Welcome to Litsy!

I feel like I‘m in the minority, because I thought this was only meh. The writing felt a little self-published to me, like it could be cleaned up. There would be scenes between characters, then someone would talk and I was like “that person been there the whole time? Where‘d they come from??” There were jumps in time and action that were very abrupt. But I did laugh a few times, and I appreciated the French jokes. And I did not guess the end!

After a LONG week, this is all I wanted to do with my Friday night🍷📚❤️

I was very pleasantly surprised by this first of the series. Loved it and can‘t wait to read more. Bonus that this a (until recently unknown to me) 🇨🇦 author.

My first Louise Penny. I didn't realize it was the first of all her books. It was engaging, easy to read. The characters were quirky and well described. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Then I discovered Three Pines on Amazon Prime! They did a great job with characters.

My first Louise Penny. I‘m looking forward to getting to know the characters better.. lovely writing.

I‘ve had this book on my TBR for way too long. I‘ve been watching the show Three Pines on Amazon Prime, which is based off of the Inspector Gamache series and it really made me want to go ahead and dive into the books. I really enjoyed Still Life! I definitely plan on reading the rest of the series because I really enjoy the characters.

June #12booksof2022 I finally started the Inspector Gamache series ❤️❤️ I went on to read 4 more this year and now I face the horrible choice of pacing myself so the world of Three Pines can last forever

Since I already own the first 8 of this series on my kindle it's time to get reading! @Andrew65 #serieslove2023

There‘s been a lot of talk on Litsy lately about Three Pines. So I decided to start the first book in earnest. So far it‘s a pleasure to read 👍🏻♥️

I really enjoyed this screen adaptation. I‘ll be looking for more episodes - there is certainly a lot of material for inspiration!

I couldn't relate to characters and I was really confused how detectives acted toward each others but also toward other people. There were scenes were they were rude, rolled their eyes etc. That was strange.

I loved this little village and it was cozy & atmospheric. But this being a mystery I thought I would get an intriguing plot and this wasn't that thrilling nor interesting as a mystery.

Thanks for recommendation @Andrew65 !

#SeriesRead2022

The new amazon prime adaptation of Louise Penny‘s Inspector Gamache series is delightful! I love the casting choices and it is so well done 🥰 Can‘t wait for the next episodes!

For Louise Penny Fans, Three Pines is out on Amazon Prime and it is AH👏🏻MAZ👏🏻ING! I just finished book #17 last week so it was so fun to see the characters come to life. Highly recommend!

#ThreePines #StillLife #LouisePenny

What???? 😲 I‘m not going to get my hopes up too high.🤞🏾

A local artist is found dead on a hunting trail in small town Three Pines, Quebec. The investigation as a possible hunting accident goes in an unexpected direction for Inspector Gamache.

Full disclosure, I bailed on a later book in this series. While Penny‘s scene setting is great, her style was overly tell instead of show for characters. The mystery kept me guessing, but felt convoluted & thrown together. & I didn‘t connect to anyone. 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Still Monday for me! 😎

📘People of the Book
🖊️Louise Penny*
🎥Pan‘s Labyrinth
🎤Pink Martini
🎶Planet Claire (B-52s)
#manicmonday #letterP

*I‘m embarking on a reread of the series, and I see the beginnings of some of her writing quirks that annoy me, but I adore Gamache and Three Pines enough to overlook the quirks. She‘s also a wonderful speaker at book events as well as very passionate about reading, journalism, and the mystery genre.

Guess who‘s at an InstaCare?!? 🙃🙃

ETA: Good news! The hand is not broken, just very, VERY bruised! 😂

Can you tell Basil was ready for dinner? 😸

Soft pick for this month‘s #diversecozy. I enjoyed learning more about the French/English tension in Quebec, something I didn‘t know much about as an American. I also felt like this book had more heart than other mysteries- everyone had very real emotions and I think that made the death feel more real to the reader. ⬇️

That COVID booster though 😵‍💫. Got my loyal Dr. Pup keeping an eye on me while I make some headway on this month‘s #diversecozy 🥰
#dogsoflitsy

Finished my reread. I originally read it in 2005 when it was first published. Such fun to become reacquainted with its characters, community, setting. I forgot enough to not remember whodunit until the very end. Plan to reread series over time.

🍁 pumpkin spice latte
🍁 raking a huge pile of leaves & jumping in.
🍁tagged book- thinking I may reread it; I read it when it first came out in 2005!
#wondrouswednesday
Any and all Littens invited to play 🍁

1. Cider
2. Leaf peeping
3. Tagged
#wondrouswednesday

I've been hearing about this series and this author for awhile now. I don't read many mysteries, so I was hesitant, but this was was as much a study of a community and its residents as it was mystery. The author made the setting come alive, and there were lots of interesting characters. I can see why people get hooked. I will definitely read more of this series.

I enjoyed this book - real page turner. What sets it apart is the lovely Inspector Gamache - an intelligent observant man. The author‘s ongoing unnecessary fat-shaming is irritating - didn‘t take away from the story but then why include it?

I started a re-read/listen of this series this week. I enjoyed this first book in the series when we don‘t know who‘s a murderer and who‘s comic relief.

As someone who doesn‘t naturally gravitate toward mysteries, I‘m happy to say this book was thoroughly entertaining. I loved the setting a lot, the cast of characters are interesting, and the mystery definitely kept me guessing until the end. My only little issue with it was that I couldn‘t make the ending make sense in a realistic way (still don‘t see the motive), but that didn‘t take away from my enjoyment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Loved this intro to Three Pines and Armand Gamache! The writing was right up my alley and it was surprisingly much deeper and wider than just a murder mystery. The Quebecois world and characters drew me in and the subtle humor, interesting (oddball?) characters, and outright zingers were well placed to lighten the darkness. I now ‘get‘ why people literally search for Three Pines!
I have already started book 2…
#gamache #threepines

I read this book in pieces over a long period of time, which I think impacted my enjoyment. The mystery felt like it unfolded so slowly, but also I know I was just reading the book slowly. I‘m still making this a pick, but I didn‘t love it. Should I give Louise Penny another try on a different book? (This paperback was a Goodwill find!)

A day late…
☕️would love to meet Louise Penny

☕️I recommend her whole series. Start with tagged book & read them in order.

☕️I am grateful for coffee & this morning‘s gorgeous sunrise

My first trip to Three Pines, but it won't be my last. Delightful (and delightfully awful) characters, a beautiful setting, and an intriguing mystery with just the right amount of suspects and red herrings to keep you guessing and make you wonder without feeling like the author was just trying to trick you.

I know I'm late to the party. Louise Penny was just one of those blind spots, an author I should have read but just never got around to.

Finished on my prep this morning. I am a fan for life. I‘ve got library books to read now, it might kill me not to start the next in this series

Boys are at school, baby girl is happy on the trampoline, I've got my tea, let's unmask the killer!!!

I‘m in big trouble with this series. I don‘t want to do anything but read. I was immediately drawn into the story and I know that each book going forward will feel like home when I start them BUT there are some characters in this that are drawn so expertly and I just HATE them so much I just can‘t believe it 🤯 this is going to be the summer of Louise Penny unless someone physically puts themselves in front of the books

"He knew it was there, that opiate of the Anglos. And his hand clutched the box just as the kettle whistled. Violent death demanded Earl Grey."

Finally starting the Armand Gamache detective series

23/22 It took me less than 24 hours to finish this 11 hour audio book 😳 I listened every second I got and just loved it. One of those rare mysteries where I was not too bothered about what had actually happened because I just wanted to stay with the characters in there lovely little town. I have dived straight into the next book but really must stop listening now and get some sleep!! Read for #booked2022 #setinacanadianprovince 4⭐️

Having a coffee pit stop on my morning walk. Listening to this book which I‘ve wanted to read for a long time and totally understanding all the love for it so far!

Really enjoyed the book that introduced the world to Inspector Gamache. The descriptions of the town, the conversations between the characters and their inner dialogue was wonderful. It was not over the top, the characters were interesting and I look forward to reading what they get up to next in book 2.

I didn‘t love this but I didn‘t hate it either. For a mystery, it seemed a little slow-paced and not very suspenseful. I did like the MC, though!

#bookspinbingo - my #bookspin for this month!
#booked2022 - set in a Canadian province

So glad I found this author!

I can now say I spent time in Three Pines. I can‘t say that I finished the work that begun with this photo. I‘d recommend the book but not the plumbing problems.

I chose this one because a lot of time is spent in the cafe\bistro.
#SavvySettings #cafe
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This started slow for me and I almost put it down. I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up really liking the story. #Booked2022 #SetInACanadianProvince @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

This is one I purposely read for the #PopSugar22 challenge- a book that's going to become a series this year. Plus, I've never read Louise Penny before and as someone who sells books, I feel like that was a gross oversight especially since I love a mystery. I quite enjoyed this book- it felt like a gritty cozy because of the small town setting. I can't wait to see the painting brought to the screen!
#Readin22 #Pantone22

Low pick. I enjoyed my time with this one, but not sure I‘d call it a new favorite. But I‘ll probably continue on with the series just so long as Agent Nichol isn‘t in them because she was awful and I hated reading the scenes she was involved in. Gamache is charming and while I guessed the killer early on, I had the wrong reason. Overall not a bad mystery with engaging characters. #NewYearWhoDis @monalyisha @lou.reads.a.lot

I chose this book because I‘d seen some good reviews and wanted to find a new ‘detective‘ series. I didn‘t really enjoy this one. I found the writing clunky and I wasn‘t drawn into the mystery. I‘ll have to keep hunting 😊

Grounded in relationships, emotions, and inner-life, this murder mystery is about what gives life meaning. The victim‘s death was one moment in a surging stream of many beautiful others, and that is recalled lovingly through the grief of her artistic community of chosen family. Every character, whose minds we skip to rapidly through the novel, is challenged to grow and learn. Some choose not to, and theirs are the “still” lives.

1. Decoding Despacito, Winter Counts, The Angel‘s Game
2. Pumpkin pie
3. Going with another Louise Penny for this (tagged)
#weekendreads

Thanks for the tag!

1. Walk in a Relaxed Manner by Joyce Rupp
2. Apple Crumble
3. Still Life by Louise Penny

#WeekendReads @rachelsbrittain

#thoughtfulthursday

📚such a narrator can be confusing, but once I know I can have a better handle on things. Don‘t really enjoy such a narrator.
📚bookmarks, bookish apps on my phone
📚 a Louise Penny fan since Still Life was published & I discovered it in a bookstore. Wait every year for her next installment.