I'm an introvert.
Not one that's a hermit, but I do like my alone time. One of the habits that I have is taking off for the city and spending a few hours of alone time at a tea shop, usually reading. Sometimes I take a friend or two with me, and we take the time to chat in a relaxed atmosphere, away from college assignments.
Because of school, I've been busy with stuff, so I wasn't able to take off for a reading adventure (though I'd really like to). So, my adventure reading entry is about a book I got from a book sale last week, which I read in my favorite tea place(＾-＾)＿日
I've been a fan of the 'Cat Who' series for a long time.
It's an old one, written by Lillian Jackson Braun, but I really enjoy it, and would usually but any book of the series if I see one. But in the past few months, I've just been reading on my phone, but I missed holding a hard copy in my hands. When the opportunity arose and I saw the book last week, I snatched it up and bought it immediately.The series is in the mystery genre, and it's about a man, a former crime reporter, who has two Siamese cats that help him solve mysteries (his excellent moustache also gives him hints). He inherits a huge fortune and moves to the countryside with his feline sidekicks. Of course, like every novel in this category, there are murders, robberies, disappearing people, all kinds of fun stuff that's in a mystery story.
The cats, Koko and Yum-Yum, are adorable and have the personalities to go with their cuteness. I'm quite sure that their human wouldn't have been able to solve anything without their help(=‘ｘ‘=)
Actually, I kind of consider Jim Qwilleran, the main character of the series, as a detective version of Batman, just without the costume, gadgets, and action scenes. But the mysteries make up for the lack of fights between villains (in my opinion).
In this particular book, Qwilleran's moustache gives him an intuition.
Something weird had come up, and a couple that he knew was being implicated in a possible crime. A hiker was thought to be involved in foul play after he went missing, his stuff left behind in the campsite that he set up at.Following the guidance (hint) of his trusty facial hair, Qwilleran packs up his cats and goes for a vacation by the lake, near the place where the hiker was believed to be abducted from. The trio stay at a wooden cabin, an inheritance that came with the fortune.
His editor takes advantage of the situation by giving him the assignment of reviewing a play that was about to be presented by a new amateur theatre guild (that he actually helped finance, if I remember stuff correctly).
There's a dead body (of the hiker), another dead body (that's not surprising), and alien sightings.
I'm only a couple of chapters into the book, but I'm expecting mayhem (in an understated sort of way), secrets, and cats going showing off their awesomeness.
(I'd like to expect world domination from our feline characters, but sadly, this is the wrong genre for it.)
I like the author's writing style.
She manages to write details into her scenes without making it boring (for me anyway), and the story does flow well. The tone doesn't get too grim and the pace doesn't go into unfortunate ups, downs, or circles.
The main character, Jim Qwilleran, is quirky without being extremely weird and is a rather smooth individual. Having cats complements him well, makes him a sociable being who at the same time likes his alone time (like I do). He's popular with people, for his wit (he writes a column in the newspaper) and for his generosity (he made a point of sharing his fortune with others).
Having cold milk tea, and a book at hand is an excellent way to spend an afternoon.
This time, I brought along a friend, who spent the time watching funny violin videos. He's not much of a reader, so he left me to my devices.
I really like the atmosphere of this place.
It's on the minimalistic side compared to the other places that I go to. which makes it an excellent spot for studying. It also doesn't get too crowded, and most go there to study, so it's also peaceful and quiet.The staff are friendly and attentive, so the ambience is warm.
And their teas are yummy! I love them because they're not too sweet, they put just the right amount of sugar in each drink.
The one I ordered was an Okinawa milk tea latte. It had the right amount of sweetness and milk~~旦_(-ω-｀｡)
We stayed until dark. (In the end, I was distracted by the video my friend was watching, which was a humorous one about the excuses that students make to their music teachers (of why they haven't practised their music).
I could totally relate since I've used about half of the ones stated on my own music teachers(≧艸≦*)
All in all, it was a fun afternoon of reading and tea, a combination of my favorite stuff (let's not forget the cats in the novel).
Yup! That's all for my adventure reading entry!
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(All photos were taken with mine and my friend's phone.)