Tara ’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2017)

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I am terrible about this as well, but I am trying to mix in stuff I own with library books. I also keep buying new books when I have a ton already that I have never read. I have a good 3-4 books I am reading at any one time, not counting the audiobooks I also listen to. I think I have a problem....

I have watched many of the Poirot TV series over the years with David Suchet and Hugh Fraser, and I think they were brilliantly cast as Poirot and Hastings. Suchet IS Poirot as far as I am concerned. Somehow he is able to convey the twinkle in the eyes and the busy bee activity of the little grey cells with just a look. I love Kenneth Branagh, but I just don't see him in the role personally. However, I am willing to give MOTOE a view and prove myself wrong.

Susan wrote: "GA authors liked to put a little humour in and it was acceptable. Readers loved the challenge of solving the mystery and, also, most people read from the library and so they would have been reading..."

I think the experience of binge watching television that most people do now with all of the streaming services available also has this same effect Susan. So many things do not hold up to constant, immediate exposure, compared to the slow unwinding that was initially intended when they were created. One aspect I did enjoy with the Marple challenge (and that I am looking forward to with this year's Marsh challenge), is reading the stories in order, and watching the characters develop through time and experience. So often I would just read things as they became available at the library, so you lose that aspect of the story line arch. When we get attached to characters, we want to know what happens to them, so its understandable why people would want to keep with them rather than jumping around to different things. I surely have a TBR list that I will never complete (and that is constantly growing), so I try to read things as my mood strikes me.

I always seem to be reading too many books at once, but I couldn't resist coming back to this one after our Miss Marple challenge last year. I am struck by how well formulated Poirot is from the start. Learning about him from Hastings' perspective, you aren't really sure at the beginning how capable he is, although you definitely get the sense that his methods are unorthodox. I am trying to read this with a fresh eye, as if it was a new story and characters. I have never read the Poirot stories in order, and I am looking forward to doing so.

Annabel wrote: "Tara wrote: "While not of the GA genre, I have enjoyed Sue Grafton's Alphabet mysteries with PI Kinsey Millhone for years. With her recent passing, it now makes it impossible for us to ever get to ..."

I read an article in which her children said that there would never be a ghost writer, and apparently Sue was too ill to begin working on Z herself. Considering how protective she was of her book rights (she refused to sell to Hollywood for movie or TV adaption), I would tend to take this at face value. Perhaps in years to come that will change, but seemingly nothing in the near future. As far as the family is concerned, the alphabet ends with the letter Y. I think where I am most disappointed is that it was so close to the end, and you could feel in Y that she was starting to tie up loose ends. I don't think we were ever going to get a happily ever after kind of scenario, but it would have been nice to see where she chose to leave off the characters. I guess we will just have to do that ourselves!

Gary wrote: "Tara wrote: "While not of the GA genre, I have enjoyed Sue Grafton's Alphabet mysteries with PI Kinsey Millhone for years. With her recent passing, it now makes it impossible for us to ever get to ..."
Thanks Gary!

Susan wrote: "Actually, I am reading the second in the series at the moment, and it is mentioned that Alleyn prefers to get fingerprints secretly in that book too. I suspect it was just a personal quirk of his, ..."

I don't know enough about the character at this point to say if its a personal quirk, but I can see how it would be useful to investigate people quietly, at least initially. But perhaps we will find that Alleyn enjoys the subterfuge. I think the Russian secret society subplot was much more convoluted than it needed to be in order to nab those involved.

Sue wrote: "Roman Clodia wrote: "There's an odd moment, though, when he says that he's embarrassed to ask for their fingerprints and is going around collecting them off cups and so on...."

I'm glad you mentio..."
Nowadays (at least in the US), you would probably need a warrant to collect fingerprints or DNA, but I would imagine in this case it would be easily obtained given the need to exclude suspects. I think at least part of his unease must be that the upper classes weren't used to having their feathers ruffled (at least not by someone outside of their circles), and would have been insulted by the thought that they were considered suspects. If Alleyn could quietly and discreetly rule out suspects, it would be to everyone's benefit. The less threatened they felt, the more liking they would be open to questioning without having to be "cautioned".

While not of the GA genre, I have enjoyed Sue Grafton's Alphabet mysteries with PI Kinsey Millhone for years. With her recent passing, it now makes it impossible for us to ever get to Z, although we have come pretty close with the publication of Y last year. I have started going back and revisiting the series from A, and I am currently up to C is for Corpse. I love anything set in the 80s, and Kinsey is so refreshing and idiosyncratic, it makes for fast paced, fun reading!

Judy wrote: "I've started rereading this in a lovely omnibus edition containing the first 3 books which I was given for Christmas - but I'm putting them down as separate books on Goodreads because of the challe..."

Totally agree Judy that having a professional detective means we won't have to stretch to put him in situations where murders are happening, which is quite convenient. Poor Miss Marple from our last challenge could just never get away from it.

The incident with the pantsing of Arthur was quite unpleasant, and gives the impression that people with too much money and not enough to occupy themselves can find quite boorish activities to fill their time. Certainly not a crowd I would be eager to join.

This was my first foray into Marsh's world of Inspector Alleyn, and I really enjoyed it. I found myself rushing through to get to the denouement about whodunit, which is always a good sign its a great read. I couldn't help but compare Alleyn to Sherlock Holmes; something in his manner and way of thinking drew me there, although I think in actually there are more differences than similarities. I am intrigued to see how his character develops. I agree that the idea of sliding head first down a bannister seems ludicrous, but apparently this is described as a popular diversion. Does anyone know if this is true?

Leslie wrote: "Susan wrote: "Yes, she is certainly older in this book. Perhaps why Mr Rafiel thought a nice legacy would come in handy? Not that Miss Marple ever came across as in need of money, with her kind nep..."

This certainly isn't the first time that a mystery was recommended as a tonic for Miss Marple, and it has proved to be effective each time!

I actually enjoyed this one. I liked the fact that Miss Marple was a presence throughout, which was not the case for so many of the 'Marple' books. I didn't pick up on the greenhouse, but I listened to this on audiobook, so perhaps my attention was distracted during that point. I did figure out that the body that was identified as Verity was not really her---it seemed obvious that using clothing and other personal items as a means for identification is not reliable. I believe we saw this before in an earlier Marple book, I won't mention which one to not spoil for others who have not read!
As far as the grumpiness factor is concerned, I think it would be rather difficult to not develop a level of cynicism when you have seen as much death and violence as Miss Marple has over the years. Her overall demeanor is still rather cheerful though, if perhaps less optimistic about the younger generation.
I also agree that while this one is not at all PC, it was refreshing to see the 2 female detectives springing to her rescue! Can't say I have seen too much of that.

Adrian wrote: " Susan said "Now, did your mother organise a Ngaio Marsh collection, Adrian? ;) "

Well in a strange way she did. She was a great book lover especially detectives and did have a lot of Ngaio Marsh ..."
Hopefully you were able to get them cheap Adrian. And isn't it a shame to have to disperse someone's lifetime collection.

Sandy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Tara wrote: "I am a third of the way through [book:The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary|..."

Thanks Sandy! I added these to my ever growing WTR list.

Tania wrote: "I'm planning to read The Lord of the Rings in the new year. I haven't read it since I signed up to Goodreads and it's time to change that. Also, I think it's a great winter read.
[book:F..."

Farmer Giles of Ham is one of my favorites too! I would highly recommend the audiobook version with Derek Jacobi. His reading is very lively!

In the spirit of the season, I just started JRR Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, which has beautiful copies of the original letters, as well as the illustrations. I love everything Tolkien does, and I am drawn to his artwork, so this is a great blending of both. So many people concentrate on his more serious works, that I don't think he gets enough credit as a children's author. So delightful!

Jan C wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Tara wrote: "I am a third of the way through The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary about the unusual hi..."

Are there any of his other works that you could recommend? Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms & a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories looks interesting.

I am a third of the way through The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary about the unusual history of the OED. So far I am enjoying it, as it touches on a variety of subjects, including missionary work, the Civil War, and true crime.

I often wish AC's books were longer, but only because I enjoy them so much and want to keep reading. I think it is a greater skill to build a plot, characters, and add depth and realism in a story in fewer pages rather than more. There are very few books I would stick with for 720 pages, and in today's society of bright shiny things all around, I cannot imagine many other readers doing the same.
As far as AMIA is concerned, I almost enjoy the tidbits about post-war English life, particularly small village life, as much as I do the mystery itself. I think one of AC's strengths is being able to drop you into the middle of a place, and you feel right at home in no time. As others of you have said, that is not very easy to do, especially in a non-obvious/indirect way.