Welcome to Litsy!

3/4 completed bingo card for #WinterCosy & thank you to @Puddlejumper for hosting as usual.

This is the one I remember the least from the 1980s TV series, I couldn't even remember the basic plot & was getting it mixed up with The Mirror Crack'd. It was a solid murder mystery that has that Christie 'je ne sais quoi' which elevates it above a 3 star. It's a quick read packed full of untrustworthy & unlikeable characters, but thankfully Miss Marple appears from the start in this one. 3.5🌟

TWs: attitudes towards mental illness, xenophobia.

23-year-old student Tadhg Kelly & his twin brother, Declan, are about to head off for a weekend getaway. Declan will be joined by his girlfriend Katie but Tadhg recently split with his boyfriend when he caught him cheating so he will be third-wheeling & not looking forward to it. As they get near to their destination they stop at a rundown petrol station for supplies & the man there is friendly until they tell him where they are headed.

Poirot receives a telephone call from Sir Claude Amory, a rich inventor who feels certain that someone in his household has stolen his new scientific formula & asks Poirot to investigate. Shortly before Poirot arrives Amory gives the thief one chance to return the formula anonymously whilst the lights are out, but when they are switched back on, Amory is dead. Everyone was in the same room & no-one heard anything so how was he killed & by whom?

The offbeat friend group from the first book consisting of reluctant medium Claire, the ghost of her forever-17-year-old murdered friend Sophie, nonbinary Alex, & gay ex-police detective Sebastian (aka Bash) go on a cheap minibreak to Spike Island, off the Irish coast. There they encounter a second group of friends on a yoga retreat who aren't particularly happy that the accommodation has been double-booked. (continued)

Short Review: This was an odd Poirot book for me, he doesn't appear for the first few chapters & when he does he seems to be more of a side character to Katherine Grey. The mystery itself was textbook Christie but it just didn't seem to work as well as some of her other books. I think the problem for me is that I just didn't like Katherine Grey. Don't know why, just didn't. 3.5🌟

TWs: racism/xenophobia, internalised misogyny.

‘Grimoire Girl is a tribute to reaching inward, honoring the magic that lives in all of us.‘

This is one of those books I just felt drawn to. I loved reading this. It was entertaining, a little touching, and she throws in a lot of great witchy tips.

Last book for #WinterGames2024, first book of 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#ReadAway2024 #WinterCosy #Read2025 #JumpStart2025 #ImpulseRead +25 #WGWordSearch (87) +870

+900 pts #ChristmasChapterChasers

‘Haines is a successful architect in the midst of a divorce, Bruno a mysterious smooth talker with a sadistic proposal..‘

This was really good. I liked how well the characters were written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#HitchToScreen #ReadAway2024 #WinterCosy
#ChristmasAtoZ #LetterS #WinterGames2024
Holiday/Wintery +75 #WGWordSearch (62) +620

+700 points #ChristmasChapterChasers

‘Hazel Trepas has always known she wasn‘t like her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised to one of the gods... -Merrick, the god of death‘

This dark tale was a beautiful retelling of Godfather Death. Fantastic writing. Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#FairytaleReadingChallenge #ReadersChoice
#ReadAway2024 #ChristmasAtoZ #LetterT
#WinterCosy #WinterGames2024 #TBR +50
#WGWordSearch (77) +770

+825 points #ChristmasChapterChasers

Jan 1 Totals #WinterGames2024

Read for six hours. Finished Grimoire Girl.

#WinterCosy #20in4 #Read2025 +60 each

Watched:
🎥 Die Hard (Based on a Book) +10
🎥 Daddy‘s Home 2 +5
📺 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special +10
(Based on a Book/Comics)

+210 points #ChristmasChapterChasers