Tome Thursday: The Village Phantom

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's blog.

 

I'm having a slightly surreal experience in that I'm typing this up at a VERY different time of day than my usual one - because I've fallen into the hole of C-dramas, and that means I somehow binged through eight episodes of one yesterday, going to bed late.

 

... the irony that they talk about how you should try and sleep enough and be in bed on time in this very drama is not lost on me.

 

I'll be reviewing it on my blog in the near future, so don't worry! You'll get all my commentary and reports haha.

 

But first and foremost, the book for tonight.

 

We're going back into the field where I first cut my teeth as a young reader, with Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, except it's Scandinavian this time.

 

And I was very lucky enough to have the author reach out to me for a review.

 

So without further ado: The Village Phantom!

 

Tome Thursday: The Charmed Coin Mystery

 

Hello everyone!

 

So after the mammoth of the post that ended up happening on Tuesday, I decided to do something a little lighter this Thursday for my book choice of the week.

 

And when I need something like this, I usually always return to one of two preferred authors!

 

You always have to have some in your back pocket that will help you in times like this.

 

Especially when you don't want to spend yet another two to three hours typing and editing and padding up a post! Hah.

 

Honestly though, it's not that I mind. It's that I slept horribly tonight (I only got a solid five hours, and the rest was definitely fragmented until I just gave up) and I feel like it's going to be a long ass day without a lot to show for it in the end.

 

Which means I'm going to try not to complicate my life even more while I'm at it.

 

Without further ado, then, let's hop straight into the next mystery our favourite rapscallion girl Twyla ends up in.

 

Ladies and gentlemen: The Charmed Coin.

 

Tome Thursday: Anything Ghost

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back, and I hope your Easter proved both entertaining and heart-warming.

 

Unfortunately, the Christian world lost its venerated Pope earlier this week, and of course people will be mourning him. I, personally, only really followed him through the news, but he was a very forward-thinking man and a modern man at that, so I believe the world at large absolutely lost a great figure, overall.

 

That said, we can only hope the Vatican now elects someone who will lead them forward through these turbulent times.

 

And speaking of turbulent.

 

One of our favourite amateur sleuths is back this week, in the book I picked for tonight's review post. She's been absent from regular publications for a couple of months, but we already know that the fifth book in the series is on the way, so never fear!

 

Put on your thinking caps and some glitter, because we're headed to the heart of gambling and desert show business tonight, in Anything Ghost.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Murder at the Breakers

 

"It's time for a new generation to step up to the mantle."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the murder mystery train.

 

That's right, the weather outside being what it is - that is, rainy and foggy and all things mysterious - has prompted me to return to my love of mysteries, because there's just something about the kind of atmosphere it produces which always leads me to either read or watch detectives muddle their way through clues.

 

This one's no different.

 

Actually, I think Hallmark's trying it's hand at several different, new projects right now, with rights to different book series, to see what sticks to the wall and what doesn't.

 

Because Gilded Newport Mysteries was a book series FIRST before they translated it onto the screen, and I'm now absolutely curious about the series as a whole, having seen this first installment.

 

I'm a fan of HBO's Gilded Age, after all. Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers sounded right up my alley.

Talkie Tuesday: True Justice Family Ties

 

"Always follow the wife."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to what I'd probably call the Kat McNamara appreciation post, if it didn't already have a different title.

 

See, I've been a HUGE fan of hers since her Shadowhunters days, and once she joined Arrow as the one and only Mia Queen? Forget it, I was set for life to be one of her biggest fans.

 

She's just an amazingly versatile actress, and I'm reasonably sure she just hasn't found the role that would skyrocket her for life, which is a shame because I feel like she could do really, really well among the big Hollywood A-listers.

 

Then again, maybe she's perfectly happy where she's at right now though? Who can tell!

 

I know that I was pleasantly surprised seeing her name pop up in association with Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, so this weekend I sat down to watch the little movie she made with them.

 

Because, don't you know, I like murder mysteries, too. Which True Justice: Family Ties absolutely, definitely is.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Mystery on Mistletoe Lane

 

"Christmas is about family."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the second of our Christmas movie review nights, which is once again turning out to be a success. I'm actually honestly surprised!

 

Usually, the way things go is, I find the perfect movie to start off with, but then they slowly peter out the longer I watch them through the duration of December. It's as if I start at the top and then gradually slide downwards!

 

But not this time.

 

No, this time, I got two winners in a row, which DOES make me slightly nervous for the remainder LOL but, we shall persevere!

 

First, we have a minor mystery to solve.

 

And we need to find some reindeer while we're at it.

 

Mystery on Mistletoe Lane, from Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Miracles of Christmas, is up for tonight.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Carrot Cake Murder

 

"If you respect the process, you could end up with perfection."

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week, we take a look right back into the world of sleuthing.

 

That's right, if you know me, then you know that detective stories are among some of my favourites - and that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot take the cake, with Sherlock Holmes either right there with them or close behind, depending on my mood.

 

Tess Gerritsen is also an author that I truly enjoy, so can you see a trend forming here?

 

A while back - this is now probably a few years back, actually - I very accidentally ran into a series that Hallmark Movies & Mysteries did called Murder, She Baked.

 

I was originally enticed into watching because of its male lead, but stayed for the adorable stories.

 

They rebranded into Hannah Swensen Mysteries and have just released its second installment out into the world in this new series.

 

Which means that we got to put our thinking caps on, everyone! Because it's time to solve a murder, and not just any kind, but a Carrot Cake Murder.

 

Tome Thursday: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes III

 

Hello everyone!

 

And so, we come to the end of our Sherlock Holmes journey.

As promised, this week I'm bringing this collection of short stories to a close, and starting something new and exciting come next Thursday.

Given that this weekend is the first Sunday of Advent already, I would say we're just about on time, wouldn't you?

Sherlock has had his run, and a fantastic run at that.

His time in the hansoms and chasing villains through the fog of London is basically at an end as he gives way to that inevitable Christmas cheer that's right around the corner.

As every year, I'll be covering some hopefully lovely seasonal books, but before we can get on to that, it's time to say a proper farewell to our super sleuth.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, ladies and gentlemen, one last time.

Tome Thursday: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes II

 

Hello everyone!

 

We are back for another round of 'who the heck did this and how?!'

 

Or, in other words, for another round of Sherlock Holmes stories.

 

It really looks to be the time for these, especially if you look out the window and, for most of the view if you're living in the Northern hemisphere, you get foggy outskirts.

 

I was just watching it crawl in yesterday, and man did it remind me of London!

 

I grew up watching Jeremy Brett playing Holmes, you see, and that was a proper, Victorian era one.

 

So this is legitimately right up my alley, which is why I keep going back to the books and reading them again and again.

 

Let's not keep our master sleuth waiting for too long then, shall we?

 

Because we haven't finished The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes yet, and the detective has this thing about unfinished business.

Saturday Snippet: Sherlock

 

Just a little appreciation post <3

 

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes I

 

Hello everyone!

 

Continuing on in the vein of what we began with this week, I'll be taking a look at a compilation of short stories through the rest of November.

You guessed right, watching Enola Holmes 2 made me dig out and dust off my copies of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous Victorian era sleuth.

And let nobody fool you, this is the perfect time to read them.

There's fog outside, the weather's particularly dreary (for the most part) and you just need something cozy to read while you wrap up and sip your hot beverage of choice. Doyle made sure, back in the day, to provide everything you'd ever need in that aspect.

So did several others writing on the topic of crime and solving crime, but I digress.

Tonight we take a look at the original who snooped around London way before Enola was conceived in the heads of Netflix producers.

There's a plethora of stories to choose from, but I picked the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

Murder on the Orient Express (Booktober)

 

"I do not approve of murder."

 

 

I once again saved the very best for last, at least in my opinion, but who can deny that Agatha Christie really remains the Queen of Mystery? And the silly movie with Kenneth Branagh aside, Murder on the Orient Express remains one of her best works to this day. What happens when an American household is shaken to its core by a senseless brutal act, and the staff decide to take matters into their own hands? As they have just the luck of finding themselves on the fabled Orient Express alongside Hercule Poirot, famous mustachioed detective extraordinaire, we have the privilege of experiencing it all first-hand. And if reading about it isn't enough, I highly recommend the television series starring David Suchet!

 

 

 

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer—in case he or she decides to strike again ...

(from Goodreads)

 

xx

*image not mine

 

The Avalon Café Mysteries (Booktober)

The Lost Legion (Booktober)

The Bourne Trilogy (Booktober)

Becoming Mrs. Lewis (Booktober)

Lord John Grey (Booktober)

The Last Wish (Booktober)

The Inheritance Cycle (Booktober)

His Dark Materials (Booktober)

The White Queen (Booktober)

The Thorn Birds (Booktober)

The Bourbon Kings (Booktober)

Cop of the Year (Booktober)

Nefertiti (Booktober)

Timeline (Booktober)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Nefertiti (Booktober)

 

"The purpose of collecting so much information can only be power."

 

 

 

Rahotep is a detective, under orders from his exalted ruler himself. If you think that sounds fairly normal for a book, I should add that said exalted ruler is the Pharaoh, and our detective lives in Ancient Egypt. Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead brings forth a stunning mystery set smack-dab in the middle of the desert. What has happened to the most beautiful woman in all the land, right before an important festival? And just like in modern times, the detective works under a tight deadline, except this one is deadlier than any of ours could ever be. Find the Queen - and save your family.

 

 

 

  

She is Nefertiti—beautiful and revered. With her husband, Akhenaten, she rules over Egypt, the most affluent, formidable, sophisticated empire in the ancient world. But an epic power struggle is afoot, brought on by the royal couple's inauguration of an enlightened new religion and the construction of a magnificent new capital. The priests are stunned by the abrupt forfeiture of their traditional wealth and influence; the people resent the loss of their gods—and the army is enraged by the growing turbulence around them. Then, just days before the festival that will celebrate the new capital, Nefertiti vanishes ...

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

Timeline (Booktober)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

 

"There is no detective in England equal to a spinster 

lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands."

 

 

If you're going to be reading in October, or any fall month, really, there is absolutely no way to go by the Queen of Mystery. Agatha Christie may have given us Hercule Poirot - but she also gave us Jane Marple, a harmless little old lady with the sharpest wits you could ever imagine. Don't let her looks fool you! Be very wary. Something the rest of her small village isn't quite aware of in Murder at the Vicarage, the first novel we meet her in, in which she might be incapacitated by a hurt ankle, but that doesn't mean her powers of observation are moot. Give her binoculars, she'll give you the solution!

 

 

 

 

‘Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe,’ declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, ‘would be doing the world at large a favour!’ It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth. And one which was to come back and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later – when the colonel was found shot dead in the clergyman’s study. But as Miss Marple soon discovers, the whole village seems to have had a motive to kill Colonel Protheroe.

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

 

"When you have eliminated the impossible, 

whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

 

 

Okay so I MAY have made a slight doo-doo since I mixed up A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. Oops! My apologies. In my defense ... well, there isn't a good one really. But that said and done, what would ANY fall read-a-ton be without a look at the classic sleuth in Victorian London? Sherlock Holmes has held the hearts of people around the world since his very first appearance, and the recent dive into stories about the fictional Enola Holmes have reinvigorated public interest. If you're waiting for cute teenagers running amok in London, however, be warned: the OG Holmes stories are NOT for the faint-hearted, especially not with epic riverboat scenes like in this one! Arthur Conan Doyle knew his stuff.

 

 

 

As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman - Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor and urges Holmes and Watson to accompany her. And in the ensuing investigation - which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog and a love affair - even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, 'Isn't it gorgeous!'

(from book jacket)

 

xx

*image not mine

 

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Talkie Tuesday: Enola Holmes

"To be a Holmes, you must find your own path."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So my original plan for this week's blog post for Tuesday was to follow up the previous one about Mulan with our all-time favourite, the 1998 version, but something else happened and the plan went right off the rails.

 

Kind of like jumping off a train!

 

Here's the thing.

 

I forgot Netflix was premiering their new movie about Sherlock Holmes' younger sister last week.

 

I know, I know, I should have ACTUALLY been paying attention, but sadly my mind's been all over the place, so while I clocked into the trailer and the date, I didn't realize the date was REALLY just around the corner!

 

And there you have it. Paying attention is everything, kids.

 

Which means that the Mulan cartoon is unfortunately getting bumped right along. Because without further ado, allow me to introduce yet another member of the prodigiously talented Holmes family: Enola Holmes.

 

Nemesis (Booktober)

"Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream."

 

What is Booktober without the Queen of Mystery? If you want a good, quality murder, pick up any Agatha Christie book and you're bound to get just that. For my pick I chose one from her Miss Marple series, potentially my favourite with the willy old bird, Nemesis. The story of retracing the steps to an old, old crime - and finding the truth about what happened to a young girl who just wanted to love and be loved in return - is both harrowing and enchanting at once. Christie has a way with words that few authors have since managed to achieve.

But that doesn't mean you won't scratch your head as you read!

In utter disbelief, Jane Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr Rafiel - an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. He had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death. The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intruguing. Soon she is faced with a new crime - the ultimate crime - murder. It seems someone is adamant that past evils remain buried ...

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

Outlander series (Booktober)

The Conqueror Series (Booktober)

The Lost Symbol (Booktober)

The Host (Booktober)

The Bridgertons (Booktober)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Booktober)

The Infernal Devices (Booktober)

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Booktober)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

The Shadow of the Wind (Booktober)

Dracula (Booktober)

Life and Death (Booktober)

ACOTAR series (Booktober)

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Booktober)

Sepulchre (Booktober)

Pride and Prejudice (Booktober)

Tempting Autumn (Booktober)

Harry Potter (Booktober)

The Hobbit (Booktober)

Saturday Snippet: Take Two

These two crack me up so much!

xx

*image not mine