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Archive | January, 2025

Book Reviews- Jan 2025

Welcome back to SGL, my friends! We’ve another book review post today, and at the bottom, there’s a quick review of my December reads.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes #1-9) by Arthur Conan Doyle – Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes’ and his trusted assistant, Watson, in all nine books of adventures put together in one audiobook.

~I started this 69 hour long audiobook back in the beginning of September. I enjoyed finally reading the Sherlock stories but will admit that doing it all in one ‘chunk’ was probably a bit much. I enjoyed seeing how Holmes’ was written- rather than how he’s portrayed in movies/tv series. He’s more talkative and considerate in general than I think is portrayed. I enjoyed these and look forward to reading specific ones again. Definitely recommend.

Uprooted : How 3,000 years of Jewish Civilization in the Arab World Vanished Overnight by Lyn Julius – (a snippet of the excerpt from Goodreads) Who are the Jews from Arab countries? What were relations with Muslims like? What made Jews leave countries where they had been settled for thousands of years? What lessons can we learn from the mass exodus of minorities from the Middle East?

~I am working to regularly read a bit more non-fiction with the focus being Jewish history. Unsurprisingly, this was a rather hard read, which made it a slow one for me. There were so many points that I tabbed and I have started a blog post for a separate review. Definitely recommend this for adult readers who want to learn about Jewish history in the Middle East.

A Lady in Attendance by Rachel Fordham – When Hazel takes a job as Dr. Gilbert Watt’s lady in attendance, she uses an alias. Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a stain on her real name – as well as on her heart. Gilbert Watts is unsure about admitting a woman into his office, but finds that Hazel is a cheerful addition to his life even while he senses something secretive underneath her chatter. For Hazel, she finds a friend in the quiet dentist and the hope that if she can put her past to rights, she just might have a future after all.

~My mom loaned me this book with the ‘you’ve got to read this’ suggestion. =) This is the only book by Fordham that I’ve read and it was well written and enjoyable! There was one moment for Hazel that felt so out of character that I stopped reading for a few days. But it was compelling enough that I came back to it and finished. Fordham had some twists throughout the plot that kept this story feeling fresh and I appreciated that. Recommend.

Castle of Whispers (Secrets of the Quilt #1) by Elizabeth Penney – Sofia Parker inherits a family heirloom the evening before her grandmother’s funeral. A trunk and the silk quilt inside have been passed down for generations, a secret trust to be guarded. But all the guardians were women who were excellent seamstresses and Sofia can barely thread a needle, much less stitch a straight line. So Sofia is stunned to inherit this heirloom, and even more so to find that there’s a diary inside the trunk as well. A diary that chronicles the significance of each piece of the quilt and the one that intrigues Sofia is that one is claimed to be connected to the Mona Lisa!

~This was another book my mom loaned me. I admit that I was a bit uncertain about it but I’m glad I gave it a try. It was a cute read – one with a fun historical twist that since the synopsis doesn’t say too much about it, I won’t either. Suffice it to say that this was a sweet story although, once again, the main character, Sofia, did something that irked me. It was better explained further on (the motivations behind) but, I’ll admit, it still doesn’t sit quite right…? I don’t know. But. If you’re wanting a sweet read with some fun history thrown in, check this one out. And apparently it’s a whole series!

Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories by Dorothy L. Sayers – a full collection of the 21 Wimsey short stories along with an article about the author.

~This is linked to a review that I did of the whole series earlier this month – definitely check it out if you like mysteries. It was quite fun to go through these, even though I’m not normally a fan of short stories. I will always recommend this series!!

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis – When the Pevensie children are sent away from London, they’re sent to stay at a house owned by the professor. Lucy, the youngest, finds a wardrobe in an empty room and stumbles upon the fantastical land of Narnia. Soon, all four siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy- will be blinking in the bright sunlight of that frozen land, meeting Aslan and be forever changed.

~After the chaos that was December, I needed a cozy story to listen to, so I (naturally) turned to Narnia. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michael York. I adore the Pevensie siblings, and of course, especially Lucy. And Peter. The beavers and Mr. Tumnus are wonderful as well. Suffice it to say, I highly recommend this intro to the Narnia series!

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson – Tress leads a simple life on her island home in the emerald sea. She enjoys colleting cups that sailors bring her and listening to the stories her friend Charlie tells her. But then he’s taken away from her by his father to find Charlie a bride and disaster strikes. Charlie has been captured by the Sorceress in the Midnight Sea. Tress decides she must sneak off her island and rescue Charlie. The journey she undergoes is dangerous, not only because one drop of water in a sea of spores can mean instant death, but because it will challenge her in every way.

~First off, how is this my third read of this book and yet it’s the first time I’ve reviewed it? Anyway, this is a fairytale but with the heroine being more than just the damsel in distress. Tress has no idea how she’ll accomplish her plan, but through it all, she proves that she is more than a simple window washer from a tiny island no one knows about. Sanderson wrote this with a bit of tongue-in-cheek that differs from his usual style and it just makes it that much more fun. Highly recommend.

Since I apparently missed doing a review on December’s reads, here’s a quick list of what I read! The first several are short stories from the Victorian age. I was part of a read-along on Instagram that’s called Dickens December. It’s quite fun if you want to check it out – look up Laura (pixie.hallows) or Jess (dickens.and.docks)

The Christmas Mummers by Mary Charlotte Younge

Old Hooker’s Ghost by Anonymous

The Black Bag Left on a Doorstep by Louisa Catherine Perkis (a new favorite. It’s about a female detective!)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Lord Peter Wimsey Series Review

14 Jan

Welcome to SGL, my friends! I’ve decided to collect all the books from this series that I shared over several months and compile them into one post. Hopefully this makes it easier to look it over and decide if you want to give it a read!

Whose Body? (#1) - It wasn’t unusual for a man to be naked in a bathtub, but the rest of the circumstances were. The man was dead, for one. And he was wearing a pair of pince-nez and his face had been shaved after death. Lord Peter Wimsey doesn’t agree with the police that it is a popular financier and sets out to prove his theory.

Clouds of Witness (#2) – When Peter’s brother-in-law-to-be turns up dead at the Wimsey retreat and the accused murderer is Peter’s brother, it’s enough to shake the unflappable Lord Peter. And that’s not to mention the other aspects of the case that are truly puzzling…

Unnatural Death (#3)- The fact that Agatha Dawson had died wasn’t surprising to anyone, but Lord Peter was curious about how she died rather sooner than expected and dives into this case, even though he doesn’t have any leads or clues. When Agatha’s maid ends up dead as well, Peter knows his time is short to catch the killer.

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (#4)- No one quite knew what time ninety-year old General Fentiman had died but that detail figured in a half million pound inheritance. Lord Peter Wimsey will need all his wits about him as he tries to unravel the mysteries of the lack of a poppy on the old man’s outer coat, how the club’s telephone was repaired without a repairman and how the old man’s knees swung freely when the rest of him was rigid with rigor mortis. His friend’s future is on the line – this is one case that he can’t get wrong.

Lord Peter Views the Body (#5) – a collection of short stories

Strong Poison (#6) by Dorothy L. Sayers- When a man mysteriously dies from poison, it is his former lover that is investigated. Harriet Vane, mystery writer with a knowledge of poisons, is about to be charged with murder, because the man’s death is eerily similar to a death in one of her books. But Lord Peter Wimsey is determined to prove her innocence.

The Five Red Herrings (#7)- While Wimsey is visiting the Scottish coast with some friends on a painting retreat, the hated Sandy Campbell is found dead. But although it looks like an accident on the cliffs, Wimsey is certain that there’s something wrong with the death and starts to investigate.

Have His Carcase (#8)-We meet Harriet Vane for the second time in this series and this time around, it’s she that finds the corpse. This inevitably unites her with Peter Wimsey again and they set off to solve the lethal mystery. As they do so, avoiding danger as a matter of course, they find themselves becoming more than sleuthing partners.

Hangman’s Holiday (#9)- a collection of short mysteries where amusing and appalling things happen around Lord Peter and the working-class sleuth, Montague Egg.

Murder Must Advertise (#10)- Lord Peter Wimsey is called in to investigate a death that originally looked like an accident. At Pym’s Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, ad man Victor Dean died after falling down a set of office stairs. But Wimsey soon learns that there’s more to copywriting than meets the eye- a bit of cocaine, blackmail and of course, the five brutal murders that occur in quick succession. This case will require all of Wimsey’s wit and cleverness to avoid being corpse number six.

The Nine Tailors (#11)- A disfigured corpse is found in a country parish, leaving the rector worried. He pleads with Lord Peter to investigate how the man died, who he was and how he came to be laid to rest…in the unfortunate place he was found.

Gaudy Night (#12)- Harriet Vane, murder mystery author, once accused of murder – only acquitted because of evidence found by Lord Peter Wimsey- puts aside her lingering shame of the trial and goes back to her alma mater – Oxford’s Shrewsbury College. But she soon realizes that her life is in danger again, when she receives the first poison-pen letter. It merely calls her names but they grow ever more threatening and dangerous. Harriet calls in Peter Wimsey to help her- for a killer is hiding among the Shrewsbury College dons.

Busman’s Honeymoon (#13)- At long last, Lord Peter Wimsey has succeeded in his ardent pursuit of his love. They get married and immediately depart for their honeymoon in a picturesque farmhouse. But as soon as they get there – things are not as they anticipated. And when the previous owner is found dead in the cellar, more questions arise. Their honeymoon suddenly interrupted, the newlyweds are on the case as they try and find the identity of the murderer.

Lord Peter– a collection of all the Lord Peter Wimsey stories compiled – I found a copy of this at the thrift store (!!) and while it has some of the short stories from the other collection (#9), it doesn’t have all of them – and of course, has a whole lot more than that book.

~Side note, articles I’ve read, share that if one skips the short stories and reads only the full-length novels, you won’t miss much. (subjective of course, that).

Review:

I originally ran across this series thanks to a hardcover copy of Murder Must Advertise at a library book sale. I loved it so much that I found all the audiobooks and quickly ‘read’ through them- I mostly listened to these on audiobooks, narrated by Ian Carmichael.

In my reviews of each book, these are the things that stood out to me. In the first three, I mention that there are race issues (period accurate and not a huge point of the story but still there). In book #3, there are some…sexual preferences mentioned, but so subtle that I almost missed it. Books #4 and #6, I got a bit confused throughout but still enjoyed them. #11 was quite slow… #8, #10 and #13 were absolute favorites.

I’ve been reading the short stories and they are fun little delightful snippets of adventures!

Lord Peter Wimsey reminded me of a bit of an easy-going cousin to Scarlet Pimpernel (if you’ve not read him, check out this post). He’s not a professional detective, but he thinks outside the box and gets a thrill from chasing down clues. He has assistance from his butler, Bunter, his detective friend, Parker, and some other well-chosen friends as he chases down criminal after criminal.

I liked seeing his character development from book one through to the end of the series. Learning about his past – from childhood events to his time spent in the war- explained so much and created such a deeper, complex character.

Sayer’s style reminds me of Agatha Christie, but with, of course, a different voice, a different way of revealing the villains/who-done-it’s.

A bit about the author:

Dorothy L. Sayers was born in Oxford in 1883. She graduated from Somerville College with first class honors in medieval French, and worked as an advertising copyeditor from 1922 until 1929, when her success as an author brought her financial independence. In 1923, her first novel, Whose Body?, was published. Between then and 1939, she wrote ten more novels featuring the amateur-sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.

Sayers brought the detective fiction genre from pure puzzles that lacked depth, and was recognized as one of the ‘Queens of Crime’ of the 1920s and 1930s – along with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh.

In the 1930s, Sayers wrote religious-themed plays that were performed in cathedrals and on BBC broadcasts. In the 1940s, she was translating Dante’s Divine Comedy into everyday English. But, before she could finish the third book, she unexpectedly died at age 64 in 1957, in her home in Essex.

I am now curious to read the other ‘Queens of Crime’. I have, of course, been reading Christie these past few years, but the other two names are new to me!

Have you read any of Sayers’ books or any of the ‘Queens of Crime’? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

~Laura

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My Favorite Reads of 2024

6 Jan

Whenever I sit down to write up this post, I always have some idea of what books will be on the list. Stories that stuck out to me enough that they still linger, however many months later. I found that this year, I had a whole series that has been such a favorite that I’ve started collecting the physical copies whenever I find them second-hand.

At the beginning of the year, I had intended on focusing on reading more classics, especially those that I already own. And while I did read a few of them, I have been very much a mood reader this past year and so didn’t get to many of the ones I wanted. No regrets though, I read some wonderful books! And, of course, there were a handful that I quit partway through for various reasons. But we aren’t talking about those today. On to the favorites!

For the fun of it, here’s my reading stats for this year: I read 74 books, 57 of which were first time reads and seven different series.

A friendly little note : While covering different genres, I do not read anything that has blatant sexual content. I will tell you if there is any sort of such (typically very mild and delicately put) in them and if I don’t think they’d be appropriate for young/teenage readers.

FAVORITES:

Around the World in Seventy-Two Days by Nellie Bly (orig pub 1890)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Why the Jews? by Dennis Prager

Come Out of the Kitchen! : A Romance by Alice Duer Miller (1916)

Lord Peter Wimsey Series by Dorothy L. Sayers

Brotherhood by Mike Chen

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

Homegrown Tea: An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes by Cassie Liversidge

Re-reads:

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (orig pub 1908)