An English Murder by Cyril Hare

Cyril Hare is one of the writers on my TBR list and when I saw his book on offer, I just had to get it. Plus, it’s a Christmas murder so it’s seasonally appropriate (and I read it on Christmas Day so yay me, I guess?)

An English Murder takes place during a very tense Christmas party. The dying Lord Warbeck has called his friends and family together. The guest list consists of Sir Julius, his cousin and Chancellor of Exchequer, Lady Camilla Prendergast, a really sweet girl who was in love with his son, Mrs Carstaire, a pushy woman proud of her is husband, and his son Robert, a nasty anti-Semitic who runs the racist ‘League of Liberty and Justice.’

Also at the house is Dr. Bottwink, a historian studying the history of the family (and the detective of the story), Rogers, a policeman assigned to protect Sir Julius, the Butler, and his daughter, who has a secret relationship with Robert.

Anyway, since Robert is the nastiest character, he gets killed off and it seems like almost everyone has a motive. While Sir Julius and Lady Carstairs try to make it seem like a suicide, Dr. Bottwink and Rogers are investigating (although not as a team).

I really enjoyed this story and I don’t get why the library had very few copies of Cyril Hare’s books (I don’t think they have an English Murder). The writing is easy to read and the mystery was well-plotted, with everyone seeming suspicious. I also liked the characterisations - Camilla is the typical ‘sweet girl’ but Sir Julius and Mrs Carstairs stand out because they show that self-interest and pompous behaviour has always been around. Of course, they’re the ones who push the suicide theory.

Dr. Bottwink was also wonderfully written. Like Poirot, he is not English, but that’s where the similarity ends. He doesn’t have the arrogance of Poirot (and I like Poirot, so this isn’t really a criticism of him) and he’s really passionate about history, which makes him a really charming character. His deductions made sense too, and I liked the reveal.

I also enjoyed how this book explored themes of class/social structures in Britain. It’s not the dominant theme (though it is important), but having Dr. Bottwink try to feel his way through the unspoken societal rules allowed the book to explore the topic a little.

If you like mysteries, especially those from the Golden Age, you have to read this. It’s a great locked-room mystery (the house is snowed in) with a cast of characters that spring to life as soon as the book opens.

Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Started and finished this in a morning because it is so good! If you’re looking for a Christmas read, this is definitely it.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol is a fictionalised account of how Charles Dickens came up with his famous story A Christmas Carol. While it’s true that the story before that, Martin Chuzzlewit, was a flop and that Dickens was in financial difficulties at the time, the rest of the book takes great liberties with the truth. But what an enjoyable read this was.

In this account, Charles Dickens loses the spirit of Christmas, driving away even his wife and children. But even though he cannot think of and doesn’t want to write a story, his publishers have promised a Christmas Tale and they are insistent that he must deliver. It’s not until Dickens meets an enigmatic young woman named Eleanor Lovejoy and her young son Timothy that he is able to write again.

Charles Dickens is definitely the star of the story. The author did a great job in creating sympathy for him, so much so that I was annoyed with his family for spending so much money without a care. While he was definitely a Scrooge, his stress over his finances made him a likeable Scrooge.

There are also a lot of fun, literary cameos in the book. More than a few Victorian-era authors appear, and there are many references to Dickens’ other works (including a character named David Copperfield who would like to be in Dickens’ book).

I’m so glad that I picked this up. I wasn’t even thinking of it, but it was in the “new books” section of the library and I remembered hearing about it before (from Wendy, so thank you very much!) so I borrowed it and now I’m in a Christmas mood. If you’re still looking for a book to read over Christmas, I would recommend this one.

Merry Christmas!

I spent Christmas at home, so I was so glad that three of the books I ordered online came. I guess it's a Christmas present to myself.

May you have had many books for Christmas!

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Happy Hogwatch! Well, it isn't December 32, but it's December 23rd, so it's close enough for me. Of course, Hogwatch being a Discworld novel means that it's an awesome, if unorthodox, Christmas read.

Hogfather, if you can't tell from the fact I said "Christmas read", is Terry Pratchett's Discworld Version of Christmas. Now that I've stated the obvious, let's get on to the story. In Hogfather, the Hogfather has disappeared and Death has taken over his role. This disturbs his granddaughter Susan so much that she starts investigating what happened.

Obviously I love this novel. As I do all Discworld books. I have read Mort but this is the first time I've read a book that starred Susan. The fact that she was the Duchess of Sto Helit gave me pause and got me to feverishly google why she was the duchess and Death's granddaughter. But Susan is an awesome character. She's practical and good with kids, which means that she's not a normal hero. She's as undramatic as possible.

Plus, the Unseen University faculty play a fairly major role. Ridcully and his new bathroom, Ponder Stibbons, and even a new machine called Hex.

Oh, what am I saying. This is a Discworld novel. My words can't praise it enough. You should go read it, and then watch the two-part series (which I'm watching right now).

Here's part 1:

A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories by Katherine Paterson

Sometimes, perhaps during Christmas, you get so busy you can't read more than a little bit at one go. I find short stories to be very appropriate during times like these. I can finish one story at one time, and not feel the urge to continue reading (that strongly).

A Stubborn Sweetness is a collection of short stories about Christmas. It covers a diverse range of characters and people, which is why I really loved it. For example, one story was set in Communist China, in a reformative camp. Another was set in World War II Japan, where Christianty was seen as representative of the Americans and hence, an enemy. The inclusion of these two stories surprised me, and the diversity they added was very welcome.

The stories themselves are varied too. Some are light-hearted, some are poignant and some will bring you extremely close to tears. All of them end with hope, although a few of them aren't what you typically imagine as "Christmas Happy Endings" - where all the sick get well, family rifts are healed and well, Scrooge becomes generous.

Since Katherine Paterson is the author of Bridge to Terabithia, a story that brings me to tears every time I read it, I'm pretty sure that this book will tug at your heartstrings too. So perhaps you will need more time reading this book - after all, when you close the story, you may need some time to reset yourself back to the pace of your busy life.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

A while back, I reviewed Anne Perry's novel Blind Justice (link leads to review). And so, when I heard that she wrote a Christmas story, I decided to sign up to read it. And of course, it's set in the same world - so, a murder mystery with a Christmas twist.

A Christmas Hope follows a minor character in the series, Claudine Burroghs, an upper class lady. At a Christmas party, a prostitute is killed and fingers are pointed at a drunkard poet. The only thing is, she spoke with the poet before that, and she doubts that he's the killer. So she defies society and her husband to search for evidence that he's innocent.

To me, more than the mystery part, the societal aspect was more interesting. Here's a high-born lady, supposed to be ornamental and move in the highest circles. Yet she decides to do something unlady-like, and instead of going completely against the current, she does use some societal norms (like visiting others) to achieve her ends. I really enjoyed reading about how she used her status to get information.

Because this is a short-story, it finishes pretty fast, and with a happy ending to boot (well, it is a Christmas story after all). If you're looking for a cheery Christmas story but would like a little twist, I'd reccomend this book. It's an enjoyable book that despite being a murder mystery, was rather cheery (at the end, not in the middle).

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

Jack: The Tale of Frost by Tony Bertauski

I think I love this book even more than the original! If you don't remember, last year I reviewed Claus: Legend of the Fat Man. It was a good book, so when Tony asked me if I would review the sequel, I said yes immediately!

While this book is a sequel, you could probably read it as a standalone. It definitely makes more sense (especially when it comes to character motivations) if you know what went on in the first book, but since there are new characters and new protagonists, you can still figure out what's going on.

Jack: The Tale of Frost stars not Jack (not really), but Sula, a girl who has some sort of connection with the Frost plantation. This year, she starts to work for Mr. Frost, who tells her that his name is not Jack. She also meets Joe, a boy working at the plantation that she feels an instantaneous connection with.

At the same time, we as the reader find out that Mr Frost is actually Pawn, Jack's only friend. He's been forced to bring Jack back to life via a clone and he's very close to succeeding. And when he does, humanity can say goodbye to the earth. But, one of the Jacks escaped and is living as a very strange homeless person (since he only has 10% of his memories).

For me, my favourite character turned out to be Jack. This is pretty ironic since he's the villain of the first book. But Jack as a partially amnesic, very strange homeless person trying to find Santa Claus (because he knows that he's from the North Pole, but not why he's in South Carolina), Jack is surprisingly sympathetic. I think he's given the chance to learn and to develop more in this book, and it was a very good choice. Plus, with only 10% of his memories, more of Jack's character comes out - he's still mean, but he's also lonely and the need for acceptance is amplified.

Sula and Joe are both interesting characters, and I like how their backstory tied into the plot of the book. I don't think I can say too much without giving away spoilers, so I shan't.

If you read the first book and liked it, you should definitely read this book. And if you're looking for a Christmas story that's different from most, this is the book for you too!

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Today turned out to be a good day. I managed to drag myself out of my room around noon and make it to Church, which meant I wasn't alone.

Also, I have a Christmas present for you guys - The January issue of An Excuse for Company!

You can download the free magazine here. This is the largest issue yet, and I hope it'll keep growing in 2013! The next few days will be used for reading challenges and such, so reviews will be (regretfully) scant.

A Victorian Christmas by Catherin Palmer

Rounding out my Christmas book reviews is this collection of stories set in, you've guessed it, the Victorian era. There are four novellas in total, so here are my thoughts, story by story. Happy reading, and Merry Christmas everyone!

Angel in the Attic - This was, strange. It basically stars two people - Lena and Hyatt, who don't want to get married. But after they meet under odd circumstances (neither knows the other is the person they're running away), they fall in love. It would be a sweet story, except that I don't understand how Lena fell in love. Hyatt's reasons were crystal clear, but for Lena to fall in love, I'm going to need more than someone telling me that he is smart, witty, listens to her, etc. But the proposal scene was cool.

Lone Star - A Texas gal meets a British Viscount. Unfortuately, she's due to marry his younger brother. His younger brother Rupert, by the way, is thoroughly unlikable. Who on earth cheats before his marriage? (Don't tell me, I don't want to know). He didn't deserve his happy ending. Star and the viscount Grey though, deserved theirs, they're a really cute couple.

Under His Wings - Clearly a re-telling of Ruth, only this time, the "Ruth: character is really really reluctant. And from Wales. Yes there's an earl involved (so far all three stories involve nobility don't they?) and she changes him for the better. The whole "social impropriety" thing did add another layer to the story though, I thought it made it a bit more realistic. The ending was predictable (you can't stray too far from the book of Ruth after all), but I did wish some of the villians got more or a comupttence.

Behold The Lamb - Yes, nobility makes an appearance, but here, the ordinary people of the Victorian era appear! Sadly, there's very little description about this, it's really mostly a nobility thing. It does, however, have a really sweet redemption story, and a message on how we're all sinners, and that there's no such thing as a "worse sin". The couple here - Rosalind and Nick, are probably the sweetest couple, because I love the  echoes of Elizabeth and Darcy type of interaction.

At the end of each story, there is a recipe of one of the foods mention. It's a sweet touch, and if you like this sort of thing, rejoice! If you don't, just skip it.

Note: This is where I normally say something like "I'm going to have a break! See you Next Year" or something like that, but this year, I don't know. It's the first time I'm spending Christmas alone after all. So, depending on what level of depressed I am, I may or may not post tomorrow. If I'm at the normal depressed level of a sane person, I'll be at Church the whole day (all lonely people are invited to hang out together). If I'm in a pity-party, I'll spend the whole day sleeping and reading and sleeping and reading, and will probably post in the night. 

All I Have to Give by Melody Carlson

This is a little strange, but for once, I wasn't very impressed with a Melody Carlson book. To me, this book felt way too rushed, as though it was written in a hurry with little thought for characters.

All I Have to Give is a re-telling of the short story "The Gift of the Magi". But in this case, Anna is prompted to make a sacrifice for her gift (and generally make it the 'best Christmas ever') by a cancer scare. There was a legitimate reason, but I thought that if she was afraid, the first thing she should have done was to check with the doctor. I could actually see the ending by Chapter 5.

In addition, the characters weren't very well thought-out. There was quite a few characters, each with their own issues. For example. Anna's sister Meredith has her own problems. But since this book is so short (just over a hundred pages), there isn't enough time to flesh out the characters. And so, they never really came to life for me. Unlike Christmas at Harringtons, the characters weren't endearing enough. It was basically a "give give give" fest, without enough motivation on the why.

That being said, the book does have potential. If the book was longer, and delved into the characters lives, it would have been a whole lot better. I don't really care that the plot was predictable, but what I really wanted were characters I could identify with.

Unfortunately, I didn't find it here. That meant this was merely a "so-so" read, rather than a fantastic one.

Finding Christmas: Stories of Startling Joy and Perfect Peace

Rather than a feel-good Christmas story, Find Christmas is a collection of short stories, without much of a happy ending. There might be some hope, some glimpse of the light, but there isn't much in the way of the traditional happy ending we've come to expect.

The book has seven chapters and one preface, all of them short, unrelated stories. And like the book says in the foreword "most of the stories in this book end at beginings". If you're the sort that likes everything wrapped up neatly by the end, this might fustrate you a little. But think about it this way, you've been given the chance to dream of the ending yourself.

In all of these stories, you can see characters that are real. They might be annoying, with how flawed they are, but after a while, you realise your annoyance is because they're relatable. I've definitely felt like some of the characters some time or the other.

And with each of their stories, you see them just as they get a glimpse of the true meaning of Christmas. Most of the time, this glimpse is limited to them, others remained unchanged. But that's how changes come about. They start with one person. And the characters all learn a different lesson, so put the pieces together, and you might start too see a greater glimpse.

My favourite passage comes from the last story"The Snow Fall".

"He came for those who need him, not because they are poor or slovenly or unable to care for themselves. He came for all those who need him, even some like me, the elitists, self-satisfied with the arrogance that insists they really need nothing at all. He came for me because I too - in my annoyance and pride - am very much amoung the needy."

This is a fairly short book, but there's not way you can call it shallow.

Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson

I'm back from my mini-vacation with my family! (They came over, I had a vacation). I wish they didn't go back, but while I'm nursing my tears, enjoy this review.

What Christmas series of books would be complete without Melody Carlson? This time, I managed to get my hands on one of her Christmas novella's.

Christmas at Harrington's has an interesting premise. Lena, the protagonist, is a recently ex-convict. Deciding not to go back to her hometown, she travels to the town of New Haven, where she hopes to make a fresh start. And somehow, she manages to get a job at Harrington's as Mrs Santa, make friends, and melt down her barriers a little. But, someone from New Haven knows her secret and outs her.

But while Lena may feel ostracised, she finds out who her true friends are, and some new friends in unexpected places.

The book is sweet. I liked the whole cast of characters, and I thought for such a short book, it had a decent back-story and plot. There is definitely a message of forgiveness, and letting go of bitterness, but I didn't find the book preachy at all.

And one thing I liked was how there was no romance until the last chapter, and then, only the promise of it. If a romantic relationship was added, the book would have to be a lot longer, and there is always the risk of side-lining the real plot. So I'm glad that this didn't happen.

A slightly deeper theme in the novel is about how there is also corruption in the Church. I can't say much without giving out the plot, but you should know that the reason Lena was in jail was her husband's fault, and he was the Church's pastor. So Lena's issues are a little different from most. I suppose this is something that could have been explored further, but it might have made the tone of the book a little more serious. However, if this wasn't Christmas themed, I'd love to read a full length novel to chew on this topic.

This short novella is perfect to read if you want to get into the Christmas spirit.

Touching Wonder by John Blake

Note: I'm going to meet my family today, which means I'll be away for my computer for a few days. Have a good break everyone!

This short read (I finished it in one sitting), is perfect to get into the spirit of Christmas.

This book is divided into twelve parts, with one interlude. Each part starts with a passage from Luke, taken from The Message translation (if you haven't heard of The Message, it's a translation that aims to convey the essence/Spirit of the Bible rather than a literal translation). After which, it's followed by a narration from the point of view of one of the characters concerned. Finally, it ends with a pray/reflection by the author.

I thought the mingling of The Message with the author's version was very well done. The Message naturally has a story-like feel, so rather than being reading a passage and something fiction, it felt more like reading a continuous story. Each chapter felt fresh, and made the Birth of Christ feel very vivid.

One of my favourite passages was from the Angel Gabriel's point of view. But the passage that made the deepest impact is simply from "an Angel". I would like to share the first paragraph

"To say that His Birth was opposed is to touch the limits of mortal language. The Mighty One has been hated since the pride of the bright one led many away. Your word war comes close, but even then, believe me, you have no idea."

The prayers were really reflections, but since they were handwritten (they look like a note), I found it a little hard to read at times. But they are quite short, so it wasn't that hard to decipher.

Remember,

"The Life-Light will blaze in the darkness,

no more night.

Peace on earth, Peace for us all."

Angels Everywhere by Debbie Macomber

Christmas is coming.... in less than two months! But, it's time for me to get into the holiday mood by reading some Christmas-y stories (seasonal stories FTW?). Anyway, after a really long time, I picked up another Debbie Macomber book.

Angels Everywhere is a collection of two novels - A Season of Angels and Touched by Angels. The two novels follow three angels - Mercy, Goodness and Shirley as they meddle, I mean try to help their charges by Christmas. The three get into a lot of trouble (mostly by riding on escalators, moving a war-ship, etc) but their heart of gold wins out in the end.

Both stories follow the same "pattern", if you will. There are three or more human protagonists, and they have to learn to trust God, let go of fear, or some other lesson before their lives can be filled again. I'm making this sound boring when it's not. They're sweet captivating stories, written in the Cedar Cove style (for the uninitiated, that means multiple POVs and plots).

I will, however, sound a note of caution about the heavenly trio. For some reason, the angels feel too human to me. While they are lovable scamps, they do seem to be fallible (does disobeying direct orders count as a sin?). Plus, they're totally not scary. In the Bible, the first thing Angels tend to say is "Fear not".

But despite my gripes, this is a typical Debbie Macomber novel, which is to say, I love it. Both stories are heart-warming (with messages about trusting God and such), and so appropriate for Christmas. Definitely one to put on your list along with Melody Carlson's A Christmas Dog and An Irish Christmas (link to reviews)

An Irish Christmas by Melody Carlson

Merry Christmas in advance everybody! I'm swamped with carolling and other things, so...

But anyway, I managed to finish An Irish Christmas by Melody Carlson yesterday, and while her Christmas books are (to me) not as good as some of her "series" books, they're a pretty decent and light Christmas read.

An Irish Christmas is told from the point of view of two characters: the mum Colleen and the son Jamie. There's a bunch of secrets involving back stories (and hence, the need for two point of views) that being a happy Christmas tale, is all happily resolved by the end of the story.

And that's about all you need to know about the plot. If I were to say anymore, I'd probably give major spoilers away.

The only thing I didn't like much in the story is Jamie. While both his mom and him are hiding some pretty major secrets, I don't know why but felt that Colleen's secret was somehow more understandable than his, which is pretty much me trying to draw lines in shades of grey. I suppose that this is somehow related to the fact that we tend to dislike in others the faults we have, because they remind us of the unpleasant sights of us. Jamie's secret comes about mainly from his over-rationalisation, which leads to misjudgements and more mis-steps (I love alliterations). That is something I can totally relate to and can see happening to me. If you over think like me, it's very plausible that you'll make a wrong mistake. While these mistakes have largely been confined to answers on my exam papers (this is the main reason why I hardly every change my exam answers once they're written down), it's gonna happen in real life sooner or later if I don't change.

I do wonder though, if this comes partly from my love of reading and literature. Literature is mainly trying to guess the hidden meanings in the text and reading can instill paranoia (think about it, when faced with a situation, you not only conjure up your vivid imagination but the imaginations of all authors who have written similar situations). But I guess that it's a small price to pay to love books.

Basically, an Irish Christmas is a lovely little tale that most people will probably enjoy. And the personal lesson for me is that my negative reactions to a character may be because I am subconsciously expressing my dislike for the negative traits that I possess (and share with said character). Not a bad lesson to take home from this relatively short novel.

The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson

Since Christmas is coming, my next few posts before Christmas (as much as I am in Singapore), will be more-or-less Christmas-y, to get everyone into the holiday spirit. So first up, a book that I finished very recently - The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson.

Even though the title is similar to another I reread (A Dog named Christmas), it's actually quite different. Here, in The Christmas Dog, the dog is the catalyst, not the main character/focus of the story. The real focus of the story is actually on loving your neighbour.

For some reason, the first line really grabbed my attention. It goes "As Betty Kowalski drove home from church on Sunday, she realised she was guilty of two sins. First of all, she felt envious, perhaps even lustful - of Marsha Deerwood's new leather jacket." Apart from the fact that Kowalski is the name of one of the penguins from the show Penguins of Madagascar (I watch it with my brother), the begining brings to mine some of the seven deadly sins - lust and envy, and manages to remind me of the sinful human nature even while I read this warm fuzzy Christmas tale.

The plot is actually quite simple. It's a story about "killing" people with kindness and how we can sometimes struggle to actually carry it out. Even though the story felt relatively short, the characters (enough characters for me), seem real, with their human follibles and what not. The dog, unfortunately, doesn't get much writing space, since here, it is clear that humans are the alpha dogs (yes, the lame pun was fully intentional).

I would suppose that if you're looking for a quick Christmas read, this would be a very good alternative. And since Christmas is a specific period of the year, the book has a short "shelf-life" as for when it's appropraite. Which is why, my next review (and I will do it before Christmas, maybe by tomorrow), will be An Irish Christmas by Melody Carlson.