I believe that doing this blog requires frankness, so here is a tawdry, little known, secret about myself….I used to have a rather unhealthy obsession with John Thaw’s character Inspector Morse!! However, now I am older and wiser, I have ditched that and my new guilty pleasure is Agatha Christie, in particular Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple. It seemed then so sensible as part of my 50@50 to challenge myself to read all of Agatha Christie’s novels.
I knew ‘The Queen of Crime’ had written a fair bit, but please….who knew it was this much !!!!! (according to an internet source)
- 78 crime novels
- 6 other novels
- 150 short stories
- 4 non fiction books
- 19 plays
Well I am now wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew in one year but I am giving it a damned good go. So far I have read 16 of her novels (Marple and Poirot) and how superior they are to the tv adaptations. Whilst I was originally drawn by the pure escapism, I am captivated by her turn of phrase, the quality of her writing, character detail and development, sharp wit and of course…thrilling dénouements. I don’t try to guess who did it, I just enjoy the undulating ride.
On a more serious note I am also enjoying the physicality of these books as a connection to my late father-in-law, Colin, who had painstakingly collected these old copies and which I was fortunate enough to inherit. Whilst reading and handling the books he too handled and read I think fond thoughts of him and regret a missed opportunity of discussing our favourites.
So as usual I will sign off with…these challenges are a great idea and I am having an emotional ball doing them ( so far)…keep dropping in to see what’s next!!!