Thoughts
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Miss Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye
“Wherever there is a question of gain, one has to be very suspicious. The great thing to avoid is having in any way a trustful mind” p165 Hello Everyone, It feels like a while since I wrote about a Miss Marple book! This week I have a fun one for you. In this book it really feels like Christie has locked in the key elements of Miss Marple’s method and character, as the quote above indicates! The Book As well as locking in Miss Marple’s character, you can tell in this one that Christie also recognized that “murder in a small town” plots were possible starting to get old, so…
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Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors
“People will quite often do anything for money.” Good morning! Today, I have a fun Miss Marple book to share with you all in which we get a delightful image of Miss Marple as a young woman and see the lengths she goes to to keep those she loves safe. This is a cast of characters, “house party” type of mystery, and one that I quite enjoyed reading despite the fact that there are a LOT of characters for such a short book. The Book In They Do It With Mirrors, Miss Marple effects her first “disguise” of sorts when she reconnects with two old friends who she went to…
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February 2021: Beautiful writing is its own kind of joy
Hello everyone, This month, I think I may have hit a saturation point for pure comfort reading, and I found myself reaching out for other books. What I discovered (remembered?, rediscovered?) is that while there is joy in simple, easy stories and mysteries, there is another level of joy to be found in beautifully written books. The three books/series that I want to highlight today share very little except for this fact: they are all exceptionally written and their language enchanted and delighted me. Non Fiction Essays – Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver is an wonderful novelist who has written some of the most haunting and beautiful books…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: February 5th
Hello and happy weekend! In a week that has sometimes felt endless, I am counting my joys as well. I was able to get vaccinated last Thursday (!) and we FINALLY got enough snow to actually play in it. Enjoy the links below, and I’ll be with you next Wednesday with another installment in my Miss Marple reread, The Body in the Library. 1.) My old roommate had this book, and it made me laugh every time. Apparently there are sequels too. If you want to see some of the images in the book, this blog has a few of them. 2.) It’s not too late to think about Valentine’s…
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Miss Marple: The Thirteen Problems/The Tuesday Club Murders
“Human nature is always interesting… And it’s curious to see how certain types always tend to act in exactly the same way.” p 167 Hello! Today, I am here to talk about the Miss Marple introduction we deserve, known in the UK as The Thirteen Problems and in the US as The Tuesday Club Murders. And in fact, a few of these short stories did appear in print before the Murder at the Vicarage, so I feel justified in making this statement. The Book I am realizing as I start this reread that I have actually not read a lot of the Miss Marple books in their original form as…
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Weekend Joys, Books and More: January 8th
This first week of 2021 is proving to be no less eventful! I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing weekend. 1.) My obsession over the holiday break was this relaxing and soothing television show. Who knew kiln firing could be so dramatic!? 2.) I love a good literary map – Take this fun quiz and see how many of these do you recognize? 3.) This is such a sweet gift idea! 4.) Ice Skating + Drag = This incredibly cool video. 5.) The internet of the early 2000s was a weird place.
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Weekend Joys, Books and 2021!
Hello everyone, Well, the first day of 2021, and I am here to share a few fun weekend treats to enjoy the first day of this new year! 1.) I don’t know what I find more amusing, this SNL skit, or these responses. 2.) Are you a leftover lover or a leftover hater? Either way, you may enjoy this new show. Now I need the cookbook. 3.) What should your first book of 2021 be? I got These Violent Delights, which is a Shangahi based adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and looks really cool. 4.) If you are wanting to read more in 2021, check out my post about ways…
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November: Old Favorites, Graphic Novels and American Voices
Hello Everyone, November was a big month for me in terms of my 2020 reading. It started with a lot of escapist reading as we waited with bated breath for the results of the election, and ended with a lot of escapist reading when I got hit by Covid-19 and spent about a week in bed. I also started leading a graphic novel book club, and had a great time doing “research” for it! Today I have three pairs of books for you that fall into some fun categories. These books cover YA to adult, brand new to old classics, and I hope there is something for everyone for you!…
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What Book Would You Never Let Someone Borrow?
The other day, I saw the question: “What book would you never let someone borrow?” I loved this question, but I wanted more than one answer for you. So I invited my mother to give me a book too! My mom is an incredible author in her own right (she wrote the amazing Living and Dying Without a Map), and you can hear from both of us below. Don’t forget to leave a comment with the book you would never let someone borrow too! Emma I am an inveterate book giver and lender. When I love a book, I want others to read it and I am always happy to…
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An Unpretentious Way to Read “More” Books
The amount that I read is a running joke in my household, whether it is being asked “so did you finish it yet?” right when I start a book, or me reporting my running tally just to annoy those around me. I am an incredibly fast reader, and that a big part of how I finish so many books, but I honestly think that a lot of my ability to get through so many books is that I structure my life in a such as way that I can manage it. I’m not reading every second, and I still go to work, watch a ton of TV, sleep, make food…
