What makes this book especially satisfying is its sensory richness. The attention to detail is so precise you can practically smell the bread cooling on the racks, the sharpness of cheese, the damp stone after rain. It is comfort reading with substance: sunshine and laughter paired with the everyday complications life throws at us, and the quiet resilience required to meet them.
This is not a book about capital-H heroes. Instead, it centers on people who engage in small acts of service, kindness, and yes, heroism—not for recognition or glory, but because it was the right thing to do in the moment. These are stories of people showing up when it would have been easier not to.
The Locked Room is clever, cozy without being complacent, and deeply satisfying for puzzle-lovers. If you adore classic detective fiction but crave a fresh perspective, Harriet White deserves a place on your shelf—and very likely, in your reading rotation for a long while to come.
About the Book: A Treatise on Martian Chiropractic Manipulation and Other Satirical Tales Human beings are flawed creatures, and humor is the perfect means to exploit the endless fodder of our shortcomings. This multi-genre collection of twenty-one short satirical stories will leave you smirking, chuckling, scratching your head, and maybe even muttering to yourself […]
There is also something deeply comforting about the cultural shorthand Spencer-Fleming uses. References to PBS, public radio–adjacent sensibilities, and a certain late-20th-century, educated-Northeast worldview made me feel instantly at home. It is clear the author lives in or very near my cultural zeitgeist, and those small, knowing touches add a layer of authenticity that is easy to underestimate and hard to fake.There is also something deeply comforting about the cultural shorthand Spencer-Fleming uses. References to PBS, public radio–adjacent sensibilities, and a certain late-20th-century, educated-Northeast worldview made me feel instantly at home. It is clear the author lives in or very near my cultural zeitgeist, and those small, knowing touches add a layer of authenticity that is easy to underestimate and hard to fake.
I go first for a location then I go price. I am a slave to Hilton Family properties (Hilton, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Hampton Inn) because of my status with them….cause it means I always get free breakfast as well as upgrades to nicer rooms if available….
I always like the idea of those funky little independent inn – however, the unknown scares me enough that I usually opt for the tried an true – the Marriot’s and HIlton’s. Especially if you’re traveling alone, and, in your case, embarking on a rather intensive and potentially stressful (exciting stress, but stress all the same) experience, you want a safe haven to return to in the evening. So I would probably opt for whatever is familiar, reliable, handy, and with as many nice amenities as you can afford.
To be honest with you. I am a woman who often has to travel alone. I can’t always bring my husband. When faced with making the same type of choice I always opt for the more safer hotel, or inn. I may pay a bit more, but I can sleep better at night knowing that I am in a safe location. Its great that you can get complimentary gourmet breakfast, discounts at the day spa next door, and an English Pub with beer and games. To me its worth more in the long run to spend money and feel safe and secure. Then to lose sleep at night wondering if you safe enough.