BW5: February Author of the Month: Agatha Christie

 

Happy Sunday! February is upon us which begs the questions -  will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow and we'll have six more weeks of Winter?  Most likely.   But did you know, before the ground hog, there was a hedgehog. Poor guy was usurped by the ground hog in 1887 in America.

Ireland folklorist Kevin Danaher says that "To see a hedgehog was a good weather sign, for the hedgehog comes out of the hole in which he has spent the winter, looks about to judge the weather, and returns to his burrow if bad weather is going to continue. If he stays out, it means that he knows that mild weather is coming.”  The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs.

February is also Black History Month, Creative Romance Month, and An Affair to Remember Month.   

AND our Bookish Bookology Author of the month is Agatha Christie.  

Dame Agatha Christie was born September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon. She began writing poems when she was a child and short stories by the age of 18. During the first world war, she started writing detective stories.  In 1919, her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published and she went on to publish 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections as well as plays, plus 6 romances under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott.   She created numerous characters including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence as well as Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin and Parkey Pyne. 

She loved archaeology and traveling. She traveled on the Orient Express in 1928, then in 1930 went on to an archaeological site in UR, Nineveh in the Middle East  where she met Max who become her second husband. She accompanied him on many digs and her stories were inspired by all her true life experiences.  In 1955, She was the first to receive the Grand Master Award, the highest honor by the Mystery Writers of America's.  In 1971, she was granted female knighthood as Dame Commander of the British Empire for her literary work.  She passed away at the age of 85 on January 12, 1976.

Agatha Christie is also one of our 52 Books bingo categories as well as the subject of one of our Perpetual Reading challenges. I've been bouncing around the list, instead of reading chronologically, and currently have Why didn't they ask Evans?, Mystery of the Blue Train, and Sad Cypress in my reading stacks. 

 If you've been following the Read Agatha Christie 2023 Motive and Methods readalong challenge, February's read is Partners in Crime, from one of her Tommy and Tuppence short story collections.   

And the Royal Reading Room recently covered Agatha Christie during their Christmas Interlude which including a video discussion between Vaseem Khan, Dreda Say Mitchell, Robert Thorogood, and James Prichard on the Legacy and Life of Agatha Christie.  

Enjoy exploring through the creative mind of Agatha Christie.

Our post is sponsored by the letter E. Big E, little e, what begins with E.  Earl and Edward, everyman and everywhere, earnestly earning enlightenment and erudition. 

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 In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.

BW20: 52 Books Bingo - Ensemble Cast

Headlines  - Darren Thompson

Happy Sunday! It's time for another round of 52 Books Bingo and this week it's all about Ensemble Casts. My favorite kind of book. I love books with ensemble casts, especially series books because they make it seem like the story goes on and on and on.  There are books in which the cast revolves around one main character and others which rotate through a series of characters, all working together for a common end.  

The Gang’s All Here

Seven books with an Ensemble Cast 

Books with a large cast of characters

Ensemble Cast - Read a book with three or more main characters.

4 Mystery Audiobooks Performed by Top-Notch Ensemble Casts

5 More Audiobooks Featuring Multiple Cast Members

Do you enjoy reading books with an ensemble cast of characters?  From Agatha Christie and Leo Tolstoy to Robert Jordan's and J.D. Robb, there is a wide variety to choose from.  Who is your favorite author and/or books with an ensemble cast you've read and would recommend?

I just noticed that we have a predicament, a quagmire, a problematic quandary.  Que Pasa!   When I pondered and questioned why my weeks weren't adding up, I realized I missed P and Q in our letter and word of the week.  We missed a pilgrimage, a quest. Oops, my bad. Jumping back on the Quixotic path for a moment.  

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Please share your book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

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BW9: The Golden Age of Mystery

 

Happy Sunday!  This month we’re waving goodbye to February and winter in my neck of the woods, and saying hello to March and the beginning of spring. We are also celebrating Women's History Month and women who were vital to history. 

And speaking of history, our Crime Spree hostesses Sandy and Amy are taking us back to the Golden Age era this month.  Take it away, ladies: 

If you find yourself spending the weekend at your curmudgeonly uncle’s manor and he ends up murdered, you’re probably in a Golden Age mystery. Luckily, you’re innocent of the crime if you’re young, beautiful, and in love. But if you happen to be a ne'er-do-well that recently been cut out of the will then…

This website is fantastic for exploring even more authors. Who are some of your favorite Golden Age authors?

Authors to explore:

    Agatha Christie’s website is a fun place to lose an hour

·         GK Chesterton

·         EC Bentley

·         Dorothy Sayers

·         Margery Allingham

·         Edmund Crispin

·         Georgette Heyer

·         Patricia Wentworth (sidenote from Amy: Skip the first book and start here.)

·         J. Jefferson Farjeon

·         Josephine Tey

 

Challenge: Evade Scotland Yard by choosing a new to you Golden Age author to read.

Thank you ladies.  Juan and I are trying to stay out of sight of the gents at Scotland Yard as we follow in the footsteps of the the queens and gentlemen of the Golden Age. 

Which brings me to our A to Z and back again -- Our letter and word of the week are I and Informer.

Have fun investigating! 

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Please share your book thoughts reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter.

2020 Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Welcome to the 2020 

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks 

Challenge

Also home to 

Well Educated Mind, Agatha Christie, Mind Voyages, 

Sounds of Silence, Brit Trip perpetual challenges 

as well as 52 Books Bingo and Ladies of Fiction Bookology 

The rules are very simple 

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 
• Our book weeks will begin on Sunday
• Week one will begin on Wednesday, January 1 and run through January 11. 
• Participants may join at any time. 
• All books are acceptable except children books.** 
• All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. 
• Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2020
• Books may overlap other challenges. 
• If you have an blog, create an entry post linking to this blog. 
• Sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" in the sidebar
• If you don't have a blog or any social media account, post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post. 
• Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the each weekly post for you to link to reviews of your reads. The link widget closes at the end of each book week

The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you. All the challenges are optional. Mix it up anyway you like. 



**in reference to children books. If a child is reading the book and involved in the challenge, then that's okay. If an adult is doing read aloud with kids, the book should be geared for the 9 - 12 age group and over 100 pages. If you are an adult reading for your own enjoyment, a good rule of thumb to use:  "is there some complexity to the story or is it too simple?" If it's too simple, then it doesn't count.

2020 Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, 

leading out into the expanding universe.” Madeleine L’Engle

Are you ready for another Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks adventure?  The goal is quite simple and how you get there is up to you.  Where would you like your bookish travels to take you this year?  What are you in the mood for?  I'm in the mood for a something mindful or mysterious or magical, mayhap even mind boggling or masterful, even a bit mundane.  How about you?   Whether you read fiction or nonfiction, like to explore outside your comfort zone with new to you authors or genres,  or love to read the same books over again or stick to the tried and true, then this is the place for you.  

There are two updated challenges to tease your reading palate:  2020 52 Books Bingo with 20 bonus squares to celebrate the beginning of a new decade, and Ladies of Fiction Bookology, our author of the month and spelling challenge.  

We also have a variety of weekly, monthly mini challenges and perpetual challenges  including: 

Well Educated Mind --  Continue to explore the classics in 6 categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama, Poetry and Science. 

Agatha Christie  --  read at least three of her books per year.  Read the books in chronological order as listed, group by detective or collection, or randomly if you choose. 

Brit Tripping --- A year long mystery read traveling the Roman Roads through England reading reading a book from each of the 45 counties with a few extra trips to London. 

Plus Sounds of Silence, Mind Voyages, A to Z, Dusty and Chunky, and Feed Your Muse. 

The mini and perpetual challenges are all optional, Mix them up anyway you like or follow your own path in the quest to read.  

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 
• Our book weeks begin on Sunday
• Week one begins Wednesday, January 1 and run through January 11. 
• Participants may join at any time. 
• All books are acceptable except children books.** 
• All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. 
• Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2020
• Books may overlap other challenges. 
• If you have an blog, create an entry post linking to this blog. 
• Sign up in the "I'm participating post" in the sidebar
• If you don't have a blog or social media account, post about your reads in the comments section of each weekly post. 
• The link widget will be added to the bottom of each weekly post for you to link to reviews of your reads. The link widget closes at the end of each book week. 

BW2: Whodunit Bookology - Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot located in Village of  Ellezelles

Our Whodunit Bookology detective of the month is  Hercule Poirot, created by  Dame Agatha Christie. He was introduced to the world in 1920 in The Mysterious Affair at Styles.  

Poirot was an extraordinary-looking little man. He was hardly more than five feet four inches, but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible, I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound. 

Arthur Hastings, The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Poirot appears in 33 novels and numerous short stories spanning from 1920 to 1975 with his death in Curtain: Poirot's Last Case.   The Village of Ellezelles is officially registered as Poirot's place of birth on April 1, 1850. The famous detective was the only fictional character to have an obituary in the New York Times.   The detective traveled all over Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. The character appeared in many movie, television and play adaptations and has been portrayed onscreen by over 35 actors from David Suchet to Peter Ustinov to Kenneth Branagh.  

There are a number of ways to complete the bookology challenge, including but not limited, to the suggestions below:  

• Read one book per letter in the character's first or last name.
• Read one book per letter in the author's first or last name.
• If you're feeling really ambitious, one book per letter in the character's first and last name.
• Follow in a character's footsteps and read a book set in the country or time period of the character. 
• Follow in the author's footsteps and read a book set in their place or time of birth.
• Read a book with the first or last name of the character or author in the title
• Read the first book in the series.

You may even want to consider comparing the books to the movies.  I'm looking forward to watching the most recent film adaptation with Kenneth Branagh.  Currently in my stacks are: Murder on the Orient Express, The Man in the Brown Suit, and Sparkling Cyanide. 

Have fun following in the footsteps of Hercule Poirot! 

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How to link to your reviews 

If you'd like to share your book reviews, you may link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have any internet or social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading.    Please do not add links of 52 Books or nonexistent pages. They will be deleted. If your link disappears, please email me if you need to change or update your links. 

Every week I will put up  Mister Linky's Magical Widget for you to link to your reviews.   No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, add your link to the current week's post.   The linking widget will close at the end of each book week. 

In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post, then check the privacy box and click enter. 

BW28: 52 Books Bingo - Cartography

Courtesy of World Atlas 

Explorin' we shall go!  One of our 52 Books Bingo categories is Cartography which is the art and science of map-making.  Read a book about maps or map-making, written by or about cartographers, historical, present and literary cartography as well as fictional maps.  Books I have enjoyed in the past are:

"The Island of Lost Maps tells the story of a curious crime spree: the theft of scores of valuable centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries in the United States and Canada. The perpetrator was Gilbert Joseph Bland, Jr., an enigmatic antiques dealer from South Florida, whose cross-country slash-and-dash operation had gone virtually undetected until he was caught in 1995–and was unmasked as the most prolific American map thief in history. As Miles Harvey unravels the mystery of Bland’s life, he maps out the world of cartography and cartographic crime, weaving together a fascinating story of exploration, craftsmanship, villainy, and the lure of the unknown."

"Maps of the Imagination takes us on a magic carpet ride over terrain both familiar and exotic. Using the map as a metaphor, fiction writer Peter Turchi considers writing as a combination of exploration and presentation, all the while serving as an erudite and charming guide. He compares the way a writer leads a reader though the imaginary world of a story, novel, or poem to the way a mapmaker charts the physical world. "To ask for a map," says Turchi, "is to say, ‘Tell me a story.’ "    With intelligence and wit, the author looks at how mapmakers and writers deal with blank space and the blank page; the conventions they use or consciously disregard; the role of geometry in maps and the parallel role of form in writing; how both maps and writing serve to re-create an individual’s view of the world; and the artist’s delicate balance of intuition with intention.A unique combination of history, critical cartography, personal essay, and practical guide to writing, Maps of the Imagination is a book for writers, for readers, and for anyone interested in creativity. Colorful illustrations and Turchi’s insightful observations make his book both beautiful and a joy to read."

as well as playing with 

"Travel through the exciting world of cartography with Map Art Lab. This fun and creative book features 52 map-related activities set into weekly exercises, beginning with legends and lines, moving through types and styles, and then creating personalized maps that allow you to journey to new worlds. Authors Jill K. Berry and Linden McNeilly guide readers through useful concepts while exploring colorful, eye-catching graphics. The labs can be used as singular projects or to build up to a year of hands-on creative experiences. Map Art Lab is the perfect book for map lovers, creative/DIY-inspired, designers. Artists of all ages and experience levels can use this book to explore enjoyable and engaging exercises. Everyone loves maps. And what's not to love? They are beautiful and fascinating, they teach you things, they show you where you are, places you long to go, and places you dare to imagine."


Check out Goodread's list of Cartography books and have fun following maps of thought.  


Plus our Brit Trip is taking us down Fosse Way to Devon:  Devon has the special distinction of being the birthplace of two English greats – Agatha Christie and Devonshire cream tea.

Rabbit trails:  Kent Cavern  Christie’s house Greenway

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Link to your reviews. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field paste a link to your post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.

BW7: Agatha Christie and Christopher Brookmyre

Courtesy of AgathaChristie.com

Our author choices of the month includes a classic English mystery writer, Agatha Christie and contemporary mystery Scottish author, Christopher Brookmyre. 


Dame Agatha Christie was born September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon. She was homeschooled and began writing poems when she was a child and short stories by the age of 18. During the first world war, she started writing detective stories.  In 1919, her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published and she went on to publish 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections as well as plays, plus 6 romances under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott.   She loved archaeology and traveling. She traveled on the Orient Express in 1928, then in 1930 went on to an archaeological site in UR, Nineveh in the Middle East  where she met Max who become her second husband. She accompanied him on many digs and her stories were inspired by all her true life experiences.  In 1955, She was the first to receive the Grand Master Award, the highest honor by the Mystery Writers of America's.  In 1971, she was granted female knighthood as Dame Commander of the British Empire for her literary work.  She passed away at the age of 85 on January 12, 1976.

Find out more about Agatha through BBC's A look at the life and craft of Agatha Christie, through the Smithonian's Where Agatha Christie Dreamed Up Murder,  as well as The Home of Agatha Christie which provides a complete biography, detailed information about all her books, and the Agatha Christie Community Forum.

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Courtesy of Christopher Brookmyre

Christopher Brookmyre was born on September 6, 1968 in Glasgow, Scotland and went to Glasgow University. He worked for Screen International, The Scotsman, and Edinburgh Evening news before going on to publish his first book in 1996.  Quite Ugly One Morning which won the Critic's First Blood Award for best first crime novel of the year. He's has written 21 books to date full of thrills and chills, murder and mayhem.    His writing contains a mix of politics, social commentary, and action.   He has joined the ranks of William McIIvanney, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin as a Tartan Noir author whose books are characterized by hard boiled, antiheroes.   His latest book, Places in the Darkness, is a futuristic science fiction, murder mystery set on a space station above earth.  

Synopsis:  Hundreds of miles above Earth, the space station Ciudad de Cielo - The City in the Sky - is a beacon of hope for humanity's expansion into the stars. But not everyone aboard shares such noble ideals.  Bootlegging, booze, and prostitution form a lucrative underground economy for rival gangs, which the authorities are happy to turn a blind eye to until a disassembled corpse is found dancing in the micro-gravity. 

In charge of the murder investigation is Nikki "Fix" Freeman, who is not thrilled to have Alice Blake, an uptight government goody-two-shoes, riding shotgun. As the bodies pile up, and the partners are forced to question their own memories, Nikki and Alice begin to realize that gang warfare may not be the only cause for the violence.

Find out more about Christopher Brookmyre through The novelist on psychopathic surgeons, and why he declined Question Time, Crime by the Book's Bloody Scotland interview and Crime Fiction Lover's Interview with Chris Brookmyre 


Join in on Agatha Christie's Perpetual reading challenge and be sure to check out Chris Brookmyre this month.  

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.   Every week I will put up  Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week.  No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post.

BW6: February Tour Along the Roman Roads

Courtesy of Sasha Trubetskoy 

We are waving goodbye to the Silk Road and flying to the United Kingdom to begin our February Tour along the Roman Roads.   We'll be hiking around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, following in the footsteps of Agatha Christie and Christopher Brookmyre, as well as taking time to spell the flowers.  This week also begins our Brit Tripping along the Roman Roads. 

Our Blossomology reading challenge takes us back from ancient times to the present.  Our flower of the month is the Rose which was the sacred flower of Egypt and petrified wreaths have been found in Egyptian tombs.  Roses were a favorite of Cleopatra as well as the Roman Emperor Nero.  Roses were mentioned in the ancient writings of the Sumerians, as well as Confucius and Buddhist religious documents.  Fast forward to the 15th Century England where roses were already being cultivated and The War of the Roses.  The Tudor Rose,  which is now the national flower of the United Kingdom, was the traditional heraldic emblem for the House of Tudor after the House of York and House of Lancaster were united.  Roses are the symbol of love and quite popular on Valentine's day. 

There are a number of directions to go with this challenge. You may choose to spell out the word, reading one book per letter using either the title and/or the first or last name of the author.  Yes, you can mix it up.  You may read a book with the name of the flower, color of the flower in the title, or on the cover.  Another possibility is a book which takes place in the time period or flower's country of origin or has some cultural significance and/or symbolism of the flower.  The choices are unlimited.  Have fun following rabbit trails and see where it takes you. 

Our author choices of the month are English author Agatha Christie and Scottish author Christoper Brookmyre who I'll talk about more next week.  Along with our Brit Trip, we are adding in an Agatha Christie Perpetual reading challenge and all the information may be found in the linkbar above. 

Our Brit Trip begins in London and we will be following the Roman road Ermine Street for 200 miles from London to York. Our adventure will begin with some detecting at Scotland Yard if you’re following the Mystery route or something set in London if you aren’t.

Rabbit trails: History of Scotland Yard  Bloomsbury London Literary Walks  Great London Spots for Booklovers  More Literary Walks  Bookstores to check out

Have fun exploring! 

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.   Every week I will put up  Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week.  No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link or comment on the current week's post.

BW38: Happy Birthday Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie - September 15, 1890

Happy Birthday to Dame Agatha Christie.  She is the author who created Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence as well as Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin and Parkey Pyne.  I admit I am more familiar with Poirot and Marple, than the other four, but will eventually make their acquaintance.  There are quite a few bloggers in the midst of perpetual Agatha Christie reading challenges. Some who are attempting to read her books in order and then others who are working their way through her works randomly.  I joined in about 5 years ago.  I'm more in the the random category and reading one a year so have only completed 5 of her many, many novels so far.  I probably should speed it up a bit, but like fine wine, like to savor her books.  Pitiful excuse, right.  *grin*  

The books I've completed so far are:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Murder of Roger Akroyd 
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Spider's Web
And Then There were None.


In honor of her birthday, I plan on reading book # 2 The Secret Adversary, her first Tommy and Tuppence mystery.  


Join me in reading Agatha Christie this week.  You can find her book list here or a chronological list here. 

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