A great reading month! I'm so glad you have the opportunity to hear Hanif Abdurraqib! I live in Columbus so I'm lucky enough to have heard him speak several times and I always walk away in awe and inspired. They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us is my favorite.
Ahhh, I'm even more excited now! They Can't Kill Us is the one I've heard the most about, so I really hope I'm able to get it before the festival - especially now hearing it's your favorite, too. That's so great that you've been able to hear him speak multiple times! Has it been at book signings, or does he do other types of public events in your area?
That's awesome! I recently heard him on NPR's 'Wild Card' podcast and, after hearing him speak and discovering that he narrates They Can't Kill Us, I knew I needed to get it on audio. I just started it yesterday and am already completely pulled in. Thanks so much for your comments, Heather!
I'm a Christie mystery completist - I finished reading all 66 of her mysteries in 2020-ish. There are definitely varying levels of quality and MotOE is one of her best. If you haven't read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd yet, I would also recommend that one as Agatha at her most innovative.
As far as adaptations go, there are several of them. I've only seen 2 - the Poirot episode from the BBC series starring David Suchet and the Branagh adaptation. David Suchet is a brilliant and convincing Poirot and if you haven't ever watched Poirot, it's a treat. Branagh's adaptation is incredibly stylish with a fantastic ensemble cast, but his version of Poirot is very different from Christie's Poirot. He does, at least, maintain the integrity of the mystery plot (i.e., he doesn't change the motive or the murderer), which is not always the case with the modern adaptations. There's also a 1970's adaptation starring Albert Finney that I've never seen, but that looks like it lands on the campy end of things.
I think that the best modern Christie adaptation is the 2015 Sarah Phelps adaptation of And Then There Were None, which has the anachronistic bonus of Aidan Turner continually removing his shirt.
Oh wow, thank you for sharing all of this! That's incredible that you've read all of her mysteries (and that she wrote 66 of them!), and I appreciate this 'insider' knowledge. I don't watch a ton of movies so your overview will help me choose wisely!
Was there anything in particular that prompted you to be a Christie mystery completionist, or did you simply enjoy the first few you read and decided to keep going? And I'm curious if you noticed any patterns in her writing as you went? That's one thing I've really appreciated about her works - I've only read a handful (oh and yes, Roger Ackroyd was one of them!) but they were each so distinctly different. There are some series that tend to get a bit formulaic over time, but in my limited experience with Christie, that doesn't seem to be the case. I'd love to know your thoughts! Thanks again for sharing!
The Christie project came about through my daughter. She read And Then There Were None for her AP Lang & Comp class as a sophomore in HS, back in 2011. I had read a fair few Christies in my own young adulthood, and at that point, Barnes and Noble was selling some fun reprints very inexpensively, so I started buying them and we would co-read them. This went on for a few years, and was also a way for us to always connect during some rough patches in our relationship.
At some point I realized that vintage mystery is a form of comfort reading for me, so I broadened my reading to other golden age mystery authors (Dorothy Sayers! Josephine Tey!). And, at an even later point, I figured out that I was only about 10 mysteries away from finishing her mystery canon, and obviously had to go for it!
There are so many things I love about her mysteries, but I think the main thing is their immersive nature for me. I think that Christie built a cohesive world in much the same way that a fantasy author does, she just used motive and human nature to direct her stories in the way a fantasy writer uses magic.
I also really believe that one of the best ways to learn about history and culture is by reading its fiction, and especially crime fiction. You learn so much about class and economies and communities and people by reading between the lines and seeing how they spend their days and their resources. There are patterns in her mysteries, but she’s also endlessly diverting in the way she tells her stories.
What a special project to experience with your daughter. I love how that came about for you! And what an endeavor - that must have been so satisfying to complete them all! I can only imagine the chart I'd be drawing up in my reading journal for that accomplishment. :-)
You make such a good point about the 'world building' in her novels. I definitely feel like I can picture the environment, scenes, people, etc when I read them, and I love how you described that in relation to a fantasy author. So true!
I've never read Sayers or Tey but you've got me intrigued to look into their work as well. Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Christine!
I recommend everything by Dorothy Sayers, but most especially Gaudy Night. You can’t really enjoy it without reading the first two books in the Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey subseries, but it’s just brilliant. An ode to the premise that learning is valuable for its own sake and everyone - including women - should have the choice to do work that engages and fulfills them.
It was such a unique story, wasn't it? It really took me by surprise how invested I became as I was reading - I loved so many of the characters. I'm so glad you enjoyed the book too, Jody!
Looks like a fabulous reading month! Murder on the Orient Express is one of my favorite Christie's! This has been a slow month of pleasure reading for me because of research demands, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed reading Louisa May Alcott's journals!
That sounds so interesting, Laura! Do her journals give you insight into her writing process at all? I always find that so fascinating. I loved Little Women by her and have had An Old-Fashioned Girl on my TBR for ages. I think Murder on the Orient Express was probably my favorite Christie novel so far, too!
Not a whole lot of insight into her writing - more to her character. She was financially motivated to write and quite prolific. There’s a lot more to her than just Little Women!
If you consider yourself a word nerd, it's worth a read! The whole behind-the-scenes about who defines a word, and how, and all the considerations that go into it...it was so thought-provoking about many things I hadn't previously given much thought!
Loved Cate Kay! I read it in January and it definitely kept me turning pages. I thought it was original, thought-provoking, and well written- the perfect combination of entertaining story and profound examination of a little pocket of our humanity.
A great reading month! I'm so glad you have the opportunity to hear Hanif Abdurraqib! I live in Columbus so I'm lucky enough to have heard him speak several times and I always walk away in awe and inspired. They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us is my favorite.
Ahhh, I'm even more excited now! They Can't Kill Us is the one I've heard the most about, so I really hope I'm able to get it before the festival - especially now hearing it's your favorite, too. That's so great that you've been able to hear him speak multiple times! Has it been at book signings, or does he do other types of public events in your area?
Mostly book talks/signings either for his work, or in conversation with other writers. We are lucky to have him call Columbus home!
That's awesome! I recently heard him on NPR's 'Wild Card' podcast and, after hearing him speak and discovering that he narrates They Can't Kill Us, I knew I needed to get it on audio. I just started it yesterday and am already completely pulled in. Thanks so much for your comments, Heather!
I'm a Christie mystery completist - I finished reading all 66 of her mysteries in 2020-ish. There are definitely varying levels of quality and MotOE is one of her best. If you haven't read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd yet, I would also recommend that one as Agatha at her most innovative.
As far as adaptations go, there are several of them. I've only seen 2 - the Poirot episode from the BBC series starring David Suchet and the Branagh adaptation. David Suchet is a brilliant and convincing Poirot and if you haven't ever watched Poirot, it's a treat. Branagh's adaptation is incredibly stylish with a fantastic ensemble cast, but his version of Poirot is very different from Christie's Poirot. He does, at least, maintain the integrity of the mystery plot (i.e., he doesn't change the motive or the murderer), which is not always the case with the modern adaptations. There's also a 1970's adaptation starring Albert Finney that I've never seen, but that looks like it lands on the campy end of things.
I think that the best modern Christie adaptation is the 2015 Sarah Phelps adaptation of And Then There Were None, which has the anachronistic bonus of Aidan Turner continually removing his shirt.
Oh wow, thank you for sharing all of this! That's incredible that you've read all of her mysteries (and that she wrote 66 of them!), and I appreciate this 'insider' knowledge. I don't watch a ton of movies so your overview will help me choose wisely!
Was there anything in particular that prompted you to be a Christie mystery completionist, or did you simply enjoy the first few you read and decided to keep going? And I'm curious if you noticed any patterns in her writing as you went? That's one thing I've really appreciated about her works - I've only read a handful (oh and yes, Roger Ackroyd was one of them!) but they were each so distinctly different. There are some series that tend to get a bit formulaic over time, but in my limited experience with Christie, that doesn't seem to be the case. I'd love to know your thoughts! Thanks again for sharing!
The Christie project came about through my daughter. She read And Then There Were None for her AP Lang & Comp class as a sophomore in HS, back in 2011. I had read a fair few Christies in my own young adulthood, and at that point, Barnes and Noble was selling some fun reprints very inexpensively, so I started buying them and we would co-read them. This went on for a few years, and was also a way for us to always connect during some rough patches in our relationship.
At some point I realized that vintage mystery is a form of comfort reading for me, so I broadened my reading to other golden age mystery authors (Dorothy Sayers! Josephine Tey!). And, at an even later point, I figured out that I was only about 10 mysteries away from finishing her mystery canon, and obviously had to go for it!
There are so many things I love about her mysteries, but I think the main thing is their immersive nature for me. I think that Christie built a cohesive world in much the same way that a fantasy author does, she just used motive and human nature to direct her stories in the way a fantasy writer uses magic.
I also really believe that one of the best ways to learn about history and culture is by reading its fiction, and especially crime fiction. You learn so much about class and economies and communities and people by reading between the lines and seeing how they spend their days and their resources. There are patterns in her mysteries, but she’s also endlessly diverting in the way she tells her stories.
What a special project to experience with your daughter. I love how that came about for you! And what an endeavor - that must have been so satisfying to complete them all! I can only imagine the chart I'd be drawing up in my reading journal for that accomplishment. :-)
You make such a good point about the 'world building' in her novels. I definitely feel like I can picture the environment, scenes, people, etc when I read them, and I love how you described that in relation to a fantasy author. So true!
I've never read Sayers or Tey but you've got me intrigued to look into their work as well. Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Christine!
I recommend everything by Dorothy Sayers, but most especially Gaudy Night. You can’t really enjoy it without reading the first two books in the Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey subseries, but it’s just brilliant. An ode to the premise that learning is valuable for its own sake and everyone - including women - should have the choice to do work that engages and fulfills them.
I loved The Collected Regrets of Clover! I read it in January.
It was such a unique story, wasn't it? It really took me by surprise how invested I became as I was reading - I loved so many of the characters. I'm so glad you enjoyed the book too, Jody!
Looks like a fabulous reading month! Murder on the Orient Express is one of my favorite Christie's! This has been a slow month of pleasure reading for me because of research demands, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed reading Louisa May Alcott's journals!
That sounds so interesting, Laura! Do her journals give you insight into her writing process at all? I always find that so fascinating. I loved Little Women by her and have had An Old-Fashioned Girl on my TBR for ages. I think Murder on the Orient Express was probably my favorite Christie novel so far, too!
Not a whole lot of insight into her writing - more to her character. She was financially motivated to write and quite prolific. There’s a lot more to her than just Little Women!
That sounds like a wonderful reading experience!
Definitely intrigued by Word by Word!
If you consider yourself a word nerd, it's worth a read! The whole behind-the-scenes about who defines a word, and how, and all the considerations that go into it...it was so thought-provoking about many things I hadn't previously given much thought!
Already found it on Libby. You’re right - so interesting! I can tell I’m going to be learning so much.
Awesome - I hope you enjoy it, Jaymi!
Loved Cate Kay! I read it in January and it definitely kept me turning pages. I thought it was original, thought-provoking, and well written- the perfect combination of entertaining story and profound examination of a little pocket of our humanity.
I agree with your entire description here, Jenna! I'm glad you enjoyed this one, too. I'll definitely read more by this author!