Welcome to Litsy!

A soft pick. The plot is a little strained and there was too much mysticism for my taste.

On Christmas Eve, six passengers on a train which has been stalled due to the snow decide to walk to the next train station but find themselves instead taking shelter in a manor house where the fires are lit, the tea is laid but no one is home…murder and mystery ensue…

Read for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge

These were my #192025 reads for December. It's getting more challenging to fill in the slots, as I'm trying to not duplicate authors. I've filled in 36 of 106 slots now1
@Librarybelle

A low pick for me. This cozy Golden Age mystery features a group of strangers trapped together in a snowed-in country house over the Christmas holidays. The plot seems a bit far-fetched but it was a fun read for the season.

#WinterReadathon @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz
Thanks for the tag @Yuki_Onna πŸ’•πŸ’•

1. Tagged! Love it when a mishmash of characters get snowed in together πŸ˜„

2. I can't think of any extreme weather books that I'd be specifically wanting to add. I'm about to start the 3rd Liveships book and I'm sure there'll be some stormy seas there!

3. Autumnal weather πŸπŸ‚

Low pick. This was entertaining. Reminds me of a Poirot novel where he has all the answers and reveals them right at the end. If you‘re looking for a classic British mystery vibe I would give this a shot. Snowbound train/quickly abandoned house and our cast of characters have to figure out the mystery whether they want to or not. #wintergames #mistletoemaniacs

J Jefferson Farjeon wrote more than sixty crime and thriller novels. This is one of his best-known stories and it's very atmospheric.

#murdermystery #detective #mystery #Christmas

With their train stuck in the snow indefinitely, an intrepid foursome decides to strike off into the blizzard. They intend to try to get *somewhere* (the next day is Christmas, after all!) and to follow the odd man who suddenly dashed off the trapped train.

Struggling through the white, they find an abandoned house, inexplicably set for tea, with cozy fireplaces ablaze.

What proceeds is nothing like the country house murder mystery I expected!

Christmas Eve Bliss

#WinterGames #12ColoursOfChristmas #Silver #MerryReaders *late post*

My new mug matches my current read. 😊

Starting last year, I decided to buy a Christmas themed book every December, read it, and inscribe it with the year as a little Christmas tradition. This was 2020‘s book.

This was absolutely delightful. Everything I could wish forβ€”a desolate stranded train, mounds of snow, a (haunted?) English manor, and a bunch of snarky British humor. I couldn‘t ask for more.

This is a classic closed door mystery, where everyone is trapped by a snowstorm. The plot was engaging- it‘s a setup I love. But I found myself confusing a few characters, and I was annoyed at how much time people spent outside in snow blind conditions - I‘m pretty sure most of the characters would actually have frozen to death.
#readyourway #crushtherush #bookspinbingo #wintergames2020 #readnosedreindeer

I‘ve got a 2 hour layover and a one hour flight left on this travel day. Can I finish this book before I get home to give it to my dad? πŸ™ƒ

Nothing says Christmas like murder! This 1937 British classic sees a group not on a train with murder amongst themβ€”they leave their snowbound train & stumble upon a cozy country house with fires burning & tea in the dining room, but no one at home. Commence the murdering and solving.
I loved the period feel & conversations, and was delighted by the sly humor, spooky elements, & pleasantly odd characters. A delight in the christmas murder genre.

I finished my first Christmas themed book today - Mystery in White. It is a typical British Crime Classic with murders taking place at an English country home. This time a group of travelers leave their train that is stuck in the snow to try and find shelter and they come upon a deserted house that has all the fires lit and tea about to be served. Now they need to figure out where the residents went and who is the dead body in the snow.

Love some of the golden age crime mysteries and these British Library Crime Classics are such lovely editions.
This book tells the story of an eclectic group of people stuck on a train stranded by a #snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Not wanting to be marooned all night, they decide to walk to the next station but take refuge in a house with a murderer among them.
#NamasteNovember

A fun Christmas cozy mystery. I don‘t typically go for a cozy mystery, but for a relaxing Christmas wind down, this totally hit the spot.

The beginning of a collection 😊 #britishliterarycrimeclassics

My gifts from #SantaThing. My Santa picked perfect books. I think I'll start with Mystery in White.

Happy Boxing Day! Gratuitous Penguin pic! 🐧 This wee beastie is the reason I'm not reading as speedily as I once did. 😏 Here is the look I get when I stop the tummy tickles...lol. When he permits, I'm reading a Christmas mystery from 1937. I recommend it for fans of the Queen herself, Agatha Christie. #recommendsday πŸ“š

Strangers on a snowbound train find themselves taking shelter in an inviting house on Xmas Eve. I admit that it's a plot that I can't resist. I went in with moderate expectations but found myself absolutely enjoying it. The "whodunnit" itself is not the most breathtaking, but I was left guessing till the end. The book is at its best with its eccentric characters & witty dialogue. The crisp, dry humour was a plus. Would love to read more by him!

I can‘t wait to dig into these six British Library crime classics. Such a good deal on Amazon. πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ€©πŸ€—

Stranded train due to snow on Christmas Eve. A bunch of passengers took shelter in an eerie snowed-in country house. The story has a mix of interesting characters, strange occurrences, intriguing mystery puzzles and murders. Reminiscent of Christie‘s The Mousetrap, it‘s an enjoyable cosy mystery with a good dose of dry humour. Has a promising premise and started off very well, but the ending somehow fall short. Nevertheless a good holiday read.

Just finished this excellent little Christmas crime tale. It was joy to read!

And Bk177 Of 2017 was this clever little mystery from the golden age of crime. Published in 1932 I believe, it stands up well alongside Dame Agatha & co. Six strangers find themselves stranded on a snowbound train in England on Xmas eve. Walking to find a phone, they get lost and end up in a house with fires burning, food on the table, but no one there. Then a hammer is found and strange noises in a locked room convince them they‘re not alone.

And for my Xmas Eve read I‘ve chosen Mystery In White by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon, a classic β€œgolden age” whodunnit with all the right ingredients for a Xmas eve story. Set on Xmas eve, it‘s filled with lots of snow, a snowbound train and a large group of strangers.With similarities to my previous read it‘s also different, these strangers leave the train for an abandoned house that has fires burning & tea on the table. Then the murders beginβ„οΈπŸš‚πŸ”ͺ

This was a great Christmas mystery! I love reading holiday related books in December and this was a good one!πŸŽ„πŸŽ„

I joined this #xmasmystery read and am happy I did! What I most enjoyed about this mystery was its dry humor...very well done and kept me smiling and/or chuckling throughout. As far as the mystery was concerned, it kept me guessing until the very end. It could get a bit convoluted at times with all the comings and goings at Valley House, but overall I really liked it! 4/5⭐️
@Tamra @ForeverNerdy @rubyslippersreads @swatreads @aschermetz

Fun seasonal romp! Has all of the good writing & wit you‘d expect from a Brit classic mystery. I really couldn‘t guess the outcome. πŸ‘πŸΎ #xmasmystery

I couldn't resist any longer & finished reading this beauty! I'm so glad I read it as a buddy read with @Tamra @aschermetz @robinb @rubyslippersreads @ForeverNerdy .It made reading this book even more fun! The mystery is so good. I loved the characters & had fun with the whodunit part. I just couldn't guess until the end. Plus the humour is great. I'm definitely going to pick more books from this author.πŸ’™ #xmasmystery
P.S: Picture from Pinterest.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of 5 days of absolute insanity on the work front...holiday party for 400 people, setting up for a training workshop Sunday night, training workshop + dinners Monday thru Wednesday...all that to say I‘m finally getting going on the #xmasmystery buddy read! Won‘t have much time for reading but hoping to use it as a way to relax amidst all the craziness! @Tamra @robinb @ForeverNerdy @swatreads @rubyslippersreads

Is that so?πŸ€”πŸ€”πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
#xmasmystery

Joining in on this #xmasmystery #buddyread! Have a feeling I‘m way behind. Sounds like a good old-fashioned murder mystery....with lots of snow. πŸ€£β„οΈβ„οΈβ„οΈ

@ForeverNerdy , @Tamra , @aschermetz , @rubyslippersreads , @swatreads

I love murder mysteries!! Mystery in White was tons of fun. This had multiple murders, a snowstorm, intrigue, a member of the Royal Psychical Society, the British countryside, a β€œbore”; the list goes on! If you like to pick up Christmas or winter themed stories this time of year, give this one a try. #bowie #catsoflitsy

I seem to have a much easier time finding books to read around Halloween than I do around Christmas/New Years. (That might have something to do with my personality...πŸŽƒ) This random find is quite enjoyable thus far! Great characters that I became invested in quickly. A couple different mysteries seem to be going on simultaneously and I‘m very intrigued!
If anyone has some favorite winter reads, please share!!

No, Robert Thomson was one of those quiet, modest, dependable fellows, who gradually impressed themselves on a companyβ€”on such a girl, say, as Lydia Carringtonβ€”through sterling qualities. Your David Carringtons searched upper floors looking for people they knew they would not find, but your Robert Thomsons went into the kitchen and made the needed cup of tea ... and picked up the bread-knife from the floor....
THIS GUY IS FUNNYπŸ˜‚
#xmasmystery

@ForeverNerdy You are talented; I envy crafty people like you! Thank you so much and I‘ll be thinking of you all holiday reading season! πŸ˜πŸ˜‡

St. Nick visited our house last night and look what (s)he brought me! πŸ˜‰ Excited to jump into the #xmasmystery buddy read with @Tamra @ForeverNerdy @rubyslippersreads and @swatreads πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„

Alas, I am in cookie baking hell (#holidaybakerproblems πŸ˜‚) so I feel really behind on Litsy! There‘s a bunch of great swap sign-ups happening that I need to catch up on!

Buddy reading this christmas mystery with @Tamra @aschermetz @ForeverNerdy @rubyslippersreads πŸ“šβ€
#xmasmystery #holidayreads #britishlibrarycrimeclassics

I know this novel is going to be sprinkled with humor when I read this......πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ #xmasmystery

Now it‘s time for some cozy Xmas murder! πŸŽ„β„οΈπŸ—‘ Seems a little incongruent. 😜 How is the hashtag #xmasmystery @ForeverNerdy @aschermetz @rubyslippersreads @swatreads ?

@batsy are you still planning on Meredith? If so I‘ll just tag you as I go.

Anyone else is welcome to join in. I‘m going to try not to rush thru these!

Want to say a big #thankyou to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for these wonderful goodies! 2 books on my wish list & I‘m a Peanuts fan, so YAY to the comic book. Thanks for the chocolate too, not in the pic, it‘s already half eaten πŸ˜‹πŸ«. I do like everything, thanks so much from the bottom of my heart. πŸ€—
@cobwebmoth this has been a fun book+tote swap, thanks for organising!
It‘s also the first day of #decdays , I look forward to play along, @Cinfhen

Anyone interested in a classic Xmas mystery buddy read in December???

Halloween may not be over yet, but I‘m already reading with an eye to my Christmas book recommendation blog post. This is from the storage boxes, which means I had it in mind for last Christmas and never got to it. Oops!

More book mail! Now I have an Xmas and Halloween read.

#Riotgrams #day3 #ThreeWordTitle This is a British Library Crime Classic that I received from @thegirlwiththelibrarybag in the #summersolstice swap. I'm saving it up for Xmas time coz I just don't have very many Xmassy books. On Xmas eve, a train is halted by snow in England in the 30s. Passengers take refuge in a nearby house, where there's a fire lit & tea on the table. But no ones home. Before the mystery is solved, people start dying.Xmas!πŸŽ…πŸ»

I really enjoyed this! A cozy mystery that takes place in the middle of a snowstorm with strangers thrown together by circumstance. A nice easy read with enjoyable characters.