My September books

This is an overview of the books I have finished in a month (not necessarily started in the same month) and those I have read to Gundel (marked with 😸).
I will be adding a short explanation why I chose a book or how I found it and possibly if it's a re-read candidate, but I'm usually not going to add real reviews or ratings (Gundel also refuses to give ratings). Should you want a little more information on a book you're interested in, though, just let me know.

"The Palm House" by Gwendoline Riley, first published in 2026 

The story of the friendship between Laura and Putnam. And some other people.

A new entry on OverDrive.
Maybe it would have helped if I had been interested in any of the characters or even liked them. Or could it have been the style? "Blabla," he said. "Blubb," he said. "Yes," I said. "Blah," he said. "No," I said. My English teacher would have thrown the blackboard eraser at me if I had written like that. I just didn't DNF because I didn't want to start my month like that.

"Gaudy Night" by Dorothy L. Sayers, first published in 1935 

Harriet Vane returns to her alma mater, the all-female Shrewsbury College in Oxford, for the Gaudy, a reunion fest for alumnae.
When poison pen letters and ugly graffiti appear in the college and there are acts of vandalism, the dons ask Harriet for help because they want to avoid a scandal. She can't solve the puzzle by herself and asks Lord Peter Wimsey for assistance.

I can't tell you how often I have read this book. It's an unusual mystery for sure and thanks to the many classic quotes and the length it's probably not for everyone, but I love it and it's a real comfort read for me.

"Effi Briest" by Theodor Fontane, first published in 1895 (the spelling "Effie" on the cover is a typo!) 

As a young man, Baron Geert von Innstetten courted Luise Briest, but couldn't marry her because of his status at the time.
Now he comes to ask for the hand of Effi, Luise's daughter (if you wonder, she's 17, he's 38), encouraged by Luise.
Effi is attracted by his improved social status, but with the difference in age and disposition the marriage is not what both of them have hoped for, especially when Effi meets the charming Major Crampas.

This is part of my personal challenge to read at least one German classic a month.
I really enjoyed this novel which is an example of literary realism.

"The Fairy Ring or Elsie and Frances Fool the World" by Mary Losure, first published in 2012 

1917. Cousins Elsie and Frances can see fairies and goblins and to stop their family making fun of them, they take photographs with paper dolls drawn and cut out by Elsie. They hadn't expected to catch the attention of fairy believers such as Arthur Conan Doyle.

The story of the Cottingley Fairies told for children was a very quick read. It never ceases to amaze me how readily some people accepted this to be true. However, Frances claimed until her death that the photos may have been a hoax, but that she had indeed seen fairies.

"Deadly Nightshade" by Elizabeth Daly, first published in 1940
(Henry Gamadge 2)

Detective Mitchell asks Henry Gamadge - consultant for old books, letters, etc. - to help him with a case of nightshade poisoning. One child dies, one is missing. Was it an accident or is something more sinister behind it?

This was a recommendation on The Internet Archive. I have to admit that I'm still a little confused, but still interested to try more Gamadge books.

"Under Water with Ogden Nash" by Ogden Nash, first published in 1997

A collection of Ogden Nash's poems about animals in and around the water.

I searched for something else and the cover drew me in. The poems are mostly very short, so it just took minutes, but I really enjoyed both them and the beautiful illustrations.

"After Tea and Other Stories" by Dorothy Whipple, first published in 1941 😸

The short stories delves into human relationships - between parents and children, friends, couples, siblings, neighbors - and how they can change in certain situations.

I had really enjoyed Whipple's "High Wages" and the same goes for these stories.
I also learned that Gundel doesn't have much patience being read to when it's too hot (the summer made us both quite crabby), so this one took us longer than usual, but now that temps went down a little, we got back on track 😄

"A Tiger's Wedding: My Childhood in Exile" by Isla Blair, first published in 2011

Actress Isla Blair's parents were part of the British Raj in India, her father managed a tea plantation. As usual in those times, children were eventually sent "home" to Britain to go to school there.
Blair talks about her childhood experiences, years without parents except for rare visits and how she and her sister had to build up the relationship again after her parents finally returned home when plantations were taken over by local managers.

This was a random find on The Internet Archive.
It's hard to imagine how it must be to be that far away from your parents as a small child, and the school memories were quite sad. The parts about India seemed a little clichéd, but I can't say if it was due to the content or the way those memories were described.
The last part about how Blair started her career and then had her own family felt kind of tacked on to me because it was rather short. 

"I See You've Called In Dead" by John Kenney, first published in 2025 

Divorced and middle-aged obituary writer Bud Stanley makes a big mistake. After a failed blind date he gets drunk and publishes his own obituary.
Suspended from his job, he happens to meet a woman going to the wakes and funerals of strangers encouraging him to do the same to learn about life.

A new entry on OverDrive.
At first I wasn't even sure if I wanted to read it because I didn't know what to expect - turns out it was laughter and tears. I read the book in one day because I couldn't stop.

"An Island Rooing" by Joan Grigsby, first published in 1933 

The book tells of an expedition to Shetland the author went on in 1931. It's divided in four parts - The Isle, The Croft, The Fishing, Landfall.

Liz from "Adventures in reading, running and working from home" reviewed the book on her blog (you can find the post here) and I was looking for something out of my comfort zone aka usual genres, so I read it. I won't claim understanding everything (I know nothing about shipping), but what I enjoyed most were the parts about the knitting and the baskets used for the herrings.
The copy I read online also had a little something for my librarian's heart.

I'll suggest the wet weather part to my own department 😉

"The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Nervous Lion" by Nick West (the books were published attributed to Alfred Hitchcock), first published in 1971 😸
(The Three Investigators 16)

The Three Investigators are called to Jungle Land, a wild-animal farm. George, the tame lion, is supposed to appear in a movie, but he has been very nervous lately. Will the boys find out why?

Not a favorite in the series. Firstly, we don't like the idea of farms like this one and secondly, a black panther (!) was shot. We also didn't approve of the cover illustration.
I read this series a long time ago and am going through it again bit by bit after writing a blog post about it.

"The Match Between the Winds" by Shirley Climo, first published in 1991 

The book retells a folktale from Borneo. The West Wind and the East Wind who are cousins have a contest. Who will be able to blow Kodok, the tree frog, from his leaf?

Another minute read. I'm a huge fan of the cartoonist, animator, children's book author, and illustrator Liz Climo. I hadn't known that her mother is a children's book author before Liz mentioned it on her Instagram. I looked her up and the illustration by Roni Shepherd drew me in.

"The Astral Library" by Kate Quinn, first published in 2026 

Alix is at a low point in her life when she gets invited to become a patron of the Astral Library and choose a book to live in.

A new entry on OverDrive. I loved the idea of living in a book. What the book turned into was a comment on the purpose of libraries and their future in a money-oriented world.
While I agree on many of the issues mentioned - I'm a librarian of the old-fashioned sort -, the combination of them with fantasy just didn't work for me and I struggled to make it through. I also found the book to be quite repetitive and too wordy for this plot (if I run away from someone, I don't indulge in descriptions of fashion, etc.). Too much different things crammed into one book.

"Miss Elizas englische Küche" = "Miss Elizas English Kitchen" by Annabel Abbs, first published in 2021 

Eliza Acton is known for being the author of one of Britain's first cookery books (published in 1845).
The book tells the story of how and why she got started and of her assistant Ann.

This was a random find at my library. Although I hardly ever cook myself, I like hearing and reading about it. I would have liked to read more about food than about poetry, but it was a quick read.

"The Two Mrs. Abbotts" by D. E. Stevenson, first published in 1943

We are in 1942 and things have changed. Barbara and Arthur Abbott have two children now, Jerry Abbott's husband and Arthur's nephew Sam has gone off to war.
We meet people who are new to the Wandlebury circle.

I found this book which is the last one in the "Miss Buncle" trilogy even calmer than the second one. I enjoyed it and it was really just right for the day I read it.
Nevertheless, it felt more like single stories that were connected in some way and not so much like a flowing narrative if that makes sense - and of course I would have liked a lot more Barbara and Arthur than we got!

"Cotillion" by Georgette Heyer, first published in 1952

Matthew Penicuik has brought up the orphaned Kitty, a school friend's daughter, in his home. Now he wants to make his will and tells his great-nephews that the one among who will marry Kitty will get his money. He has been counting on Kitty and Jack marrying, but Jack has refused to be put on the spot like this.
So Kitty persuades Freddy to fake a betrothal and take her to London in order to make Jack jealous.
Things don't go as they both have expected it, though.

I love a Georgette Heyer re-read and "Cotillion" is one of my top favorites of hers.

"The Snark Was a Boojum" by Gerald Verner and Chris Verner, first published in 2015 (Gerald Verner wrote the book in 1957, his son Chris finished it in 2015)

Someone is committing murders based on Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem "The Hunting of the Snark".
Amateur detective Simon Gale investigates with the help of solicitor Jeff Trueman.

I think this was a recommendation on The Internet Archive and the title drew me in as I have read "The Hunting of the Snark".
Interestingly, I found that - although I enjoyed this whodunit - I really prefer detectives who are more on the quiet, elegant side, maybe with a touch of humor. Simon Gale didn't speak, he cried, boomed, growled, roared, he was impatient, furious, banged his fist on the table, and was altogether a bit too much for me.

"Die Abenteuer des starken Wanja" = "The Adventures of Strong Vanya" by Otfried Preußler, first published in 1968

Farmer's son Vanya is told that he's destined to become Tsar, so he sets out for adventure.

This was a re-read for a blog post, therefore the very short description.

"Someone Saw a Spider: Spider Facts and Folktales" by Shirley Climo, first published in 1985 😸

The book is a collection of interesting facts about spiders and of folk tales from Africa, Japan, Portugal, Scotland, and other countries.

Liz Climo (see above) mentioned this book her mother wrote on Instagram the other day.
I think spiders are absolutely fascinating.

"Die Erscheinung" by Anselma Heine, first published in 1912

On a ship back to Germany after spending time on the island of Nauru, Dr. Arnold Riedhammer meets the Dutch lady Johne Stevens. They are so attracted to one another that they want to stay together once Johne is free from her unhappy marriage, but one day Johne is suddenly gone.

I read this novella because an episode in a silent movie I watched was based on it.

"Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" by Elizabeth Taylor, first published in 1971

The widowed Laura Palfrey moves into the Claremont Hotel in London as one of several elderly residents. The only family she has in town is her grandson who never visits her.
Then she meets young Ludovic, an aspiring writer, when she falls in front of his building. They start talking and eventually she asks him to pretend to be her grandson to stop the other residents wondering about her family.

Deb from Readerbuzz shared a book by Elizabeth Taylor (not the actress) the other day. It sounded interesting and I randomly picked this one to read by its title.
It was undoubtedly a good read and I will definitely look for more of Taylor's books, but I also found the book utterly depressing, maybe because the humor was too gentle and I imagined myself in that situation, being old and lonely like that.
Before reading it, I didn't know about the 2005 movie, by the way.


If you write book reviews or blog posts about other book-related matters - even movies based on books - please check out "A Good Book and a Cup of Tea", a monthly bookish blog link party that I co-host with  Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. You can find out more about it here or directly click through to the current party via the image in the right hand column.

My December books

Another year gone by, I can hardly believe it.
What better to end the year with, though, than a list of books. Here are those I read in December.
It's an overview of what I have finished in a month (not necessarily started in the same month) and what I have read to the cats (marked with 😸)
Have you wondered, by the way, why some of the pictures in my book posts look so professional and some not? Of course, I could always find pictures on the web, but doing it like this is a way for me to remember which books I read in electronic form, either from the library - professional looks - or on The Internet Archive - screenshots of the covers digitized from physical copies - or which books I read in printed form - those pictures are taken by me just holding them up. As I usually seem to finish books at night, you get the "reading lamp colors and weird angle look".
I will be adding a short explanation why I chose a book and possibly if it's a re-read candidate, but I'm usually not going to add real reviews or ratings (the cats also refuse to give ratings 😉). Should you want a personal rating for a book you are interested in, though, or a little more information, just let me know.


1. "Peter Cushing : An Autobiography" by Peter Cushing, first published in 1986 😸

"Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on 'til you come to the end: then stop." What better advice than Lewis Carrol[l]'s when attempting to write a life story? However, since my life how I knew and loved it ended with the passing of my belovèd wife Helen, I intend to take this narrative no farther than that fateful Thursday in 1971, January 14th."

I have to admit that to me Peter Cushing has mostly been Van Helsing and Sherlock Holmes, I hadn't even seen him as Baron Frankenstein. This book covers his rather short Hollywood career - he chose to go back to England - and about his theatrical and TV and film career back home.
He also speaks about his childhood and youth and the times before becoming an actor and thoses when he "was resting" meaning when he was without an engagement.
In fact, he had to earn his living for a while by designing head scarves.
A big part of this book is dedicated to the love story of him and his wife Helen, though, which will not surprise you after the quote above.

2. "The Last Library" by Freya Sampson, first published in 2021

June is a library assistant who lives only for her books and for the small village library where her mother worked until her death.
Only when the council discusses closing down six village libraries including hers, she finds her voice thanks to the support from her patrons for whom the library is just as important as for her.

I read Sampson's second book last month, this is her debut novel. As a librarian, I was interested in this (in a very nostalgic way) although I don't work in a public library myself.

3. "Black as He's Painted" by Ngaio Marsh, first published in 1973
(Roderick Alleyn 28)

When Ng'ombwana's (a newly independent African republic) president Opala - who happened to attend the same public school as Alleyn and was a good friend of his - is about to come to London for a state visit, the Special Branch is in uproar because "The Boomer" (Opala's nickname at school) refuses all their security measures.
At a reception at the Embassy, there's an assassination attempt, but instead of the president the Ambassador is killed. 
Hampered by the fact that the murder has been committed on "foreign soil", Alleyn and his Special Branch colleague try to solve the case.

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham.
Although the book was easy enough to read, it was also tough because some of the speech hasn't aged very well, but part of that is actually needed for the plot.
There's one character I really liked and a cat for which I had to do a quick check of the ending (not the solution, though) after a few pages, but she's not only fine, she also plays an important role.

4. "The Art Thief" by Michael Finkel, first published in 2023

Within six years, Stéphane Breitwieser stole artwork from museums and fairs in different countries while his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus stood watch - even in crowded museums during the day.
Unlike most art thieves, however, Breitwieser didn't sell the sculptures, paintings, weapons, etc. He stole them for "his" collection displayed in the attic bedroom in his mother's house where they lived. The value of the stolen pieces from over 200 heists is estimated at around $1.5 to 2 billion.
When he got caught, his mother threw part of the collection into a canal and burnt the other part.

Another random find on OverDrive. I like watching art documentaries and have also seen several on art forgery and theft, but surprisingly - I watch most of them on our French-German TV channel - I hadn't heard about Breitwieser yet.

5. "Antarctica" by Claire Keegan, first published in 1999

The debut collection of stories by the Irish author, each one of them gripping you in a different way.

I found it as a new entry on OverDrive.

6. "Old Christmas : from the Sketch Book of Washington Irving" by Washington Irving, first published in 1875

These five sketches around old English Christmas traditions are from Irving's "Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." from 1820.
They describe the holidays as spent on a rural estate where traditions even older than from the 19th century are still observed.

When I did some research for my blog post about ghost stories at Christmas, I came upon this book and it made a quick seasonal read. The style is very flowery, but I quite enjoyed it in connection with the illustrations.

7. "The Secret Christmas Library" by Jenny Colgan, first published in 2025
(Happy Ever After series 6)

Mirren has already found a rare book once before. Admiring it at the British Museum, she meets a Scottish laird looking for a precious book in the crumbling castle left to him by his grandfather and gets hired by him to help in his search.

I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive and hoped for another quick fun seasonal read.
Instead, it was really close to becoming a DNF. Although I finished it rather quickly, I was annoyed with it all the time - the characters, the style (how often can you use the word "vast"?), the editing, and that it wasn't very Christmassy. I guess I hoped it would become better and then I was too far in to DNF.

8. "The Library Book" by different authors, first published in 2012

The book is a collection of 23 stories by writers about libraries or including libraries, depending on their being fiction or nonfiction.

This was a recommendation on OverDrive.
I was torn. There were some excellent essays, there were some quotes that really could have come straight from my heart (mostly due to nostalgia), but there were also some that were simply boring or repetitive (for example the everlasting "print or electronic" discussion, ok, so I prefer a printed book, but these days I read e-books as well because it makes access easier for me, isn't it important people read at all?).
Some have aged well, some not so much if you watch the development in the last few years (I'm talking book bans for example).
Of course I'm aware that most stories refer to public libraries in the UK and the danger of a lot of them being shut down at that point (I don't know how the numbers mentioned have changed since then).

9. "Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon" by Matthew Norman, first published in 2025

Grace - who has two children - and Henry have both lost their spouses.
Almost a year later, with the holidays approaching, their mothers try to bring them together. They are not ready yet, though, and become "grief partners" instead, bonding over a holiday movie marathon ... and some mice.

I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive and really enjoyed it.

10. "The Brits in Hollywood: Tales from the Hollywood Raj" by Sheridan Morley, first published in 2006
(updated edition, originally published as "Tales from the Hollywood Raj" in 1983)

Many British actors and actresses - mostly men, though -  went to Hollywood (even before it was called that) to make films there. Most of them had a theatrical background. Some stayed, such as Ronald Colman or Cary Grant, some went back home, some chose to go back and forth.
A nickname for them in the Golden Age of Hollywood was "The Hollywood Raj" (hinting at the "British Raj", the time of the British Crown's rule in India).

I heard about Dean Street Press from Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home. When checking out their website, I found a few titles that looked interesting to me, among them film-related books by Sheridan Morley (this was not a Dean Street Press edition, though).
The book listed a lot of names of peoples and films not all of which I knew, but it was still an interesting read.

11. "Der Hyazinthen-Mörder" = "Singing in the Shrouds" by Ngaio Marsh, first published in 1958
(Roderick Alleyn 20)

A serial killer strangles women and leaves them behind with their necklaces torn and flowers strewn over their bodies.
His third victim is found near a cruise ship. Suspecting "The Flower Killer" on board because of a torn boarding card in the victim's hand, Alleyn joyns the cruise to investigate undercover.

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham (just four of the Marshs missing now!)

12. "From the Alps to the Dales: 100 Years of Bettys" by Annie Gray, first published in 2019 😸

Founded by a Swiss baker and confectioner in 1919, Bettys is a Yorkshire based family company famous not for only for their Yorkshire tea rooms, but also their products among which tea and coffee lie in the responsibility of their sister company Taylors of Harrogate.
The book tells their history from 1919 to 2019.

I have read all of Annie Gray's books that I own so far to the cats, but haven't convinced them yet to become food historians themselves as they are more interested in what's on their plates now.

13. "The Case of the Silken Petticoat" by Christopher Bush, first published in 1953
(Ludovic Travers 43)

Private detective Ludovic Travers is witness when a young woman storms into Café Rond and kicks well-known critic Clement Foorde in the shin over a review he wrote on Robert Ashman's book "The Silken Petticoat".
Some time later, Ashman is found drowned in a river and he's not the only body in this mystery which Travers has to solve.

I had never heard of Christopher Bush before - as far as I remember - when Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home reviewed one of his books for a 1952 challenge. I found a few of his books on The Internet Archive and started randomly with this one.

14. "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas, first published in 1954 (as a book, it was a recording first) 😸

The Welsh poet's story is a beautifully told nostalgic memory of the Christmas of a young boy, the family gathering, playing in the snow, going carolling.

I hadn't known the story yet, it was mentioned in an article but it certainly evoked memories of past Christmases of my own. Reading it might become a Christmas ritual.

15. "The Women on Platform Two" by Laura Anthony, first published in 2025

Saoirse doesn't want to have children, her fiancé Miles does. After a negative pregnancy test and an ensuing discussion, Saoirse leaves to do some thinking and ends up on a train where she meets an old lady, Maura, who tells her the story of her best friend Bernie and herself in the Republic of Ireland of the 70s when contraception was still forbidden.
(TW: Domestic violence/suicide)

I think I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive.
While knowing about all contraceptives being forbidden in Ireland around that time, I hadn't heard about "The Contraceptive Train" before when 47 women's rights activities took a train to Belfast to buy contraceptives there which were illegal to bring back into the Republic.

16. "The Carlyles at Home" by Thea Holme, first published in 1965

"Home" was 5 Cheyne Row in Chelsea, London where the Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher Thomas Carlyle lived from 1834 to his death in 1881.
With him lived his wife Jane until her death in 1866. She was an avid writer of letters which allow us a look into the Carlyles' life from her point of view.

I found the book through a review by Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home (whose ears are probably ringing by now).
While it was very interesting to read, for example how difficult it can be to find reliable servants (there's a lot of that), I went to hug my appliances and my cats afterwards. We three are lucky in many regards to live now instead of back then (because we are a spoiled lot).

17. "The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" by William Arden (the books were published attributed to Alfred Hitchcock), first published in 1968 😸
(The Three Investigators 10)

What makes a cave moan and why has it started again after 50 years? Is the legend about "The Old One" true and what about the rebel El Diablo, can he still be alive?
This time Jupiter, Pete, and Bob are on a case trying to help out the Daltons who own the ranch next to Devil Mountain.

I read this series a long time ago and am going through it again bit by bit after writing a blog post about it. This book is the tenth in the series.

My September books

Ready for the September roundup?
To me it's interesting to see how many books I have finished in a month (not necessarily started in the same month) and how many I read to the cats which of course takes longer, those are marked with 😸
I will be adding a short explanation why I chose a book and possibly if it's a re-read candidate, but I'm not going to add real reviews or ratings (the cats also refuse to give ratings 😉)

1. "Neighbors and other stories" by Diane Oliver, first published in 2024

In 1966, Diane Oliver died in an accident, only 22 years old.
Four of her short stories had been published then, two more got published posthumously, and only much later eight more were found.
This book contains all of those stories about race and racism in the USA of the 50s and 60s, mostly told through the eyes of young women.

I found the book on Overdrive by accident when I was looking for a different name, and the description drew me in.

2. "The Grace of Wild Things" by Heather Fawcett, first published in 2023

12 year old Grace runs away from the orphanage offering herself as an apprentice to the witch living in the forest nearby.
They make a deal. If Grace learns how to cast all of the 100 1/2 spells in the witch's grimoire before the old cherry tree is blooming again, the witch will take her on as apprentice, if she fails, she'll have to give the witch her magic.

This one was mentioned in the comment to a blog post and sounded good. It's inspired by "Anne of Green Gables", but in a witchy, a bit dark way.

3. "Wenn Geister sterben" = "Death of a Ghost" by Margery Allingham, first published in 1934
(Albert Campion 6)

When a young painter is killed during a (more or less) private unveiling of a painting by the late Lafcadio, Campion, who's a friend of Lafcadio's widow Belle, has to investigate in the surprisingly murky world of the London art scene.

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham.

4. "The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Fiery Eye" by Robert Arthur, Jr. (the books were published attributed to Alfred Hitchcock), first published in 1967 😸
(The Three Investigators 7)

Where is the mysterious stone hidden that Horatio August left to his great-nephew August August?
Will the Three Investigators be able to help Gus find it? Is that a dumb question because we all know Jupiter will solve this riddle, anyway?

I read this series a long time ago and am going through it again bit by bit after writing a blog post about it. This book is the seventh in the series.

5. "Trau keiner Lady" = "The Beckoning Lady" by Margery Allingham, first published in 1955
(Albert Campion 15)

Campion just wanted a small vacation with his wife Amanda, son Rupert and his friend, Chief Inspector Luke, but there's no rest for them, instead there's a body under a bridge.

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham.

6. "Der Geist der Gouvernante" = "The China Governess" by Margery Allingham, first published in 1963
(Albert Campion 17)

When adopted heir Timothy Kinnit wants to find out more about his biological parents before marrying American heiress Julia, Campion is asked to look into the matter.
Things are even more complicated - and murderous - than expected, though.

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham.

7. "Meet Me at Rainbow Corner" by Celia Imrie, first published in 2024

This is the story of Dot, a nurse, and Lilly, a driver/secretary, who are posted to London during World War II, and the people they meet at Rainbow Corner (also known as the American Red Cross Club) which will be changing both of their lives.

The book was a random find at Overdrive.

8. "Es geht noch ein Zug von der Gare du Nord" = "The Chalk Circle Man" by Fred Vargas, first published in 1991
(Kommissar Adamsberg ermittelt 1)

This is the first case for the unorthodox Commissaire Adamsberg in Paris.
Who is the man drawing the strange blue chalk circles around random items on the streets of Paris? No one pays them much attention except Adamsberg - until a body is found in one of them.

My little brother told me about the Vargas series a while ago already, I thought I'd give it a try. Only afterwards, he told me it was a DNF and he had only read one of the others of the series 😂

9. "Judaslohn" = "Traitor's Purse" by Margery Allingham, first published in 1941
(Albert Campion 11)

Albert Campion wakes up in hospital. He suffers from amnesia not knowing who he is and what it is he has set out to do, except that it's something really important.
On the run from the police and the enemy, he finds out bit by bit what kind of catastrophe he has to avert.

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham (as you can tell I had a good month and got several Allinghams at a good price from one seller).

10. "The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Silver Spider" by Robert Arthur, Jr. (the books were published attributed to Alfred Hitchcock), first published in 1967 😸
(The Three Investigators 8)

After meeting the young Prince Djaro of Varania, the Three Investigators are asked by the Secret Service to travel to Varania because of a rumor that there's a plot to dethrone Djaro. When the symbol of power, the silver spider, is missing and turns up in their room, Jupiter, Peter, and Bob have to run from the current regent Duke Stefan and his conspirators, helped by Djaro's friends.

I own the German version of this book which was published in 1981, but haven't read it in a long time. Persons and setting were changed, but the plot is basically the same, a plot, the silver spider and the escape with the help of friends, in this case from the current managing director.
Actually, this book is about Lars, the heir of a company in a small Swedish colony in Texas that cultivates old Swedish traditions.
Maybe they just wanted to avoid stereotypes about European monarchies like that?

I read this series a long time ago and am going through it again bit by bit after writing a blog post about it. This book is the eighth in the series.

11. "Mord vor vollem Haus" = "Light Thickens" by Ngaio Marsh, first published in 1982
(Roderick Alleyn 32 (the final one))

Strange and disturbing things happen during the rehearsals for "Macbeth" at the "Dolphin" in London which feed the idea of the play being cursed.
Then the lead actor gets beheaded during a performance. Who killed him and why?

This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham. What am I going to read when I'm done with them? (Still missing ten of the Marshs and six of the Allinghams (not counting some of the short stories), but we're getting there).

12. "Carbonel" by Barbara Sleigh, first published in 1955 😸
(Carbonel 1)

Ten year old Rosemary wants to help her widowed mother and go cleaning in her holidays. Convinced she will have to bring her own equipment, she goes to the marketplace where she buys a broom and a black cat from an old lady.
Her surprise is huge when the cat starts talking, telling her the old lady is a witch who has stolen him as a kitten and kept him bound by a spell, so he can't try to gain back his throne as the rightful king of cats. Rosemary and her new friend John do their best to help him.

The book, a middle grade novel, was recommended by book blogger Nicole from Momlit. It is adorable and so fun to read. I'm hoping the other two in the series are just as good.

13. "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" by Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, first published in 1963
(Wooster and Jeeves 13)

Bertie Wooster is an English gentleman, one of the idle rich, and Jeeves is his valet whose intelligence saves Bertie and his friends from one or the other pickle.
The pickle in this case that Madeline Bassett tries to turn her fiancé Gussie Fink-Nottle into a vegetarian which is a strain on the relationship. Wooster is afraid they will break up and Madeline will be trying to marry him. Matters get complicated even more by an amber statuette, a vicarage needed for another marriage, and the daughter of an American millionaire working as a cook.

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings started reading "Jeeves and Wooster" stories, and since my last Wodehouse read had been ages ago, I'm having a go as well.

14. "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries" by Heather Fawcett, first published in 2023
(Emily Wilde series 1)

Emily Wilde is a dryadology scholar in Cambridge where she works on putting together an encyclopedia of fairies in different countries. To finish it, she visits the village Hrafnsvik, but she learns and experiences more there than she could have expected.

This one was mentioned in a blog post and sounded like fun.

15. "Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman" by Ernest William Hornung, first published in 1899

A. J. Raffles - national cricket hero and gentleman thief in late Victorian Great Britain. Together with his younger friend Harry "Bunny" Manners, he steals preferably jewelry from the upper society, not just for the money but also the thrill. 

This is the first collection of the "Raffles" short stories (all of them were published as "Engelhörnchen" in German, by the way). I put it on my list after watching the silent movie with John Barrymore.

16. "Skinner's Big Idea" by Henry Irving Dodge, first published in 1918 😸

The third book in the Skinner series (which also inspired a silent movie which is considered to be lost, though) tells about Skinner's partners going on a long business trip and leaving him with the task to fire several of the "old men" in the office.
Skinner, however, doesn't want to do that and has a big idea ...

I read the first book after watching one of the silent movie versions of it and added the others to my list for quick reading.
It's interesting that the Disney Studio had it in their library (but passed it on to another library, there was another tag). I wonder why.

17. "The Dancing Floor" by Barbara Michaels, first published in 1997 

After the death of her father, Heather travels to England to see gardens, a trip they had wanted to do together.
In Troytan House, she finds more than a lost garden, though. Heather is drawn into an adventure of witchcraft, family problems, and love.

Barbara Michaels is one of the pen names of Barbara Mertz. I know a lot of the books she wrote under the name Elizabeth Peters, but not one she wrote as Michaels.
After I DNFed the first one, Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs recommended this one to me.

18. "The Bookshop on the Corner" (also as "The Little Shop of Happy Ever After") by Jenny Colgan, first published in 2016
(Happy Ever After series 1)

Nina is a librarian in Birmingham, but her library branch is shut down and she's out of a job.
How about turning a van into a mobile bookshop? Nina builds a new life for herself in a small village in Scotland, love included.

This was a random find on Overdrive. Librarian, bookshop, Scotland, worth a try for a quick, light read, right?


DNF:

1. "Coffin, Scarcely Used" by Colin Watson, first published in 1958  😸
(A Flaxborough Mystery 1)

Who's killing off respectable men in the city of Flaxborough? How respectable are they really, though?

I made it through three quarters of the book, but got more and more bored with it and skipped to the end which didn't surprise me.
Only then I remembered I used to have the box set of the TV show made after some of the 12 Flaxborough novels and found those boring, too. Duh.

2. "Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands" by Heather Fawcett, first published in 2024
(Emily Wilde series 2)

Emily Wilde is a dryadology scholar in Cambridge where she works on putting together a map of the otherlands after finishing her encyclopedia of faeries.
To help her friend (and possibly more) Wendell to find a door to his realm, she travels with him to Austria.

I got through half of the book, but it was just too repetitive for my taste. Getting attacked by faeries, escaping, making a lot of notes, getting attacked by different faeries, escaping ... repeat.
When I noticed I was only really interested anymore if her Black Dog Shadow would stay alive, I stopped reading in the middle of a sentence (and of course checked the ending for Shadow).