2018 Group Challenge Announcement

[Susan]

For our 2018 Challenge, we have decided to do ‘The First Twelve’ of a major Golden Age author. The author we have chosen is NGAIO MARSH.
As we have read the first of her series as a group read before, we will offer an alternative book for the January 2018 read. The challenge will therefore consist of:

January: A Man Lay Dead (1934)
January Alternative Title: Ngaio Marsh: Her Life in Crime by Joanne Drayton
February: Enter a Murderer (1935)
March: The Nursing Home Murder (1935)
April: Death in Ecstasy (1936)
May: Vintage Murder (1937)
June: Artists in Crime (1938)
July: Death in a White Tie (1938)
August: Overture to Death (1939)
September: Death at the Bar (1940)
October: Death of a Peer (1940)
November: Death and the Dancing Footman (1941)
December: Colour Scheme (1943)

Obviously, we cannot do all of the books in the series, but we hope everyone will enjoy reading along with us.

[Judy]

Thanks so much for announcing this, Susan, and for all your work behind the scenes to arrange this challenge - really looking forward to it. Please say if you plan to join us on our Ngaio Marsh challenge! :)

[Susan]

My pleasure, Judy :)

[Marcus]

I plan to join it, Judy and Susan. I'm looking forward to know the Author.

[Judy]

That's great, Marcus. Marsh is one of the Golden Age greats but we haven't read much by her here compared to Christie and Sayers, so this is a chance to give her some love too!

[Lesley]

I'll be joining in, and will add some information and interesting facts on Dame Ngaio Marsh nearer the time. But to start with, I'll try to solve the mystery for some on how to say her name.

Ngaio is a Maori, so the g is silent - as in song. You say n-ay-o. From this link by clicking on the little arrow next to Pronounce you can hear how it is said
https://forvo.com/word/mi/ngaio/

[Jan C]

That's great. For the last couple of years I have been picking up her books at used book sales. I am up to #4 now. I think I still have the previous ones. I will join in.

I had tried reading her in the '80s when a co-worker loaned me some of her books. They just kept putting me to sleep. I'm enjoying them a lot more this time around.

[Carolien]

I'll be happy to read more of her books, I've read the first two. My mother and mother-in-law should be able to supply most of them.

[Abigail]

Oh yay! I keep meaning to read Marsh and not getting around to it. This will be my chance to make good.

[Susan]

Great response so far - I am looking forward to reading more by her too :)

[Pamela]

Wonderful! I've read a few of these but ages ago, so am looking forward to joining this challenge.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

A my library has that biography.

I have some of the titles & will join in when I can. :)

[Jill]

I will definitely look forward to joining in with reading this author. I have a large number of the books,the only drawback being that some of them have very small print.

[Judy]

Lesley~aka Ella's Gran wrote: "I'll be joining in, and will add some information and interesting facts on Dame Ngaio Marsh nearer the time. But to start with, I'll try to solve the mystery for some on how to say her name.

Ngaio..."

Thanks for the pronunciation guide, Lesley - I've always wondered if I'm getting this right! I was, just about anyway...

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review)]

I'll be in for this!

[Lesley]

Judy wrote: "Lesley~aka Ella's Gran wrote: "I'll be joining in, and will add some information and interesting facts on Dame Ngaio Marsh nearer the time. But to start with, I'll try to solve the mystery for some..."

She (Ngaio) was always somewhat bemused at the various attempts by non-New Zealanders in pronouncing her name, so thought it was a good thing to begin with! :)

[Lady Clementina]

Sounds great- looking forward to this. I have only one of these but will try to get hold of as many of the others as I can

[Susan]

Good to hear so many positive responses. I hope that posting this fairly early will give everyone a chance to get organised. I know it is often possible to get cheaper, second hand books, but they do take a long while to arrive, etc.

[Roman Clodia]

I've only read one Marsh, I think, and none on the Challenge so looking forward to this. My library has some of them on audiobook so they'll be perfect commute 'reads'.

[Susan]

Pleased to hear you will be joining us, RC :)

[Sandy]

I'm looking forward to reading Marsh. I loved one book, another not so much, so by 2019 I will have an opinion.

[Stephanie]

As an FYI, "Death of a Peer" has the alternate title of "Surfeit of Lampreys". (available at both Audible and Amazon with the 2nd title).

[Brina]

I have never read Marsh. I may read 1 or 2 to see if she interests me.

[Sandra]

I have not read any of her books before so I'm looking forward to the challenge and "meeting" a new author. Thank you for organising the challenge.

[Susan]

I have only read a couple of her novels, myself. Odd, really, as she is such a huge name in the genre. Let's hope we all enjoy exploring her work next year.

[Judy]

Stephanie wrote: "As an FYI, "Death of a Peer" has the alternate title of "Surfeit of Lampreys". (available at both Audible and Amazon with the 2nd title)."

Thank you, Stephanie - I remember reading it under this name in the past.

[Judy]

I've read lots of Marsh, but not much in the last few years - I found her very enjoyable, so hope everyone else enjoys her books too. :)

[Lady Clementina]

Judy wrote: "I've read lots of Marsh, but not much in the last few years - I found her very enjoyable, so hope everyone else enjoys her books too. :)"

I've only only a handful and only one from next years selection, so am looking forward to exploring the others. Hope I can find them in time :)

[Lady Clementina]

Judy wrote: "I've read lots of Marsh, but not much in the last few years - I found her very enjoyable, so hope everyone else enjoys her books too. :)"

I've read only a handful and only one from next year's selection, so am looking forward to exploring the others. Hope I can find them in time :)

[Susan]

Hope so too, Lady. There is, we hope, plenty of time to get organised for the challenge.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I have read quite a few in the past, and still own some paperback copies. I'm not sure how many of the others I can get my hands on to read, so may only join in sporadically (isn't that a good word for a dull, grey & wet Wednesday morning)

[Susan]

Great word, Jay-me, and you are welcome to join in as, and when, you want :)

[Mark Pghfan]

I think I will be in with this as well. I've read a number of Marsh's books, but I'm way more unfamiliar with them that I was with the Sayers and Christie books. Time to start the hunting and gathering of the books!

[Susan]

It will be interesting to read an author that so many of are less familiar with. Much as I love Sayers and Christie, I am looking forward to reading the beginning of a series written by another huge GA author.

[Michelle]

I've been reading my wAy through for a while, currently up to number 18, Swing, Brother, Swing so will join in on what I can remember! There are a couple of hers that aren't published I think, so my numbers may be a bit out, Wikipedia which I'm using for order has it as 18 but Goodreads as 15!

What might be interesting for a bonus/buddy read is to read the one she started but didn't finish and which Stella Duffy is supposed to be finishing off and publishing sometime in 2018. Wikipedia lists it as no15 Money in the Morgue.

Thanks to Judy and Susan for their work in putting this together.

[Jan C]

Michelle wrote: "I've been reading my wAy through for a while, currently up to number 18, Swing, Brother, Swing so will join in on what I can remember! There are a couple of hers that aren't publishe..."

That's #15 on the Stop You're Killing Me list (https://www.stopyourekillingme.com/M_...).

[Susan]

Michelle, thanks for the suggestion. Perhaps it can be a 'buddy read' if anyone wants to read on, as we did with Sayers, where some of us continued with the Jill Paton Walsh books. Let's see where we end up :)

[Tara]

I've never read any of Marsh's books, so I'm looking forward to this challenge. I got a lot of paperbacks from ebay for a good price, since my local library will be under construction until 2019, so no borrowing for me for a while.

[Jan C]

Tara wrote: "I've never read any of Marsh's books, so I'm looking forward to this challenge. I got a lot of paperbacks from ebay for a good price, since my local library will be under construction until 2019, s..."

Do you have OverDrive? You can check out online ebooks and audiobooks.

[Tara]

I do, and I mostly use it for audiobooks, but I prefer physical books, and my library never seems to have what I want when I want it. Plus I can resell the books when I'm done with them, if I don't decide to keep!

[Susan]

Sadly, the thirteenth and fifteenth book in the series are 99p today, but they are outside our challenge. I will keep my eyes peeled for further titles being reduced.

[Sue]

I have only read one of hers and it left me unmoved. So this is a great opportunity to delve in again!

[Rachel]

Wonderful! She's one of my MIL's favorite authors and I have the books sitting here!

[Lady Clementina]

I find now I have 3 of the twelve so only 9 more to get hold of.

[Susan]

It's a good start, Lady :)

[Judy]

I've just mentioned this over in the Kindle deals thread - 8 books in the series are 99p today, including Artists in Crime from our Challenge list. The others are later entries in the series.

[Lesley]

My account is with .com and you won't believe it but none of the Ngaio Marsh books are available for sale!! They used to be, but ...
Just as well my library has all of them in print, e, and audio.

[Judy]

Sorry to hear that, Lesley - you would think all of the Ngaio Marsh books would be available in New Zealand!! Glad to hear your library has them, anyway!

[Jan C]

I don't think she is even available on Kindle in the US. Which is why I have been picking them up at used book sales.

[Susan]

So annoying, isn't it, Jan? I remember when you said that there was a Jane Haddam discount in the US and I was green with envy :)