Am on a Phryne Fisher kinda kick recently. This book is as entertaining as the first with more concentration on the mystery this time.
If there is a small quibble - there were a couple of characters named Jack.... couldn't the author have picked another name? 😅

Between a pick and a so-so for me. I enjoyed trying to piece together the clues from the letters and emails but felt that the murder happened too late in the book. Also was not a huge fan of the way it rounded up (which felt rushed and the twist was odd).

This book flies and I loved it as much as the first. The title itself - when an explanation was provided at the end, added alot of heart to it.

An interesting premise and written from the view of his "friend" Al Manheim.
A little flat in places as Sammy just kept on running. However, I really liked the first third of the book. And I liked the ending.
#roll100

A slow book which had some beautiful writing. Circe is one of the lesser characters in Greek mythology and the retelling is from her view. A few Greek gods and more prominent Greek characters make appearances throughout the book.
#roll100

Made me laugh and tear up (especially in the last quarter of the book).
An introduction to the therapeutic process. I enjoyed the stories of her patients slightly more than hers.

A slow mystery but with alot of dry wit to in the banter to carry it through.

A good start to the series. Set in Melbourne, Australia, Miss Phryne Fisher investigates and solves multiple crimes. Liked her go-getter attitude.

Perhaps not as engaging as the previous books but it still captures India. And Mummy-ji is still a star!

Audio narration was good. Mystery was a so-so as it seemed to drag in bits. Let's see if the next one in this series is better as I have liked her other books.

More enjoyable than I thought it would be - I felt like I learnt something about philosophy 😀.
The audiobook was engaging and approached the subject matter in a humorous way.

Between a pick and a so-so as it took a while for the story to get going. It was also darker than I thought it would be. However, all in all, fairly enjoyable.

The last book of the series. Through it all I have loved the lyrical writing and it's take on Fairy Land.

Starts off with a somewhat inconsequential mystery which as Maisie dives deeper is more intricate.
As a first book, the author decided to invest half of it to Maisie's history with the Compton's and World War 1. This left the mystery part a little as an afterthought. I wonder how the other books in the series progress as the main backstory of the character has already been mined?
Will progress with the second as I do like Maisie Dobbs.

I had high hopes for this retelling of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Bailing because half way through I find I have no connection with either the new Holmes or Watson. The relationship didn't make sense.
#booked2023
#moderntakeonaclassic

An entertaining read on the subject of how generalists may be the glue that helps stitch together problems that may stump specialists. There was a bit of repetition but the author managed to look at the subject from a few angles.

I like this series for the potrayal of its characters as much as for the food tour of India. The mystery in this was approached from 2 angles - one from Puri's and the other from his always delightful mummy-ji. This book highlighted a part of Partition history which I had no knowledge of - which were the Indian women who saved the abductees from across the newly created border.

Expected this book to be a little more dynamic but it was rather dry. Yes - there were some learning points on capital allocation but after the second essay I sort of got the point.
I am also perhaps a little jaded about the capitalist world we live in and that the way these CEOs mainly returned shareholder value was via share buybacks.

Enjoyed the general story but found the ending a little abrupt.

A slim book about conservation. It tracks the possible extinction of the slender billed curlew but covers the subject more generally as well.

A short but delightful read about the enjoyment of being a reader. 😁

Book 1 set the scene. This book picks up from there and runs with it - twists and turns galore and it sets the stage for the next book.

Interesting read of the evolution of grocery stores in America and the mechanisation of the selling of food.
Yes - it was a bit preachy, but I didn't think it was overly so - essentially, we just need to be more aware of what we are eating.

A short quiet story about the reciprocity of nature.

I love her art and the way she uses materials.

This was more a memoir than I expected.

A sweet book which skewed a little bit young for my taste at this time. I have preferred her other books compared to this.

A bit of a hit and miss at times though I did enjoy the humor in bits. Will give the second book a go to see if it clicks for me.

An interesting read from a boy living with autism. However, it is a bit repetitive, especially towards the end of the book. There is controversy around the book... but maybe shedding additional light on autism helps the general awareness about it.

Generally enjoyed this book as it has managed to occupy me during my reading slump (which is still ongoing). 😔

A book to dip in and out of. Interesting places were highlighted (floating islands, ephemeral places, breakaway nations) and the topic of "borders" is brought up and considered.

#bookspin

A collection of stories by a Singaporean author which borrows its name from a book written by colonial governor, Frank Swettenham. These stories tell life from the POV of the malays as an ethnic minority in Singapore.
Short stories are not usually my jam but these managed to keep my attention through most of the book. Maybe because the subject matter was closer to home. The illustrations were fun too. #ashortstorycollection #booked2023

A quick middle grade mystery set in what seems like Rennaisance Italy. There was a lot about reading and the love of books in this. ❤️
#bookspin

A micro history of oysters and how they grew /died with the rise of New York. The cover I have does not have the bit about New York, so I was a bit thrown at the amount of content it had.
Overall interesting and I definitely learnt alot about these bivalves.
#roll100

This classic has been on my shelf for a while, and it was worth the read. The narrator is perhaps a little too self-aware, but the story itself was heartfelt and full of feels.
Using this for #quietyabook for #booked2023
#192025 #1948

A sweet cosy mystery based in the neighbourhood of Shady Hollows. A good palate cleanser kind of book.
#booked2023 #setinaneighbourhood #52books23 #abookwithsecrets

A short-ish read/listen about how to live more productively with our devices. There are a couple of takeaways that I will try to put into practise.
Can be included for #52books23 #analliterativetitle

#bookspin brought this back to my radar after I had sort of despaired with it as the subject matter, though interesting, is a bit too dense for me. I managed to make it through with the help of the audio.
#52books23 #abookwithasubtitle

Book 4 in the Lord Peter Wimsey series. The first half sets up the pieces (a little bit slowly), but the last quarter really hurtles along as Wimsey solves the mystery.
Picked this up for #roll100 but it also fits #52books23 for the #aboutaninheritance prompt.

Read this both for #bookspin and #192025 as this book was published in #1920 .
The publishing date is the reason why there are some racist bits. Overall, if you just focused on the adventure and the animal shenanigans it was a good read.
Generally a pick.

Second in the Vish Puri series. Enjoyed this one as well as it is really rooted in India and its social norms. All the side characters (especially my favourite Mummy-ji) help flesh out Vish Puri's daily life
My first #roll100 for the year.

A #cozymystery set in #India with the detective Vish Puri. I enjoyed the setting and the characters - especially the mother, who was a hoot. The author really managed to capture the streets / social norms of India.
Especially good in audio.

All I could think whilst reading this was - this could have been me.
Full of anecdotes and dark humour but oh so real. The Afterword really got to me.
My last #bookspin read for the year and it's a good one.

Enjoyed this as a locked room mystery even though the ending was a little convoluted. It does give a view into the Japanese feudal and honour system.
Contemplating getting the other books by this author. 🤔
My last #roll100 for the year

Bailing on this until I decide to get a physical copy as the audiobook narrator did not suit me 😑

Read this for #hopepunk for #booked2022 and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was heartfelt and adorable and all the characters popped off the page for me. Teared up a few times as well.
This marks the completion of #booked2022 for me. Onto next year's challenge!
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Unfortunately a slightly slow and disappointing end to the series which I have generally enjoyed. The mystery only sorta got going at 60%.

Adorable story and great illustrations. 😄

Very lyrical writing but it was a little too slow for me. I may not have been able to get through it if it was not my option for #aboutanonpatriarchalsociety for #booked2022