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Reading Adventures, Pt. 13: A murder, a flock, and the Pacific sunset
I know most of the country has been battling mountains of snow this week… But I’m lucky enough to be in California, and Mr. Owlet treated me to a special stay in Elk for a lovely dinner and hours spent reading by the sea. We were somehow the only two guests at the Harbor House…
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A Door Book for the in-between month: The Ten Thousand Doors of January
January is an in-between time of year. It’s in the name, with the god of beginnings reminding us to keep the past in view while planning for the future. It’s a month full of possibility, tinged with nostalgia and memory, the winter sun illuminating faint visions of the perfect year ahead. Of course, that vision…
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TCO Reviews: The Starseekers by Nicole Glover
Faithful readers already know I have a huge love of both mystery and fantasy novels. I love reading and writing about these genres, particularly when entries feature complex characters and social settings to match. What might be less familiar are my STEM roots. My father is a professor in the department of engineering; my mother,…
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On Projects, Patience, and the road to Julia Child
Could there be any warmer way to kick off the New Year than with Julia Child? When the days are this dark, I find myself drawn to the warmth of my kitchen. And with the Dutch oven bubbling with a delicious tomato-dal soup, I settled in to learn more about “Our Lady of the Ladle.”…
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Letters from the Reading Perch: New Year, new pages
I love the fresh feeling of a new year. Yes, it’s a totally arbitrary date, not tied to anything physical—but the feeling of turning a new page, a blank canvas onto which we can paint our intentions for the next 12 months, is exactly the inspiration I need in the darkest months. So I want…
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Letters from the Reading Perch: Farewell to 2025
As the skies get dark and the year winds down, it’s the season of reflection. As you read this, I’m likely drinking a mug of Poirot-themed tea, solving my Miss Marple puzzle, and looking forward to a bowl of desi tomato soup. A perfectly cozy end to an extremely busy year. So busy, in fact,…
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Advent of Mystery ’25: The Final Bow
Here we are, Christmas Day! If you’ve followed along with the Advent of Mystery this long, thank you. It’s kind of crazy to think that what started as a one-off stretch challenge has become an annual tradition for the blog—a project I now look forward to wrapping up as much as I do starting. And…
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Advent of Mystery ’25, Day 10: Merry Murdle
Here we are, once again, at the final entry in another Advent of Mystery. It’s our last book and our last advent calendar—one I’ve been especially looking forward to. I’ve already shared my immense love of Murdle, and I was thrilled to see the release of Merry Murdle this year. For those unfamiliar, Murdles are murder-themed logic puzzles.…
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Advent of Mystery ’25, Day 9: Murder by Christmas
It’s time to pick up the pencils and start solving, because we’ve moved on from mystery novels to Advent calendars. While I’m sure these have been around for a while, my first experience with one was last year. Then, I read Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret straight through, as I hadn’t planned the daily solving into…
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Advent of Mystery ‘25, Day 8: A Scrooge Mystery
We’re coming to the end of this year’s Advent of Mystery—and to the end of the traditional mystery novels. Today’s read is A Scrooge Mystery by Andreina Cordani, a familiar name for repeat Advent readers. Typically, her holiday crime books take a tradition (a country house party, Christmas shopping) and add a dark twist. This time, however,…