The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie with Stephanie Cole (Narrator)

This was much better than the Murder at the Vicarage. I liked Miss Marple and Dolly teaming up to investigate. I like when Miss Marple is more involved in the investigation and working alongside the cops like she was here. I called one of the twists early on so I was pleased by that. It was also my first time listening to Cole as a narrator and she did a good job.

We watched the ITV Marple after we listened to this one. They changed a significant part of the ending. These ITV Marple TV episodes were well cast and well shot so it was really nice to watch. Best part of this one was Joanna Lumley as Dolly the Marple hype girl.

May 21-26, 2026.

Grand Hotel of Feelings by Lidia Brankovic

A lovely little children’s book about feelings and how they come and go like in a hotel. The book strongly reminded me of Acceptance & Committment Therapy (ACT) which is a modality I’ve studied with a therapist. It has helped me reframe feelings so this book worked for me. I do wish the art was slightly better. It was not bad but I wanted more visually.

May 27, 2026.

24 Hours in Ancient China: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Yijie Zhuang with Kathleen Li (Narrator)

I did not find this one as enjoyable as the others. Maybe it was the narrator’s dry style. I wish the stories had connected a bit better. I know I should not expect that from a nonfiction book but these are suppose to be accessible history books written by historians. Some of the chapters were better. I liked the Egypt and Rome ones more.

May 15-28, 2026.

Miffy au zoo by Dick Bruna

Miffy had a bit more personality in this one. I am starting to wonder if I will like Miffy at all. She’s a bit boring. She rode a tortoise in this one but that seemed to be more like animal abuse.

May 31, 2026.

Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Green Gables #4) L.M. Montgomery

After the last book Anne of the Island #3 and Anne of Avonlea #2 was only slightly better than that, I was uncertain how much I would enjoy the rest of the books in this series. Thankfully, I liked this better. I enjoyed the slice of life letters that Anne wrote to Gilbert about her life in Summerside. I liked all the side characters such as sweet little Elizabeth. While there was bullying and some slightly darker references in the book, it was lighthearted and Anne did not have any dithering angst like she did the last one. I still really like LMM’s writing as she really captured the friendships between women so cozily and well.

May 15-18, 2026.

The Big Four by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

This novel was a compilation of related short stories made into a novel. It was a way for Christie to make money during a tumultuous time in her life. Even though the stories were all related to the Big Four criminal organization, the novel lacked coherency and refinement. Hastings was knocked on unconscious and kidnapped at least three times. Some things did not really make a lot of sense and I found myself uninterested in most of the villains. The Chinese Fu Manchu stereotypes did not help. It was not as good as the other Christie novels and is probably my least favourite of the half dozen Poirot novels that I’ve read so far. I think we will take a break from Poriot and go to a Marple.

May 15-20, 2026.

Ascendance of a Bookworm: Fanbook 1 by Miya Kazuki with You Shiina (Illustrator), Suzuka (Illustrator), quof (Translator)

It has been awhile since I was back in the AoaB world. I have been reading a few mins in bed before going to sleep. I found this on the reader since it was so short. There is one short story, short manga drawings and concept art, and questions and answers from the author. I should catch up to the new series with Hannelore and the short story collections before coming back to these fan books.

May 22-24, 2026 on Kobo Libra 2.

Darling Buds of May: The Pop Larkin Chronicles (The Pop Larkin Chronicles #1-3) by H. E. Bates

This was a collection of the first three novellas from a lighthearted English series. The first book Darling Buds of May was a buddy read. In general, this was a fun easy read since it’s basically a country sitcom. There was some very nice bucolic writing about the English countryside and British food especially in the first novella. The Larkins are common law and their marriage is quite open which seemed progressive and ahead of its time. They seem to be good people overall. I did think it was a bit repetitive after the first novella and there we were some aspects of the books which did not age well. In the third novella When the Green Woods Laugh, Pop Larkin is accused of assaulting a woman and gets away with it in the court case by making the two female witnesses out to be liars. Overall, I would recommend the first novella if you’re interested in English midcentury comedy.

We watched all three series of the TV show and it was well cast. It was cozy, wholesome, and funny. It was filmed on location and captured the pastoral feeling of the books. Catherine Zeta Jones was ridiculously beautiful. I did find the episodes which were not based on the books contrived. It honestly made me appreciate the lighthearted adventures from the novellas more. I may even go back to finish reading the series.

May 1-11, 2026 started on Kobo Clara BW.

Cannon by Lee Lai

A well written graphic novel about two queer Anglophone Chinese Canadian women in Montreal. Lai was able to build characterization very quickly. I did relate to it as well including the anxiety and the family expectations. A good read for a weekday.

May 12, 2026.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie with Richard Armitage (Narrator)

Reread. I read the novel in 2015 and even before then, I had listened to an adapted BBC radio play. It was my husband’s first time with it. I have liked Richard Armitage since North & South and he did a good job here especially since he was able to do English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh accents through the book to differentiate the characters. I appreciated the clues and the many chilling aspects of the murderer while going through it again.

May 5-15, 2026.

Poirot Investigates: A Hercule Poirot Collection by Agatha Christie with David Suchet (Narrator)

We only listened to two or three of these stories since the rest had been covered in the other collections. My Storygraph will have a lot of bloated audio numbers but I think we are done with the short story anthologies for now.

May 3-6, 2026.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

I started this while waiting for a physio appointment. I was very gripped by it. What an excellent novel. I enjoyed the exploration of what it means to be human and learning about one’s self in a abusive relationship. Whenever I read a robot / android book, I think I should read more of them because I find them relatable and moving. This one was more gripping and dark. It was a metaphor for domestic abuse. I was frustrated in the last half, but the ending made up for it. My favourite scene in the book is when the two female robots run away together. That was fun. I need to read more robot books.

May 4-7, 2026 on Kobo Clara BW and Kobo Libra 2.

Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life by Alex Mayyasi, Hosts of NPR’s Planet Money with Alex Goldmark (Contributor), Alex Mayyasi (Narrator), Hosts of NPR’s Planet Money (Narrator)

I listened to this from Libby since I was early to put it on hold due to listening to being a long time listener of the podcast. I think it would have been more interesting to read it alongside the print book which I am still waiting from library. The content of the book was a compendium of many Planet Money episodes that I had listened to over ten years. I did not learn anything new. It would be more interesting for economic newbies.

May 4-10, 2026.

Joyride by Susan Orlean (Narrator)

I have been going through a lot of Orlean’s books the last few years. The Library Book was great and I liked a lot of the articles in On Animals. I really like her style of literary journalism. This was a long memoir around 14 hours and chronicled her writing and creative life. I found it fascinating. She became a writer out of college starting off at small newspapers and magazines and finding her way to her dream job at the New Yorker. I wonder how attainable that would be now since so much of nonfiction writing is now online. I found value in listening to her discuss her writing process and lessons particularly the idea of “Report. Think. Write.” First reporting and researching, then reflecting on it before even starting to write. Writing itself is usually not the issue as much as the first two steps. I hope she continues to write more essays and interesting articles which I can keep reading and listening to for many more years.

April 19-May 1, 2026.

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

The second Poirot novel. I liked this one more than The Mysterious Affair at Styles. It was set in France which set it apart from most of the other Christie stories. Poirot had a French rival named Monsieur Giraud who was competent enough but not to Poirot’s level. The rivalry made Poirot annoyed and added another dimension to the case. Hastings acted like a lovesick fool. At least his love interest was interesting. Onwards to the next Poriot.

April 27-May 2, 2026.