A Stranger in Wonderland

Rebecca

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.

BOOK REVIEW 📚

It’s been a long time since a reading caused me as many emotions as Daphne Du Maurier’s gothic novel, Rebecca. In it we are confronted with something that has happened to all of us: fantasizing about something or someone letting ourselves be carried away by the opinion of others, in order to find out how wrong we were. Through a descriptive and, at times, philosophical narrative, the author immerses us in the story and in the paranoia in which the protagonist lives, whose name we never found out. The plot of “Rebecca” is simple but effective: a young woman falls in love with an older man, whom she marries, and goes to live on his property. However, it is at this point that she realizes that the presence of her husband’s late wife is everywhere, including in the minds of everyone around her. But was Rebecca like everyone imagined?

Rebecca woke up some sleeping demons in me and, despite having to deal with it emotionally, it was a very pleasant read. I loved all the tension and mystery surrounding Manderley and Rebecca, and the evolution of the protagonist.

I had already seen Hitchcock’s 1940 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s book and had been fascinated to read the book. Although with some changes, I think it’s an excellent movie. 🎬

Dracula

BOOK REVIEW 📚

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of the best-known works in the gothic horror genre, as well as fiction’s most famous vampire. I bought the book for its fame and out of curiosity. However, it was a book that stayed on my shelf for 9 years until I found the audiobook.
Dracula is a novel told through letters and diaries from the point of view of almost all the characters, except Count Dracula himself. This was something that confused me at first. The story begins in an innocent way until the moment when the Count’s nature is discovered, and from there… what a journey! 😲I understand that it was a success when it was published. Fantastic!😃

Note: Having Christopher Lee tell this horror story helped a lot to get into the spirit as well.🦇

The famous Sherlock Holmes and his study in scarlett

BOOK REVIEW 📚

Published in 1887, A Study in Scarlet was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s first crime novel,featuring the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It’s not the first book I’ve read by this author, but I don’t even know if it won’t be the last. I confess that I can’t seem to like Conan Doyle’s writing, although I must admit that it becomes more bearable in an audiobook. On Goodreads I only gave it 3 ⭐️ and that was me being nice.

The third girl

BOOK REVIEW 📚

Published in 1966, Third Girl is a book with a different standard than usual and starring two of my favorite A.Christie characters: Ariadne Oliver and Hercule Poirot. Furthermore, it’s one of the few novels by the author in which Poirot is present from beginning to end. The plot focuses on Norma Restarick’s confession when she seeks out Poirot and tells him that she has committed murder. However, before the detective can ask more questions, the young woman regrets it and runs away. The case thickens when Poirot fails to find the victim of such crime. I must confess that I don’t consider this to be one of Christie’s best works, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

A cozy mystery and a fireplace

BOOK REVIEW 📚

Midwinter Murder is a collection of short stories written by the queen of crime, Agatha Christie. I confess that I bought it because of the cover. Isn’t it beautiful? 😍 I loved every one of the stories presented. It is undoubtedly a perfect book to read curled up in a blanket by the fireplace or under the blankets on cold days. 🥶

Reunion

BOOK REVIEW 📚

REUNION is by @stephattyy and it turned out to be a delightful story. 😍 After moving away for a decade, Rhea returns to the city to gain her independence, which proves to be a challenge. Until she crosses paths with a familiar face, Shiro. However, this one no longer looks like her childhood friend. This was a story that grabbed me from the first chapter. The narrative is short and doesn’t beat around the bush. Although it is a spin-off of a larger story, (which is in the process of being written, according to the author), REUNION is very worthwhile! The characters are interesting and complex. And the ending is realistic, another point I liked. As for the art, it’s wonderful!

The girl from class and my initiation to manhwa

BOOK REVIEW 📚

The girl from class by Subong Park turned out to be a manhwa with comical, dramatic moments and deep meaning.

The story is about inrequited love, passion, friendship and betrayal.
I expected a soft story but it exceeded my expectations. The art is simples but beautiful and super understandable. 😊

A spooky Agatha Christie

BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Last Séance is a collection of sinister tales from the queen of crime, Agatha Christie. Therefore, an excellent choice for the witching season.👻 However, I thought I would appreciate it a lot more than I really did. Christie plays with superstitions and tricks the human mind often plays on us.

Of all the stories, the ones I liked the most were In a Glass Darkly and The Dressmaker’s Doll. The first is a tale of a dark premonition. A man witnesses the murder of a young girl reflected in a bedroom mirror.
The second talks about a soft, long-legged doll that is sitting on a sofa. Nobody knows how the doll appeared in the store. Everyone realises this when strange thinks start happening involving the doll.

I enjoyed seeing another facet of the author,but I prefer her detective novels to her short stories,for the simple fact that I always crave for more. 😅

The Dain Curse

BOOK REVIEW 📚

If there’s one thing I hate in a crime novel, it’s getting to the end of the story and not realizing who the culprit was. It makes me angry! 😡
The Dain Curse dates from 1929 and is one of Dashiell Hammett’s greatest hits. The case starts as a diamond heist and quickly escalates into a series of murders and events that make no sense at all. To be honest, there were many moments when I thought the author should have had a few extra glasses when he wrote the book. 😅 However, when the story comes to an end, Dashiell Hammett reveals the culprit, but not before confusing the reader a little more with confession after confession, to the point where my little grey cells have given up understanding anything. In short, The Dain Curse is an action-packed but extremely tangled story. It was definitely an experience for me.🙂

Brazen Virtue

BOOK REVIEW 📚

When I came across this book, there was something that caught my attention. A detective novel writer, a detective and a crime to solve? Count me in! 🤓😍
I will admit that, while not being a huge fan of Nora Roberts, I found myself unable to put down this book. The plot is quite interesting, with a mysterious killer and an insightful detective. I loved the main couple: Grace is an uncomplicated and light woman, and Ed is a serious and sweet man. The romance is low-key, but it was really the mystery that captivated me the most. The ending is a cliché, but that was to be expected. Still, it was a very refreshing read. 📖

Sir Philo Vance and The Benson Case

BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Benson Case was my debut with S.S. Van Dine and his amateur detective Philo Vance. To be honest, I wasn’t impressed. 😐

The story starts slowly and not very dynamically, not changing the pace much throughout the book. As for the characters, right in the first chapter I got a dislike for Philo Vance and the feeling remained until the end. The only thing that kept me from putting the book down was solving the crime. I was surprised to find that I had hit the culprit! 😆 However, maybe I’ll give the author a new opportunity, as this was his first book, which in a way makes all the philosophical moments through the dialogues that occur throughout the story understandable. I’m hoping the next one will be better. As for this one,…. it was a disappointment. 😒

Ellery Queen and Calamity town

BOOK REVIEW 📚

Calamity Town starts off as a promising story that, as the chapters progress, becomes a somewhat tiring American soap opera. The characters are well built but not captivating enough for me to become attached to them. As for the ending, this proved to be predictable. I only had to think of all the clues presented to get to the real culprit. 🕵🏻‍♀️ Even so, I will give another chance to the books by Ellery Queen (heteronym of cousins Frederic Danny and Manfred B. Lee).