We can hardly believe that we're already onto week four of our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery!

The final prompt for this challenge is: Disguised Identity

Be it detectives going undercover or criminals hiding their schemes, there is no denying that disguised identities add a lot of excitement to a mystery!

 

“On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual, and even the fantastic.”   

 

- Arthur Conan Doyle

 

 "The Man In The Brown Suit" is one of Agatha Christie's fast-paced thrillers, and makes for an exciting read. It's chock full of disguised identities and adventure - perfect for this week's prompt!

I thought I'd take you along with me today, and show you the process behind this piece I finished last month titled "An Autumn Sound". 

 

Inspired by the first stanza of the poem "The Autumn" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I wanted to capture some of the little sounds associated with this cozy season in this piece. So, I tucked a bubbling waterfall, crisp colorful leaves, and a downy owl into this painting!

 

We're currently giving this mini art print away with all orders placed in our Etsy shop during the Autumn months. It's such a sweet reminder of autumn's treasures. 🍁 

 

 

  THE AUTUMN by 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning 

 

Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them --
The summer flowers depart --
Sit still -- as all transform'd to stone,
Except your musing heart.

How there you sat in summer-time,
May yet be in your mind;
And how you heard the green woods sing
Beneath the freshening wind.
Though the same wind now blows around,
You would its blast recall;
For every breath that stirs the trees,
Doth cause a leaf to fall.

Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth
That flesh and dust impart:
We cannot bear its visitings,
When change is on the heart.
Gay words and jests may make us smile,
When Sorrow is asleep;
But other things must make us smile,
When Sorrow bids us weep!

The dearest hands that clasp our hands, --
Their presence may be o'er;
The dearest voice that meets our ear,
That tone may come no more!
Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,
Which once refresh'd our mind,
Shall come -- as, on those sighing woods,
The chilling autumn wind.

Hear not the wind -- view not the woods;
Look out o'er vale and hill-
In spring, the sky encircled them --
The sky is round them still.
Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold --
Come change -- and human fate!
Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,
Can ne'er be desolate. 

 

 

 

 We can't believe it's already week three of our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery!

This week's prompt is: Secret Passages

There is something so exciting and intriguing about secret passages and hidden doors.
You never know what may lie at the end of the tunnel!

"Violet Strange, a clever detective, is called upon to solve the mystery of a page gone missing from an important document. The futures of several people, including an eccentric misanthrope, a chemical scientist, and a bride and groom, depend on the quick resolution of this problem. In solving one mystery, she uncovers another which dates back many years."

 - Summary by Bev J. Stevens on Librivox

"Missing: Page Thirteen" is such a thrilling mystery and an eerie secret passage definitely plays a key part!

 

You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE

 

And lastly we couldn't write a post about secret passages without including Nancy Drew:

 

 The Hidden Staircase
 

 

Twin Elms, an elegant colonial house, is thought to be haunted with:
the disappearance of items, music playing with no explanation, a chandelier moving by itself, and a mask being held up in the windows. 

 

Have you ever read any of these titles?

Do you have a favorite mystery featuring secret passages? 

We always love discovering hidden treasures! 📚

 

The second week of our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery has begun!

This week's prompt is: A Mystery Abroad

Nothing like a little adventurous traveling to bring out crime!
Today we're sharing a few of our favorite mysteries that fall in this category.

The First Mystery we picked is:

 A Caribbean Mystery

This book is available as a kindle and paperback HERE

They Came To Baghdad
 

This book is one of Agatha Christie's thriller/adventure mysteries. It has no main detective and follows Victoria Jones, a spunky heroine who has a dreadful habit of fabricating stories. She falls head over heels in love for a charming young man and decides to follow him to Baghdad, only to get herself embroiled in murder, kidnapping and possibly government espionage.

This book is a fun and entertaining read!

It is available as a kindle and paperback HERE

The Happy Hollisters series is an old, family favorite. These books always bring back nostalgic memories of our mother reading them aloud to us. The books follow the five Hollister siblings and their parents as they solve mysteries together as a family. They often travel far and wide throughout the series, finding adventure and stumbling into mysteries wherever they go .

.

 

 

We're welcoming in the first full week of October with our bookstagram challenge #ANovelMonthofMystery!

This week's prompt is: Stolen Jewels

 

There are so many great stories that fall under this category, so we thought it would be fun to share a few different titles for all ages featuring the theft of precious gems!

 

The first book that we picked out for today is:

The Moonstone

Written by Wilkie Collins and published in 1868, this classic novel established many of the standards for the modern detective genre.

The story begins by relating the origins of the Moonstone, a highly valuable Indian diamond.  Through nefarious means, the stone ends up in the possession of Colonel Herncastle. 

In his will he bequeaths the diamond to his niece on her eighteenth birthday, along with all of the danger that surrounds the jewel!

 On the night of her eighteenth birthday, the stone disappears without a trace, leaving behind a web of unhappiness and misunderstandings.

 This book reads very much like the Victorian literature of the time - full of drama and suspense! It is an epistolary novel, and is told by many characters. One of our favorite narrators is the house-steward, Gabriel Betteredge. He begins the tale, and his deep passion for Robinson Crusoe has always made us want to read that book. When our leaning stack of mysteries stops threatening to consume us, we might get around to it one day!

You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE

The Window at The White Cat

The last book in our lineup is perfect for young and old mystery fans alike!

Piggins and The Royal Wedding

 In Piggins and the Royal Wedding, the bride's wedding ring disappears moments before the ceremony is to begin! But never fear, all is resolved when Piggins, the Reynard's clever butler, is called upon to investigate the crime.

Written by Jane Yolen, all of the Piggins picture books feature simple mysteries with clever twists. 

Also, the illustrations by Jane Dyer are simply magic! Filled with numerous details, each page is like taking a charming visit to St. Mary Mead. One of our favorite parts about these illustrations are all the clues tucked on each page along the way. 

Every time we finish a story, we always have to go back and look at all the pictures again to find each of the clues - it never ceases to amaze!

 

 

"Properly considered, there is no such thing as an insoluble mystery." ⁠
⁠
~P.G. Wodehouse, Summer Lightening⁠

October has arrived and with its arrival our stack of mysteries "To-Be-Read" has almost doubled in size. So, we thought, what better way to celebrate this cozy, autumn month than by hosting our #ANovelMonthofMystery bookstagram challenge again this year over on our Instagram page!

There will be four prompts (one for every week). Each prompt is inspired by some of our favorite mystery elements. And the best part is that everyone that participates will be entered into weekly, mystery giveaways!⁠ You can find all the details on how to play along in this Instagram post.
⁠
There will be a total of four weekly giveaways AND there will be a Grand Prize giveaway that's drawn at the end of October which will be . . .

 

 ⁠⁠Anyone will be able to enter to win the book bag on THIS POST in our Instagram feed. You don’t have to participate in our book challenge to enter, however, every IG post that uses our challenge's hashtag will count as an additional entry for the grand prize!⁠

To add to the festivities, we are going to write a blog post each week to go with the different themes! We will be sharing some of our favorite mystery reads throughout the month and some fun illustrations as well. 

We can't wait for #ANovelMonthofMystery to begin!