Still Life – Louise Penny

My sister recommended I read this book. I loved it! It was wonderful to discover this new genre of “Cozy Mysteries.”

And what is a cozy mystery, you ask?

Well… Wikikpedia defines it as books where “the crimes and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.” Also violence and sexy times are downplayed. (Remember Murder, She Wrote?)

The story takes place in a rural village south of Montreal called Three Pines. I want to go there. It sadly doesn’t exist. I checked.

Heart = broken.

I’m not sure how to write a useful book review, so I will just tell you that reading this book made me feel happy, intrigued but not too nervous or unsettled. A very pleasant read. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!

Some of the character names are in French. After finishing the book, I watched the made-for-tv movie on Amazon. I realized I was so wrong. hahaha! Beauvoir is not pronounced Beu-boar. It’s Boo-Bwah. Jean Guy is not literally Jean Guy, it’s Shogh-Gee.

Ay, French. Why u so tricky?

While reading, I highlight sentences I like. Cool similes and metaphors, or observations that make me reflect. Here are some of my highlights for Louise Penny’s Still Life:

“Rummaging through the cupboard like a wartime surgeon frantically searching for the right bandage […]”

“This village was old and you don’t get to be old without knowing grief. And loss.”

“I have no talent for choosing my battles. Life seems, strangely, like a battle to me. The whole thing.”

“‘What was his name?’ She consulted the yellowing Rolodex in her head.”

“He spoke calmly, but firmly. Without hostility but with an expectation.”

“Gamache knew that while fear came in many forms, so did courage.”

Reading these again makes me want to start the next book naaaaooooo.

Thanks for reading this book review attempt.
Malu

PS: Go for the book first, not the movie. <- My recommendation. 🙂