November has been busy and I haven’t been able to find the time or energy to write proper reviews. However, I have noticed other bloggers doing mini reviews and thought this must be the solution in a tight spot.
The Queen of Crime
Audible included no less than two Agatha Christie books in November’s daily deals, which means you can download the audiobooks for a price similar to a cup of coffee (depending on your taste in coffee, even cheaper than a cup of coffee). Obviously, I dowloaded both.
Can you reread The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and still enjoy it? FictionFan thought so and I tend to agree. This Poirot story has a mind-blowing plot, which leaves most readers speechless and which is difficult to forget. Of course, it is a very different experience to reread, since the pure joy and amazement, when the solution is revealed, doesn’t materialise. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Christie’s writing and Hugh Fraser’s narration and it was fun to look for clues.
My experience with short stories has been mixed and The 13 Problems was no exception. Some of the stories were brilliant with surprising solutions, others were less engaging. I enjoyed getting to meet many of the characters, who appear in Christie’s full length Miss Marple novels and overall it was a good read.
Unpopular Opinions
Sometimes, I give in and download books, which are hyped and praised in the book community. And sometimes, I don’t get, what all the fuss is about.
After having read Mel Sherratt’s Hush Hush about detective Grace Allen, I was looking forward to the next book in the series, Tick Tock. But in my opinion, the latter lacked the tension and excitement from Hush Hush and it left me rather disappointed.
With our Blessing is the first book in Joe Spain’s series about Detective Inspector Tom Reynolds. It takes place in Ireland and has links to the notorious Magdalene Laundries. I didn’t get on with this one at all. The narrator may be part of the reason. I found myself laughing in situations, where I was clearly meant to be on the edge of my seat, and generally the narration made it difficult for me to take the story seriously.
The characters were mostly generic and uninteresting and the plot was fairly predictable. I do find the issues around the Magdalene Laundries intriguing, but I would much prefer to rewatch the movie Philomena with the remarkable Judith Dench.
A New Travel Companion
Most weeks I travel for work, which means I spend a decent part of my life on planes, in airports and in hotel rooms. This is of course a good time to catch up on my reading (and on my sleep…). On my latest trips, I have had Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache as a travel companion.
The setting for the Gamache novels is Three Pines, a small village in Quebec and in the first two books we get to know many of the locals, who are a colourful bunch. Since these stories are undemanding in terms of plot complexity and number of characters you need to keep track of, they are perfect to read on the road. Admittedly, it took me a while to get into the first book, but by the end of book one I was smitten and had to download book two, whilst running from one plane to another, using the wifi of the airport. I sincerely hope, Inspector Gamache will accompany me on future trips as well. Thanks to Sandra for recommending.
This was my first attempt at mini reviews! I quite enjoyed firing quick opinions about books, without much depth or perspectivation. On the other hand, I suppose mini reviews contain limited information for readers, who are not already familiar with the books. What is your view on mini reviews?
Loved these mini reviews, Stargazer💜 Your feelings about the stories come through clearly, just enough.
Thanks Jonetta, I am glad to hear that. I might do more of these in the future. 😀
Yay! So glad you liked them! They are perfect light reads if crime can be considered light, and they get better as the series goes on. (Tho I have I feeling book 3 was not one of the best…) I will get back to blogging. One day!
The characters always play an important role to me, even in crime fiction, and I found Penny’s characters real, interesting and quite colourful! I am just about hanging in there with the blogging at the moment. But as I always tell myself, it’s meant to a fun hobby and if there is no time or energy to write the posts, that is absolutely fine!
You’ve summed it up for me at the moment. Neither time nor energy! Nice to follow along when I can though 🙂
I often find myself browsing other blogs, whenever I sit down to write a post. Somehow it seems to require less focus.:-)
I love Agatha Christie but I haven’t read either of these ones yet. I haven’t tried her work on audio before either – that could be fun!
If you decide to try one of the audiobooks, you should choose one narrated by Hugh Fraser (who played Hastings in the ITV Poirot tv series). He does a really good job!
I think your mini reviews are fab! I have always wanted to try Jo Spain, but not as much so now! The Magdalene Laundries are definitely an interesting topic though. I love Louise Penny’s books and always intend to read more. That’s a fab idea to travel with them!
Aww, thanks! Don’t let my review hold you back. Sometimes, I think our opinions may be coloured by a lot of factors; if we are in the right mood for this kind of book, if we take to the narrator, etc. And to be fair With Our Blessing has got very positive reviews. I didn’t know you are a Louise Penny reader as well. I recently started, but mean to continue with the series little by little.
Stay with Gamache. They get better and better!
Thanks, that is exactly what Sandra told me! I already look forward to continue with the series.
Glad you enjoyed your re-read of Roger Ackroyd, and thanks for the link! 😀 I don’t get on so well with Christie’s short stories either – I think they don’t give her enough room for her plotting, which is what makes her full-length novels so good. I’ve yet to try the Louise Penny books, though number one has been lingering on my TBR for far too long…
As for mini-reviews, I enjoy them! I just wish I could write them… brevity is so NOT my middle name… 😉
Yes, it was because of your review, I gave Roger Ackroyd another go! Such a great story, even the second time. I look forward to more Louise Penny. Everyone says, the series improves with each book, and I thought the first two novels were pretty convincing. Especially, when compared to a lot of other modern crime novels, I’ve been reading.
Haha, I love your reviews, so don’t change a thing! I just think, when you are busy or don’t feel inclined to write too much, mini reviews are handy.
I’ve read Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None and have fallen in love with Christie’s writing since. I really want to go through her whole collection, although I doubt I could do it with everything I want to read hahaha I also want to try something by Louise Penny someday, Inspector Gamache sounds prettttyyy cool. Nice mini-reviews! 😀
I’ve been through all of Christie’s full length novels; I kinda wish I hadn’t since reading them for the first time is such a great experience. And Then There Were None was my very first Christie and still amongst my favourites. Louise Penny is good as well, at least the two books, I’ve read so far. Thanks!
Hey there! I just nominated you for The Liebster Award!
https://myrandomspecificthoughts.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/the-liebster-award/
Thanks! 😀