The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

 

The plot:  Needing a quiet place to recuperate after an airplane crash, Jerry Burton and his sister, Joanna, rent a cottage called Little Furze in Lymstock. They're not expecting to receive an anonymous letter soon after full of hateful, untruthful accusations. While it makes Joanna laugh, Jerry finds it a little unsettling. Especially when he learns several other people in Lymstock have received similar "poison pen" missives. Then one of the recipients dies by suicide. The police are called in to investigate. And Jerry realizes the culprit must be one of his own neighbors. But who? And why? 

My thoughts: This clever and fun mystery is billed as a Miss Marple mystery, but she doesn't even show up until page 167. And she only makes two other appearances after that. It would have been better, in my opinion, if Christie had just had Jerry solve the murder instead of bringing in Miss Marple for so few scenes at the end. Because Jerry is a personable and engaging narrator. I liked both him and his sister. And I enjoyed this mystery overall, too. I had two ideas of who might be behind it all....but I ended up being wrong on both accounts. Once again, Christie's plot twists were too clever for me. It's not a long book, and it reads fast. And while it's not my favorite Agatha Christie novel, I thought it was an entertaining read. And I never once thought about DNFing it.  😉

Happy Reading!

Randomness...

 I'm totally loving Olivia Rodrigo's album "you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love". It's awesome!

I also got a fun new game to play. It's called Trailblazer: Hiking the John Muir Trail. It has lots of pieces and parts and takes about 2 hours to play, but I like it. Up to 4 people can play at one time, and there's also a solo version. I'm eager to play it again.

For me, the end of August/beginning of September means canning season, and I've been busy bottling peaches and pears and making zucchini relish and blackberry jam. We had early blossoms followed by hard frosts this past spring here in Utah, so I couldn't get any Gala apples to do applesauce this time around. Hopefully next year. Canning always cuts into my reading time, but nothing beats eating yummy bottled fruit from off your own shelf all winter long. 

And while I read several really good books last month, I also ended up DNFing six. Which is unusual for me. I don't know if I was stressed, running extra tired, or just too impatient to deal with slower plots, aggravating or unlikeable characters, or stories that felt like they were going nowhere like The Correspondent. But I just couldn't make myself finish any of those six books. I'm hoping for better books this month. And more reading patience. 

Happy Reading!

Who is DS George Cross?

 "He was Marmite to most of his colleagues at the MCU. They either liked him or loathed him. There was no in-between. He often came across as rude, difficult or plain obtuse. But it wasn't intentional. George Cross was on the spectrum, which sometimes made him a little challenging to work with. But it was what made him an extraordinary detective."

"...Cross would never give up, particularly when he was told to. He was like a terrier snapping at your heels; once he'd got hold of your trouser leg, he would stubbornly refuse to let go, even if you spun him round in circles."

"It was a full twelve months since she'd become his partner and although it had taken some time to get used to him she had come to respect and understand him. ...In many ways she had become Cross's apologist in the department; his interpreter. She confessed to friends that she might have been less understanding had he not been such an irritatingly brilliant cop. He had the highest conviction rate in the force. By far. Having said that, there were times when she would happily have thrown him off Clifton suspension bridge." 

 The Patient by Tim Sullivan is another excellent mystery in this fun British police procedural series that stars DS George Cross. He's the best kind of character. And I am loving these books. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

  

Haiku reviews...

 

Ambition by Natalie Keller Reinert

Jules has a dream of

being the best horse trainer 

and three day eventer.

Fiction .... 358 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(First book in a fun series that's all about dressage, cross-country jumping and horses.)

The Hike by Lucy Clarke

Four women, best friends,

stumble into danger while

backpacking in Norway.

Thriller .... 367 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Loved the setting!)

Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart

They're babysitting

for a friend when bad guys come

for Mark and Astrid.

Action/Thriller .... 287 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(I love this series! But read Assassins Anonymous first.)

Happy Reading!

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

 "The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever."

 

from the blurb:  When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there's a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn't come as more of a shock. Partly because she can't remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died six months ago...

When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the London bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift--twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

my thoughts:  Lovely. Poignant. Heartwarming.  I loved this book. I loved the letters from her husband each month, and how each book he chose helped Tilly take that next step in her journey through loss and grief to living, laughing, risking, and loving again. She meets some great people along the way, even finding a grief group in Paris. And I loved Alfie and his bookshop, and how he became such a good friend to Tilly. This book is amazing. Who wouldn't want 12 months of reading-inspired adventure from someone you love? 

my rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Funnily coincidental cover from an equally fun read:

The Library by Bella Osborne

August's bookish art...

 

Albert Aublet -- Reading on the Garden Path

"Some books you read.

Some books you enjoy.

But some books swallow you up heart and soul."

--Joanne Harris

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman

 I just finished reading this eighth book in Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series and I loved it. But it's so long, and so much happens in it, I'm not even going to try and summarize the plot, or write a long review of it. Instead, I'm going to take the easy way out and write a haiku review instead. Because that's how I roll these days. 😉

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman

They've reached level ten.

Racing to stay alive, how

many more will die?

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action & Adventure.... 688 pages ....4.5/5 stars.

(Chaos runs rampant in the dungeon as Carl and Princess Donut fight to save as many of their friends as they can. This is one crazy, fun series! I can't wait for the next one.)

Happy Reading!

Here is my review of Dungeon Crawler Carl, the first book.