at the esteemed Cleve College, where Jack is now a writer-in-residence.
The college has made Jack feel uneasy ever since he learned his predecessor drowned in its lake, and now it appears a second suspicious death is connected to it. But who would want two mild-mannered academics dead?
Could it be Jocelyn, the ambitious young teacher with her sights set on the top? Joe, the sly porter living beyond his means? Or perhaps Maurice, the college dean who seems far more interested in power than educating students?
Just when it looks like no amount of studying will crack this case, a chance encounter brings Flora closer to the truth. But when Jack goes missing, it seems someone is determined to teach them both a lesson.
Can Flora and Jack outwit the killer before they graduate to becoming the next victims? Or will their first case as husband and wife be their last?
An absolutely page-turning cosy mystery, packed with unforgettable characters and sensational twists! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.
💙 Flora Steele and Jack Carrington are involved in another murder case, only days before their wedding! Murder at Cleve College begins where we left off the end of previous book: The Library Murders. The preparation of their wedding is on the way, and everyone is on their edges. During the wedding rehearsal at the church, Jack saw a man - a stranger - hesitantly loitering about, but he thought nothing of it. There are more important stuffs on hand than a confused stranger. Few days later Jack and Flora found a corpse of the same man in the ditch, just days before the wedding!
💙 Jack begins his new career at Cleve College not without a little apprehension. Not about his students, but things that had been happening there. First of all, Joe the porter seems to always spying on him. Then, the fellow whom Jack is replacing turned out to be drown in the lake near the college last year. Everything Flora and Jack find out ever since they found the corpse, seems to be related to either Cleve College or an orphanage, now closed, whose headmaster had fallen from its balcony and died years ago. Are they - the accidents - mere accidents? Are Flora and Jack's suspicion baseless?
💙 I loved everything about this book! To me Murder at Cleve College is the best from the series so far. I was hooked even from the first paragraph! The prologue is my favorite, it instantly brought you straight to the moment before a murder took place. After that it's switched to Flora and Jack, to Abbeymead, to everyday life. But only a fleeting moment later, another murder case faced the newlywed couple. I love this structure. Many cozy mysteries these days get to be too cozy, they seem to focus more on the sleuth's personal life than to the murder investigation.
💙 After the first murder, slowly but steadily, Flora and Jack found new facts - bits and pieces - that brought them closer to the truth, the secret dark past. It's an entertaining story packed with action, surprise, and twist, but with a charming touch of the 1950 vibes of English small village of Abbeymead. A delightful read from start to finish.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
📚 Author Bio
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Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
Website: https://merrynallingham.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrynwrites
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here: https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham
📚 Buying links
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CW1J7W8Jsocial
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
Be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
The Rest of Their Lives (2016) by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent #ParisInJuly2024 #20booksofsummer24
💜 Though Ambroise Lanier is the son of a noble laureate in medicine, he chose a usually frowned-upon career: embalmer. I feel that he might wanted to pursue it in the first place as rebellious act against his arrogant and self-centered father who strongly opposed it. But regardless of his initial purpose, Ambroise quite enjoys his works.
💜 Talking about frowned-upon jobs, Manelle's home-helping services for elderly people is equally inglorious choice of career. Emptying chamber pots and cleaning houses - especially to suspicious old men - are definitely not everyone's dream of profession. However, like Ambroise, Manelle enjoys her meaningful job.
💜 It's not strange that both Ambroise and Manelle stays single until now. For Ambroise, particularly, it's not easy to attract a girl with his kind of job. But their lives are about to change completely, thanks to one of Manelle's sweetest patients. The octogenarian Monsieur Samuel Dinsky has had throbbing headaches recently, and after the MRI result revealed he had a brain tumor, with only three months to live, he made a drastic decision. It involves a journey to Switzerland, accompanied by Manelle and Ambroise - the first, friendly; the latter, professionally. Whose life would completely change, do you think? The octogenarian's? The youngsters? Or both?
💜 You know how French novels are often quirky? This one's quirkiness is in the profession of embalmer. It's not just the main character's job, Didierlaurent goes all in about Ambroise day to day job; the meticulous details of the step by step of embalming process, as well as what he deals with - his colleagues, the deceased's relatives, etc. It goes the same with Manelle's jobs. You might say this is a story of embalmers and home-helpers, and you're not entirely wrong. It is more that that, though. This is also a story about life and death, fear and hope. Ambroise and Manelle, each has a wholesome job, because they provide comforts for those who need it most: elderly people who need a dignified life, and family of the deceased who need to preserve the memory of their beloved.
💜 I might unwittingly describe this as a gloomy story - blame that to my current mood; this reminded me of my deceased father - but it's actually a charming, funny, sweet, hopeful, and heartwarming. I loved all the main characters, including Beth, Ambroise's grandmother. It's a story that reminds you that life... is always worth living! 💜
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read for:
hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace
Monday, July 22, 2024
#MurderEveryMonday: Cover with Island on or in the Title
This week's theme is:
Cover with an island on (or in the title)
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.
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