#swinlis

[sencilla-mentelibros]

La casa torcida

Recién terminé «La Casa Torcida» y debo decir que este libro me ha mantenido sumergida dentro de sus páginas. No he podido soltarlo ―a menos que necesario. Entretenido, interesante, ágil y cautivador, te mantiene pendiente y curiosa por saber quién es culpable del asesinato de Aristide Leonides, un griego llegado a Londres desde Esmirna, con una familia de tres generaciones. La propia A. C. escribe en el prefacio que éste es uno de sus libros favoritos y, ¡con justa razón! A mí me ha gustado mucho y el desenlace que, considero es siempre el sello de las historias de esta autora, me ha sorprendido.

Sofia, la nieta del señor Leonides, tiene una relación con Charles, hijo de un detective de Scotland Yard, y le pide que espere en pensar en un futuro con ella debido al estado en que se encuentra la familia. Charles accede, pero por su parentesco con el detective, es llamado a ser parte de la investigación de la muerte de Aristide. La historia se desenvuelve en Three Gables, en Swinly Dean, la cual aparenta estar un poco torcida por su estructura arquitectónica.

Será tarea de nosotrxs descifrar, y navegar en las palabras de la autora para determinar quién es culpable de suministrar eserina en la sangre de Aristide, de envenenarlo. No haré más comentarios porque no quiero brindar ningún spoiler. Solo diré que, llevo cuatro historias de Agatha Christie, dos películas y dos lecturas, que me han llevado a reconocer el encanto que esta autora tiene para escribir historias. Ésta es definitivamente de las mejores. Cinco estrellas.

Fecha original de publicación: mayo 13, 2023

#La Casa Torcida #agatha christie #opinion #reseña #libros #español #detectives #mystery

[killua-cat]

I'm not a good artist, i consider myself a drawer, there's a difference imo, ANYWAYS, so like idk how to draw hair other than swoopy and swinly so I'm not having a good time w/ killua's hair.

#killua is coming out very good tho #will i ever post it? probably one day

[readerbookclub]

Alright, we’re back with a new book list! This time we’re looking at murder mysteries (I must say I was very surprised with how popular this theme was in last month’s survey). As always, be sure to vote using the link at the end and if you want to join the book club just message me!

This first book was suggested to me on one of our surveys. I don’t know who recommended it, but I’m very happy they did. Its got murder and Shakespeare, which sounds wonderful to me:

1. If We Were Villains, by M. L. Rio

On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras. But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.

Now our next book has a very classic “whodunnit” premise. A group of old friends take a trip to a far and secluded estate... you can guess what happens next:

2. The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

The trip begins innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps, just as a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage says. But how close is too close?

I didn’t want all of the novels to be set in western countries, so the next two are set in Asia and written by Asian writers. The first one is  written by the author who’s book inspired the film “Slumdog Millionaire” (I’ve never actually seen this movie or read the book, but it seems to be a pretty big deal). Anyway, it doesn’t have the typical murder mystery structure, but nonetheless, someone is killed and there are...

3. Six Suspects, by Vikas Swarup

Seven years ago, Vivek 'Vicky' Rai, the playboy son of the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh, murdered Ruby Gill at a trendy restaurant in New Delhi simply because she refused to serve him a drink. Now Vicky Rai is dead, killed at his farmhouse at a party he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal. The police search each and every guest. Six of them are discovered with guns in their possession. In this elaborate murder mystery we join Arun Advani, India's best-known investigative journalist, as the lives of these six suspects unravel before our eyes: a corrupt bureaucrat; an American tourist; a stone-age tribesman; a Bollywood sex symbol; a mobile phone thief; and an ambitious politician. Each is equally likely to have pulled the trigger. Inspired by actual events, Vikas Swarup's eagerly awaited second novel is both a riveting page turner and an insightful peek into the heart and soul of contemporary India.

Although we’re used to murder mysteries where the amateur sleuth needs to crack the case under pressure, this next book looks at what happens when a case is left unsolved for decades. I have to say, this book is a little longer than most (540 pages according to goodreads, and 560 according to amazon), but I still think it’s still a reasonable length: 

4. Under the Midnight Sun, written by Keigo Higashino and translated by Alexander O. Smith: 

*note: sometimes the title is written as “Journey Under the Midnight Sun”, same book though. 

This is the compelling story of a brutal crime and the two teenagers—Ryo, the son of the murdered man, and Yukiho, the daughter of the main suspect—whose lives remain inextricably linked over the twenty-year search for the truth behind the crime.

In Osaka in 1973, the body of a murdered man is found in an abandoned building. Investigating the crime, Detective SasagakI is unable to find the killer. Over the next twenty years, through the lens of a succession of characters, Higashino tells the story of two teens, Ryo and Yukiho, whose lives are most affected by the crime, and the obsessed detective, Sasagaki, who continues to investigate the murder, looking for the elusive truth.

And of course, a murder mystery book list would be incomplete without the queen herself, Miss Agatha Christie. It was hard to pick one of her novels, but it had to be a standalone book, so no Poirot or Miss Marple (sorry Isola). I ended up choosing this one, because it was highly rated but not so popular that everyone would’ve already read it:

5. Crooked House, by Agatha Christie:

In the sprawling, half-timbered mansion in the affluent suburb of Swinly Dean, Aristide Leonides lies dead from barbiturate poisoning. An accident? Not likely. In fact, suspicion has already fallen on his luscious widow, a cunning beauty fifty years his junior, set to inherit a sizeable fortune, and rumored to be carrying on with a strapping young tutor comfortably ensconced in the family estate. But criminologist Charles Hayward is casting his own doubts on the innocence of the entire Leonides brood. He knows them intimately. And he's certain that in a crooked house such as Three Gables, no one's on the level...

That’s it for this month! Please click here to vote for your favourite. 

For anyone who’s new here, we’re a book club and we’ll be reading one of these next month! If you want to join us, just let me know! New members are always welcome :)

Member’s List: @solitarystudies @endystudyblog @adhyayana-v (by the way, this is mybookishescapes, but they changed their username) @gordinmegan @sillyarcadeexpert @appleinducedsleep @morphedphase @zorasmith @justmesoffie​ @meatofslaughtaredbeggar​ @unicornlurvvv​ @lilian-evans​ @mishousdiaries​ @macgilliluv​ @omgreading​ @bowieziggyfan​ @calebprior25​ @sanatoriaa​ @littledrlings​ @booksandbones​ @bluebellraven​ @readakins​

As always, if anyone wants to be removed from this list, just let me know :)

#book list #booklr #murder mystery #book club #mystery #mystery book #whodunnit #agatha christie #crooked house #under the midnight sun #keigo higashino #six suspects #vikas swarup #the hunting party #lucy foley #if we were villains #m.l. rio

[iambookotter]

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

3/5

 The book starts off with an Author’s Foreword in which Agatha Christie describes this to be one of her special favourites and how much pleasure it gave her while writing it. So, I was sorely disappointed when I did not echo the same feelings by the end of it.

 Do not get me wrong, this one is right up there with the rest of her murder mysteries. The ending was, in typical Christie fashion, unexpected. In fact, I believe Crooked House has one of the most startling revelations I have ever encountered in the books that I have read by Christie. However, I felt very disconnected from the book throughout. The characters were meant to be interesting, but the narrator was so dry and boring that I started to struggle to keep my interest properly invested.

 However, while this may not have been my cup of tea, I do see its appeal and why Christie enjoyed writing this. Therefore, I will still recommend you give this a shot if her works interest you!

 Synopsis: “In the sprawling, half-timbered mansion in the affluent suburb of Swinly Dean, Aristide Leonides lies dead from barbiturate poisoning. An accident? Not likely. In fact, suspicion has already fallen on his luscious widow, a cunning beauty fifty years his junior, set to inherit a sizeable fortune, and rumored to be carrying on with a strapping young tutor comfortably ensconced in the family estate. But criminologist Charles Hayward is casting his own doubts on the innocence of the entire Leonides brood. He knows them intimately. And he's certain that in a crooked house such as Three Gables, no one's on the level.”

#book #book blog #bookblr #books #booknerd #agatha christie #crooked house