Hello and welcome to The Sunday Selfies!
Welcome one and all, to the extravaganza that is, the Sunday Selfies!!!!!
Now, some of you may know that we here at the palace are avid cosy mystery readers, and on top of that, at least up until the third shelf on the leftover the spare teapot and Mrs H's not so secret emergency bottle of sherry, we are avid middle-grade fiction readers too. OK, to be fair, Mrs H does most of the reading, but it takes another set of ears to listen to, and that can be mighty tiring!
Anyways, this month we decided to venture into the world of adult mysteries and have been on a bit of a binge. Not sherry or cream sort of a binge, rather an Agatha Christie sort of a binge. Yup, what a lot of folk will not have realised is that 2020 marks the 100 year anniversary of her first-ever book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. This book introduces Hercule Poirot to the world, and what a roller-coaster series of adventures he has.
As Mrs H and I are going to be working our way through the books, we thought we could share some thoughts on the adventures as we read them.
Alas, Mrs H being who she is – a spinster of the parish of Upper Much-Mousing and a keen gardener and observer of people and life, thought we'd start with Miss Marple, instead of Mr Poirot. Let's face, women power rocks the mystery world!
This last week we have just finished reading the volume entitled Miss Marple, The Complete Short Stories.
Now some might think that Miss Marple would be all centre stage in these tales, but she does rather manage to be the star by being secondary to the action. Of course, that is very much 'in character' and I think a side of detective novels that has been underplayed in recent years. Part of the charm of Miss Marple is that she draws comparisons with things she has seen in her own life and village world, to help explain her reasoning and thus solve mysteries. Which I think is very much how astute readers and budding village detectives would themselves.
Anyways, the short stories are, for the most part, tales told by guests at a dinner party. Each guest recounting a true tale to see if the others can solve the mystery within. Miss Marple is of course one of the guests. Whilst Mrs H nodded sagely at the conclusion of each tale, even she had to admit that she didn't figure out who did it! For a great intro into Miss Marple and her world, without ruining the individual novels, this is a definite winner.
I should add that the books are very much of the period, both in the language used and style. So be prepared to make a few adjustments from the current day to those of the bygone 1920s and after.
Without further ado, here is this week's selfie of yours truly. If I look all smug and content, it's because I have already solved the mystery of who stole the cheese. Don't tell Mrs H that though as she'll get all huffy and not read to the end of the book! MOL
You'll be pleased to know this book is available through Amazon in paperback or e-book format.
A LINK to Amazon USA page can be found HERE.
A LINK to Amazon UK page can be found HERE.
Now if you would like to visit the official AGATHA CHRISTIE website, and get a head start on starting to read your own way through Agatha's works, follow this LINK.
What story would you all tell around the diner party table?
I should add that I am not being paid to mention the book, but Mrs H and I both think we should share good books, of whatever grade reading, as they are brilliant and well worth the money.
Well, that's it for this week. Whatever your method of detection, remember to stay safe out there, enjoy yourself, and take care to give yourself a good groom before and after each meal and nap.
Laters......
ERin
