The Christie Affair by Nina deGramont

 Hi, dear Agatha -

So I'm not sure what kept me away for nearly three years (I'm actually pretty embarrassed), but I know what brought me back.

A few months ago, my distant cousin in Arkansas sent me a book, kind of out of the blue.  We are friends on Facebook, but I can't recall the last time we had a conversation.  But she read this book and then sent it on to me.

I wasn't sure what I thought at first, and it actually took me a little while to get into, but by the end, I did find this fictionalization of your little disappearance really interesting.  It was different for me to see you as, first of all, a character - an attractive woman in a short period confronted with various emotions and such that really changes the course of your life.

It's just fiction, of course.

But I appreciate the book more now that I've stepped away from it awhile - its structure, its originality, its creative ideas.  And I appreciate the book for bringing me back to reading your works again.

Still,

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.

66. The Pale Horse (1961)

Hi, Agatha - 

As I said last time, I read this months ago and am wayyyy behind on my blogging and updating on Goodreads.  I don't remember a lot of details, although I do know that I ended up really liking this despite being apprehensive that the solution would be supernatural. 

I will do a more proper entry next time, dear Agatha.

Always,

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.

64. Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)

*Spoilers*

Hi Agatha,

As I finished this one a bit ago, my daughter said, "Has there ever been an Agatha book you didn't like?"  No, I don't think so.  Maybe some of the occultish stories weren't my favorite, but I just feel like you hit it out of the park every single time.

I enjoyed the setting of this one, a prestigious girls' school called Meadowbank.

I enjoyed the fact that the culprit was a woman - sorry if that's a spoiler, but it says so on the back of the book, and really, what can you expect from a cast that is 95% female?

I enjoyed the humor.  It can be subtle, but it always makes me smile.

I was so involved in the story that I was surprised at the appearance of Poirot 2/3 of the way through the book.  I had completely forgotten it was a Poirot novel, and even checked back at the front cover.  I thought one of the girls would solve the mystery (and pretty much one did).  But Hercules came to put all the threads together and wrap it all up.

There was a lot going on in this one plot-wise, and while I typically don't enjoy political, war-related, coup-related, whatever-type stuff, I did enjoy this, and was hoping until the very end that the prince and his pilot weren't really dead.

Now, Agatha, I'm off to read my final book for my reading challenge for 2021 - and it's set at Christmastime!  Christmas is three weeks from today!  Woot woot!

My heart is happy.  

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.

62. What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! (1957)

 {also published as 4.50 from Paddington}

Dear Agatha,

You know, oftentimes when you read a lot of books, a lot of plots seem to get recycled.  "There is nothing new under the sun," Solomon said, and a lot of times it feels like the story you are reading you have read a hundred times before, and many of those times the author is unapologetic about it.  Nevertheless, I have never read any plot before like these two books I read this week.  This is amazing, Agatha.

One of the many things you do well, Agatha, is create likable, strong female characters.  Miss Marple, honestly, is not one of my favorites, but she didn't annoy me in this book, and I loved Lucy Eyelesbarrow.  Even old Mrs. McGillicuddy was pretty cute.

On another note, someone on Goodreads posted this in their review and it made me laugh out loud:

I always forget about that brief section in 4:50 from Paddington that feels like the beginning of the dreaded story problem: “if two trains are traveling…”

On a practical note, zero stars for the publisher of the edition I got, Pocket Books by Simon & Schuster.  There were numerous typos - once they called our Jane Miss MarBle! - and there were about half a dozen pages which were folded and bound in that way... strange and annoying!

I have missed you!

b.