Sunday, December 28, 2025

Stacking the Shelves #80

 



Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. 

Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!





The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody Book 7)

Libby borrow: Free

I am up to book seven in this series and decided January is the time to get back to it. In this adventure, Amelia has to rescue her beloved Emerson who has lost his memory. Knowing the couple's interactions this should be an interesting and probably hilarious read, while having fun experiencing their romp through ancient excavations too. 





The Royal Bastards of Twelfth Century England: Power and Blood by James Turner

Free with Kindle points

I have way too many books about the wild and crazy Plantagenets and their dysfunctional children but I don't care. They are always a source of fascination and family dynamics for me. This book covers drama in the reigns of Henry I through Henry II. I may not learn a whole lot of new information but I never get tired of the stories. 





The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason

Free with Kindle points

I know nothing about Elizabeth Stuart, James I 's daughter but her story looks fascinating. This novel covers her relationship with her father, brother, and the court and then her marriage to Frederick of Bohemia, who I also know nothing about. I always love learning about royals from countries that aren't often featured and, of course, anything about the Stuarts. 


















Friday, December 26, 2025

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book #37)

Publication Date:
October 24, 1960
Genre: 

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:  
65 pages


Series:
Hercule Poirot


Book description courtesy of Goodreads

In Agatha Christie’s short story, “The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding,” Poirot is asked to attend a Christmas celebration in order to apprehend a jewel-thief who has taken advantage of an unwary eastern prince. Full of English holiday tradition and plenty of intrigue, this holiday tale first appeared in the December 12, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

My Thoughts

Halfway through this short story I realized I knew it sounded familiar! I'd seen the TV episode on Prime on Poirot. It was a nice quick read for Christmas week and I hadn't intended to do so but it was free with my Kindle points. 

Poirot is his usual confident self as he tries to figure out what has happened to a large ruby lost by a Prince eager to show off to a pretty girl. Staying at the country house where the thief is suspected to be proves to be a fun holiday time for him via the hospitality of the hosts, oblivious as to why he's really there. 

I enjoyed reading it rather than watching it this time but also was impressed at how the show really stuck to the book's details. It's not creepy or scary in any way, light hearted but with a "murder" occurring halfway through that he has to solve. The ruby mystery is all linked as Christie always does well. The characters involve a lot of younger people who are vying to be cool and hip and jokesters. They can't get anything over on Poirot though. 

Descriptions of the Christmas festivities and food, especially the plum pudding really sets the tone for an authentic English Christmas and being American I was loving reading about the little presents in the pudding. A wonderful addition to read right before the big day. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!!


Thursday, December 25, 2025

Merry Christmas 2025

 




Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas to everyone today and thank you to anyone who has read or commented on my blog. It means so much to me especially the last two years with major family and health challenges. I am so grateful for this bookish community and just continue to love it more and more. 

Have a wonderful day with family and friends, always remembering why we celebrate..... for the child born this day who came to save the world.