Thursday 23 December 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #11- December 2010

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

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time.
We have 18 contributions from 10 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. 
Today's 10 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.

It's Christmas


KathrynC presents A Winter's Tale of Tea and Agatha Christie at Christmas posted at Tea With Mary Kate - Inspiration for Tea and Living, saying, "Winter is here! It is far too cold to be even contemplating venturing outside, but you’ll hear no cry of complaint from these quarters. What more could I wish for than a Hercule Poirot adventure on the Orient Express. But there is more to Tea with Mary Kate’s Winter’s Tale of Tea & Agatha Christie, so do join me on an adventure of Agatha Christie inspired ideas at Christmas."

KerrieS reviews HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "An excellent read - a locked room mystery - for this time of the year, in which Christie explores the tensions that Christmas reunions often bring."


General


Yvette presents Vintage Agatha posted at in so many words.... LOVE these old book covers!

quirkyreader reviews PASSENGER TO FRANKFURT posted at quirkyreader. what a wild ride that was!

Roberta Rood reviews THE PALE HORSE posted at Books to the Ceiling, saying, "There is evil. And evil is powerful. Sometimes more powerful than good, A terrific read! Sleuth: Ariadne Oliver"

quirkyreader presents NEMESIS and ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER posted at quirkyreader, saying, "These two novels are perfect companion pieces"

ng kai-lee presents CROOKED HOUSE posted at -Zhen's Summer Cafe-, saying, "Highly recommended, one of Christie's personal favourites"

Hercule Poirot


Jennifer reviews DEAD MAN'S FOLLY posted at Reading with Tequila. saying "I enjoy the mysteries that showcase Ariadne Oliver. I love the character, who seems very much to be a caricature of Agatha Christie herself."

BooksPlease reviews CURTAIN: POIROT'S LAST CASE posted at BooksPlease, saying, "I almost couldn't bear to read this book - so sad! Poirot is even older than ever before and meets his greatest challenge."

Miss Marple


Nan reviews THE MOVING FINGER posted at Letters from a Hill Farm. "This is the third Miss Marple novel, though she doesn't make an appearance until nearly the end."

Updates


unfinishedperson presents A look back at the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge thus far (TSS) posted at An unfinished person (in this unfinished universe), saying, "I slowed down this year after getting off to a quick start last year, but hope to gear back up again for 2011. To date, I’ve read 29 of Dame Christie’s 80 novels."

quirkyreader presents quirkyreader - I Have Finished The "Christie Challenge" posted at quirkyreader, saying, "I have finished the novel/short story challenge. Check what my favourites are."

KerrieS presents ACRC Update - 7 December 2010 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "Currently I am managing about a book a month. I've read 22 books and 11 collections of short stories."

Short Stories


KerrieS presents MYSTERIES in PARADISE: ACRC: Short Stories, Update #10 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "I've read 11 collections of Agatha Christie Short Stories. My list now has 122 short stories on it. Some of them have appeared in more than one collection. I think I have 11 collections to go."

Discoveries


"DEATH IN THE CLOUDS" (1992) Review of the film posted at FELICE'S LOG, commenting, "There are two things one should know about Agatha Christie’s 1935 novel, ”Death in the Clouds”. One, it happened to be one of those ”murder in a locked room” type of mysteries that she rarely wrote about. And two, I have not read the novel since high school."

This blog post comes from Hercule Poirot Central, another lovely spot to visit. Harley Street: Physicians of Agatha Christie : "Many of Agatha Christie's physicians resided on Harley Street in her books, and of course others had their practice in the quiet English villages where they resided.
This article lists all of the medical personnel found in her mysteries."

ng kai-lee presents Peril at End House PC Game posted at -Zhen's Summer Cafe-, saying, "An adaptation of the novel where you hunt for clues and solve puzzles!"

quirkyreader presents quirkyreader - Agatha Christie's Rule of Three posted at quirkyreader, saying, "I was able to find and read the plays from "Rule of Three.""


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (January 23, 2011 ) 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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Thursday 25 November 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #10- November 2010


Welcome to the November 24, 2010 edition of Agatha Christie monthly Blog Carnival.

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time.
We have 15 contributions from 9 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. 
Today's 9 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.

General


Yvette presents Monday Review: DESTINATION UNKNOWN by Agatha Christie posted at in so many words.... "This book is probably not as well known as the titles in the Poirot and Marple canons, but I think it is, in many ways, one of Christie's best, even if the oh-so-improbable plot requires a larger than average suspension of disbelief. "

BooksPlease presents Agatha Christie on Individuality posted at BooksPlease, saying, "Things Agatha Christie liked and disliked taken from her Autobiography - I thought it was fascinating."

Cheryl Lyda presents Agatha Christie's Wit & Wisdom posted at Agatha Christie's Wit & Wisdom, saying, "This blog is an online version of a concordance of quotes that I wrote in 2008. The blog contains over 300 quotes on 100 topics that Christie remarked on in her books. Viewers may search by topic, and full bibliographic information is included for each quote."

KerrieS presents Agatha Christie Quotations posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "There are several sites where you can "get" Agatha Christie quotations.
I'm not quite sure where the originals come from, but here are some of them:"

Birdie presents Christie Catch Up posted at Birdie's Nest. Since I last updated, I've read Crooked House, After the Funeral, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?/The Boomerang Clue, and The Sittaford Mystery/Murder at Hazelmoor.

quirkyreader presents Reading The "Usual" Suspects posted at quirkyreader. Two books to check to complement your reading of Agatha Christie novels.

BooksPlease presents Agatha Christie on Poirot posted at BooksPlease, saying, "Agatha's thoughts on how she created Hercule Poirot and the mistake she made."

Nancy Oakes presents The Pale Horse, by Agatha Christie posted at crime segments, saying, "One of the later Christies, in which Ariadne Oliver makes a couple of pop-in visits."

Miss Marple


sarah presents The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "It is said that Agatha Christie considered The Moving Finger to be one of her best novels. I can't say that it's one of my top favorites, but it is an enjoyable read. And I know this much, it's good enough that one can read it, wait a few years, and then re-read it and still be caught up in the mystery...."

BooksPlease reviews A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY posted at BooksPlease, saying, "Even on holiday Miss Marple has a murder to solve."

Hercule Poirot


KerrieS reviews MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "I really read this too close to watching the latest TV production with David Suchet as Poirot. I also saw similarities between it and P.D. James' THE SKULL BENEATH THE SKIN."

Short Stories


Margot at Joyfully Retired presents Book Review: The Hound Of Death posted at Joyfully Retired, saying, "Except for the story Witness For the Prosecution, I really did not care for this collection of supernatural stories. Too weird for me."

Updates


quirkyreader presents My Current Christie Update and More Covers posted at quirkyreader.

KerrieS presents ACRC Update - 6 November 2010 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "I've now read 20 books and 11 collections of short stories.
MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA is my 11th title for 2010. My update supplies you with a list of all I've read so far."

Discoveries


Agatha Christie Inspires Travel to Egypt posted at A Travelers' Library"The writer's first taste of ancient Egypt, the ‘Land of the Pharaohs’, came on a ten-day, whistle-stop tour of the country as a callow 13-year old."


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (December 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 24 October 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #9 - October 2010

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

First of all many thanks to those who contributed to the blog tour in September to celebrate Agatha Christie's 120th birthday. It was a great event, and the posts were all wonderful.
There is a summary post here with links to all the days of the blog tour.

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time. We really do have a bumper issue with  40 contributions from 22 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. 
Today's 22 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.
Featured Blog: A Library is the hospital of the mind


Sarah is an enthusiastic reader of Agatha Christie and a participant in the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge and our monthly carnival. She participated twice in the blog tour in September.

News & Headlines

General


Jose Ignacio reviews And Then There Were None (1939) by Agatha Christie posted at The Game's Afoot. saying "It has a clever ending that will test the sharpness of the reader."

swapnil warang presents Book Reviews: Must Read Books ........... Part 10 posted at Book Reviews. The list includes an Agatha Christie. Can you guess which one?

Roberta Rood presents The Art of the Mystery, Part Three: the Golden Age of British crime fiction. posted at Books to the Ceiling, saying, "The Golden Age of crime writing in Great Britain was epitomized by the work of five gifted women, sometimes referred to as "les Grandes Dames""

Yvette presents The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie posted at in so many words..., saying, "My rainy night review of THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS."

Carolyn Rector presents Library Land: reading posted at Library Land, saying, "I have an old book on my shelf that I am ashamed to say probably read four or five times, and still it draws me in and I like to visit the setting, the time, the winter snowy night, the blizzard feeling of closed roads and winds swirling at the windows and whistling through the grooves of the bricks or stone walls of the house."

Carolyn Rector reviews MRS McGINTY'S DEAD posted at Library Land saying "I can always get into an Agatha Christie novel easily. I wonder what makes her style so easily read."

ng kai-lee presents The Unexpected Guest posted at -Zhen's Summer Cafe-.I must confess that having read “The Unexpected Guest”, I keep comparing it to the “usual” Christies that I’ve seen so far.

quirkyreader presents quirkyreader - Christie Plays posted at quirkyreader. "I've been trying to read all of Agatha Christie's plays."

Jo D'Arcy presents Queen of Crime posted at The Book Jotter. There is something devilish about her books, and having read only a few I can see their mass appeal but I can also see why they have lasted so long.

Donna presents And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie posted at A Novel Review, saying, "This was an excellent choice for my first Agatha Christie read. The mounting suspense engages the reader almost from the start."

Danielle C. reviews Iraq: They Came To Baghdad posted at The Romantic Armchair Traveller, saying, "During a stay in Iraq Christie wrote one of her entertaining departures from domestic whodunnits, a Cold War thriller that brims with local colour and sly humour."

Janet Rudolph presents Agatha Christie and Nursery Rhymes posted at Mystery Fanfare, saying, "Agatha Christie drew her inspiration from so many places and nursery rhymes were a rich source for titles as well as themes. Although nursery rhymes may seem jolly with their happy rhymes, the mayhem they describe is fodder for a crime writer. Nursery rhymes, unlike fairytales, are all about ordinary people conducting disorderly behavior."

Vanda Symon presents The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie posted at Overkill. This is a fun little book I stumbled across when doing some research on Ngaio Marsh and her use of poison as a murder weapon. No doubt about it, Agatha Christie was the Queen of Skulduggery and murder by poison. To quote from the book, 'in over half of her sixty-six novels, at least one or more of the corpses are the victims of overdoses of poisons, drugs and other chemicals.'

BooksPlease presents Agatha Christie on … posted at BooksPlease, saying, "I'm reading Agatha Christie's Autobiography and have decided to do a few posts on her observations on life rather than write about the details of her life. This is my first of these posts."

Hercule Poirot


Jennifer presents Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie posted at Reading with Tequila. "This book is a wonderful mystery from beginning to end."

Joy Hall presents Reading Report: Cards on the Table posted at Joy's Blog. This was a great read – but then, I always say that about all Agatha Christie mysteries. And one of the best things about the book is that it represents the first major appearance of Poirot’s friend and sometime-assistant, Mrs. Ariadne Oliver (she’d been introduced, briefly, in one of Christie’s early short stories)

sarah presents Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "Five Little Pigs was a captivating and quick read. As I read several clues seemed to jump off the page.Maybe this is due to the fact I just finished reading Agatha's autobiography last month, or maybe I've just read enough of her books to pay attention to the details that matter. Either way it was a fun read..."

Margot Kinberg presents In the Spotlight: Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders posted at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist..... One of the reasons that Agatha Christie’s work is so well-regarded is that she was a genius at plot twists and surprises. All of the clues to her mysteries are there for the alert reader, but Christie was a master of leading the reader down the proverbial “garden path.” There’s a real example of her skill at deception in The ABC Murders, so let’s take a closer look at that novel.

Yvette reviews Cat Among the Pigeons posted at in so many words..., saying, "A review of one of my favorite Agatha Christie books, CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS. A book in which Christie's talent for characterization shines brightly."

BooksPlease reviews The ABC Murders posted at BooksPlease, saying, "What is the motive behind the ABC murders? And why advertise them in advance to Poirot? An ingenious murder mystery."

KerrieS presents THE LABOURS OF HERCULES posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "This collection of 12 short stories was published in 1947. It features Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and gives an account of twelve cases with which he intends to close his career as a private detective."

Jose Ignacio presents The Murder of Roger Ackroyd posted at The Game's Afoot. I consider this a ‘must read’ for anyone who is reading Agatha Christie novels for the first time. A wonderful and very ingenious book that no crime fiction aficionado should miss.

Norman Price presents THIS LITTLE PIGGY..... posted at CRIME SCRAPS On the evidence of Five Little Pigs, written in 1942, Agatha Christie is an underestimated writer, because not only is this novel entertaining with its clues and puzzle to solve, but contains character studies and a lot of social commentary.

Miss Marple


Donna presents Book Review: Nemesis by Agatha Christie posted at A Novel Review, saying, "This was my second Agatha Christie novel. Since I acquire titles rather haphazardly (translated at thrift shops, library sales, and the like) I'm pleased to find a series that doesn't require that the installments be read in succession. But with so many other challenges to fulfill, I'm pulling back the reins a bit and starting out with a commitment to read one a month."

Birdy presents Sleeping Murder: Agatha Christie posted at Life Wordsmith - Book Reviews & Poems, saying, "Miss Marple's last case is a very engaging read"

Nan presents Letters from a Hill Farm: The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie posted at Letters from a Hill Farm, saying, "To celebrate Agatha's birthday month I read the first Miss Marple book. It was also the first book I read on my new Kindle."

BooksPlease presents 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie: Book Review posted at BooksPlease, saying, "Miss Marple enlists the help of Lucy Eyelesbarrow to solve this murder mystery."

Nan presents The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie posted at Letters from a Hill Farm, saying, "Continuing my own little birthday celebration for Agatha, I read the second Miss Marple book."

Roberta Rood presents From Christie to Shakespeare, in one easy leap. posted at Books to the Ceiling, saying, "There is seemingly no end to Shakespeare’s power to astonish (or in Agatha Christie’s power to entertain and oftentimes, to provoke)."

KerrieS presents MISS MARPLE: complete short stories posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "A complete set of Agatha Christie short stories - only 20 of them ever published."

Short Stories


KerrieS presents WHILE THE LIGHT LASTS, Agatha Christie - audio posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "A short story collection by Agatha Christie first published in the UK on August 4 1997 by HarperCollins. It contains nine short stories, all published much earlier.
The narration is dramatic and makes it very easy listening. The stories were mainly written early in Christie's career, and include a couple of Poirot stories.
They all contain "eternal" themes of romance betrayed, buried treasure, and deception, which Christie was to explore further in later stories and novels."

Elizabeth presents Three Blind Mice posted at Miss Lemon's Mysteries, saying, "Miss Lemon doesn't feel that she is going too far by saying this short story by Agatha Christie is perhaps one of her all-time best."

Updates


KerrieS presents ACRC: Short Stories, Update #9 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "A summary of where I am with Agatha Christie short stories. I've read 102 stories in 9 collections"

quirkyreader presents quirkyreader - I've Been Busy Reading Christies posted at quirkyreader.

quirkyreader presents quirkyreader - More Covers and My Christie Progress posted at quirkyreader.

Discoveries


DeliciousDeath : Agatha Christie's Works List posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "16,421 cover art images have been added to this wonderful resource that lists all Agatha Christie's works divided up according to protagonist, has a Chronological table, a list of film & tv dramas, and a list of the short stories."

Tea Vacation with Agatha Christie posted at Tea Blog, saying, ".. imagine sitting at Greenway, enjoying Devonshire Tea served at Devonshire tea in Devonshire, and discussing novels with the spirit of Agatha Christie."

Agatha Christie posted at Book Spy, saying, "Nice summary/biographical note, together with a display of some of the covers of the Agatha Christie Signature series."

St. Mary Mead railway station posted at The Dolls House Emporium Blog- "As lovers of anything Agatha Christie ourselves, St. Mary Mead railway station by Jackie Osborn from Kent, really stood out – we could just imagine Miss Marple or Poirot heading out from this station on their next sleuthing adventure! Here, Jackie explains how she created her 1950’s station."

The story behind the Mousetrap posted at South Wales Argus | News- "Newport man tells his tragic story behind Agatha Christie classic."


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (November 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: , .

Sunday 10 October 2010

ACRC Carnival will resume on October 23

Spread the word 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 go down to the bottom of this page 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. The October edition of the Carnival will be posted on October 23, so get your submissions in by October 22.

Sunday 26 September 2010

Agatha Christie Blog Tour 2010 - final days

On 15 September 2010 Agatha Christie would have been 120 years old.

Here at the ACRC Blog Carnival we have been taking part in world wide celebrations with a blog carnival tour from 1-30 September 2010.
Participants each volunteered to host the blog tour for a day in September.
Their posts all related to an Agatha Christie topic.
The final days are coming up.


Blog Tour stops - the numbers are the dates
  1. Blog tour launch: MYSTERIES in PARADISE  - Kerrie
  2. Agatha Christie Mile
  3. Julia Mckenzie’s first on set interview as Miss Marple
  4. Read THE CAPTURE OF CERBERUS on line
  5. Dear Ms. Christie, I regret to say...
  6. A Library is a hospital for the mind - Sarah
  7. Caviglia's Cabinet of Curiosities
  8. Confessions of a Mystery Novelist - Margot
  9. Unfinished Person - Bryan
  10. Art Deco Inspiration
  11. David Suchet on the Orient Express
  12. Agatha Christie on AudioFile
  13. Miss Lemon's Mysteries - Elizabeth
  14. Mystery Fanfare - Janet
  15. Birthday celebration (special quiz) on Agatha Christie Carnival
    See also today's post at MYSTERIES in PARADISE for the birthday cake.
  16. The Game's Afoot - Jose Ignacio
  17. Poe's Deadly Daughters - Sandy
  18. Dial M for Marple
  19. Crime Scraps - Norman
  20. Overkill - Vanda
  21. Reactions to Reading - Bernadette
  22. Books Please - Margaret
  23. 2010: The Year in Books - Nancy
    Birdie's Nest - Birdie
  24. Endless Books - Beth
  25. Criminal Crafts - Shawn
  26. Books to the Ceiling - Roberta
  27. The Thrill of it All - Chris
  28. Joyfully Retired - Margot
  29. A Library is a hospital for the mind - Sarah
  30. Self-deprecating - Saro
In October we will resume the Blog Carnival, with the next edition due to be published around October 23.

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.

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Agatha Christie Quizzes 2010


Today on the blog tour we have some quizzes - try your hand at some or all of them.






Some new (to me anyway) Quizzes

Below I've repeated some from last year - but I wonder if you'll remember the answers?


Welcome to Kerrie's Agatha Christie Quiz.
I invite you to complete the Quiz and then leave a comment about it (or your score)
If you are using IE6 there may be a problem with the embedded Quiz below just displaying the choices but not the questions. You may be able to do it online here. (although IE6 users may have the same problem)



This Quiz was created on MyStudiyo and then embedded in my blog.
Here are the questions in case you need them
  1. Was the AFFAIR AT STYLES
  2. In which year was Agatha Christie's first book published?
  3. The police superintendent in THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS was
  4. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings are often joined by
  5. How many Dials were there?
  6. The alternative title for LORD EDGWARE DIES was
  7. How many Agatha Christie novels featured Miss Marple?
  8. Who was the detective in DEATH ON THE NILE?
  9. Which was the first Miss Marple novel?
  10. Agatha Christie wrote her novels over a period of

Wednesday 1 September 2010

Launch of the Agatha Christie Blog Tour

On 15 September 2010 Agatha Christie would have been 120 years old.

Here at the ACRC Blog Carnival we are taking part in world wide celebrations with a blog carnival tour from 1-30 September 2010.
Participants have each volunteered to host the blog tour for a day in September.
Their posts of course will be related to an Agatha Christie topic.

Blog Tour stops - the numbers are the dates
  1. Blog tour launch: MYSTERIES in PARADISE  - Kerrie
  2. Agatha Christie Mile
  3. Julia Mckenzie’s first on set interview as Miss Marple
  4. Read THE CAPTURE OF CERBERUS on line
  5. Dear Ms. Christie, I regret to say...
  6. A Library is a hospital for the mind - Sarah
  7. Caviglia's Cabinet of Curiosities
  8. Confessions of a Mystery Novelist - Margot
  9. Unfinished Person - Bryan
  10. Art Deco Inspiration
  11. David Suchet on the Orient Express
  12. Agatha Christie on AudioFile
  13. Miss Lemon's Mysteries - Elizabeth
  14. Mystery Fanfare - Janet
  15. Birthday celebration (special quiz) on Agatha Christie Carnival
    See also today's post at MYSTERIES in PARADISE for the birthday cake.
  16. The Game's Afoot - Jose Ignacio
  17. Poe's Deadly Daughters - Sandy
  18. Dial M for Marple
  19. Crime Scraps - Norman
  20. Overkill - Vanda
  21. Reactions to Reading - Bernadette
  22. Books Please - Margaret
  23. 2010: The Year in Books - Nancy
    Birdie's Nest - Birdie
  24. Endless Books - Beth
  25. Criminal Crafts - Shawn
  26. Books to the Ceiling - Roberta
  27. The Thrill of it All - Chris
  28. Joyfully Retired - Margot
  29. A Library is a hospital for the mind - Sarah
  30. Self-deprecating - Saro

Monday 23 August 2010

ACRC Carnival 2010 #8

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

Many thanks to those who contributed links to the Carnival this time.
We have 24 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 12 Contributors - please see the items below for exact URLS of their posts.

Featured Blog


One of the first to join the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge was Margot at Joyfully Retired.

When I visited Margot's blog last week I discovered she now has a tab that says Agatha Christie Reading List.

Like me Margot is trying to read the Agatha Christie titles in order, and we are more or less at the same point in our journey (we seem to have a slight disagreement on our lists) but we are both around 1935. We are both claiming 18 books.

General


Bernadette reviews Death Comes As The End posted at Reactions to Reading, saying, "A review of one of Christie's writing experiments set in ancient Egypt: good historical detail but the book lacks a narrative focus".

Patti presents Agatha Christie posted at pattinase, saying, "In a not very flattering article about Agatha Christie in THE NEW YORKER last week, as part of a review on a new book by John Curran entitled Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks, Joan Acocella claims that Ms. Christie made sure no one could solve her puzzles because she provided little if any psychological depth to her characters."

Theresa Dhondup presents quirkyreader - Agatha Christie, First Lady of Crime posted at quirkyreader.a review of "The First Lady of Crime" by H.R.F. Keating.

Theresa Dhondup presents quirkyreader - Austen fragments and more covers (including 3 Agatha Christie ones) posted at quirkyreader.

Hercule Poirot


Jennifer reviews Hercule Poirot's Christmas posted at Reading with Tequila. Here is another Agatha Christie novel that leaves you wanting more - more Christmas, more Poirot, more useful clues and a more realistic ending.

Sarah M. reviews Evil Under the Sun posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "What better setting for a thrilling "who-dun-it" crime novel than a sea-side vacation spot where the beautiful and popular, yet most hated person present is murdered?
The post also lists the 24 novels read so far for the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge."

KerrieS reviews THE ABC MURDERS posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "In this story Poirot recognises this case is different to the intime sort of crime he is usually called on to investigate - crimes committed by one member of a family against another. This killer appears to be psychotic and he is playing with Poirot's mind."

Vanda Symon discusses Black Coffee posted at Overkill, saying, "BLACK COFFEE was not a novel, but a play, centred around Hercule Poirot. This novel is an adaptation of the original play, written by Charles Osborne."

Carolynn looks at Elephants Can Remember. posted at Carolynn's Bookshelf. This is a different type of mystery. You already know who the victims are…you’re just trying to learn who was killed first. Who was the actual person to murder and then commit suicide?

Sarah M. reviews One, Two Buckle My Shoe posted at A library is a hospital for the mind..., saying, "One, Two Buckle My Shoe is a much darker novel than most Poirot stories and also more politically "involved" than other Christie reads from late 1930s and early 1940s..."

Miss Marple


Chris Well presents Retirement is Murder: 10 Senior Sleuths posted at The Thrill of it All, saying, "A list of detectives solving mysteries in their golden years."

Margot Kinberg presents In The Spotlight: Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd posted at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist...., saying, "The Mirror Crack’d is drawn together by the themes of social change and actions and consequences, among other themes. Its interest is, as much as anything else, in the characters we meet, Miss Marple’s insight into human nature and of course, the twists, turns and “red herrings” that made Christie a crime fiction genius. There’s also a subtle but real touch of humor."

Chris Well presents Opening Theme: MISS MARPLE posted at Crime TV, saying, "A roundup of Miss Marple portrayals on British TV, with opening themes and trailers from series starring Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie."

Short Stories


Margot at Joyfully Retired reviews The Mysterious Mr. Quin posted at Joyfully Retired. Over the past few weeks I’ve been forcing myself to read the stories one at a time and waiting at least a day or two before reading the next one. That way the anticipation could build the way it did waiting for the magazine to publish the next story. I recommend doing the same.

Updates


KerrieS presents ACRC Update - 14 August 2010 posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, saying, "I think I've achieved 31% of my journey!"

Discoveries


New Agatha Christie Covers posted at Lucy Davey, saying, "Two recently completed covers for the Penguin Readers editions of A Murder is Announced and The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie."

Agatha Christie: The curious case of the cosy queen - Features, Books - The Independent posted at The Independent - Features RSS Feed, saying, "Discoveries: 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?"

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorised Biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack | Book review | Books | The Observer posted at Guardian, saying, "the reviewer definitely didn't like this book: a tremendously bad book. It manages to be both dull and unpleasant; to describe in exhaustive detail almost everything Agatha Christie ever did without coming close to revealing her as a person or a writer."

Agatha Christie’s Marple: Series 5 posted at Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Carnival, saying, "If watching the Marple movies is something you do, then you might like this site. There are good reviews of some of the episodes in the series in the comments."

KerrieS found this cover for Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie posted at Pulp of the Day"A most un-Agatha-Christie like cover I thought - what do you think?"

RTÉ.ie Radio 1: Documentary on One - Agatha Christie's Final Mystery posted at Radio One Ireland, saying, "A radio documentary about John Curran's fascination with Agatha Christie and his discovery of a new Hercule Poirot more than 70 years old."

Agatha Christie: 4.50 From Paddington game posted at Agatha Christie site, "If you've been wondering about what playing a game would be like, here's a chance to take a free trial. They call this a Hide & Seek game."

The enduring appeal of Agatha Christie posted at CountryLife Homepage, says, "Without her sister Madge's taunting, Agatha might never have turned her hand to detective fiction and thus never have entered the record books as the best-selling writer of all time. Today in Britain, more than 30 years after their author's death, her novels continue to sell in the region of 600,000 copies a year."

Agatha Christie Files posted at Free Full Downloads with Hotfile and MegaUpload Links - WorldsDown, saying, "This site seems to offer a mixture of games and audio files either at low cost or free. Certainly worth investigating. It contains a list of available titles."


That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition (October 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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Tuesday 17 August 2010

Participate in the ACRC's Agatha Christie Blog Tour September 1-30

On 15 September 2010 Agatha Christie would have been 120 years old.

Here at the ACRC Blog Carnival we will be taking part in world wide celebrations with a blog carnival tour from 1-30 September 2010.
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, together with a suggested date. Please include the title/location of your blog.
Alternatively email me.

The stops on the blog tour will be shown below as I update this page.
Please note the blog tour will replace the edition of blog carnival that would have been scheduled for September 23. We will resume our blog carnivals on October 23.

Blog Tour stops
  1. Blog tour launch: MYSTERIES in PARADISE  - Kerrie
  2. available
  3. available 
  4. available
  5. available
  6. A Library is a hospital for the mind - Sarah
  7. Caviglia's Cabinet of Curiosities - Carolyn
  8. Confessions of a Mystery Novelist - Margot
  9. Unfinished Person - Bryan
  10. available
  11. available
  12. available
  13. Miss Lemon's Mysteries - Elizabeth
  14. Mystery Fanfare - Janet
  15. Birthday celebration (special quiz) on Agatha Christie Carnival
  16. Crime Scraps - Norman
  17. Poe's Deadly Daughters - Sandy
  18. available
  19. The Game's Afoot - Jose Ignacio
  20. Overkill - Vanda
  21. Reactions to Reading - Bernadette
  22. Books Please - Margaret
  23. 2010: The Year in Books - Nancy
  24. Endless Books - Beth
  25. Criminal Crafts - Shawn
  26. available
  27. The Thrill of it All - Chris
  28. Joyfully Retired - Margot
  29. A Library is a hospital for the mind - Sarah
  30. Self-deprecating - Saro

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 rôle 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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