@ShyBookOwl Here‘s the “geode” simile done better!

#whereareyoumonday

There are three storylines and at about a quarter of the way in, they haven‘t yet converged. However, much of the story so far takes place in Camden Town, a borough of London. 🇬🇧

We‘ve got a sheltered girl whose mother was murdered, a possibly sociopathic boy who loves beautiful things, and the ex-girlfriend of a rock star looking for a new boyfriend to support her….no clue what happens next!

Finished my 8th #10BeforetheEnd book.

This is a short novel which finishes in a very different tone than the mocking one with which it starts. Written during and published just after WWI , it‘s about the horror and futility of war but also the very human ability to see only what one wants to see, until the scales from one‘s eyes are forcibly removed. Still relevant.

#weekendreads

Putting effort in this weekend to finish all the books before the year ends!

#LitsySciFiBookClub
#10BeforetheEnd
#ChristmasCrimeChallenge

I‘m at the theater this evening…based roughly on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.

Tagging the first book in the series since this fourth one is not in the Litsy catalog. Published in 1987, it‘s a wee bit dated, but still not too bad and the mystery was pretty good. A bomb goes off at a cribbage tournament at an upscale hotel in Manhattan. Lt. Sigrid‘s partner, Tillie was there and is injured. She takes the case, but with two dead and two badly injured, who was really the intended target?

7th book for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

#whereareyouMonday

This Monday I‘m in 1980s New York City with Lieutenant Sigrid Harald of the NYPD. I‘ve only been to NYC once in the late ‘90s, but I know from books and other media that it was a little different then from now…grittier for sure. The reader gets a glimpse of this in this mystery series, but just a glimpse.

Had to use a different tagged title since “The Right Jack” isn‘t in the database.

A soft pick. The plot is a little strained and there was too much mysticism for my taste.

On Christmas Eve, six passengers on a train which has been stalled due to the snow decide to walk to the next train station but find themselves instead taking shelter in a manor house where the fires are lit, the tea is laid but no one is home…murder and mystery ensue…

Read for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

#weekendreads

My weekend is booked with these three works:

The Whispering Statue is for #NancyDrewBR and #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

The Doomsday Book is for #ClassicLSFBC

Mystery in White is for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

Third book for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

Amelia and Emerson‘s now grown children take more of the center stage. Ramses‘ past as a secret agent comes back to haunt him and is it possible that the Master Criminal is still alive? Or is someone masquerading in his place? And lady journalist Margaret Minton returns to interfere and poke her nose in.

Lots of fun, romance and adventure and Emerson cursing. 😂

2nd #ChristmasCrimeChallenge book. A look at 100 years of the character of Poirot through all media (books, radio, tv, film, etc.) since his introduction in 1920. Lots of pictures of various novel editions and actors. Mainly for hardcore Christie fans like myself. Recommend by former Litsy friend vivastory aka Scott 😢.

#whereareyoumonday

Back in Egypt with the Emersons in 1916 or so who are up to their usual tricks of solving crime and making trouble. I‘m not a huge fan of the Ramses/Nefret storyline - too much “romance” for me, but I can tolerate it because the rest is just fun.

Another gentle read with Mma Ramotswe and company. Mr. JLB Matekoni tries his hand at taking on a case with surprising results. Miss Makutsi considers changing jobs. Mr. JLB Matekoni‘s feckless apprentice, Charlie, also strikes out on his own as a taxi driver. Mma Ramotswe solves three mysterious deaths at a hospital in her hometown of Mochudi. Pure comfort!

My first completed #ChristmasCrimeChallenge book.

#weekendreads

Only two books this weekend. Unfortunately I will be busy for a good while doing things other than reading. Those pesky family activities! 🤣 Both books are from my #ChristmasCrimeChallenge .

Book 7 from my #10BeforetheEnd pile.

A thumbs up because the writing is great, but the content is depressing.

I only read the novella (short story? Only 58 pages long) “Miss Lonelyhearts” from this bind up because I‘d already read “The Day of the Locusts”. Disturbing, sad, bathetic, grotesque…the writer of the agony aunt column becomes depressed/obsessed with the mass of humanity and their real problems that cannot be solved with advice.

#WhereAreYouMonday

This week finds me back in Botswana 🇧🇼 with Mma Ramotswe. I‘m only in the first chapter, so I don‘t know where the story will go, but I know I‘m in capable hands.

Also reading this for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

Loved this most recent entry in the Jackson Brodie series. It was particularly satisfying for those familiar with the entire history of our Jackson. Art theft, red herrings, undeserving heirs, and maybe murder all converge when ex-Army, ex-Police, PI Jackson is hired by a dodgy pair of siblings after their aged mother dies and a certain painting goes missing at the same time as the carer.

6th #10beforetheend book & also works for #SeriesLove2024

Here‘s my TBR for the #ChristmasCrimeChallenge 🎄🎅🏻💀

C - The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (#Serieslove2024)
H - Lord of the Silent (SeriesLove2024)
R - The Right Jack (#TBRtarot)
I - The Man on the Balcony
S - Mystery in White
T - A Sight for Sore Eyes
M - The Whispering Statue (#NancyDrewBR)
A - Agatha Christie‘s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World *a cheat but I‘ve read most of her novels
S - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

🚀 The reason for the name for Nessus‘ species of aliens “Pierson‘s puppeteer” only becomes evident later in the book. Why do you think we humans (and kzin) dislike being manipulated, even when it‘s to their benefit? Were the puppeteers “playing god”?

Hope all who celebrate had a Happy Thanksgiving. 🥧

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

🚀 The luck of Teela Brown is a lot of what ultimately propels the story here. What do you think of luck? Do you believe in it? Side question: did you like the adventurous nature of the plot?

Jackson and Louise ❤️😢 IYKYK

“Apart from the fact that snow had already closed several roads in the far north, Scotland was a place full of unfortunate memories for him. He had nearly died there, he had lied about a double murder (no regrets), and he had met a woman he really liked, possibly loved, although the word was difficult for him to pronounce, and he had slipped away in the night without so much as a goodbye, leaving a dog in his place.”

Tagging everyone who participated last year in the #cloakanddaggerchristmas! Rae at @RaeLovesToRead has created a new challenge for 2024 for all us crime fiction lovers: #ChristmasCrimeChallenge ! 🎄💀🎅🏻🔪

Share your TBR and your review posts with Rae! I am already building my own pile of possibilities.

I‘m pretty sure this will also work as points for #wintergames participants. 👍

#20in4 Readathon

My goals for this readathon are to finish two more #10BeforetheEnd books that I started weeks ago and have stalled on. Doable!

I‘m making progress on my #10BeforetheEnd pile. Five down and five to go. Hopefully I‘ll make it since I will have time off over Christmas. 🤞

Fifth #10BeforetheEnd book

This was a weird one. It reminded me of Trust Exercise and The Rehearsal in that it‘s hard to know what really is going on. It‘s told in a series of incomplete letters and transcripts. Evie and Richard are on their honeymoon in Greece when everything goes wrong…though clearly they were never right for each other anyway.The situation goes from bad to worse to positively threatening and things aren‘t what they seem.

#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday I‘m in and around Yorkshire with Jackson Brodie. I started this book three weeks ago and then set it down, for what ever reason. But now I‘m well stuck in it and enjoying it.

Fourth #10BeforetheEnd book completed

This was a slow burn of a story where one knows pretty much what happened before and what will happen, and yet the narrative carries one along. If you like Tana French, you might like Barbara Vine too.

Jenny is a carer in an upscale nursing home. In a loveless marriage, she‘s having an affair and contemplates running away. Meanwhile, her favorite charge, Stella, dying of cancer, has a confession to impart.

I‘m working on this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC and #LitsySciFiBookClub picks and one of my #10BeforetheEnd reads.

#weekendreads

3rd #10BeforetheEnd book read

I really liked this, but it took a while to get going. Generational trauma/mothers and daughters, sad but with a fair bit of light comedy interwoven as well. Hansen particularly pokes fun at city folk with idealistic ideas about rural life. Vera came to Northern Germany as a child refugee from the east just after WWII. She becomes a local eccentric & refuge herself for her niece and grandnephew some 30 years later.

#TLT

Thanks for the tag @KadaGul 😊

My Thanksgiving experience is pretty traditional, so my score is low. My three favorites are as follows, because this is pretty much the only time of the year I eat them:

😋 Green bean casserole
😋 Pumpkin pie
😋 Stuffing

This was a delightful romp with a little bit of romance.

Middle aged Mr. Partridge takes a chance and hitches his star to young Lizbeth Campion, who is trying to reform her rather useless brother Ronnie. The trio moves to London and finds an assortment of odd jobs, but will Ronnie stick with anything? And will Lizbeth marry her rather strait laced fiancé, Captain Brocard, who very much disapproves of Ronnie?

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

#WhereAreYouMonday

I have way too many books on the go, so am literally literarily all over the place! 😂 But the one I‘m reading the fastest is the tagged book, set in a rest home outside of a Norfolk village in second half of the 20th century. A carer at the home befriends one of the patients and it turns out that both of them have secrets they are hiding.

This book is also one of my #10BeforetheEnd picks.

I‘m ever so slowly making my way through my #10BeforetheEnd stack.

This was a dense and thought provoking read. Translated from the Turkish and set in the 16th century during the Ottoman Empire, this reflects a culture which is largely unknown to me. It does have a murder mystery as its overarching plot, but that‘s just a framework used to delve into larger philosophical questions about art and religion.

Here are my two possibilities for September 2025 for #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members to choose from.

Both are authors we‘ve read previously. Another light romance set in Scotland from Clavering OR another humorous look at village life from Fair.

Let me know in the comments which one tickles your fancy the most!

#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday I‘m in Northern Germany, outside of Hamburg with a newly separated mother of a toddler and her eccentric Aunt Vera, who came to the village as an ethnic German refugee from what is now Poland after WWII. A bit romantic comedy, a bit family history, a bit satire on society, especially city life vs rural.

My first #10BeforetheEnd book. I did enjoy it, particularly in its frank depiction of ancient Athens society during the Peloponnesian Wars. The main character comes from a noble Athenian family and Renault doesn‘t try to hide the ways Athenian culture differs from our modern sense of morality or ethics. At the heart of this is a love story between two men, which was completely accepted then. It was a slow and dense read, but worth the time.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

Thank you for the tag @dabbe ☺️

These are three books set during the Christmas/New Year season that I have only read the once.

#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday finds me in 16th century Istanbul among the scribes, miniaturists, gilders, and other artists of the empire who have been commissioned to create book which will also be a work of art for the sultan. Only 50 pages in, but definitely getting The Name of the Rose vibes.

#weekendreads

I‘m primarily only reading the tagged Mother Doll. It‘s a library ebook and I am at 50%, will hopefully finish this weekend. 🤞

Nancy Drew ,is of course. for this month‘s #NancyDrewBR .

The rest are from my #10BeforeTheEnd pile and I have a t least read the first chapter of each. I will try to prioritize Altes Land since it works for November‘s #TBRTarot prompt.

Happy Halloween #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub friends! 🎃 Next month is our last pick for 2024. We‘ve read Margery Sharp before (Four Gardens) and I quite liked it, so I have high hopes for this one.

As usual, read at your own pace and post your thoughts as you like. Be sure to copy everyone when you do, so we can comment.

All are welcome. If anyone wants to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

@LitsyEvents

#ToBWaiting

Here‘s my six guesses for the 2025 Longlist. I‘ve only picked books that I have not read which are eligible and might make the cut. 🤞

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

Thanks for the tag @dabbe 😊

Crime fiction and mystery is probably my favorite genre, so it was great fun to peruse this list. Listed are the top three from the list that I HAVEN‘T read yet, but really want to.

Feel like trying it out for yourself? Consider yourself tagged. This is the link: https://www.listchallenges.com/litsy-time-magazines-100-best-mystery-and/list/3

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

2. In some ways this is primarily a mystery novel. Did you like that aspect of it? Did you guess who the real culprit was?

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know. 😃

1. How do you feel about the concept of”uplifting” another species? Is it ethical? Is it plausible?

#WhereareyouMonday

Today finds me in Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian Wars following the fate of young Alexias, an Athenian noble, as he matures, meets his mentor and lover Lysis, becomes a soldier and sailor… He also encounters Socrates, Plato, and other famous Greek names which have come down to us through history. Slow read, but satisfying.

I‘ve started in on my #10BeforetheEnd pile! I need to ignore the lure of library books! 🤞

#whereareyoumonday

This Monday finds me in outer space again with this month‘s #LitsySciFiBookclub pick. I am orbiting Earth in 2086 on a luxury space station (think a cruise ship turned up to 11). The guests are all there for a high school class reunion with all the emotions and drama that brings. Plus an unsolved murder, lower decks tension, a race for Mars… there‘s a lot going on!

I started this on audio, which wasn‘t working for me. Switched to print and blew through it. A gothic tinged mystery. Ruby McTavish‘s adopted son left home soon after her death in 2013 and hasn‘t returned, wanting nothing to do with his adoptive wealthy family. What happened? Does it have anything to do with the fact that Ruby was kidnapped as a baby? Why is Camden‘s wife so keen for him to return to the family home? Quick, fun popcorn read. 🍿

I get that Kushner isn‘t for everyone, but she‘s definitely for me. I loved this book about a former US covert operator who‘s now free lance and on a gentle downward spiral. In her assignment to infiltrate a group of environmentalists in France, she falls under the influence of one the commune‘s mentors who is obsessed with Neanderthals. A thought provoking and entertaining blend of facts and fiction.

#weekendreads

This is what I have on tap this weekend. Hope to finish the Kushner, I‘m over halfway through. Escape Velocity is for #LitsySciFiBookclub . I might bail on The Heiress. So much heavy foreshadowing, which irks me. Sadly none are my #10beforethernd picks. 🙃