Today we (Dad, Mom, Dodge, Poncho, me, my godparents and godbrother) went to the Natural History Museum. On our way there we passed the art museum which made me go “Oooooohhh!!! We HAVE to go there, pleeeeeeeease Mommy, pleeeeeease!” They finally opened their impressionism wing. Impressionism is my favorite style of painting at the moment, and I’ve been waiting forever for more of the museum to be reopened after the renovations. We also passed the Botanical Gardens, which we have a membership for and the place that I absolutely adore. Oh, and Dad was in such rare form today. A bunch of places we passed he remarked as, “Oh, remember that crash? That was right here!” (To which Dodge replied, “That pole! That’s the one you were sitting by!” And I was all, “Aww! The pole!!”.) Then we passed this pond/lake and Dad was all, “Oh yeah, someone got killed there.” We passed a bunch of new houses and he was saying, “This used to be all burned-down stuff from the riots…” We were talkign about hospitals and he said, “Oh, there was one up here that I liked. It’s gone now, but it used to be pretty good. Except there were people who had been bludgeoned…”
Mom: “Did he just say bludgeoned?”
It was kind of humorous. Dad definitely was morbidly funny today.
We finally got to the Natural History Museum and met up with my godparents. My godbrother is very cute. He wanted to be our tour guide the whole time. Oh, and we got a membership to the place. Now we can go to the Natural History museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the art museum without paying! They’re all practically next door to each other anyway.
Well, at the museum there was an exhibit about space, which was very interesting. They had a thing that showed all the craters on the moon and what their names were. They were all named after mythological heroes, scientists, etc. And then there was one named Billy. Like, what, did they run out of names or something?
Despite how cool the exhibits were, my godbrother found something else even more fascinating. “Hey, look what I found!” he yelled. “It’s a window!”
Little kids are awesome.
Next we saw the animals part. There were a lot of taxidermied creatures everywhere, which was a little disturbing. I mean really, don’t you fund it just a little creepy when you turn a corner and you’re being stared at by, say, a crocodile or a bear or whatever? The apes are the worst, especially since my dad had to keep bringing up the fact that chimpanzees are highly dangerous. “Look at its fingers,” he said. Very disturbing. All I could think of were those crazy long fingers trying to gouge out my eye or something. I officially am afraid of apes. Except orangutans. I kind of like them. Not that I’d ever want to be very close to one, anyway. All the same, the animals part was interesting. Wolves, tigers, and ostriches are actually quite huge up close, you know. From far away in a zoo or on TV, they seem normal-sized, but in the museum a few inches from your face in all their stuffed, marble-eyed glory, they’re enormous! The tigers were frightening a bit but also inspiring in a way, since there is a tigerlike sort of creature that lives in my novel Layers of Shadows. Ah, yes. That dear on-hold novel. Oh well. Forgive me, NaNo. Writing contests call and so does destiny!
OK, over dramatic. Ummm. Oh yeah. So then we saw a TON of dinosaur stuff. I mean, dinosaurs are cool and all but I’m not exactly that into them. I used to be. (Land Before Time flashback!) But it was cool because they also had a prehistoric Irish Elk that was preserved in the bogs (*shudder*). It was gorgeous, though, in a weird way. Its bones were dark, dark brown and its antlers were thick and spreading. They had sabertooth tigers, mamoths, etc. They had a giant evil-looking fish’s head that was found in Rocky River. Museums all over the world have to use casts from that one becuase it’s the rare and prized original! Freaky to think that it probably swam around where my brothers and I go hiking around, though, splashing in the water and playing with the dogs. That monster of a thing used to prowl in the very places where we wade casually during the summer.
There were also rocks, fossils, and jewlery, but we didn’t get to see too much of that becuase the boys were very much less interested than us girls. So we said maybe Mom, my godmother, and me can all go back someday and just do that part. We appreciate beauty. ;P
We also explored outside and watched a fox get fed. I felt bad for some of the animals, though, especially the one raccoon becuase he kept pacing madly, like he was so stressed out, and his fur had marks in it from here the fence pushed into it every time the thing paced. My godmother clapped at it and tried to make it go away from the fence, stop pacing for even like five minutes, but it wouldn;t and it was heartbreaking in a way. There was also a turkey that my dad had a very interesting conversation with. It would make funny noises when he asked it questions. At first glance the turkey as quite ugly, but then once I looked at his eyes and he kept making that soft chirping noise I found him very sweet.
That was the end of our day at the museum. It was all in all, very fun.
On the drive home my dad was being funny again…. Mom was talking about their wedding photographer and how they were taking pretty bad pictures. They just didn’t have much talent for photgraphy I suppose, and Mom was saying, “You know, the birde’s not supposed to see the groom right before the wedding, so I wasn’t able to be there when the photgrapher was taking Daddy’s picture. I wasn’t there to tell her where to have them stand and everything, which I shouldn’t have to do anyway, but I would have–”
Dad (in a robot voice): “I will now assume control.”
I burst out laughing and couldn’t stop. Mom kept asking, “What did he say? What did he say?” But I was so out of breath I couldn’t say it without laughing more. Finally Dad told her and she was like, “Oh, thanks.”
Dad: “It’s from a Rush song! You know, they have all those weird noises, and then the guitar goes duhdadaduhna and then you hear, ‘I will now assume control.’”
Mom: “Oh.”
OMG I am still laughing about it. Ever since the drive home we’ve been saying “I will now assume control” to Mom.
The rest of our drive was Dad telling stories about faulty GPS’s and the crazy things that happen to him at work. It was a riot.

I just have to say, my family was awesome as usual.

My day ended with me lying exhausted and over-full (the rolls I ate at dinner killed me) on the couch watching Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. Miss Marple with her, “They Do It With Mirrors.” It was really good, actually. I totally didn’t expect that ending! Except I did know that that lady was up to something…. and I knew the newspaper was important….. Hmmmm. I want to read some of those books now and learn a few more things from Miss Marple. What’s cool is she’s this old lady but she still has such a keen eye and ear and such adventures. That is what I hope I’ll be like in my old age someday.

Wow. Long post. Time for bed now.

Peace,
–Pen

Mkay peoples.  The lovely Kals is hosting her very first challenge over at her equally lovely blog.  I’m not even going to waste time asking you to join in because I know you will.  Immediately.  What is the topic you ask?  Well, I will give you some hints:

1.  Knitting needles

2. Magnificent moustaches

3. Pipes that are usually filled with tobacco, but sometimes that kooky rascal Opium shows up too.

Put them all together and what have you got….

That’s right.  Kals is calling on all book lovers to get knee-deep in stories from three of the greatest mystery solving characters EVER.  The challenge is a year long undertaking beginning on January 1, 2010 and ending on December 31, 2010.  The basic premise is to choose two books from each of our nosy crime fighters and complete them within the year.  Please read the full details and sign up here.

I, for one, am really frigging excited about it.

Ah the mystery sock. How you’ve taken over my knitting life. After each row I get more excited to see what happens next.

Clue #1 done.

Half-way through Clue #2

Yarns: Socks that Rock in Roctober.  Knit Picks Essential/Stroll in Kettle Dyed Soot.

Needle: US 2   Size: Medium.   Pattern: Miss Marple Mystery Sock for November at Sock Knitters Anonymous at Ravelry.com

Margaret Rutherford

Moltissime attrici si sono cimentate nell’impersonificare Miss Marple, zitella della provincia inglese con l’innata abilità dell’investigatore, nata dalla fervida mente della regina del giallo Agatha Christie.

Chi più chi meno hanno avuto tutte una buona riuscita ma nel mio cuore una sola è rimasta scolpita in modo indelebile… la Miss Marple interpretata dalla grande attrice teatrale Margaret Rutherford.

Purtroppo ha potuto interpretare solo 4 film della suddetta Miss Marple ma nessuna come lei è riuscita ad imprimere una caratterizzazione così limpida, geniale e divertente al suo personaggio.

1961: Murder, She said (regia di George Pollock) – In Italia è uscito con il titolo: “Assassinio sul treno”.

1963: Murder at the Gallop (regia di George Pollock) – In Italia è uscito con il titolo: “Assassinio al galoppatoio”.

1964: Murder Ahoy! (regia di George Pollock) – In Italia è uscito con il titolo “Assassinio a bordo”.

1964: Murder Most Foul (regia di George Pollock) – In Italia è uscito con il titolo “Assassinio sul palcoscenico”.

Se riuscite a trovare i 4 film da lei interpretati non esistate un istante nell’acquistarli perchè cose così non se ne vedono più… sono dei veri e propri “must” per gli amanti del giallo e non.

Ora vi lascio dandovi appuntamento a domani per il più bel Poirot di tutti i tempi… Chi? ehehe domani lo scoprirete

Guinness 2010

Folheando a edição em português já de 2010 do famoso Guinness World Recordes, chamado na capa de “O livro da década”, encontrei por acaso uma nota que inclui Agatha Christie no rol dos recordes:

32,2cm: espessura do livro mais grosso, a edição limitada The Complete Miss Marple de Agatha Christie, lançado pelo HarperCollins em 20.05.2009.

O Ministério do Mistério adverte: deixar cair este livro da estante pode causar sérios acidentes, principalmente se ele cair em cima do seu pé…

Achei mais a respeito no site da HarperCollins:
- Agatha Christie breaks a Third World Record

32,2cm !

Ordeal by Innocence was originally published in 1958 and is only the second Agatha book I’ve read.  I’ve only had the Caribbean Mystery for comparison, so cannot judge if this is standard fare or one of Agatha’s more mediocre efforts.  It’s meandering plot is certainly lackluster compared to the sizzle and intrigue of the aforementioned book.  In Ordeal, the novelist ponders the ethics of letting sleeping dogs lie and if doing so would be the best course of action when coming forward would disrupt and disturb many people’s lives.  The book opens with a fellow coming forward with an alibi that clears a murderer after he’s already been convicted and died in custody.  Our protagonist Dr. Calgary, gives the murderer a ride during the time of the murder, but afterwards suffers a concussion and then ships off to the Arctic for a two year expedition.  He  doesn’t hear anything about the sensational case until after he returns to England.  The victim was the supposedly sainted mother of many adopted children.  The accused was the delinquent son, Jack, who was never quite right in the head.  Dr. Calgary’s coming forward clears the now deceased miscreant, but throws the family into turmoil because if Jack didn’t do it……who did?  Dr. Calgary then virtually disappears from the novel, but shows up here and there pondering the mystery and eventually solving it in the end.  There are many possibilities for the real murderer, including the widower and his secretary who are in love, the young beautiful but flighty daughter, the disaffected and angry younger son with a chip on his shoulder, the quiet and kind librarian daughter, the oldest daughter with the husband paralyzed by polio and the former nanny, now housekeeper.  No one really seems to have a motive on the surface, but as we learn each and every one’s back story we discover that everyone hated the mother and wanted her dead.  The book also reveals Agatha’s antipathy towards adoption as she mentions over and over how you can’t expect adopted children to really be family or to ever bond with their adopted parents.  There are the usual red herrings, twists and turns, a slightly disturbing sibling romance, but according to Agatha since they weren’t really brother and sister it’s fine!  I had suspicions about the real murderer from the beginning, but the motive ended up surprising me and there  is a complete surprise romance thrown in on the very last page that made me laugh out loud in its randomness.  Overall, a pleasant, if desultory read.  I would give it about a five.  Two murders: one stabbing in the back of the neck, one poker on the back of the head and one attempted murder by stabbing in the back.

Murder at the Vicarage was originally published in October of 1930 and is notable for the first appearance of Miss Marple and also is the first book set in St Mary Mead. Colonel Protheroe is the most despised member of this small village. The Vicar himself states on the opening page that “anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe would be doing the world at large a service.” And with this foreshadowing firmly in place, the aforementioned Colonel turns up dead in the Vicar’s study that very evening, killed by a gunshot to the back of the neck.

The whole book is narrated by the Vicar who has a very young and attractive wife, Griselda who has the audacity to denigrate our dear Miss Marple as discussed in my earlier post. Truly, Miss Marple is not very endearing in this novel, but is introduced as the village busybody albeit with a keen and fine intellect. Miss Marple’s house and garden just so happen to be ideally positioned to view all of the comings and goings at the Vicarage and so she immediately becomes quite involved in the case. According to Miss Marple, no fewer than seven people wanted Colonel Protheroe dead, the trick was to ferret out the culprit by matching the movements, motive and method of the murder. In this book, she serves to supply the reader with several “curious things” that pique our interest and move along the plot.

What strikes this reader is the old-fashioned nature of the plot and also the policing. The police fix the time of murder based on the stopped clock that has fallen over on the desk, plus a suspicious note with a time noted on the top. So different from today’s CSI shows with DNA and fiber analysis and crime scene technicians poring over the scene.

The Colonel’s wife is having an affair with the artist renting the studio at the Vicarage. The Colonel is murdered with the artist’s gun and he confesses immediately, followed by a second confession by the Colonel’s wife, but neither appears to be the killer. There is a matter of strange phone calls and the other remaining village gossips get involved. All fingers seem to point to a mysterious stranger named Mrs. Lestrange who visited the Colonel in secret the evening before and has no alibi for the time of the murder. Was it she who done the old fellow in?

Miss Marple of course vindicates herself by solving the murder by the end, but you’ll have to read it yourself to find out who the murderer was. While there were some witty parts, a little bit of action and the introduction of the awesome word shemozzle, Murder at the Vicarage was a bit of a slog to read. I’ll give it 4 daggers.

Just started Murder at the Vicarage and so far the story is being told by the Vicar, whose wife is a good twenty years younger than him.  Is this a common theme? There’s been a May/September romance in every book I’ve read so far.  Clearly, I’m going to have to read Agatha’s autobiography at some point to figure out her underlying influences.

The Vicar’s wife, Griselda, yes that’s really her name, is having some parishioners over to tea and has the audacity to diss our beloved Miss Marple!  Her comment about “that terrible Miss Marple” …. “She’s the worst cat in the village and she knows everything single thing that happens–and draws the worst inferences from it”  Shocking! One can only hope that Agatha throws this out in the beginning so by the end Griselda can eat her words when she discovers that Miss Marple is the shrewdest, hippest cat in town!

miss marple is going undercover to sniff out clues in dillmouth; her knitting and seemingly inane banter loosening lips left and right.  the funny thing is, she consistently plays the daffy dame to lure information out of suspects and witnesses alike.  it’s a great attribute to mimic.  sort of like fishing, you toss out the little bait, you compliment, you set out a trail of little white lies, and sooner than later, the secrets start flying out one after the other.  such cleverness!

Historical Heroines has a bob-for-apple game in the shop with great prizes:  two historically accurate hairstyles.

Miss Drew is a short bob style, one of two prizes for bobbing successfully is a pack of reds in this great hairstyle.

Miss Marple is a girly do, the red pack is your other apple bobbing prize. This hairstyle is pretty and feminine.. I love it!

Not all prizes in the game are as nice as these though.. beware the dreaded stinky apples and wormy apples!

• Historical Heroines:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20II/34/29/25

I couldn’t have picked better for my 201st post…The Oxford Murder prompted me to step back into the world of murder mysteries. My only grouse is that chicklit and murder mystery are the two most common genres that almost every wanna-be author wants to explore. As a result, you find most paperbacks packed with plenty of murder with some mystery thrown in.

In any case, I finally decided to try out Agatha Christie’s works and ended up picking ‘Miss Marple’s Final Cases‘ at the library. It was an interesting assortment of stories if one could say so.

The stories that I could read through are:

Sanctuary – A beautiful tale which is more or less solved by Miss Marple’s niece, Bunch Hammon. Mrs. Hammon comes across a man who is dying of a bullet wound at the church and tries to save him in vain. Her suspicions are aroused when a loud and obnoxious couple turn up claiming to be the man’s relatives. And then there is also the mystery as to why the dead man would’ve  chosen that particular shire or village to die in.

Strange Jest – A wealthy but childless uncle leaves his niece and nephew with a fortune only that its not hard cash or jewels. As the frustrated relatives reach their wits end to decipher the form of fortune…Miss Marple saves it for them with her seemingly simple logic and a little help from her deceased uncle Henry.

Tape-Measure Murder – Goes onto show how a single pin misplaced can solve a murder mystery. An old woman who is known to be pious and charitable is murdered at St. Mary Mead and the husband is the suspect. However, Miss Marple who is well acquainted with the deceased victim’s husband knows that it is not so but delves deeper into the victim’s past which reveals the murderer.

The Case of the Perfect Maid – 2 spinster sisters who rent out a apartment with 3 other tenants seem harmless on the face. All that appears is that the older sister cares deeply for the younger one who is suffering from mysterious maladies. Then when their old maid accused of stealing is replaced with a new albeit seemingly perfect maid, Miss Marple suspects something amiss. And then one fine day, the maid disappears and so do the tenants jewels and money.

The DressMaker’s Doll – A rather paranormal type of story where a puppet keeps shifting places scaring the head seamstress and her assistants not to mention their clientele. The knowing look on the doll’s face says it all.

In a Glass Darkly – Another paranormal kind of tale with a dark touch. A man mistakes a vision for something else when in the future he discovers himself to be part of that vision. Can he ever forgive himself or not?

And there are a few more in addition to these, but the above ones stand out in contrast. The book is a fast paced read and each story is individualistic with no relation to the previous or subsequent stories. As for the detective, Jane Marple is a delightful old lady who despite her advanced age is sharp in intellect as ever. Her methods of deductions seem so simple that if you were the inspector in the story, you’d just smack your head for not thinking it up before. Some deductions are so simple that mere observations would help solve the case while there are others that need a modicum of assumptions and groundwork.

During the first introduction to Miss Marple, every character’s first impression is that ‘what will this old lady help me with? How can she possibly solve my problem?’ but as the story progresses, they realize her value and importance. This is definitely one of those books that you can run through in a couple of hours give or take.

KILLER COUSINS

Cealie Gunther arrives in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, at the frantic urging of her semi-psychic cousin Stevie Midnight, who says she’s terrified and needs Cealie’s help. Trouble is, she won’t say why, and she and Cealie never got along well. Besides, Cealie owns a copyediting agency and can’t protect anyone. But she will try to help a family member. Cealie realizes she has made a big mistake once she arrives in Stevie’s backyard and trips over a body. Her cousin swears she doesn’t know the man. Cealie’s cousin acts stranger as she goes through withdrawals from quitting smoking. Cealie wants to leave, but police won’t let her until they learn what happened to the man she fell on.

Another major problem facing widowed Cealie is her hunky sometimes-ex lover Gil Thurman, who arrives to open his newest Cajun Delights restaurant. Cealie thinks she wants to resist Gil so she can rediscover herself, but he creates sparks and she is so bad at avoiding tempting dishes and men.

Cealie feels a need to help her cousin remain healthy and alive, and snoops into her cousin’s Stop Smoking Group, where more people die. More than chandeliers hang from rafters, and even a parish priest hides secrets.

This heartwarming blend mixes suspense and murder with love and quirky characters. 

REVIEWS AND AUTHOR QUOTES for June Shaw’s KILLER COUSINS

“Killer Cousins is great! In the ‘a la mode’ of Agatha Christie, Miss Marple, and onward. Grab it up when you hop on a plane–it will take you for a ride.”  New York Times Bestselling Author Heather Graham

———

“June Shaw’s Killer Cousins is like a bowl of spicy Gumbo, delicious until the last bite and leaves you wanting more.”  Barbara Colley, author of the Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series

——–

“Fans of June Shaw’s first book, Relative Danger, with be delighted with this sequel, KILLER COUSINS.  Sexy Cealie is back with new and old friends. It’s a keeper!”

–Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author of the Booktown Mysteries

—————-

“If you haven’t yet met Cealie Gunther and her wacky cousin Stevie, you’re in for a real treat.  Sit back, relax and enjoy June Shaw’s newest cozy KILLER COUSINS–and wait until you read that first line.  It’ll hook you right in and won’t let you go.  An amusing and intriguing read throughout.”  L. C. Hayden, author of WHEN CASEY HAD TO DIE, an Agatha Finalist for Best Novel

——–

June Shaw back with ‘Killer Cousins’

Thibodaux La.’s June Shaw, who introduced widow Cealie Gunther in the mystery Relative Danger, brings the sleuth back, this time in Gatlinburg, Tenn., in her latest thriller Killer Cousins.

Cealie’s been trying to find herself, so to speak, which is why she’s sworn off Louisiana lover Gil Thurman and headed for Mexico. Cealie stops in Gatlinburg when her candle-burning, crystal-wearing cousin Stevie Midnight insists she is in danger and in need of her cousin’s assistance. Before Cealie can cross Stevie’s threshold and inquire as to her fear, she stumbles over a dead man’s body in the front yard.

Shaw has lots of fun with her mysteries, and you will, too. It’s a laughable romp with some eccentric characters – and a few spicy Cajun dishes thrown in, too.  –

Chere Coen – The Daily Advertiser

——–

Cealie and her her cousin Stevie argue, while investigating group members to determine who is applying the Christie story And Then There Were None.

Relentless amateur sleuths world at solving a murder mystery, middle age dieting, and controlling the cigarette addiction.  June Shaw provides a fine Tennessee cozy.

 Harriet Klausner

——————-

“This book is a gumbo of wry wit and deadpan humor—rollicking good fun!”
-Ken Wells, author of Meely LaBauve

—————-

Cealie Gunther makes me laugh out loud!  I highly recommend this book.—

Dawn Doodle – Mystery Lovers Corner

—————–

 KILLER COUSINS is June Shaw’s second book. From the great first line (My day would have started much better if I hadn’t tripped over a body.) to the Cajun recipes and advice on stopping smoking, this book is a fun romp. The characters are kooky and the plot twists over and over again. Who was that blow-up doll I saw you hanging out with last night? To find out what that means, you’ll have to read the book.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – Caryl Harvey, I Love a Mystery
—————–                                                                            

Review by Armchair Interviews: Killer Cousins, June Shaw’s second mystery, is a charming story. Grandmother Cealie Gunther is tricked into visiting her eccentric cousin Stevie, whom she has never really gotten along with, in Tennessee.

Killer Cousins has several interesting characters and issues that all women can easily relate to. Cealie is one of the most interesting grandmas around. With all of the main characters being in their “golden years,” I wasn’t expecting the story to have so many issues that I could relate to. I was interested to see what these ladies were dealing with–and many are the same dating and life issues a 20-something person deals with.

June Shaw, www.juneshaw.com
KILLER COUSINS – “Killer Cousins is great! In the ‘a la mode` of Agatha Christie and
onward!” -  N.Y. Times Best-selling author Heather Graham
RELATIVE DANGER – “humorous…suspenseful”  Publishers Weekly

Eindelijk! Miss Marple is nu ook digitaal en virtueel een feit.
Het heeft even geduurd, maar klanten gaan voor het meisje zogezegd.

Miss Marple is een communicatieadviesbureau dat jou kan – en graag wil – voorzien in hulp bij communicatievraagstukken & projectmanagement.

Je huurt Miss Marple in om creatieve projecten te ontwikkelen, structureren en accountmanagement over te nemen. Maar ook om mee te denken over nieuwe communicatieprocessen en -strategieën.

Miss Marple heeft veel contacten in het onderwijs & met jonge creatieven uit de regio. Zo kan zij je helpen om frisse nieuwe indrukken te vergaren en voor een scherpe prijs kekke designs te implementeren. Geen fullservice in house, maar wel net om de hoek.

Heb je interesse in een oriënterend gesprek neem dan contact op via miss-marple@live.com.

Tot snel!
Miss Marple 

Agatha Christie. 10 September – 23 September 2009.
My rating: ♦♦♦◊◊

Click to view at Amazon.co.uk

The 37th installment of The Agatha Christie Collection, The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side, sees the return of Miss Marple as the title sleuth. The latest offering has a cunning twist but overall fails to leave a lasting impression.

The early part of the book spends a great deal of time “setting the scene”, but the characters are mostly bland and 2-dimensional. The inevitable murder is a relief, because it means there will at least be some plot movement.

The recurring themes for the investigation are quickly established, the “Lady Shallott” look. Christie wisely avoids dwelling for too long on any character or interview, and instead keeps the investigations brief. Although the characters are mostly quite dull and their accounts repetitive, the swift progression from one to the next prevents you from getting bogged down.

The story comes into its own at the end, with the plot quickening and twists emerging as the body count suddenly soars. The latter parts of the book are much more like the Christie we know and love.

It must be said, while I have criticised the flatness of some characters, it does succeed in making the more memorable ones shine out all the more. The incredibly complex Marina Gregg is unravelled further and further, and the represetation of the TV scene is very well represented from Christie’s quaint era. In particular, Gregg’s frequent marriages and divorces together with showbiz melodrama makes Gregg a wonderfully parodied yet equally original central character.

Also worth mentioning is Miss Marple’s hired help, Miss Knight, who backflips stereotypes of old and young people. Knight is incredibly funny combined with Marple’s sharp wit and refusal to be patronised because she is older.

Disappointing is Dermot Craddock as the lead investigator in the case. Unlike Poirot, where he does the work and has an obligatory sidekick, it is Craddock who does all the investigating in this case, with Miss Marple in something of a supporting role until the end. Notwithstanding Craddock’s own weaknesses – very little is shown of his analysis, thoughts, feelings or turmoil – it does seem a little misleading to class this as a Marple novel. Surely a character so famous of Miss Marple deserved more dialogue and action?

Overall, The Mirror Crack’d is a good read. It’s one of Christie’s shortest, which prevents the flatness of the plot and characters from being too defined. There are some great exchanges, and the solution – though very quickly revealed and forgotten in a rushed ending disproportionate to its importance – will leave you slapping your head for not working it out!

you can take the girl out of england but you can’t take the england out of the girl: an afternoon of writing, tea in my new vintage english pink cup, tiny fruit cakes and murder- listening to bbc agatha christies who dunnits on digital radio with june whitfield playing miss marple, which can be  a little disconcerting when listening as I keep getting ab fab flashbacks! the perfect afternoon indoors as my greek summer cools down…

just got these from my grandmother as other half managed to bring whole set back in hand luggage on plane despite lots of moaning naturally.  they are royal stuart, bone china, made in england and each cup, saucer and plate is in a different pastel shade with gilded scalloped edging. i remember admiring them in the china cabinet when I was little as they reminded me of rainbows and cupcakes… sniff sniff though the pink plate is missing… but at least the others are going to be loved again.

What comes to mind when you hear the word Torquay?  For me, it is an image of John Cleese as the hilariously incompetent hotel proprietor in Fawlty Towers. 

But this week is different, as Torquay is hosting the Fifth Annual Agatha Christie Festival in honor of the their native daughter (and best-selling novelist of all time, thank you very much).  It sounds like it will be great fun, starting with the opening event:  A Fete Worse Than Death!  I wish I were there. 

Agatha Christie occupies a special place in my reading history.  I first encountered her at age eleven.  I was a precocious reader, and teen fiction as we now know it really did not exist.  My mother loved reading murder mysteries, and she was pretty sure Agatha Christie would provide a reasonably age-appropriate reading experience.  

Well, the die was cast.  I started reading Agatha Christie that summer, and I have adored murder mysteries ever since.  Christie was still living when I started reading her, and for some years my mother would give me the latest hardback for my birthday or Christmas. 

To the best of my knowledge, I have read all of her fiction.  My favorite of her detectives is Miss Marple, and I highly recommend Murder at the Vicarage, the first of the Miss Marple mysteries.  The distinguished mystery novelist and critic H. R. F. Keating named these as her top three titles:  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (also a personal favorite of mine), Murder on the Orient Express, and Sleeping Murder. 

Christie is not so well known for the non-mystery novels that she wrote under the name Mary Westmacott.  One of these titles, Absent in the Spring, would make my list of all-time memorable books, and I am happy to see that it is in print.  I will be ordering it for the Library.  

If by some happenstance you have never read anything by Agatha Christie, I think you would enjoy the experience.  And if you like it, there are dozens more! 

Happy Reading! 

The Book Goddess

Tonight was the UK debut of the new look Marple and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I still prefer Geraldine McEwan’s portrayal of Miss Marple to that of Julia McKenzie, although she does bring a certain calm, considered interpretation to the role that will probaby grow on me.

They didn’t take too many liberties with the original Agatha Christie plot this time, only adding a few extra back stories and additional embellishments that didn’t jar too much as they were all typical of Christie anyway.

The acting, I thought, was superb. I loved Adele Fortescue; especially her confusion when Inspector Neale asks about all the Yew trees around the house. I also loved poor Gladys and was pleased to find out that she was played by Libby Purves’ daughter, Rose who I have read about as a baby in her mother’s fabulous books (I recommend How Not To Be A Perfect Parent to everyone) but who is all grown up now and a fantastic actress.

Matthew Macfadyen was good as the detective. It’s amazing how unattractive a usually handsome man can become with just the small addition of a moustache isn’t it? I usually like Rupert Graves but he was vile in this, really slimey and horrible. It was a far cry from his lovely Scudder in Maurice. Oh sigh.

I always love Lucy Cohu, who played Pat Fortescue. I think she is an amazing actress and was seemingly born to wear 1950s costume as she looked marvellous as Princess Margaret in The Queen’s Sister as well. She was the high point of Becoming Jane too, as her glamorous French cousin Eliza.

I’m confused though by Helen Baxendale’s fake nose. What was the point of that?

Oh and since when was hailing someone as ‘my old crusty crumpet!’ a sign of affection? It sounds a bit lurid to me but then maybe I have been listening to too much Emilie Autumn.

I must admit I sat down ready to cast a rather jaundiced eye over ITV’s latest series of Marple [they did away with the "Miss" in the previous series in order to gussy it up somewhat and appeal to The Youth Market or some such, which is ridiculous, unnecessary and loses a little of the charm granted by the pleasing alliteration of the two M's, if you ask me. Though nobody did, of course, which is very much their loss.]

Julia McKenzie is the seventh incumbent of the much-loved Agatha Christie character, following in the somewhat daunting footsteps of Geraldine McEwan, Gracie Fields, Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, Helen Hayes and my favourite of the Miss Marples (ha, in your face, ITV), the indomitable Joan Hickson – a class act which would be nigh on impossible to beat.

Joan Hickson as Miss Marple

However, as the darling Hickson is no longer with us, I have come to terms with the fact that one must allow others to step into the [sensible] shoes. It has taken some time, and I am afraid I must admit my snobbishness put me off viewing the previous series – with Geraldine McEwan as Miss marple – altogether. Therefore, I cannot judge if McKenzie is better or worse than her immediate predecessor, but as I have always liked her as an actress, so was willing to at least give her a chance. I am sure she – and ITV – are very much relieved to hear this.

Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie’s grandson and Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd, has said that he is “…delighted that Julia McKenzie is playing Miss Marple, one of my grandmother’s, and the British public’s favourite fictional characters. She has that wonderful combination of homeliness, intelligence and compassion that is so appealing and effective in solving mysteries. The British public is in for a treat with this story and another three more, not to mention marvellous casts to support Julia. My grandmother would have been very proud that her work still commands such outstanding professional support in the twenty-first century.”

Julia Mckenzie as Miss Marple

Well. Of course, one call fall in love with settings and start swooning all over the place as country houses, well-manicured lawns and luscious costumes all jostle for attention. I did worry that the first few minutes would prove to be more than enough for me, as it seemed to be jumping from pillar to post by way of a Vaseline-smeared camera lens, in order to convey the subtle message This Is a Flashback, to incredibly dense viewers. It got better.

I liked Mckenzie’s performance very much indeed – just the right amount of knowing sweetness and the ability to turn on the gimlet-eyed stare to quell the hardiest of criminals. It was never going to beat Joan Hickson’s portrayal, I suppose, but this is a very pleasing series, and the perfect Sunday evening cosy viewing.We watched it with pots of tea & toasted fruit bread dripping with butter. I say we but the be-ringleted fiance only managed to make it through the first hour. Don’t be guilty of assuming this meant it was dreadful. For him, that’s paramount to nominating the series for an BAFTA. He doesn’t do historical dramas, really, but bless his heart he tried.I shall certainly be catching the next installment, though have resigned myself to the fact I shall likely have the sofa to myself.

This all ties in rather nicely with a Treasury I was putting together a while ago (having always loved Miss Marple). I got to wondering how Miss Marple would have been as a young gal, and thought she must surely always have been fascinated in the mysterious and, therefore, couldn’t possibly have resisted sticking her nose into other people’s business. This time, though, she’d have been wearing foxier outfits whilst sleuthing, don’t you think?

Direct links to items shown:

P Tierney Designs

White Apple

Puff Pastry

Ureshii

Julie Boyles

BeadinBabe

Further links:

Tago Design

Stephanie Teague

Gwynstone

Andrea Kett

Castle of Charm

Green Eyed Girl Shop

I must say I really like the Miss Marple Look anyway – especially as the days get chillier with a distinct Autumnal nip in the air and one turns to opaques and strokes cashmere again with gentle hand of a lover. Every now and again I start hankering after a bit of tweed, myself, though glamourised with sexy heels and a slash of red lipstick, of course…

Yours sleuthingly,

Miss Nightingale

x

När man sett en massa nyproducerade tv-deckare som byggts upp kring Agatha Christies stora centralgestalter Miss Marple och Hercule Poirot börjar man bli osäker på vad hon egentligen har skrivit och vad som är fria konstruktioner på den grund som hon lagt med sina böcker. En del intriger är ju så platta eller dåliga att man genast inser att de inte har något att göra med den verkliga Agatha Christie.

Vill man möta henne bortom romanerna ska man uppenbarligen läsa John Currans nyutkomna Agatha Christie’s secret notebooks. Den bygger på 73 anteckningsböcker som Agatha Christie lämnat efter sig. Här kan man bland många trivialt vardagliga notiser också följa hennes intensiva arbete med att konstruera mordintriger. Och hon var i det avseendet otroligt produktiv.

Curran noterar att man kan läsa en deckare av hennes hand varje månad under sju år innan man hunnit igenom hennes bidrag till världslitteraturen.

För visst är det världslitteratur även om många rynkar på näsan åt deckare (och särskilt Agatha Christies massproduktion). Men i The Daily Mail tog den kände författaren A.N. Wilson henne nyligen i försvar:

Literary snobs like to denigrate Christie. They say the stories are wooden. What they mean by this is that they have a firm structure. They actually conform to the great classical literature of the past.

In the collection of stories she gathered together for The Labours Of Hercules, Christie closely followed the original Greek myths.

Not only did she name her little Belgian detective Hercule, but she saw a direct connection between him and Hercules, the demigod who occupied a role a bit like that of Christ in Greek mythology.

Hercules was not just a he-man, he was a problem-solver just like Poirot and Miss Marple. It’s almost as if they are angels from another planet who come and resolve moral problems and criminal puzzles for us.

We come to Agatha Christie’s stories from lives which are muddled and messy, and from a world in which real murders are horrifying and bloody.

By the end, order has been restored to the universe, and to our hearts. She is the most consoling of all English writers, and although there have been many marvellous authors in the sphere of crime fiction, she is rightly considered the Queen.

Agatha – The Queen

Problemet med denna brottets drottning är väl annars idag att hennes namn just missbrukas av en mediaindustri som säljer underhållning under falskt namn. Plus att vi mer och mer identifierar hennes gestalter med de skådespelare som vi oftast ser i tv-rutan. David Suchet har för många numera blivit inkarnationen av Hercule Poirot trots att den skarpsinnige belgiske detektiven för andra främst förknippas med Peter Ustinov som spelade rollen i inte mindre än sex filmer.

Och vem vill inte helst minnas Margaret Rutherford som miss Marple snarare än senare mer eteriska rollgestaltare?

Det blir en personlighetsklyvning som i slutändan lämnar tittaren en aning förvirrad.

Agatha Christie – liksom Maria Lang, för den delen – är underskattad, både som deckarförfattare och samhällsskildrare. Återupptäck henne (dem)!

Och varför inte just nu, när det precis kommit en ny bok, ”Agatha Christie´s Secret Notebooks. Fifty Years of Mystery in the Making”  (HarperCollins), där John Curran går igenom de 73 handskrivna, privata anteckningsböcker som Agatha Christie efterlämnade och hennes dotter upptäckte för bara några år sen.

Ska jag så fort som möjligt lägga kontokortet och ögonen på!

I boken, som du kan läsa mer om t ex här, får vi bl a reda på vilken känd Hercule Poirot-deckare som egentligen var tänkt att ha Miss Jane Marple som huvudperson och vilka av Christies deckare som slutar på helt andra sätt än vad deckarförfattarinnan hade tänkt sig, från början. 

Plus att ”Agatha Christie´s Secret Notebooks” – inte minst – innehåller ett par nya, dvs tidigare opublicerade Poirot-noveller. En av dem kan i sin helhet läsas på hemsidan för den engelska tidningen The Daily Mail.

Följande uppmaning att omvärdera Agatha Christie som deckarförfattare, samhälls- och kvinnoskildrare skrevs när några av hennes detektivromaner senast återutgavs i Sverige.

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Trots alla nya kvinnliga deckarnamn: Deckardrottningen är och förblir Agatha Christie, den engelska pusseldeckarförfattarinnan som 1971 adlades och fick titeln Dame Agatha.

Med sina drygt hundra boktitlar är Agatha Christie (1890-1976) en av 1900-talets mest lästa författare. Böckerna har översatts till ett hundratal språk och sålt i mer än två miljarder exemplar. I Sverige ligger Christie i toppen av bibliotekens utlåningsstatistik och böckerna trycks fortfarande i nya upplagor.

Fotot på Agatha Christie är hämtat från omslaget till den återutgivningsserie som jag skriver om.

Senast har Bonniers förlag återutgivit åtta Christie-deckare till lågpris: ”En dos stryknin”, ”Tretton vid bordet”, ”Döden till mötes”, ”Mord på ljusa dagen” och ”Begravningar är farliga” (alla med Hercule Poirot som huvudperson), ”Mordet i prästgården”, ”Liket i biblioteket” och ”Trick med speglar” (med miss Marple).

Också deckarkritikerna, som länge ansåg att Christie skrev gammalmodiga pusseldeckare om brott i högreståndsmiljöer (exempelvis biblioteket i någon herrgård), har omvärderat henne. Nu lovordas hon för ”finessrika intriger” och ”logiska upplösningar”.

Dessutom börjar allt fler kritiker, både i Sverige och utomlands, uppskatta hennes realistiska skildring av den lilla engelska byn, St Mary Mead, och dess utveckling från gammeldags idyll till ett mer modernt samhälle med supermarket, flerfamiljshus och ungdomsproblem.

Ja, inte nog med det! De senaste åren har mer eller mindre feministiska litteraturstuderande på olika universitet uppmärksammat Agatha Christies romaner. Där finns många porträtt av starka och handlingskraftiga kvinnor, menar de.

Christies mest kända huvudpersoner och problemlösare är förstås Hercule Poirot respektive miss Jane Marple.

Idén till Poirot fick Agatha Christie när hon under första världskriget arbetade som sjuksköterska i Torquay och kom i kontakt med flyktingar från Belgien. Hon gav honom det ironiska förnamnet Hercule för att han, till skillnad mot den grekiske guden, var en liten man, inte längre än 160 centimeter. Efternamnet kan syfta på Poirots ägg- eller päronformade huvud.

Denne före detta belgiske polis, ”a foreigner”, som talar bruten engelska och är sååå pimpinett med sin vaxade mustasch introduceras i Christies debutdeckare ”En dos stryknin” från 1920 (eller, uppgifterna varierar, 1921).

Genom vems ögon såg hon huvudpersonen – sina egna eller läsarens? Var det så att Christie med Hercule Poirot ville göra upp med engelsmännens fördomsfulla inställning till utlänningar? För hur liten och löjlig Poirot än kan förefalla, så fungerar hans små grå celler bättre än någon annans.

Inspirationen till miss Marple kom från hennes egen farmor och andra äldre tanter i Agathas barndom.

Ungmön Jane Marple, 65 till 70 år, lång, tunn och bräcklig med nästan vitt hår, löste sin första riktiga deckargåta i romanen ”Mordet i prästgården” (1930). Då hade hon redan introducerats i en serie noveller, där några personer träffades och berättade var sin kriminalhistoria som de övriga skulle försöka lösa. Miss Marple löste samtliga gåtor före de andra – trots att sällskapet innehöll en tidigare chef för Scotland Yard.

I romanerna ligger hon alltid tanken före den nedlåtande och buttre polisinspektören Slack. Något som miss Marple inte tycker är något konstigt alls. Hela sitt liv har hon ju bott i St Mary Mead och var någonstans kommer man människor så nära att man lär känna den mänskliga naturen, om inte i en liten by?

Miss Marple, som blev uppåt 90 år, och Poirot, som måste ha varit cirka 140 när han avled i romanen ”Ridå” (1975), är skönlitterära porträtt av äldre människor. Hur många äldre personer förekommer i litteraturen? Nej, inte är de många – och de blir allt färre…

Jane Marple, som tycker om att sticka och även påtade i trädgården så länge kroppen tillät, framställs i början som en nyfiken skvallertant. I senare romaner är hon snarare en livsvis gammal kvinna. Även Hercule Poirot förändras. De ”främmande” manéren försvinner.

Men är det personerna som förändras eller sker förändringen i betraktarens ögon? Är Christies budskap i Poirot-deckarna att det främmande blir helt naturligt när man vant sig vid det? Liksom berättelserna om miss Marple är en uppmaning till läsarna att inte ha fördomar om gamla människor utan se dem som människor med erfarenheter och, inte minst, som individer.

Agatha Christie skrev även ett antal romaner om Tommy och Tuppence Beresford, ett jämställt äkta par där hustrun snarast är den starkare. I den första romanen, ”Den hemlighetsfulle motståndaren” (1922), är Tommy och Tuppence något över 20 – i ”Ett sting i tummen” (1968) har de blivit pensionärer.

Ariadne Oliver heter en annan intressant person, ibland förekommande i Poirot-böckerna. Oliver skriver deckare med en finsk (?) detektiv som hjälte. Hon är dessutom feminist. Var Christies självporträtt slutar och parodin tar över får läsaren bedöma.

Det är hög tid att läsa deckarförfattarinnan Agatha Christie med nya ögon och omvärdera henne som samhälls- och människoskildrare. I en intressant c-uppsats, skriven vid högskolan i Luleå, ställer Anna Sköld frågan om Agatha Christie var feminist eller anti-feminist. Hon finner att det förra överväger.

(Delvis olika texter i Sköna Dagar 2000 och Ystads Allehanda 2001)

PS. Länk till  www.agathachristie.com

I am a huge, massive Agatha Christie fan. I used to be faintly embarrassed about this but have wholeheartedly embraced my love of retro crime fiction in recent years – mainly because I am old enough now not to care about the vagaries of fashion but also because Christie really does seem to be in vogue again, if she ever fell out.

Opinion is divided about the ITV dramatisations of her Miss Marple series and to some extent, justifiably so as they very rarely stick to the plots of the original books and even, shock horror, use books that didn’t feature Miss Marple at all. They also have a tendency to change or leave out crucial plot points, give characters sexualities that weren’t even implied in the books and swap murderers, as in The Body in the Library.

I don’t care though and have to admit that I really do love them. Over the top, brash and ridiculous they might well be but I adore their super kitsch fifties styling with nipped in waists, red lipstick and winged sunglasses. The fifties might well have been a miserable time for those who really lived through it but you would never guess it from the Marple series, where it is always sunny (unless Miss Marple needs to get caught in a snow storm) and life looks like it has never been better.

I think that my favourite episodes are The Moving Finger, which is just wonderful and very true to the original and Sleeping Murder, which took enormous liberties but was still immensely watchable and rather creepy. I also enjoyed At Bertram’s Hotel, which was exceedingly over the top and ultimately nonsensical but sometimes that is a good thing.

Geraldine McEwan’s portrayal of Miss Marple has come under a lot of fire over the years, mainly from people who compare it to Joan Hickson’s wry, colourless, rather tepid turn in the eighties. I liked it though – the idea of Miss Marple as a whispy, mousey spinster never sat entirely well with me and I infinitely preferred McEwan’s version with her crazy cardigans, twinkling eyes and sprightly wit. I was a smidgeon put out when I heard that she was leaving and being replaced by Julia McKenzie but am prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt and see how it goes.

A Pocket Full of Rye, the first of the Julia McKenzie Marple episodes is due to be screened on Sunday 6 September and frankly, I can’t wait. It features the usual all star cast, including  several people most usually connected with comedy and also the very lovely Matthew Macfadyen and also Rupert Graves, who is the third most famous person to come from Weston super Mare.

Murder is Easy follows on Sunday 13 September. Now as any Christie fan will tell you, the original book doesn’t feature Miss Marple at all and is a standalone mystery involving the occult in a quiet village in Middle England. I’m going to reserve judgement until I have actually seen it though – it can’t be much worse than the excerable film version from the early eighties.

Other upcoming episodes of Marple are: They Do It With Mirrors (which I am really looking forward to as it has Joan Collins and the luminously beautiful Emma Griffiths Malin), Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (with Rik Mayall in the cast) and, most excitingly The Mirror Crack’d, starring Lindsay Duncan as Marina Greig, which will probably be screened next year.

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Neulich waren die Margaret-Rutherford-Filme dran, aber ich habe noch einen Trumpf in der Hinterhand: “Tod im Spiegel” mit Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Geraldine Chaplin und anderen (in einer winzigen, wortlosen Nebenrolle Pierce Brosnan). Wenn das nicht eine Starbesetzung ist, dann weiß ich auch nicht. Die wunderbare Angela Lansbury spielt eine wunderbare Miss Marple  -  clever, humorvoll, bissig. Werde ich heute ganz in Ruhe genießen.

I didn’t always knit socks.  I used to knit important things like jumpers and, even, pièce de résistance, a skirt.  The skirt’s the biggest success I’ve ever had in the knitting department and I finished it as recently as two years ago. It’s in Jo Sharp’s DK Cotton in the colourway, Sage, and you can see the easy but complicated-looking pattern below.  Every time I wear this skirt, I get a thrill.  It’s slinky, comfortable and thank you, no, it doesn’t drop.

Since I discovered the joys of sock knitting, however, it’s taken over and now I knit little else.  There are so many reasons to like sock knitting.  Here are just ten of them:

1. It’s light and portable; no having to carry funny-looking bags you wouldn’t normally be caught dead with.  You can just stick it in a corner of your handbag, or a pocket, like I do.  In short, as Clive Robertson once said of the newsreader Richard Moorecroft and his penchant for hiding injured marsupials, it can be “secreted upon one’s person”.
2. You get to finish a project in a week or two.
3. A quick half row at the traffic lights makes them turn green.
4. It confers the most sturdy phlegmatism on the knitter …
5. … and a curious expansiveness on the watcher.  It’s no coincidence Agatha Christie had Miss Marple knit her way to finding out whodunnit (while poor old Hercule had to rely on fondling his moustaches).  I often have to interview people in my work, and I would love to pull out my knitting when asking questions; I’m positive I’d get some revealing answers.
6. There’s something peculiarly satisfying about hand knitting something as utilitarian as a pair of socks; like the bathmat I knitted last year, it’s something that was born to be machine-made.
7. Everyone thinks you’re so clever, and if you’re using self-patterning wool, they literally goggle.
8. It’s the ultimate hedge against boredom: the boredom of the long-distance knitter and external boredoms, as it were.  The waiting in queues kind.
9. At the end of the process one has a perfect present to give away, a present that’s surprising, intimate and useful.
10. There’s no sewing up.  Enough said?

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