Welcome to Litsy!

I love every visit I make to Three Pines and this book was no exception. This one had a bit of everything including reference to real things in history including the École Polytechnique massacre, the accused witch Anne Lamarque and The Paston Treasure painting. It also went back to a couple of earlier cases, one of which was when Armand met Jean-Guy. The story was dark and complicated but very good. 4.5/5 stars.

4 ⭐️ I will forever love this series. Louise Penny is exceptionally talented in how she weaves together art, history, poetry, and murder mysteries. Highly recommend! #LitsyLoveReads

#12booksof2023 February selection

#12booksof2023 @andrew65

1. Fresh cut trees (especially evergreen and cedar)
2. ☕️ ☕️ Coffee
3. "Clean house"

Wanna play @TheLudicReader , @DinoMom , @LiseWorks

Saturday vibes.

This book takes us back to the Gamache and Beauvoir “origin story”: the first case they worked on together, in which a woman was murdered, and her two children deeply damaged. The children are now adults and in Three Pines, and their presence is unsettling for Gamache in particular. Later on, another ghost from the past is unleashed into the village. I liked this better than The Madness of Crowds.

1. Tagged

2. The Count of Monte Cristo has been on my "currently reading" Goodreads shelf for a few years. I really do need to finish, as I was enjoying it!

3. My 21yo & 18yo daughters. ♥ ♥

@Eggs

I love Louise Penny, but I don‘t love covers where the author‘s name is bigger than the title of the book. #sundayfunday

After going quickly through the series in 2021, I took a long break while waiting for it to be easier to get her latest from the library, reading all of Michael Connelly's Bosch series and dabbling in a lot of others, and I didn't realize how much I missed Three Pines and Penny's writing. The mystery piece of this one felt a little unsatisfying, but the rich emotional/internal lives of the characters hit the spot for me.

Wow! Another page turner! A monster from Gamache‘s past (or should I say monsters) came back. Interestingly, Penny uses a painting as one of the main clues. But, this story also fleshes out the history and personality of some of the characters and reflects on forgiveness and the struggle with forgiveness.

Finished the latest installment on the treadmill this morning. As some have said, it is darker than earlier installments. But I love my Three Pines friends and will visit them whenever I can. 🙂

#20in4 #Readathon #Friday24thMonday27thMarch
#BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2023

A young man and woman have reappeared in the Surete de Quebec investigators‘ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they‘ve arrived in the village of Three Pines. It is the case where Gamache and Beauvoir met and introduces Fiona and Sam Arsenault who were 13 and 10 yrs. old.

This is a pick because once you get hooked into the characters and setting of the series, well, you‘ll forgive a lot. 😉 The plots seem to get more & more implausible, but are still entertaining.

I want more Ruth! 🦆

1. I don‘t think I‘ll finish anything else this month, so I‘m calling it at the tagged book.
2. Reading: More countries for #ReadingTheAmericas
Life: One last outing with my friend before she moves across the country
#two4tuesday

Oh my, this Three Pines installment has a very dark element. Perhaps the darkest yet? 😱😳😧 Made my gut sink when I heard it. (Just started it yesterday, I‘m not too far in, but far enough!)

Entertaining is not my strong suit and because I‘m lazy today I‘m choosing a comfort food potluck with all of my favorite Three Pines characters from the tagged series. I can look forward to lively and weird conversation with a few f*cks thrown in from Ruth‘s duck. That and a glass of wine would make a perfect evening.

@RaeLovesToRead #ihavequestions

I caved! Despite the pile of books on my plate right now (sorry for the mixed metaphor), I grabbed this yesterday as soon as it came out of hold status. I‘m about halfway through it, and I‘m anxious to find out what happens!

Nice way to start a #readathon

#OUABC 2023 Challenge: Prompt: 7. A Book borrowed from the library

Five years ago I read the first book in the Detective Gamache series. At the time, I really didn‘t enjoy it. So, I never read anymore from the series. I picked up this one (No. 18) because the cover intrigued me. Guess what? I really am a Louise Penny fan. Never abandon a book or a series completely. Maybe, just maybe, if you go back later, you‘ll find out you really do like it.

Yes. I know the plot strains credibility and you really need to suspend disbelief. A LOT of disbelief. But every time I open a new Louise Penny novel I just fall headlong into the pages and I can‘t look up until it‘s over. There‘s something so familiar and comforting about these characters and this village. Even when there‘s a serial killer on the loose. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I feel like each book is better than the last (mostly) with Louise Penny. Although the actual storyline was somewhat farfetched, I was totally engrossed. I thoroughly enjoy my yearly visit with the characters of Three Pines.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

With the exception of A World of Curiosities, all are buddy reads with specific chapters each week. #lousePenny #literarycrew #Pemberlittens #goldenagecrimeclub #adventuresinphilosophy #deadphilosopherssociety #RebeccaGoldstein #bookclub

#bookreport
Finished:
The Godmothers- I just could not put it down! #sundaybuddyread
Shot of Murder - A so-so for me #serieslove2023
Still reading:
Middlemarch #chapteraday #Pemberlittens
The Murder at the Vicarage - Enjoying Miss Marple as she annoys everone #goldenagecrimeclub
Plate at the Googleplex - Prologue poses fascinating questions #platoatthegoogleplex #deadphilosopherssociety #adventuesinphilosophy
A World of Curiosities #audio

I think this might be my favourite

The plot seemed far-fetched, but in the end, that didn't matter. I found myself totally immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading. This was an excellent installment in the Inspector Gamache series, with a mix of new characters and familiar Three Pines friends.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

Day 12: #12BooksOf2022

One of the best Armand Gamache yet! I would love to reread all of them but this time in order

@Andrew65

#12booksof2023

This is my favorite series so no surprise this was my favorite book of December.

Thank you @Andrew65 for hosting this fun trip down memory lane!

#WinterReadathonDailyChallenge

My Christmas/winter favorite was The Christmas Shoes, while the non seasonal was the latest Armand Gamache mystery.

@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

Louise Penny never disappoints.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Booked2023 - set in 2+ time periods

Yesssssssssssssss. I adore skip the line surprises!

Could not narrow it down as I read around 185 with over 100 4 ⭐ and 5 ⭐ reads...

Having read every single Armand Gamache novel, I can say unequivocally that is the best one yet. Three Pines features centrally in this latest terrifying installment. All of our favorite characters are front and center. This book calls into play the very first interaction between Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Not saying any more. If you haven‘t read this series, start now (reading in order for full effect). You won‘t regret it. 5⭐️

I‘ve been audiobook puzzling on this federal non holiday.

This was a dark and twisty one! Great to be back in Three Pines, though there‘s always something going on.

I LOVE a good mystery series especially during a slump. Being with familiar characters in familiar settings with a little murder is comforting. These are 4 of the series I would like to get caught up on. I will read the tagged book after giving it my dad for Christmas and the new Winspear out in March. And I look forward to all the recs that this will bring.

Shout out to bookseriesinorder.com for providing all the lists!

Been Christmas shopping all morning. My lunch time reward 😁
Only a couple more shops, then home!
Loving being back at Three Pines.

An excellent instalment in the Gamache series. How was I to know when I started reading Penny would be featuring the Montreal Massacre, and I would be reading it on its anniversary and in tandem with me reading Because They Were Women”. This was an excellent mystery!

I always love revisiting Three Pines and this time it was a nail biter of a visit. I loved the layered pieces to this story and how each character played their roles to a tee. I can‘t wait to revisit again.
The new series on Amazon Prime is great too!!

Inhaled this one today, on audio while working on Xmas presents. Brilliant, as always.
If there's any fictional place I'd want to live, it's Three Pines 🌲 🌲 🌲

I‘ve been reading this slowly trying to make the time to the next one as short as possible. I finally gave in and finished tonight though. What a ride. This installment was more dark and twisted than usual and I‘m here for it.

Thanksgiving has become the season of “when does Gamache get here”! Finished the audiobook in a few days. Great story, great narrator, and the hometown we all wish we had. Btw, the new tv series is okay too. But just okay.

What a ride! A dark start that was hard to read, but led to one of the best mysteries yet. I couldn‘t put it down. A hidden room, a complicated painting, and a threat like Three Pines has never faced. All your favorite characters are there, but this one really focuses on Gamache and Beauvoir and gives more detail on their first case together. Truly one of the best of the series, but be aware of the dark material at the beginning.

#weeklyforecast
At various stages with each book:

Northern Light, my classroom read.
A World of Curiosities- #audible
The Twelve Clues of Christmas- p.29 #winterreadathon
Always in December- last section #sundaybuddyread #winterreadathon
Christmas in New England-#kindle #winterreadathon
Shadow and Light- week 2

I thought I was going to have to wait a long time for my turn to come up at the library, but I got lucky when placed my Libby hold right when the book was added. This was another great one if you like the Three Pines series. The crimes in this one are pretty dark — Louise Penny does not write cozy mysteries. This one was complicated but I felt like it all tied together in the end.

#firstlinefridays

@ShyBookOwl

❄️ Cool, rainy days.
❄️ All I want for Christmas is a little bit of a certain age to get a new one. (Umm, okay, phone. Whatever you say.)
❄️ Tagged (not officially on my Christmas wish list, but I do wish for it).

@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

Home alone for a rare hour. Goodbye to-do list. Hello hot chocolate and a book.