Christmas Scarf Murder - Book Review

Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Maddie Day, & Peggy Ehrhart

Publication Date: 27th Sep 2022

Genre: Novelettes, Christmas Cozy Mystery

3 Stars 

One Liner: More Enjoyable for those who read the series 

The book is a collection of three cozy mystery novelettes by three authors. The stories have a common theme- 

• Christmas time 

• Scarf as a part of the crime 

• Small town setting 

• A recipe at the end of each one 

Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O'Connor

There has been a theft at the local nursing home. Siobhan O’Sullivan and Macdere, her husband, are called to handle the case. Before they can make much progress, one of the stolen items, a hideous long scarf, ends up as a possible murder weapon in the death of a young lad. Are the crimes connected? Who stole the items? Who killed the man? 

It’s rare for me to come across a slow-paced cozy. Fortunately, the story was interesting enough. Siobhan Sullivan is the leading lady of the Irish Village Mystery Series. It isn’t mandatory to read the series (for the case), but it would help keep track of the names and characters we encounter. 

The case, as such, requires multiple characters, and adding a whole bunch of family members to it made it a bit too confusing. I gave up trying to track them and went with the flow. Something tells me I’d have enjoyed this more if I read at least one book from the series.

This was an okay read – 3 stars. 

Scarfed Down by Maddie Day

Christmas has arrived in Pans ‘N Pancakes, a delightful county store (plus eatery) set in a fictional town. Things go awry when one of the clients dies at home under mysterious circumstances, and the reason has something to do with the green scarf she’s been knitting. Robbie Jordan is not new to solving cases and looks like she has to step up again. 

Like the previous novelette, this one also has characters and setting from an existing series, Country Store Mystery. Fortunately, it was a little easier to follow the relationships and stuff. The first-person narration comes in short chapters and keeps the pace steady. 

The case is rather a little too easy. I know cozy mysteries are light stuff, but this is too light for my taste. The talk of baking and the quirky grammar kept me interested. Also, the scarf isn’t the central point in this one, and there was an inconsistency (or so it seemed). The author’s note explains why, though I’d have liked the scarf to have a bigger role. 

Another okay read – 3 stars. 

Death by Christmas Scarf by Peggy Ehrhart

Carys Walnutt has been strangled by her Christmas scarf. The handmade scarf was an auction at Arborville’s tree-lighting ceremony. It seems like a straightforward case, and soon an arrest is made. But is the case really solved? It’s up to Pamela Paterson to dig deeper and find the truth. 

Right! So this story also has characters and setting from an established series. A Knit & Nibble Mystery has Pamela Paterson solving crimes and knitting with her club members. The novelette starts with a bang as the crime has already been committed. 

The case is interesting, and so are the delicious cakes and cookies mentioned. There were too many characters to track, which reduced my enjoyment levels. However, the end was quite satisfactory. The author provided detailed instructions to knit a teddy bear along with a recipe. 

One more okay read – 3 stars 

To Summarize, Christmas Scarf Murder is a quick read if you want three different types of mysteries in the same book. No doubt, it will be much more enjoyable if you are familiar with the characters. 

I'm tempted enough by the settings to check out the series soon. 

Thank you, NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Kensington Cozies, for the eARC.  

#ChristmasScarfMurder #NetGalley

*****

P.S: Don’t you love the cover?

Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin - Book Review

Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin

Publication Date: 27th Sep 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal (?)

3 Stars 

One Liner: Okayish; got its moments 

*****

Freya Grove has been a place of magic forever. It’s where magic is out in the open and acknowledged by all. Lucinda Caraway (Lucy) loves her little mystic seaside town and works as a high school history teacher. She is a witch and reads tea leaves in her spare time. She is happy but can’t help but hope for more. Who doesn’t want a soul mate to love? 

Alex is back in town after ten years but knows it’s a temporary visit. Belonging to the mer family makes him crave adventures and the ocean more than regular domestic life. Alex and Lucy have been friends as school kids and could have been more if he stayed back. 

His return to the town coincides with Lucy’s wish-spell disaster. It appears that she hexed herself and needs his help to undo the spell. Alex, in turn, needs Lucy’s help with a few things he has to sort out. Is this their chance to find love and each other, or will they end up going in opposite directions? 

The story comes in the limited third-person POV of Lucy and Alex. 

What I Like: 

• It is a good choice when you want something light and familiar. The overall pacing is decent, even if it drags in the middle. 

• The concept of a magical town with witches, mers, faes, vampires, gnomes, etc., was intriguing. 

• The bonding between the Caraway sisters (excluding Ursula) was lovely to read. I’m sure they’ll have their own books next. This one set the stage for it. 

• A few interactions between Lucy and Alex were fun. 

What Didn’t Work for Me: 

• When you have a town with magical and paranormal folk, you want that level of atmosphere and world-building. The book falls terribly flat here. We are told about the beings and magic but hardly anything to ‘see’. There’s just one scene with the gnomes (which is super convenient for the plot). 

• Apart from Lucy and another character, there isn’t much magic, spells, or witchcraft in the book. The book could’ve been a regular small-town romance (and maybe I’d have rated it a teeny bit higher). 

• The chapters are marked with months (which made it easy to track the story). However, the story would jump a week or two, and with alternate POVs, it was a little tough to stay in the loop. 

• The narration isn’t smooth. Scenes that needed showing are told, and some scenes have more buildup with less impact. It needed better fleshing out. 

• I don’t know what to say about Ursula. It’s hard not to dislike her, but there might be a book for her that explains her POV, backstory, missing info, and the rest. (Also, methinks Ursula is the name of 2022. This is my 3rd or 4th book that has this name).

To summarize, Witchful Thinking had the potential to become a fab read with atmospheric world-building and layered characters but ends up more like a light read that skims the surface. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the eARC.  

#WitchfulThinking #NetGalley

*****

Note: It has steam level 2+ scenes. A few words were missing throughout. Since this is an ARC, I’m hoping it will be fixed by publication.

The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom by Susie Bower - B

The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom by Susie Bower

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Mystery  

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: Wonderful! 

*****

Ophelia Bottom wants a normal life with normal parents, a normal school, and a home that doesn’t have wheels. As the daughter of traveling actors, her life seems to be no less a drama from the Shakespearean era. 

When an unexpected incident forces the Bottom family to stay in Stopford for a few weeks, Ophelia thinks this is her chance to have a normal life (even if temporary). However, the town’s motto, Plastic Is Fantastic – Different Is Dangerous, makes Ophelia realize that this isn’t the kind of normal she wanted. 

What’s more, she may have to risk everything to solve the mystery behind the motto and its aftereffects on the townsfolk. Can Ophelia Bottom get to the bottom of things? 

The story comes from the first-person POV of Ophelia. 

My Observations: 

Ophelia is a sweetheart! I love how her character’s depth is revealed as the story progresses. She starts off like a regular pre-teen but goes on to show her grit and maturity. Merry was another lovely character. 

The use of capitals when the dad speaks and italics when the mom stresses every word was a great touch. The capitals initially put me off, but it didn’t last long. The explanation is right at the beginning of the book, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at it. 

The setting is vivid and clear. I could easily picturize Stopford town, the school, the kids, and just about everything. This book would make a good screen adaptation. It is easy to visualize the book from start to finish.

The book deals with a few topics like plastic waste, environment protection, bullying at school, being ‘normal’ vs. by different, being true to oneself, and so on. But there’s no preaching. No one lectures on moral values. Everything is integral to the plot. Take an element out, and the story will be affected in some way. That’s how it should be done, IMO. 

The twists in the plot are easy to guess (it is MG fiction, after all). Yet, I loved the last twist and the ending. It is just how a children’s book should be. 

The narration further picks up pace during the climax and does justice to the build-up. It is easy to become a part of the story and root for Ophelia. Kids will enjoy the adrenaline-packed action scenes. 

The second half gave me Robo/ Enthiran vibes (by director Shankar with Rajnikanth in the lead). I won’t say more as it will lead to spoilers. 

There’s a wee bit of repetition, but I don’t mind ignoring it in MG fiction. 

The story is fast-paced and keeps you hooked. I wish I could’ve read it in a single sitting. If you have 2+ hours to spare, grab this one. You won’t be disappointed. 

To summarize, The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom is a delightful and fun novel for children dealing with an important topic. It’s pretty much a complete package. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Pushkin Children's Books, for the eARC.  

#TheDangerousLifeofOpheliaBottom #NetGalley

******

P.S: A big thank you to Rosh for recommending the book. I saw it twice on NG and decided to try it later. Her strong recco changed my mind. Guess I had to read it now. The author’s kiddo book, Shoo! is one of my favorites this year. Needless to say, I’ll be keeping an eye out for other releases by Susie Bower. 

Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels by M.S. Vijaya Haran - Book Review

Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels by M.S. Vijaya Haran

Genre: Non-Fiction

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: A comprehensive compilation; a must-read for Bhyrappa fans  

The book is a collection of memories and experiences of various translators who worked with Bhyrappa and translated his works into a multitude of languages. Creating a book like this is no small feat when we consider the extent of translations- the languages, the reprints, and the varied medium in which the great man’s works were presented. Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels is a result of the tremendous hard work of M.S. Vijaya Haran, a senior broadcaster and researcher. 

M.S. Vijay Haran is the Station Director of AIR Mysore and has decades of experience in the field. Reading her detailed note at the beginning of the book gave me a clear picture of the effort and love that went into bringing this book to life. The editor released a book titled Namma Bhyrappanavaru in Kannada in 2020. This book can be considered the second part or an extension, albeit in English. 

Bhyrappa’s books were translated into many regional Indian languages, along with Samskritam, Chinese, and Russian. A total of seven novels were translated into Samskritam- Sartha, Daatu, Dharmashree, Aavarana, Vamshavriksha, Tabbaliyu, and Parva. Parva was translated into Chinese and Russian. Then we have his books in Telugu, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, etc. 

The book is divided into six parts: 

• Part I is about Bhyrappa 
• Part II is about various translators who worked with him
• Part III is about translators who are no longer in the mortal world 
• Part IV is about audiovisual and theatrical adaptations of his works 
• Part V is about adaptations by people no more alive 
• Part VI about the comments from the press 

For someone who read just one book by the literary genius (and the other English translations on the TBR list), reading this compilation has been a treat. I was unsure whether I could read it from start to finish and not end up with spoilers for his works. Yet, I wanted to read it all and know more. I had to skim through a few pieces as the translators went into detail about the stories and characters from the books they translated. 

The translator’s experiences came straight from the people themselves (or their dear ones in the case of the departed souls). Each piece started with the translator’s picture and ended with their bio (icing on the cake). 

Part I and Bhyrappa 

The first part has three write-ups, two by those who know Bhyrappa and one by the man himself. This gives us a glimpse into his childhood, the hardships he faced, and his subsequent growth as a person and a writer. It’s not detailed but just enough for the reader to connect with Bhyrappa. I love how he spoke about his writing process; how disciplined, systematic, and planned his approach is. Armed with this information (including the editor’s note and foreword), I delved into the experiences of various translators and their associations with Bhyrappa’s works. 

Bhyrappa- The Human  

Reading about the translators’ experiences gave me more insights into the great man. He is humble and warm yet a bit introverted and likes his own space. More than one translator spoke about how he was ready to provide financial help and even enquired if the publishers were paying their fees per the contract. He didn’t accept the royalties for the Samskritam translations of his books as he considered it his contribution to promoting the language. 

I so wish I could meet him one day! 

Translations- Urdu, Chinese, and Russian 

The Urdu translation of Vamshavirkha was done by Prof. Syed Shahabuddin (fondly known as Roshan). He recounted how difficult the entire process was, right from the lack of a dictionary to bridge the gap between the languages (he created one himself) to publishing the book on his own with almost no funds. His determination and efforts bore fruit (in many ways). 

The Chinese and Russian of Parva were ordered by the Indian government (PM Modi) in 2020 (it was one of the ten classics selected). The translators spoke about how they had to work on a tight deadline during the lockdown and how Parva influenced them. I enjoyed reading Ms. Xu Ke’s experiences and comparisons between the two ancient cultures (Bharat and China). 

Vamshavrikha in Telugu 

How can I not talk about the screen adaption of Vamshavriksha? I confess I haven’t watched the movie in full but intend to do it as soon as possible. The movie was released in 1980 by none other than the late Bapu (director) and Ramana (script and dialogue writer) duo. 

Source: Wikipedia

My father told me that they interacted with Bhyrappa to make a few changes to the plot to suit the Telugu audience. The movie had Anil Kapoor as one of the main characters (before he went on to become famous in Bwood). 

But what makes the movie special even today is Bhyrappa’s story, Mullapudi Venkata Ramana’s dialogues, Bapu’s directorial mastery, and JV Somayajulu and Jyothi (the two main characters). I remember watching a couple of scenes (the climax and ending) on TV and noticing tears streaming down my father’s face (he watched the movie multiple times by then). 

That’s what a solid story does to you. It breaks your heart and pieces it back together every single time. 

Vamshavriksha was also one of the first Bhyrappa's books translated into Telugu (before the movie was made). 

Subbu Publications 

It would be unfair if I didn’t mention Subbu Publications in my review. This is a huge book with 578 pages. The font size and print are great. Big enough to read (even for seniors) and neatly spaced text throughout. It’s a relief to read books with a font size that doesn’t resemble ants or even their babies!

The Last Word

Before I conclude, I’d like to share this article with you. Written/ translated by Sandeep Balakrishna, it gives us a tiny glimpse of what Bhyrappa had to face from the self-proclaimed champions of (FoS & FoE) Freedom of Speech and Expression. Bhyrappa has detailed the same in his autobiography, Bitti. 

To summarize, Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels is a tribute to the literary genius and a wonderful way to know more about the man behind many successful novels. He is Bharat’s treasure indeed. 

I received a review copy from Indica Books in exchange for an honest review. This review is posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club. 

*****

P.S: I am delighted to post my review on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Bhyrappa garu! 

The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas - Book Review

The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas

Publication Date: 05th Sep 2022

Genre: Contemporary Mystery 

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: Slow Burn Drama 

*****

Morranez is a perfect seaside town in Brittany. It’s a great place for locals, visitors, and tourists. But the death of a gypsy camper woman and the subsequent hate campaign against the leading archeologist stir trouble. 

Mila has put her life on hold to care for her niece, Ani after Sophia died. Mila lives with Ani in The Sea Side home (Sophia’s home) and takes over her job at the family agency. Though Mila is weighed down by too many responsibilities, she cannot help but dig deeper about the dead woman. 

But things are more complicated than they appear. With police disinterested in the case and danger mounting from all sides, Mila has no choice but to uncover the truth, even if it means risking her life and Ani’s. Can Mila find the truth someone is desperate to hide? 

The story comes from the limited person POV for Mila. 

What I Like: 

The story is set in a small French town, which suits the plot perfectly and adds to the atmosphere.

Mila’s character is well-etched. I love that she is not too happy to handle the responsibility of her sister’s child but also loves the kid. I may not connect with her, but I could empathize with her. 

Sophia, despite being dead, is a constant part of the book. Sometimes in a good way, and sometimes in a not-so-good way. Still, she does create an impact on the reader. 

I got to know about something from history I didn’t know before. Not revealing to avoid spoilers. I also like how the author didn’t use the event to preach but wove it naturally with the plot. 

The plot is multilayered and never confusing. This is one of those few books I don’t mind for the slow pacing. I felt invested in the plot almost throughout. 

What Didn’t Work for Me:

I have a thing for endings, and this book gave me mixed feelings. As much as I don’t need HEA, I still like to have things tied up (unless there will be a sequel). 

The main mystery part is solved, but the rest is left to the reader’s interpretation. Furthermore, the ending sentence has string vibes of a sequel (and I still don’t know if there will be one). When I read a 350-page book, I like to close with a sense of satisfaction or sadness (but not disappointed about the lack of resolution). This is a personal pet peeve (so you might like the ending more than I did). 

The build-up to the climax was stronger than the climax itself. This dampened things a bit. Things happened a little too fast and were over before I could feel the impact/ tension. 

The writing is beautiful, but the overall story feels like it has a lot more potential. I wanted more about the past (Sophia, Mila, & Carter). That ‘drama’ isn’t enough if you know what I mean. 

Not sure if Mila has alcohol issues. She doesn’t drink constantly, but when she does, it seems like she goes overboard. I’m a teetotaler, but I don’t think someone who wants to research something crucial on the internet (and read dozens of pages) will continue to top her wine glass and drink to the point where she doesn’t remember her conservations with another person. 

Ani acts pretty much like a teenager (she is fourteen). I don’t mind it, but I sure wished for more depth in her character arc, especially since she showed the signs of being a complex personality. 

To summarize, The Lost Notebook is a slow-burn mystery set in an atmospheric location and great premise. Pick it up if you want to read beautiful writing with a decent mystery. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.  

#TheLostNotebook #NetGalley

Murder in the Library by Katie Gayle - Book Review

Murder in the Library by Katie Gayle

Series: Julia Bird Mysteries #2 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 07th Sep 2022

Genre: Small Town Cozy Mystery 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Entertaining 

*****

Julia Bird is settling down in Berrywick with Jake, her adorable chocolate-colored lab, and half a dozen chickens. Her routine is set until she discovers another dead body. 

Famous author Vincent Andrews charms the townsfolk during his meet of the next book’s release. The meet and greet is a great success, or so it seems until his body is found in the same library where the event occurred. 

Julia tries not to get involved but can’t help it. She decides to do her bit and help DI Hayley catch the real culprit. As Julia digs further, the truth of Vincent’s real life unravels (with a bunch of lies and contradictions). Can she separate facts from fiction and identify the killer before another dead body turns up? 

The story comes in the limited third-person POV of Julia Bird. 

My Observations: 

The second book in the series can be read as a standalone. It has recurring characters that add to the charm and annoy you by creating new hurdles.  

The book is just the right light (250+ pages) and a quick read. It tends to go this way and that once in a while but gets back on track to keep the momentum going. 

Julia Bird’s character is shaping up very well. She’s investigating more openly now. It’ll be fun to see what happens in the future books. Jake is growing up, too but is as naughty as before (his sloppiness makes him even more adorable). 

I like the relationship strengthening between DI Hayley and Julia. Though I’ll admit I want Hayley to do a little more (even if Julia is the leading sleuth of the series and is not as busy as the detective). 

The case of the writer’s murder was decent, with some twists thrown in and revealed in stages in the last quarter of the book. It wasn’t hard to figure out (which I don’t mind anyway). 

There’s a development in the personal track (the Julia- Sean track), which is quite endearing. I hope there won’t be any clichéd tropes in the coming books. 

To summarize, Murder in the Library is a promising continuation of the series. It’s a light cozy mystery with minimum dangers. Pick it up when you want something quick and easy to read. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Jess from Bookouture, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #MurderintheLibraryJuliaBirdMysteriesBook2