Saturday, 24 July 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #7



Welcome to the July 23, 2010 edition of Agatha Christie monthly Blog Carnival.

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time.
We have 25 contributions from 12 contributors.

Do visit the participating blogs and leave comments if you have read the books.

Spread the word too about the existence of this blog and the monthly opportunity it offers to showcase reviews about Agatha Christie books.

If you'd like to be part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, it is never too late to start. Check out the other postings on this blog and my main Agatha Christie Reading Challenge postings which will lead you to the lists of titles etc. You can now join the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge too, so just click on the link and sign up.

Read at your own pace, write a review on your blog, go to the Carnival collecting space and put in the URL, your details, and a comment about the post.


Blog Tour in September:
On 15 September 2010 Agatha Christie would have been 120 years old.
Here at the Blog Carnival we will be taking part in world wide celebrations with a blog carnival tour from 1-30 September.
Participants will volunteer for a day in September to host the carnival.  Your post of course must be related to an Agatha Christie topic.
Check the current listing of blog tour stops
Indicate your interest in being a stop on the blog tour by leaving a comment on that post or emailing Kerrie.

Today's 14 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.

Featured Blog


This month's featured blog is Christie Reader. This blog has been going for just over a year and in that time the creators have reviewed nearly 50 titles.

Here is their "mission statement".
It's an unofficial project to read, review and comment on all of Agatha Christie's books. At about one a week. The way it works is that there are two of us. Kate's read them all. She'll suggest a book to James and he'll then read it, and write about it, and Kate will point out where he went wrong. And then suggest another book. Not necessarily in chronological order, but hopping around by theme.

They have implemented a very useful list of labels to help you locate titles related to particular topics like travel, rhymes, and poison, as well as the usual Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot etc. You can also look at titles written in 1920s, 1930s etc.
The latest post is a review of A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY.

General


unfinishedperson presents And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie posted at An unfinished person (in this unfinished universe), saying, "The way this one is crafted makes it a classic for me, even if it does stretch credibility, as one of my friends argues, perhaps even to a ridiculous extent. How Christie organizes it, though, puts it "over the top" for me."

KerrieS presents The Murder at the Vicarage - wonderful cover posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "The Agatha Christie covers painted by Tom Adams constitute probably the most famous examples of paperback art ever produced."

From KathrynC: Agatha’s Christie’s Unexpected Guest arrives at Gawsworth Hall – Just The Perfect Time for An Afternoon Picnic Tea. posted at Tea With Mary Kate - Inspiration for Tea and Living"On a foggy night, Michael Starkwedder enters the home of the Warwicks through a window in the study. There lies the dead body of Richard Warwick, and Warwick’s wife, Laura, holding a gun that supposedly killed him…"

quirkyreader presents quirkyreader - I finished more Christie's posted at quirkyreader, saying, "I have included some vintage covers in this post".

Caviglia presents Dame Agatha, My Cup Runneth Over! posted at Caviglia's Cabinet of Curiosities. "I love Agatha Christie. I might love Agatha Christie more than any other author. I've read every novel, every short story and her autobiography (which is excellent). I re-read her books more frequently than I care to admit - I read them whenever I am sick or sad or distracted or have insomnia. I would happily defend her oeuvre with my dying breath. Look, are her books great literature? Of course not."

KerrieS presents Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "How to find Agatha Christie films on Youtube."

Hercule Poirot


BooksPlease presents Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie: Book Review  at BooksPlease, saying, "The crime that wasn't safe - that hung on a razor's edge, needing swift execution and audacity."

Elizabeth presents Dead Man's Folly posted at Miss Lemon's Mysteries, saying, "You'll forgive her for mentioning it, but even Miss Lemon can boast of a walk-on rĂ´le in this real-life game of Cluedo."

Janet Rudolph presents Murder on the Orient Express: Twitter Discussion posted at Mystery Fanfare, saying, "Twitter discussion of new PBS Masterpiece Mystery! Murder on the Orient Express with David Suchet. Discussion at: #mystery_pbs. 7/11 and for a few weeks afterwards."

Nancy Oakes presents Third Girl, by Agatha Christie posted at crime segments, saying, "Review of Third Girl, Poirot's 35th case"

Sarah M. presents Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "A well-written mystery with plenty of red herrings and clues cleverly woven throughout... The setting is quiet country village with a beautiful, but haunting estate. The characters are different, but not unusual. The murder weapon is poison, Agatha Christie's personal "favorite" if you could call it that. Must read for Agatha Christie fans or avid mystery readers."

Ryan Groff reviews Peril At End House by Agatha Christie posted at Wordsmithonia. "This is probably one of the more interesting endings to a mystery book that I've read in a while,"

Miss Marple


George Kelley presents “THE BLUE GERANIUM” By Agatha Christie posted at George Kelley. "PBS must be running out of Miss Marple novels to film so they’ve turned to Miss Marple short stories."

Nancy Oakes reviews A Caribbean Mystery at 2010: The Year in Books.
She writes "Miss Marple is the perfect detective. When people look at her they see "all knitting wool and tittle-tattle," and she becomes more or less invisible that way, easily dismissed by most of the players. But one man sees right through her."

Short Stories


KerrieS presents Review: THE EDGE, Agatha Christie, short story at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "The title of this short story has a double meaning, which increases its cleverness."

Discoveries


Words in Pictures: Agatha Christie posted at The New Statesman, saying, "In this animated audio clip, recorded whilst the author was writing her autobiography in the mid 1960's, Christie discusses both Poirot and her long-serialised female protagonist, Miss Marple, first introduced in The Tuesday Night Club (1927). Christie explains why Poirot and Marple could never have appeared in the same story"

YouTube - Agatha Christie Discusses Miss Marple & Hercule Poirot Literary discussion animation posted at YouTube, saying, "Heres a virtual movie of crime writer Agatha Christie (1890 - 1976) discussing her two best loved detective characters Miss Maple & Hercule Poirot. The sound recording comes from recently discovered audio tapes she dictated whilst writing her biography in the mid 1960's. Make sure you read the text that accompanies the YouTube video. The video itself is quite peculiar to watch."

How Agatha's husband drove her to murder: DUCHESS OF DEATH by Richard Hack | Mail Online posted at Books | Mail Online, saying, "A Review of DUCHESS OF DEATH by Richard Hack. When you read the content of the review, you can't help wondereing what there is left to tell. The review ends outrageously "I am left wondering: was Agatha Christie a lesbian? Was a fatal lack of sexual chemistry what made Archie so frustrated and why he had to bolt? It would explain her fondness for sporting hairnets.""

David Suchet as Himself posted at Saturdays Child, saying, "A really nice blog post about David Suchet, with links to somereally good videos. Inspired by his new appearanace in the TV version of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Includes his appearance on "Who Do you think you are?""

Two adaptations of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile posted at Pop Classics, saying, "The author of this blog says "Ancient Egypt, essentially, is little more than a backdrop - but it's a very impressive backdrop indeed.""

Agatha Christie: Why they wanted to take 20 years off Poirot (and give him a girlfriend) | Mail Online posted at Daily Mail Online, saying, "Lessons in writing from beyond the grave, with an introduction from her grandson."

Agatha Christie: The curious case of the cosy queen posted at The Independent. How has a shy, upper-middle class lady, born in Torquay in 1890, become (almost certainly) the most widely read novelist in the world today?

Updates


Margot at Joyfully Retired presents Joyfully Retired » My Progress In Reading Agatha Christie posted at Joyfully Retired, saying, "I also reviewed Partners In Crime (Tommy and Tuppence)."

BooksPlease presents Agatha Christie Reading Challenge: My Progress posted at BooksPlease, saying, "My progress is slow but enjoyable. I've included my latest find in this post."

KerrieS presents Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Update - 22 July 2010 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE.


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (August 23) of the agatha christie monthly carnival using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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Wednesday, 23 June 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #6

Welcome to the June 23, 2010 edition of Agatha Christie monthly Blog Carnival.

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time.
We have 19 contributions from 11 contributors this time.

Do visit the participating blogs and leave comments if you have read the books.

Spread the word too about the existence of this blog and the monthly opportunity it offers to showcase reviews about Agatha Christie books.

If you'd like to be part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, it is never too late to start. Check out the other postings on this blog and my main Agatha Christie Reading Challenge postings which will lead you to the lists of titles etc. You can now join the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge too, so just click on the link and sign up.

Read at your own pace, write a review on your blog, go to the Carnival collecting space and put in the URL, your details, and a comment about the post.

Advance Notice: On 15 September 2010 Agatha Christie would have been 120 years old.
Here at the Blog Carnival we will be taking part in world wide celebrations with a blog carnival tour from 1-30 September.
Participants will volunteer for a day in September to host the carnival.  Your post of course must be related to an Agatha Christie topic. Indicate your interest in being a stop on the blog tour by leaving a comment or emailing Kerrie. More details in the July Carnival.

Today's 11 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.

Featured Blog


This month's featured blog is Miss Lemon's Mysteries.
Imagine if the impeccably organized and eminently sensible Miss Felicity Lemon (private secretary to Mr. Parker Pyne and M. Hercule Poirot) were to assemble her own collection of crime fiction.... Here she recommends and discusses the choicest whodunits ever written.
Miss Lemon is currently reading DEAD MAN'S FOLLY and has just reviewed DEAD MAN'S MIRROR " a collection of chilling tales".

General


Norman Price links to the programme for AGATHA CHRISTIE FESTIVAL 12-19th SEPTEMBER 2010 posted at CRIME SCRAPS.

KathrynC presents Mary Kate imagines Tea at Greenway with Agatha Christie ? The loveliest place in the world posted at Tea With Mary Kate - Inspiration for Tea and Living, saying, "Ever since the National Trust announced that it was opening Greenway, I have been plotting a visit. Who could resist a glimpse of the home that inspired Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime ?"

KerrieS says THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE comes out on top posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "Which Agatha Christie title is at the top of your list? Two thirds of poll participants choose THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE."

Margaret reviews AGATHA CHRISTIE and THE ELEVEN MISSING DAYS by Jared Cade posted at BooksPlease, saying, "A biography centred around Agatha's mysterious disappearance in 1926."

Jo reviews AND THEN THERE WERE NONE posted at Fluidity of Time, saying, "I had re-read this book and enjoyed it --- and posted my thoughts!"

Ryan Groff reviews THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY posted at Wordsmithonia. "M-U-R-D-E-R. It began as an innocent parlor game intended to while away the hours on a bitter winter night."

Sarah M. reviews AND THEN THERE WERE NONE posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "And Then There Were None is the deadliest, darkest, most intense read of Agatha Christie's mysteries. It is a thriller. It is a puzzling mystery. It is a very intruiging study of human psyche and the depraved and decieved mind (and heart). And it is also a commentary of sorts society's views on crime and punishment. And Then There Were None is excellently well written, the characters are colorful and the plot is well crafted."

Margot at Joyfully Retired reviews WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? posted at Joyfully Retired, saying, "This book and I just didn't connect. I was bored and disappointed."

Superintendent Battle


Sarah M. reviews MURDER IS EASY posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "Luke Fitzwilliam solves this crime. Battle only appears in time to make the arrest. Definite page turner and an exciting read that keeps you guessing to the end."

unfinishedperson reviews EASY TO KILL posted at An unfinished person (in this unfinished universe), saying, "All in all, another good romp from Christie."

Hercule Poirot


Margaret reviews THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN posted at BooksPlease, saying, "Agatha Christie hated this book, but I think it's pretty good!"

Nancy Oakes reviews TAKEN AT THE FLOOD. posted at 2010: The Year in Books "Poirot's 27th adventure - and he's still going strong, although the earlier Poirot novels of the 20s & 30s were more to my liking. Recommended for fans of Poirot and for Agatha Christie readers in general - these books may be old, but they're still worth reading."

KerrieS reviews DEATH IN THE CLOUDS posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "This is a fascinating novel from a number of points of view: the setting is a locked room mystery taking place on one of the first passenger flights from Paris to London."

Vanda Symon reviews MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA posted at Overkill. "I did enjoy this story. Christie captures well the tensions of the archaeological dig, complete with interfering, jealous wives, absent minded scientists, colourful locals and mysterious priests. Not to mention the beautiful victim with the fascinating and secret history."

Short Stories


Ryan Groff reviews THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN posted at Wordsmithonia. He says "I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to read really well crafted mystery writing with a tinge of the supernatural."

Discoveries


KerrieS found a review of SLEEPING MURDER posted at Buy Children's Books Online, saying, "This blogger says "Of all the Agatha Christie books I have read, the characters and plot of Sleeping Murder are by far the most interesting of them all.""

This looks great: Agatha Christie Vintage Bus Tour
"If you visit Torquay 26 May 2010 - 31 Oct 2010 you can take a vintage bus tour for a nostalgic trip from Torquay, to Agatha Christie's beautiful Greenway House and Garden on the banks of the River Dart."

KerrieS found Agatha Christie 4:50 from Paddington Available for Download posted at DreamStation.cc, saying, "the fourth in the wildly popular Agatha Christie game series that has generated more than 30 million downloads since it first launched in 2007."

Updates


KerrieS presents ACRC Update - 12 June 2010 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "I'm 30% through - 26 out of an estimated 87 titles. This post links to all my reviews so far, as well as gives links to lists of titles."


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (July 23) of the agatha christie monthly carnival using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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Sunday, 23 May 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #5

Welcome to the May 23, 2010 edition of Agatha Christie monthly Blog Carnival.

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time.
We have 30 contributions from 11 contributors this time in a bumper edition.

There are some new features this time
  • Featured blog.
    If we featured every post this blogger writes about Agatha Christie, we'd have a full carnival without any other submissions. Make sure you visit this remarkable blog regularly.
  • Discoveries:
    This will be a category you can submit entries for from now on. These are Agatha Christie related news items and web pages that you've come across that this community would be interested in. Whenever you come across an interesting item, remember to share it with us.
Do visit the participating blogs and leave comments if you have read the books.

Spread the word too about the existence of this blog and the monthly opportunity it offers to showcase reviews about Agatha Christie books.

If you'd like to be part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, it is never too late to start. Check out the other postings on this blog and my main Agatha Christie Reading Challenge postings which will lead you to the lists of titles etc. You can now join the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge too, so just click on the link and sign up.

Read at your own pace, write a review on your blog, go to the Carnival collecting space and put in the URL, your details, and a comment about the post.

Advance Notice: On 15 September 2010 Agatha Christie would have been 120 years old.
Here at the Blog Carnival we will be taking part in world wide celebrations with a blog carnival tour from 1-30 September.
Participants will volunteer for a day in September to host the carnival.  Your post of course must be related to an Agatha Christie topic. Indicate your interest in being a stop on the blog tour by leaving a comment or emailing Kerrie.

Today's 11 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.

Featured Blog


Margot Kinberg asks Was Shakespeare right? at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist....,
Kerrie says " Every post on Confessions of a Mystery Novelist is an illustration of an incredible knowledge of Agatha Christie's books (as well as others). Margot Kinberg is a mystery novelist and professor, who loves to read and talk about mystery and crime fiction."

General

Melinda reviews DESTINATION UNKNOWN at BlackSheepBooks.saying, "Although the style of this book is unmistakeably Christie, it’s not one of her typical books."

Margaret reviews PASSENGER TO FRANKFURT at BooksPlease, saying, "Published in 1970 this is an unusual novel for Agatha Christie - a strange and puzzling spy story."

KerrieS asks Which is YOUR best Agatha Christie?  at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "What are your top 10 Agatha Christie reads? An interesting exercise to pick them out." It is not too late to contribute your top 10 so far. Kerrie has still to put a post together aggregating the contributions.

Miss Marple

Simon Savidge reviews Why Didn't They Ask Evans? at Savidge Reads. "Some people have said this was a ‘light hearted romp’ in Christie’s career and there is a feeling of an adult ‘Famous Five adventure’ about it, well more a slightly hapless duo in this case. Don’t let that stop you reading it though because the characters are superb."

Tommy and Tuppence

Redux #29 - "The Secret Adversary" by Agatha Christie at My Life As Seen Through Books, says, "There was something decidedly unrealistic and theatrical about this book. The coincidences are extreme, the characters find information at exactly the right moment, somehow survive situations where they would end up dead in the real world, and enjoy an unbelievable amount of good luck. However, none of this lack of realism really hurt the novel.""

Hercule Poirot

unfinishedperson presents Appointment with Death posted at An unfinished person (in this unfinished universe), saying, "The journey toward discovering the killer is worth the ride. The end of the journey, though, was less than satisfying..."
Melinda presents Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie posted at BlackSheepBooks. This is one of my most favouritest Agatha Christie novels. I adore Poirot (although not more than Miss Marple) and I’m quite fond of Ariadne Oliver with all her foibles, so this makes for a comfy, cosy mystery with characters I love.

Margot at Joyfully Retired presents Book and Movie: Murder On the Orient Express at Joyfully Retired, saying, "I strongly recommend both the book and the movie. The dvd for the movie had special features that were excellent and included an interview with Agatha Christie's grandson."

KerrieS reviews THE THIRD GIRL, Agatha Christie - audio at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "THE THIRD GIRL is one of the most satisfying Agatha Christie's I've "read" recently. In fact I think I'll have to put it in my top 10. There was plenty to enjoy about it from the characters of Ariadne Oliver and HP's secretary Miss Lemon, to depiction of the "new" British society of the late 1950's, with girls going out to work, and young people experimenting with drugs."

Bernadette reviews THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES posted at Reactions to Reading, saying, "It really is impressive how well this book stacks up given its age and its place in Ms Christie’s canon. I doubt there are many authors who have produced such a solidly accomplished first novel that is also perfectly readable and enjoyable ninety years after its release."

Julie reviews HICKORY DICKORY DOCK posted at Fervent Reader. "For the very first time in a full-length novel, Hercule Poirot’s ultra-efficient secretary Miss Lemon makes an appearance. She is under a lot of stress lately, as evidenced by a few mistakes she makes in typing letters for Poirot. Ordinarily, Miss Lemon does not make mistakes."

KerrieS asks Just how old was Hercule Poirot? at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "Hercule Poirot has a client, a young woman, who comes to see him saying she thinks she has murdered someone. She won't sit down and shuffles on her feet, refusing to meet his eyes. And then she blurts out that he is too old and flees. So just how old is he?"

KerrieS discovered this review of THE ABC MURDERS (1936) posted at The Agatha Christie Reader. The reviewer says "The ABC Murders follows on nicely from "Why Didn't They Ask Evans". While the latter book is a solid-enough romp (oh, that sounds like faint praise, but you know what I mean - it's robust run-around fun), The ABC Murders does some very remarkable things with a similar set up."

ng kai-lee presents Just another Christie: TAKEN AT THE FLOOD at Zhen's Summer Cafe-.In the autumn of 1944, Hercule Poirot was sitting at a club during an Air Raid where an old Major blabbered on a boring story nobody wanted to hear about. Two years later, the same story came to haunt Poirot as he got himself involved in the affairs of the Cloade family.

Short Stories


KerrieS presents Forgotten Story Collections: Agatha Christie posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "Many people who read Agatha Christie novels ignore the fact that she wrote some terrific short stories.
In my quest to read the works of Agatha Christie (novels and short stories) in the order in which they were written, I have identified 21 short story collections. So far I've read 82 short stories in this particular reading challenge."

KerrieS reviews THE LISTERDALE MYSTERY, Agatha Christie posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "This is a funny little collection of stories, some quite entertaining and others a bit pedestrian.
If there is a theme that Christie is exploring then it is probably the nature of love. In The Listerdale Mystery, Philomel Cottage, and Accident, which I thought were best in the collection, she plays with the twist in the tale, the unexpected ending."

Elizabeth presents Dead Man's Mirror at Miss Lemon's Mysteries, saying, "HP is in top form as he tackles three nagging murders -- two are locked-room murders and one a cold-blooded poisoning...."

Updates

Margaret presents an Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Update at BooksPlease, saying, "I've still got a long way to go, although I've read five more books since my last update."

KerrieS presents ACRC: Short Stories, Update #8 at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "Update: I've read 8 short story collections and 94 short stories. I think Agatha Christie must have been working continuously on them. Perhaps they were good money earners."

KerrieS presents ACRC Update - 17 May 2010 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "Update: I've been on a bit of an Agatha Christie kick this month."

Discoveries

While reading and thinking about Agatha Christie... posted at The Great Dark Wonder, "This blogger raises some interesting questions about how well Agatha Christie depicted the "lower" classes."

And Then There Were None: A Film Discussion Guide posted at Doug Geivett's Blog"A set of 15 questions related to "And Then There Were None" (USA, 1945), directed by René Clair, is the original film adaptation of the famed Agatha Christie novel."

Woman: Agatha Christie posted at Le Sphinx, "A mixture of covers and pictures of Agatha Christie."

This Week in the Circuit posted at The Classics Circuit  "This blog post marks the beginning of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction tour. Many Agatha Christie posts are included."

It's possible Agatha Christie had Alzheimer's: posted at The Great Dark Wonder  "This blogger says "I read Postern Of Fate, the final book she wrote, a few years ago and then told every mystery fan I knew to avoid it.""

A review of The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia posted at dekdum.com blog, saying, "An interesting reference book to check."

Agatha Christie: Mystery Figure game "Join the murder mystery hunt just begun on the Agatha Christie site."

Pera Palace Hotel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  "An article in Wikipedia on the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul where Agatha Christie wrote MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS".

Caricature/Cartoon - Hercule Poirot the Belgian Detective of Agatha Christie's Novels Sells Apartments in Rodentia. posted at Shafali's Caricatures. "This wonderful caricature is accompanied by some background about Hercule Poirot and a list of the novels he featured in."


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (June 23) of the agatha christie monthly carnival using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: , .