The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

Posted on by
27

The Secret of Chimneys Agatha Christie

Detective: Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard

Published: 1925 (6th published book)

Length: 314 pages

Setting:  Bulawayo Zimbabwe, London, Chimneys

Written at: during a trip to South Africa, etc.

Well, what an extraordinary silly book!!  I must say I’ve been somewhat taken aback by the early works of Agatha Christie.  Being so used to Poirot and Miss Marple, I thought those types of mysteries comprised the majority of her works, but obviously during her earlier career she set sail on a different course and the focus on her two famous sleuths came later.  Who knew?

Continue reading →

May ~ Hail Bounteous May!

Posted on by
20

May FlowersFor those of you poetically handicapped, like me, “hail bounteous May” is from John Milton’s poem Song on May Morning, which you can read here.  And, yipes, it also reminds me that I really need to read more poetry, which in turn reminds me that I need to hop back on my Deal Me In Challenge which has been sadly neglected recently because of other interesting pursuits.  Ah, such is life!

Continue reading →

The Four Loves Read-Along ~ What is Love?

Posted on by
36

What are your ideas about love?  Is love an overwhelming romantic feeling?  Can it be a decision or a duty?  Can you fall out of love?  Have you wished for a better understanding of the love of God?  Can friends love each other?  What about families and our love for them?  In English, we use the same word for all these feelings … love …. but the Greeks have different words for these feelings of love and each has its different distinctions.  Do you want to learn more?  Then please join me in my read-along of C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves for the month of June!

The Four Loves

Continue reading →

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

Posted on by
25

The Man in the Brown Suit Agatha Christie

Heroine: Ann Beddingfeld

Published: 1924 (5th published book)

Length: 381 pages

Setting: Marlow, London, Southampton, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bulawayo, island in the Zambezi

Written at: during a trip to South Africa, etc.

The Man in the Brown Suit was Agatha Christie’s fifth novel published by Bodley Head, her contract of six books almost satisfied.  With it, she deviated from a pure detective novel, bleeding into the genre of a thriller which pleased some critics and dismayed others.  Some bawled for the return of Hercule Poirot while others admired her entertaining execution.  Personally, I thought the story was delightful, a page turner from beginning to end.

Continue reading →

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Posted on by
16

“Whan that April with his shoures soote
The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;….”

Twenty-nine pilgrims and the narrator meet in Southwark, in Harry Bailey’s Tabard Inn, before setting off on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, where they will behold Thomas Becket’s shrine.  On the journey each pilgrim will tell four tales, two on the way there and two on the way back.  A free dinner will be awarded to the one with the best story.  And so begins Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous poem, a medley of lively stories that gives the reader a captivating window into 14th century England.

Gateway at Canterbury
The Gateway at Canterbury (1889)
Childe Hassam
source Wikiart

 

Continue reading →

My Top Ten Favourite Reviews

Posted on by
21

Top Ten Reviews

I sort of felt ridiculous typing the title since it’s been awhile since I’ve even put a review on the blog but, never fear! I do have many coming down the pipeline so it’s okay.  Really …..!  😉

Well, I decided to alter the Top Ten Tuesday topic a little and instead of my first ten reviews, I’m going to give you my favourite top ten.  Here goes …

My Top Ten Favourite Reviews on My Blog

1. Ecce Homo by Friedrich Nietzsche : this is by far the most popular review on my blog and (this will surprise you) probably the funniest one that I’ve written. Nietzsche, while at times interesting, is nothing if not tedious and one cannot help poking fun at him.

Ecce Homo Caravaggio painting

Continue reading →

And the Lucky Spin Number Is ……

Posted on by
30

Spin Number 19

Which means that I get to read A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and A Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides written in 1775 by Samuel Johnson and James Boswell. I never thought I’d draw this one from my list, but I’m quite happy with it.

A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and A Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

That said, I’m going to check around other blogs and see if anyone has drawn another book from my list.  Then I might add it and we could read along together. If I find anything I’ll edit this post with the details but in the meantime, enjoy your spin reading everyone!

 

The Classics Club

Classics Club Spin #20

Posted on by
73

Classics Club Spin #20

It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in a Classics Club spin.  I think the last one I participated in was #14 and it was a dismal failure which made me realize that I simply don’t have time to read the way I used to.  So I stopped.  However, with my new Classics Club list up, I really need to start to focus on some of these books before it’s too late.  So here I am again, hoping for success.

Continue reading →