The Introverted Detective

 I opened this book to read something other than a romance with sex in my office. Well, I failed in that regard, because this is the most sexual James Bond book, yet, starting with the perspective of a woman taken advantage of. We remain in her perspective the whole time. Let's dig in (knowing this book is for ages 18 and over).  Courtesy of Pinterest The plot of this is nothing like the movie. Note this and throw the plot you watched into the void. I was blindsided by the whole beginning because no other Bond (Fleming or otherwise) began like this one. Ian Fleming himself wasn't happy with the reader response, therefore the movie is what it is because he only authorized the title use. Apparently, the prologue explains that the story was given to Fleming because the woman had a relationship with Bond, but my library copy didn't have the prologue. It started with Part One and I missed out on that section.   It begins with the perspective of Vivienne alone in a closed ...

 I love the Bridgerton book series. Today I'm reviewing Hyacinth's storyline. Let's get into it.  Courtesy of bookoutlet.com Hyacinth Bridgerton is the youngest Bridgerton and the 7th book. I have all the books and love them all dearly. This is a spoiler-heavy review , so if you want to go in blind please come back later. It doesn't take all that long to read. I'm going right into the events of the book after this paragraph. You've been warned. Oh, and all Bridgerton books have spice. Be warned of sex scenes in every single one.  The Main Events We begin by learning why Gareth St. Clair is estranged from his father. He was almost forced to marry a woman who had a child's mind and refused. He's also a bastard who was accepted as legitimate because his father cared about his reputation. Basically, his father hates him. They part ways and avoid each other in the present storyline.  The other side of the romance begins with Hyacinth going with Penelope to th...

 I saw this book in a small bookstore in Cambridge. I couldn't pass it up. It was so unique I thought I'd never see it again. The library app has proven it is quite popular. It couldn't just immediately borrow the audiobook, which is a sign of popularity. I'm reviewing it because I loved it's humor and it is one of the best suspense novels I've ever read.  rupertholmes.com I know this one has an interesting, strange title but it is a comedy/suspense. It's a combination of Lemony Snicket, Agatha Christie, Detective Marlowe, and The Count of Monte Cristo vibes. I can't explain it any better than that. There are phrases in here that made me chuckle and mark the page - several pages. Describing the plot of such a unique book is a little weird. I'll do my best. It's best to just try it for yourself. You might not like it if you don't have a dark sense of humor or don't like dark suspense. It's a bit darker as you keep reading and the three...

 My husband's well-loved copy of Wind in the Willows is now on our bookshelf. It's his favorite book and a major part of his childhood. I'm reading and reviewing it. Let's dive in.  Courtesy of bibliodyssey.blogspot.co.uk If you read this book, you know it is very much like frog and toad, but not frog and toad. You have talking human-like animals in a small community. They chat, row down the river, have picnics, and are generally silly creatures (in the best way). My husband loved this book so much the spine is falling apart (but not the pages). We started reading it together. I'm reading it twice because I need to finish it to review it.  The Plot We begin with Mole abandoning his spring cleaning, running into a Rat, and then going on a picnic/boat ride. We run into Otter, who asks why he wasn't invited, but Rat says it is a private picnic. Otter makes polite conversation and leaves. Mole has so much fun that he attempts to take the oars and dumps the boat. The...

 The Twenty-fourth of June by Grace S. Richmond is a novel I've never heard of before. A family member wanted me to borrow and review it. I said I'd do that. I'm reading her copy right now, ignoring the introduction essay and afterward sections. Onward! Courtesy of Amazon This book follows a man of 28 proving himself to a young woman in the Gray family. It is not what I'd typically pick up, but I'm willing to try it out. The last time this family member suggested a book it was a four-star rated one (Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter). I'm including spoilers in this review, so please come back later if you want to go into it blind.  Speaking of going into this blind, I'm going into this book practically blindfolded. I didn't get a plot overview other than "romance" and how much my family member loved it. In other words, this review will be honest and I'll be genuinely surprised at plot twists. It's not my usual cup of tea, but it started ...

 I'm going to focus on reviewing more books this year. Of the books in the 2025 reading year, I'm starting with a classic. I give you my review of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is a spoiler-heavy review.  Courtesy of Pinterest.com The book I'm reviewing is a classic—a horror classic. I know the end (at least the movie's end), so it isn't a real surprise to learn that Jekyll is Hyde. I think almost everyone who took a literature class knows that. In basic overview, a man plays with the idea of his good side and bad side and gets himself into a horrible situation. He gets to a point where he can no longer control "Mr. Hyde", whom he says he can get rid of at any time.  Book Events We start with a lawyer (Utterson), reading a clause in the will of Dr. Jekyll, a dear friend. Dr. Jekyll's leaving Mr. Hyde all his money and property if he disappears or dies. The lawyer thinks Hyde is a horrible man and has a conversation with Hyde. Hyde i...

 This year my TBR (To Be Read) list did not go as planned, mostly because I threw it to the side to focus on cleaning my bookshelves. For this reason, I skip what this year's goals were entirely. Aside from all those thrown-out goals, let's look at the data.  I decided to prioritize cleaning out my bookshelves and going through the second chance pile. My data looks so different than last year's. Be prepared to see data indicating my second chance pile rose to the top of my priorities. I even blogged some of it for content.  I also learned something more about myself. I mood-read and I liked it a lot. I'm making more space for that in my TBR. I might still have set titles, but I intend to set up my TBR to have more mood-reading openings. Along with all that, I'm so much better at dropping books I don't enjoy reading. I've learned a lot this year.  Next Year First, we have the set titles, which will literally be what I didn't read in 2024, plus maybe a few...