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OutsmartYourShelf
The Sittaford Mystery | Agatha Christie
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Mehso-so

When Captain Trevelyan rents his remote house to an outsider for the winter & takes a house in town, his nearest neighbours in the small village of Sittaford are perplexed. The new temporary tenants, a woman & her daughter, are pleasant enough & they often extend invitations to visit. One evening, the women & four visitors decide to hold a séance, but things take a turn when a message comes through purporting to be from Trevelyan himself. (Cont'd)

OutsmartYourShelf He says he is dead & that it was murder. Although saying he thinks it is all rubbish, his closest friend, Major Burnaby, cannot rest until he knows the truth, so sets off walking through a snowstorm for 6 miles to check on Trevelyan. Alas, he is dead & the fact that his estranged nephew was in the local town of Exhampton raises suspicions.

The police inspector on the case is Inspector Narracott but he takes second place to the fiancée of
4mo
OutsmartYourShelf Trevelyan's nephew, James Pearson, who takes it upon herself to investigate. I found her rather annoying to be honest - all that fake “Oh you are so clever“ attitude to the men involved in the case became a bit repetitive after the first half dozen times. I also thought it was one of the easier Christie plots to work out. Overall, not the author's best work as it was rather dull. 3⭐

TWs: murder, colonialism, misogyny, racism
4mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4mo
Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 4mo
33 likes5 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
In a Holidaze | Christina Lauren
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Pickpick

Now, I think it's fair to say that I'm not a reader of rom-coms so I approached this one with a bit of trepidation. I am surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. I think the time loop premise helped, but it also had some funny moments & some rather steamy ones. (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf The only real issue I had was that Andrew is almost 30 & Mae is 26, yet I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't older teenagers or early twenties as they both seemed kind of immature at times. Minor quibble though. Can't say I'm in a rush to read more rom-coms but this was a good one. 4🌟

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4390446192
Read 11th-13th Dec 2023

#WinterGames #HollyJollyReaders @Laughterhp
5mo
PuddleJumper ❄️💙❄️ 5mo
See All 9 Comments
Laughterhp I read this one a couple years ago. It wasn‘t my favorite either. 5mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 5mo
BookmarkTavern Cute! 💖 5mo
Emilymdxn I thought this one was fun too! 4mo
Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 4mo
27 likes9 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Secret Santa | Andrew Shaffer
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Pickpick

Ever since Lussi Meyer lost her job in a restructuring of the publishing house where she worked, she has been desperate to find another. Last hope is prestigious, yet decidedly staid, Blackwood-Patterson. Still beggars can't be choosers & Lussi vows to knock them dead. Literally as it turns out, when old Mr Blackwood keels over during the interview. Still at least Lussi manages to get a job out of the tragic situation (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf however, her colleagues are a strange lot. At the office Secret Santa gift exchange, Lussi is surprised to see a gift with her name on it, but when she opens it, it's a small demonic looking doll, a percht - similar to one that she remembers her grandmother owning. It's an odd gift but never mind, but then accidents start happening to her colleagues, & Lussi becomes convinced that the doll is behind them. 5mo
OutsmartYourShelf This was a quick, fun read set in the 1980s. I enjoyed it although it was a little tame for a horror read & personally I thought some elements such as the doll were underused. If you like your horror to not take itself too seriously rather than being dark & ominous, then you'll probably like this one. 3.5 stars (rounded up)

TWs: murder, death, blood.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3690726856
Read 8-10th Dec 2023
5mo
See All 7 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 5mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 5mo
BookmarkTavern Saw this cover and immediately thought of Goosebumps. 😅 5mo
Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 5mo
24 likes7 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

The prequel to The Hunger Games- disappointing or surprisingly good? For me, it's definitely the latter. This book focuses on young Coriolanus Snow who has been picked to be a mentor to one of the unfortunates selected for the 10th Hunger Games.

I thought it was an interesting addition to the HG canon, & it has made me want to re-read the whole series. As we know, there is no redemption arc for Snow, (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf but it was intriguing to see him slowly become more & more the Snow of later years. I did think the ending was rather abrupt though, it came out of nowhere with a sudden 180 on what had happened just before. 4.5 🌟

TWs: violence, child death, death of a parent, blood, animal cruelty/death.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4791389946
Read 4th-8th Dec 2023

#WinterGames #HollyJollyReaders @Laughterhp
(edited) 5mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 5mo
See All 7 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5mo
BookmarkTavern I‘ve heard good things about this one! 5mo
Emilymdxn I really liked this one too! 5mo
Catsandbooks I enjoyed this one too! 5mo
28 likes7 comments