Sunday, November 1, 2026
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Vanished Beyond the Map by Adam Shoalts
Facts about Hubert Darrell:
- He was born in England in 1874 and emigrated to Canada when he was 16.
- He worked at farming for awhile, then panned for gold in the Klondike, but his true love in life was exploring the vast wilderness of Canada's Northwest Territory, on foot and alone.
- His exploration & map-making skills, uncanny abilities, physical endurance and tenacity earned the respect and admiration of Roald Amundsen.
- Famous polar explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson said: "The few white men who were on the north coast of Canada between 1906 and 1912 agree that Hubert Darrell was its greatest arctic traveler."
- His countless journeys added up to a record few could match.
- "In November 1910, Darrell was exploring and filling in blanks on existing maps alone in the Western Arctic near the Anderson river when he mysteriously vanished."
Fascinated by this lost and largely forgotten explorer, author Adam Shoalts spent years combing through archives, tracking down letters and old newspapers, and even venturing on several canoe trips and wilderness expeditions of his own to track Hubert Darrell's accomplishments and trace his many solitary journeys, hoping to learn what became of him. His book is part history, part compelling detective story and part wilderness adventure. And his words transported me to the far northern reaches of Canada as he trekked through those remote arctic lands few have ever seen. I was enthralled. And I came away with profound respect for both Hubert Darrell and Adam Shoalts. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Happy Reading!
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday
This week's theme: HALLOWEEN FREEBIE.
So, I decided to go with 10 Past October Reads With a Suspenseful Halloween Vibe.
2020: Hunted by Darcy Coates
2016: Shiver by Alex Nye
Most of these are suspense/thrillers, but a few are ghostly stories.
If you're looking for a fun October read, I enjoyed all of these.
Happy Reading!
Friday, October 23, 2026
The House at Devil's Neck by Tom Mead
Nine strangers.
A notorious mansion.
An isolated island.
A suicide that might be murder.
And a locked-room mystery.
The plot: While Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard investigates the apparent suicide of Rodney Edgecombe in London, Joseph Spector, former magician extraordinaire, heads to Devil's Neck for a weekend seance. When one of the other guests ends up dead, Spector immediately figures out it's murder. But finding the murderer is another matter.
My thoughts: Tom Mead's mysteries are like an homage to those classic locked-room Golden Age mysteries I love to read. There are always clever tricks and deceits in them. And Joseph Spector, a master of illusion himself, can spot them all. He's the other reason I really love these books. He and Flint work so well together. And even though they are apart for most of this book, I love how their two separate investigations come together at the end. There are a lot of surprises along the way, but also enough clues for you to figure it out if you're really clever. Which I was not. But I sure did have fun reading this one!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Happy Reading!
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
October's bookish art...
 |
| Nicolaas Van Der Waay--Amsterdam Orphan Girl |
"Reading is better than life. Without reading, you're stuck with life."
--Fran Lebowitz
Friday, October 16, 2026
Haiku Reviews...
Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
Poirot's sleuthing skills
are tested when a murder
game becomes all too real.
Mystery .... 226 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.
(I always enjoy reading Christie's mysteries.)
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter and his
cattery work to prove Harriet
is innocent of murder.
Mystery .... 240 pages .... 3/5 stars.
(Miss Katherine Climpson and Miss Joan Murchison go undercover in this one; they were my favorite characters.)
Sasq'et by Maxim Langstaff
A strange legacy
from her grandfather hints that
Sasquatch might exist.
Fiction .... 639 pages .... 2.5 stars.
(Loved the premise. And it's full of historical Sasquatch sightings. But there was too much research, not enough action, and it was way too long. Plus, the ending was a bit of a letdown.)
Happy Reading!
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday
This week's theme: BOOK COVERS FEATURING AUTUMNAL COVERS.
Here are mine:
Aren't these fun? I love the fall vibes.
Happy Reading!
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