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Reading reflections for 2022 (and some challenge commitments!)
This has been really interesting year. I managed to read 140 (!) books this year, and it was around book 100 that I realized I wanted to think more critically about my reading materials. That launched this blog, an experiment: how would my reading experience change if I forced myself to engage with a prompt?
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A Murder is Announced, Pt. 2: The risks of sensationalism
I have a confession to make. After the last three adaptation posts in this series, I was getting ready to quit. It had started to feel like every post came back to the same points: BBC adapted the plot, iTV adapted the themes, and iTV came out on top. And while I like to think
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TCO Reviews: The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
It’s raining today in the Bay – the skies are grey and the wind is blowing the water drops nearly sideways. It’s the perfect day to cuddle up under a warm blanket with a piping hot mug of Earl Grey, accompanied by a great story. And since I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands
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A Murder is Announced, Pt. 1: Perfecting the pattern
I have to say, when I started this series, I was not anticipating having this many thoughts on the evolution of the Miss Marple books themselves. I genuinely expected that I would write brief overview for each story before jumping in to the adaptations. But here we are, book 4, and I still have Thoughts
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The Moving Finger, Pt. 2: What makes a cozy mystery?
It’s time for a closer look at the two TV adaptations of The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie. Last week, we broke down what sets this novel apart from a very structurally similar predecessor. Unlike prior books in the series, The Moving Finger centers non-Marple characters and their community. (It could serve as a standalone
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TCO Reviews: Glass Onion uses a Golden-Age premise to tell new tales
A sunny Greek island, a murder mystery party among reunited friends – what could go wrong? In Rian Johnson’s new film Glass Onion, plenty. In Glass Onion, an eccentric Tech Billionaire named Miles Bron invites some of his closest friends for an exotic getaway. Bron hosts these get-togethers annually, and his latest entertainment innovation is
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TCO Reviews: Con/Artist by Tony Tetro
You’ve gotta love a good scam. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been fascinated by scams and cons as long as I can remember. There’s something so fun about understanding how con artists and scammers exploit the rules of society. And I’ve always had a particular fascination for art forgery and counterfeits. No matter
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The Moving Finger, Pt. 1: romance, gossip, and murder in a cozy English village
Our series on Miss Marple continues, as we examine literary adaptation via one of my favorite cozy mystery series. As always, expect spoilers for The Moving Finger (and The Murder at the Vicarage) – both the novels and their BBC + iTV adaptations. We are moving on to the third Miss Marple novel, The Moving
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TCO Reviews: Secrets in the Stacks by Lynn Cahoon
I recently got the chance to read Secrets in the Stacks by Lynn Cahoon, released this November. As you may have noticed, I’ve been doing a lot of Golden Age mysteries, and it was a nice rest to come back to a more modern cozy mystery. This was a solid, fun read – a good
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A November tradition (and confession): reading more Native voices
November is Native American Heritage Month, and I want to share one of my favorite annual traditions with you to celebrate. A few years ago, I helped run a local diversity-themed book club, and we hit the month of November. Various other members suggested a variety of reads – some wanted to read the new