June's Bookish Art...

 

Joseph Farquharson -- Summertime

"There's no better escape from life than into a book."

--Heather Webber, South of the Buttonwood Tree

The Inklings Detective Agency by John R. Kelly

 

Oxford, England. 1936.

J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. "Jack" Lewis, his brother, Warren, and the other members of the literary society known as the Inklings, are called upon to help solve the murders of two members of a secret society headed by Aleistor Crowley before the next full moon. These amateur sleuths take on the case, even though their investigation puts them on a dangerous collision course with a murderer.

John R. Kelly brings these famous authors and the city of Oxford to life in this entertaining mystery. I loved Tolkien's and Lewis's interactions. Jack ends up being the main detective, but it was a lot of fun to 'meet' all the other historical figures in it like Warren Lewis, Hugo Dyson, Charles Williams, Dorothy Sayers, and even Agatha Christie. Their discussion about the rules of writing mysteries made me smile. I also really liked the secret society aspect of this mystery; that's always been a big draw for me. Plus, there are great quotes heading each chapter. And you know how much I like bookish quotes. I really enjoyed reading this one, and I very much hope Kelly writes a sequel to it.   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Similar read:

What Rough Beast by H.R. Knight 

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, by Clare Pooley

First line:  "Until the point when a man started dying right in front of her on the 08:05, Iona's day had been just like any other."

From the blurb: 

Every day Iona Iverson, a stylish, opinionated, larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, rides the train to work with her dog, Lulu. Every day she sees the same people, whom she knows only by nickname: Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Mr-Too-Good-to-Be-True. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do.

Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. He’d have died were it not for the timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver.

This single event starts a chain reaction, and an eclectic group of people discovers that talking to strangers can teach you quite a bit about the world around you—and even more about yourself.

My thoughts: Charming, humorous, and full of heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's entertaining and fun. I loved all the characters, especially loud, exuberant, witty and wise Iona. I also loved how these six characters who range from a teenager in high school to a solicitor in his 60s, went from being complete strangers who never even spoke to each other to such caring train friends. Found family stories are always  my favs and this one is the best! It has such great writing and so much heart, I could not put it down. (And I want to give a quick thanks to Cath who first put me onto this book with her 2023 review. Though it has a slightly different title in the British version.)

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Summer reading...

My summer vacation has officially started (one of the benefits of working at an elementary school), which means my summer reading begins today as well. And there are SO many books I want to read. My list of mysteries, popcorn thrillers, romance, historical fiction and nonfiction books is long enough for three summers at least, which gives me lots of books to choose from these next two and a half months. The only problem is deciding where to start. 

I just finished reading The Swamp Fox by John Oller, the true story of how Marion Francis fought the British in South Carolina and helped win the Revolutionary War. I did not know anything about the Southern front or what went on in South Carolina during the American Revolution. Needless to say, I found this biography well-written, informative and completely engrossing. And I have new respect for the quiet but determined Marion Francis and his small band of dragoons. I am planning on reading a few more books about the Revolutionary War this summer starting with Band of Giants by Jack Kelly (which I ended up having to buy because my library decided to get rid of its copy last month. It's so annoying when libraries get rid of books you were planning on checking out!) 

As for my first fiction reads of summer I'm trying to decide between Coram House by Bailey Seybolt, A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizio and The Inklings Detective Agency by John R. Kelly. At least those are the top three books sitting in my library bag. I might change my mind and dig deeper into the bag for something else. Who knows. I'm just looking forward to a summer of free reading. What about you? What books are you hoping to read this summer?

Happy Reading!

The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

Honkaku mystery:  A Japanese subgenre focusing on intricate "fair play" puzzle-solving designed to challenge readers with logical deduction, locked-room scenarios, and complex mechanical tricks. Inspired by Western Golden Age authors like Agatha Christie, these novels typically provide all necessary clues, diagrams, and maps prioritizing the puzzle over literary prose.

Four mystery authors, a critic, an editor and his pregnant wife, and an amateur sleuth have all been invited to a famed mystery writer's isolated home to celebrate his 60th birthday. But when their weekend begins with a shocking death, they find themselves locked inside the Labyrinth House with a murderer. 

This was an entertaining 'locked-room' mystery. It was a little hard at first to keep all the characters straight, but I soon got them figured out. And I really liked Utayama Hideyuki, the editor, and Shimada Kiyoshi, a fan of mystery novels and amateur sleuth. They worked together on solving the puzzles within the Labyrinth House. I guessed one of the twists early on, but there was another twist at the very end I was not expecting. Which added a layer of fun. As did the map of the Labyrinth House included at the beginning of the book and all the allusions to the Greek myth about Minos and the minotaur. I did think the dialogue felt a little stilted at times, but that might have been because of the translation, or just a difference between Japanese and American fiction. Overall, though, I really liked this one. It's definitely made me a fan of Honkaku mysteries. 

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

 

Love Catch by Laura Langa

Roommates first. Then friends.

Can Trevor convince Kenzie

to risk her heart on him?

Sweet sport romance .... 297 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(He's a professional baseball player; she's an accountant. Together they work. Clean romance with the cutest rescue cat.)

Quiet Bones by Sarah Ward

A missing student.

A strange burial. A college

full of secrets.

Mystery .... 300 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.

(Carla James, an archaeology professor at Jericho College, gets caught up in three separate mysteries...or are they all connected?)

A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger

A retired spy.

A homeless girl. A diner

owner. And murder.

Mystery .... 212 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Great characters and a fun plot. I hope he writes a sequel.)

Happy Reading!

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman

 

From the blurb: 

"The new year barely began when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they're going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.

"When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.

"With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them both uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again?"

My thoughts:  Matthew Norman brilliantly captures the up-and-down journey through grief. And though this novel deals with death and loss, it's not a sad book. There are poignant moments, but there are also humorous, heartwarming and fun moments. And so many times I found myself nodding my head at something Grace or Henry said about the grief process. Because I've been there. And Norman gets it. I love the way he writes! And I love these characters and their friendship and shared moments of sadness. And Grace's two kids are awesome. I loved Henry's and Ian's art projects. And all the Christmas movie tie-ins were so fun; they made me laugh. This book is the best!

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!