72. Third Girl (1966)

 Dear Agatha,

Talk about gaslighting!  Loved this book.  Lots going on, but as always, you are way smarter than I.

Here's a tangential story.  Recently I had to get a new specialist, a rheumatologist, and I had two to choose from, a woman and a man.  I had just finished this novel, and found that the femaile doctor's first name is Ariadne - so I went with her!

On the day of the appointment, as we were winding down, I asked if her she knew who Ariadne Oliver was.  No.  Agatha Christie?  No.  Oh, Agatha... I felt so let down!  I was more upset about that than about any of the medical stuff.  How could she not know?  Yes, she was young, but you're... you're Agatha CHRISTIE.

Not only that, but she said her parents misspelled her name - and they pronounce it AriaDEN.  What?!  So, so disappointed.

Sigh.  I thought about bringing her a book that features Ariadne Oliver to my next appointment, but I didn't act on the thought and the appointment is tomorrow.  I'll see if I can turn anything up.

So many books, so little time.

b.

67. Double Sin and Other Stories (1961)

 Dear Agatha,

Before we start, here is an unsolved mystery for you to unravel.  Where on earth have I been for nearly 3 years???

Honestly, I don't know either.

Mystery #2:  What happened to my book?

Looks like she's been through a lot, amirite?  Thankfully I've got another on the way so the collection will still be intact.

This collection was really a good way for me to jump back in to reading your works.  About half of the stories I had read before, but not all.  But lucky for me I have a poor memory so reading them again doesn't mean I was bored a bit.  In fact, I think I enjoyed them more.  These were "Double Sin," "Wasps' Nest," "The Theft of the Royal Ruby" (which has been published elsewhere as "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding), "Greenshaw's Folly" (which I sure thought had something to do with a gazebo or something, but um, no, not at all).

But new to me:

"The Dressmaker's Doll" and "The Last Seance" - I am not particularly into the supernatural.  Still, occasionally, I don't mind it - with something like a feel for The Twilight Zone.  This was "The Dressmaker's Doll"... but "Seance" - eh.  It was dark and short and I kind of feel like they should have listened to Elise.

"The Double Clue" was fun, but I do think you saved the best for last with "Sanctuary."  The stories featured both Poirot and Marple and a few with neither.  It felt like a nice visit with old friends.

Thank you for pulling me back in, dear Agatha.

b.

65. Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960)

 Dear Agatha,

I've gotta be honest.  I read this book months ago and don't recall much detail, although the memory of having read it is favorable - hahaha.  This book completed my 2021 reading goal on Goodreads - but then with the end of the year, tax season, general kid issues, health issues, life life life - I haven't logged the last number of my reads at all.  That said, I unfortunately don't have a lot to say.

I did mark this little gem in "Adventure of the Christmas Pudding":

Mr Jesmond made a peculiar noise rather like a hen who has decided to lay an egg and then thought better of it.

I did, as I read this short, Google some info on Christmas pudding, and English puddings in general.  I think I am glad that it is not a big part of our traditions, as it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" felt familiar - and indeed it seems that it is a reworked version of a previous short story, "The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest."  "The Under Dog" and "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" I have read before, although I never remember the outcome.  And "The Dream" and Greenshaw's Folly" were new and fun.

'Nough said.  Thanks always,

b.

63. Ordeal by Innocence (1958)

 Dear Agatha,

Apparently I read this 8 years ago this month for the reading circle I joined for about... 2 books.  I think I enjoyed it more the first time, to be honest, although I still loved this read.  It just felt repetitious in spots to me this time.

Being an adoptive parent (I wasn't in 2013 and it wasn't even remotely something I had considered), this struck me:

It was an article of faith with her (Rachel Argyle) that the blood tie didn't matter.  But the blood tie does matter, you know.  There is usually something in one's own children, some kink of temperament, some way of feeling that you recognize and can understand without having to put into words.  You haven't got that tie with children you adopt. One has no instinctive knowledge of what goes on in their minds. You judge them, of course, by yourself, by your own thoughts and feelings, but it's wise to recognize that those thoughts and feelings may be very widely divergent from theirs. -- Leo Argyle

Food for thought, anyway.

Again, a wild and inventive plot, wonderful characters, a twisty road, and great fun.

Always,

b.

60. Hickory Dickory Death (1955)

 {also published as Hickory, Dickory, Dock}

Dear Agatha,

Hickory, dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the clock.  The police said, "Boo," I wonder who, will eventually stand in the Dock?

Twisty, twisty, twisty.  When you know it can't be X, because it's too obvious, so you suspect Y, Z, and A through E, and then we get right back to X again.  Bad person, that X.  

Glad I never resided at 26 Hickory Road.  What an absolute mess.

Thanks for the fun,

b.

54. The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951)

Good morning, dear Agatha,

Nothing like a global pandemic to get me reading more, eh?  The kids and I are doing another reading challenge, too - seeing how many pages we can read by the beginning of May.  I'm over 800.  I would guess Grace is about the same, and Josh probably has 246,129.

So, I really enjoyed the main story of this collection, "The Under Dog."  I also liked hearing from sweet Hastings again for the rest of the stories.  

When people talk about you, Dame Agatha - it's always to call you the Queen of Crime and discuss the different complicated plots and solutions of your mysteries.  One thing that isn't mentioned that much, in my humble opinion, is your humor.  I love it because it's subtle, but these scenes from "The Under Dog" certainly made me chuckle.

"I believe in small men!  They are the clever ones!"  (Followed up by Poirot's observation that Inspector Miller is a tall man)

"A heavy thud," he said impressively.

"If I mistake not, it is a dull thud in most works of romance," murmured Poirot.

"Maybe, sir," said Parsons severely.  "It was a heavy thud I heard."

"A thousand pardons," said Poirot.

"Do not mention it, sir.  After the thud, in the silence, I heard..."

Some of the stories seemed vaguely familiar to me.  Perhaps I'd read them before I started this blog - I'm not sure.  I don't see reference to them in skimming my blog posts and the only other collection I see them as part of is Poirot's Early Cases (1974).  For example, the scene of "The Submarine Plans" where the bold young man stole a kiss from the French maid on the stairs seemed familiar, as well as the masquerade of "The Affair at the Victory Ball" (although granted the characters they dressed up as do pop up here and there in some of your other works).

All in all, while I do prefer your novels over your short stories, this was, as always, a great read.

52. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950)

{also published as The Mousetrap}

Agatha!  

How I loved "Three Blind Mice"!  I kept seeing it in my head as a brilliant play.  I Googled it to see if it had been done.  I'm an idiot.  I knew "Mousetrap" has been one of the longest-running plays in history in London and I have always wanted to see it - but it took until this morning to realize it's the same play.  Doh!

But...!  This was such a wonderful, fun read.  I loved every minute of it and now I doubly can't wait to see the play performed.  Someday...

Other stories -

With Jane Marple:

• "Strange Jest" 
• "Tape Measure Murder"
• "The Case of the Perfect Maid"
• "The Case of the Caretaker"

With Hercules Poirot:

• "The Third-Floor Flat"
• "The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly"
• "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"

And with Satterthwaite and Harley Quin:

• "The Love Detectives"

What a tremendous volume of stories, dear Agatha.  Obviously "Three Blind Mice" was my favorite, but I enjoyed every one of the others, too - even those strange birds Satterthwaite and Quin.

We are in a strange state of the world today, dear Agatha.  We are in the midst of a worldwide panic over the coronavirus pandemic.  I've never seen any reaction like this at all.  Schools closed, many, many businesses closed.  I'm not sure how I will navigate the next few weeks.  But one good thing about it - there will be lots of time for reading.  And I have lots of books.

Back soon,

b.

PS:  Another mystery...:

51. A Murder is Announced (1951)

Dear Agatha,

This is most certainly one of my favorites.  Such a clever way for the story to begin, full of twists and turns, and an even more clever ending.  I think this would make a fantastic play or movie.  I am not even the biggest Marple fan, but I absolutely loved it.

No quotes today - nothing really to add.  I just sat back and enjoyed this one.

Thanks as always,
me

47. The Labors of Hercules (1947)

Dear Agatha,

What a crazy journey it has been, these past six or so months.  Our life was upended and we have moved over 1000 miles away back to our desert home in California.  Crazy series of events, for sure, leaving me out of my reading routine.  I have a couple of books - like this - that I read months ago - and never had time to blog.  And, because I'm 50 now, I honestly don't remember a lot abou them.  Please forgive me.

Getting back on track.

b.

35. The Regatta Mystery (1939)

I goofed again.  I read Sad Cypress before The Regatta Mystery.  Back on track now, I think.

"What are the years from 20 to 40?  Fettered and bound by personal and emotional relationships. That's bound to be.  That's living.  But later there's a new stage.  You can think, observe life, discover something about other people and the truth about yourself. Life becomes real - significant. You see it as a whole.  Not just one scene - the scene you, as an actor, are playing.  No man or woman is actually himself (or herself) till after 45.  That's when individuality has a chance."  - Parker Pyne ("Problem at Pollensa Bay")

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, dear Agatha.  Sometimes the short story works are not my favorite, nor is Parker Pyne a favorite of your characters, but I did still enjoy this book as a whole.  My favorite was probably "The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest," followed closely by "In a Glass Darkly."  No wait - maybe "Problem at Sea."  Or  "The Dream"!  They were all that good!

So yesterday I found myself downtown with an hour long wait and I forgot my book.  I downloaded it onto my phone and read one of the stories electronically.  The e-book was kind of cool because at the beginning of the stories, it had a brief note on when and where the stories were published.  With "In a Glass Darkly," it included this super cool nugget:

"... its very first public airing was on 6 April 1934 when Agatha Christie read the story on BBC Radio's National Programme.  No recording of this 15-minute performance is known to exist."

THAT would be something to hear!

Love,
Beth

30. Murder in the Mews (1937)

{also published as Dead Man's Mirror}

(I wonder how it is chosen which short story or novella after which the collection will be named.)

So, dear Agatha, guess what?!

A local theater here is doing And Then There Were None at the end of April.  I am honestly just as excited about seeing it as I am about seeing P!nk in May!  Robert and I are going with Joshua, his girlfriend Nyx, and Christianne.  We just got the tickets last week.

And then I looked at my reading plan and saw that ATTWN is only about 5 books out!  If I book it (haha, pun intended), then I can have it read before we see the play.  Apparently I've not read it!  Even Josh has read it, for some reason.  I have played the PC game, though!

The only dilemma is that I'd just begun Lord of the Rings (to read "with" Josh, although he's way ahead of me), and I have 3 "optional" books to read before the conference I'm attending in mid-April, less than a month away.  Oh yeah, and it's tax season.  And the house is falling apart.  And I could really use one of those nurse/nanny types that you always had to help with your ONE child (remember I have FOUR)... but I digress.

Enjoyed every one of these 4 shorts and I couldn't even pick a favorite.  Learned a few new words along the way - mews (wasn't what a I thought it was), gasper, saloon car, baronet, and more.  I enjoyed seeing familiar friends - Sattherthwaite and Japp.  And I loved that the twisted endings - probably "Triangle at Rhodes" caught me most.

Thank you again, Dame Agatha.

Love,
me