English Mysteries Club discussion
Buddy Reads
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Continuing Buddy Read of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, with Adrian
So a belated Merry Christmas to all the Lord Peter readers and an early Happy New Year to you allAnd a thank you to Jean for pushing me to run this Group read
A toast to Lord Peter, Bunter and Harriet!
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Me push? Never!!
Greetings to you too Ade, and January is a free catch-up month, yes?
Rosemarie wrote: "A toast to Lord Peter, Bunter and Harriet!"Indeed a toast to them all 🥂🍷
Bionic Jean wrote: "Me push? Never!!ha ha, my age must be playing tricks on my memory
Greetings to you too Ade, and January is a free catch-up month, yes?"
Happy New Year Jean, and yes we have a month off in January 👍🏻
For anyone who has access to BBC sounds app, I've just noticed that 6 episodes of "Busman's honeymoon" are available to listen. I'm guessing they are running them on BBC Radio 4 Extra but haven't managed to find them in the broadcast schedule yet. Go on the BBC sounds app and type Wimsey into the search box and they should come up. Not sure how long they are available for.
Andrew wrote: "For anyone who has access to BBC sounds app, I've just noticed that 6 episodes of "Busman's honeymoon" are available to listen. I'm guessing they are running them on BBC Radio 4 Extra but haven't m..."Thank you, Andrew! I checked, as I don't have the app, and it's available on the website, too, right now.
Andrew wrote: "For anyone who has access to BBC sounds app, I've just noticed that 6 episodes of "Busman's honeymoon" are available to listen. I'm guessing they are running them on BBC Radio 4 Extra but haven't m..."Thanks Andrew. I will certainly investigate this.
JenniferAustin wrote: "Andrew wrote: "For anyone who has access to BBC sounds app, I've just noticed that 6 episodes of "Busman's honeymoon" are available to listen. I'm guessing they are running them on BBC Radio 4 Extr..."And thanks for this info Jennifer
If you live in a country without the BBC sounds app, Internet Archive has quite a few Lord Peter BBC Radio plays - some as recent as 2017. Also, YouTube has some Wimsey BBC radio plays too - including “Busman’s Honeymoon”! All are free!
Joan wrote: "If you live in a country without the BBC sounds app, Internet Archive has quite a few Lord Peter BBC Radio plays - some as recent as 2017. Also, YouTube has some Wimsey BBC radio plays too - includ..."Thanks Joan, very useful for the majority of GR members I would think.
Galowa wrote: "For anyone for whom accessing Sayers' books may be an issue, I hope perhaps this link to twenty-two of her works may be of some help. ;-) ..."Thanks Galowa, that's really useful to know 😊
So here we are right at the end of January and I cannot believe how quickly February has come around after our month break. So are you all ready for our second serving of short stories from Hangman's Holiday: A Collection of Short Mysteries. As I stated in message 104 (Jean knows how to link to a particular message , 😬😬 ) this book only contains 4 Lord Peter stories, but obviously please feel free to read all the stories and comment as you want. Happy reading everyone, and welcome to Lord Peter in 2023.
Hangmans Holiday (4 Short Stories)- 1933 1.1 Image in the Mirror 1.2 The Incredible Elopement of LPW 1.3 The Queen’s Square, 1.4 The Necklace of Pearls
Mod
(To link to a particular post, you just need to click on the date for that post, and then link to the URL as usual.)
I've already read the first two stories-and they're both good.The second one has Peter playing a very unusual role.
What's nice about the Lord Peter series is that he is multidimensional, unlike many other detectives of the time.
Rosemarie wrote: "I've already read the first two stories-and they're both good.The second one has Peter playing a very unusual role."
I'm also about to start the third story and as you say so far they have been good.
Kirsten wrote: "What's nice about the Lord Peter series is that he is multidimensional, unlike many other detectives of the time."I agree Kirsten, I think he is a real character, and a really enjoyable one.
Finished today. Enjoyed this group of stories. My favorite of the Lord Peter stories was Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey. The bad guy was really evil. Of the Montague Egg the favorite was Maher-shalal-hashbaz. I was sorry about all the cats but glad the young ladie's got away. The standalones were both good but dark. I don't know what this says about my character but when a blackmailer is killed I'm seldom sad when the murderer gets away with it. So I was definitely not quite happy with how the last story played out.
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I finished a couple of days ago and I have to agree Ellen, an enjoyable collection. Some better than others as you've said. I felt The Necklace of Pearls was the weakest of the Lord Peter stories.
I enjoyed Montague Egg and found them quite different to LPH but still fun.
The two final stories were quite different, the first The Man Who Knew How was quite dark, and I felt The Fountain Plays was if I'm honest a little boring !
Rosemarie wrote: "I'm in for sure!"I've started and it's good to see a re-appearance of Death Bredon ha ha
I've read about three quarters of the book and enjoying it immensely. I have no idea who the guilty party is!
Starting today. This is one of my favorites! Sayers years of experience in advertising paid off with this one.
One thing I particularly enjoy about this story is the brief glimpse we get into Lady Mary's and Parkers' domestic life.
I know I am joining the reading a bit late. I am almost in the middle and enjoying it! It is a great story!
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carolina wrote: "I know I am joining the reading a bit late. I am almost in the middle and enjoying it! It is a great story!"Don't worry carolina, due to events beyond my control, I haven't finished it myself yet either ..But like you and others I am enjoying it !
Bionic Jean wrote: "That's good! And Adrian will be announcing the next one pretty soon too 😊"Ha ha, yes he will be once he's battled 3wks of blood pressure monitors , exploding eyes, visits from youngest son (working on largest aircraft engine in the world at Derby over from Germany) and also helping said youngest son, to write his new CV as he applies for a new job in Switzerland.
And (once I have finished March's novel) the next wonderful novel in our quest is The Nine Tailors. Enjoy everyone 😊
Rosemarie wrote: "I've read about three quarters of the book and enjoying it immensely. I have no idea who the guilty party is!"I read it many years ago and am currently about 3/4 of the way through, and ditto I have no idea yet who is the culprit.
Mod
Maybe The Nine Tailors should go through May too, if others are a bit behind as well? Just an idea ...
Ellen wrote: "One thing I particularly enjoy about this story is the brief glimpse we get into Lady Mary's and Parkers' domestic life."Yes its interesting to see Lady Mary almost as a normal house wife.
Ellen wrote: "Starting today. This is one of my favorites! Sayers years of experience in advertising paid off with this one."
You're right Ellen, her experience as a copyist really does show, and makes it all the more enjoyable as it is all so obviously genuine.
Bionic Jean wrote: "Oh Adrian - that sounds serious! I hope you're OK and it's all under control now.Maybe The Nine Tailors should go through May too, if others are a bit behind as well? Just an idea ..."
Thanks Jean, it just all kicked off over a 3 week period. Hey ho. Apparently I'm fine now (sort of ), and youngest son got his new job, so all's well.
I will catch up but if other people would like a month off or an extra month ????
I wouldn't mind having a month off so that we can take our time and enjoy the few remaining books, since Sayers wrote fewer books than Christie.
I just finished it and I really liked it a lot! I was surprised by the ending (I had no idea who did it!). (view spoiler)
Next month in the Reading the Detectives group they will be reading The Nine Tailorsas part of their group challenge.
Well it looks like we are all in favour of having a month off / taking an extra month to read The Nine Tailors. So lets make it official ; here is the latest timescale which mirrors message 3April - a break
May - The Nine Tailors
June - Gaudy Night
July - Busman's Honeymoon
August - In the Teeth of the Evidence ( 2 Short stories)
September - Striding Folly ( 3 Short stories)
And these are the Jill Paton Walsh novels (if we feel we want to move into that territory) :-
October (?) - Thrones, Dominations
November (? )- A Presumption of Death
December (?) - The Attenbury Emeralds
2024
January (?) - The Late Scholar
carolina wrote: "I'm ready to start the new reading! But I have no problem starting next month. Ellen wrote: "I don't mind waiting till next month."
Michaela wrote: "I want to join in The Nine Tailors too, but won´t mind to wait a month either."
Rosemarie wrote: "I wouldn't mind having a month off so that we can take our time and enjoy the few remaining books, since Sayers wrote fewer books than Christie."
Thanks everyone for your feedback
And I cannot believe it, but April, our month break is almost up. So I would urge everyone to dig out The Nine Tailors and get ready to enjoy our next wonderful episode in the Lord Peter saga.
I read Nine Tailors last year but still remember it so will join in when others have started reading it.I am woefully behind on this buddy read though! I've just finished Lord Peter Views the Body and thought these short stories were excellent and so much better and more interesting than I'd remembered.
I'm currently reading Have His Carcase and feel that DLS has upped her game with this one, I love her writing.
I have just finished rereading Have His Carcase and really enjoyed it. Though it is a largish book I found it very quick and easy to read and was totally immersed in the story/mystery. Oh but I agree with others about that one chapter which I had to skip!!
I love that bittersweet relationship between Peter and Harriet.
Overall an excellent book.
On to Hangman's Holiday: A Collection of Short Mysteries
Half way through my reread of The Nine Tailors and I am enjoying it as much as always. This is a great story.
Ellen wrote: "Half way through my reread of The Nine Tailors and I am enjoying it as much as always. This is a great story."I'm just over half way through as well, and like you Ellen, I'm really enjoying it. I think this is my favourite so far. 😊
Lynnie wrote: "I have just finished rereading Have His Carcase and really enjoyed it. Though it is a largish book I found it very quick and easy to read and was totally immersed in the story/myste..."Wow you are catching up fast Lynnie ! I hope you enjoy the short stories in Hangman's Holiday: A Collection of Short Mysteries.
The outcome for the Thoday's is absolutely tragic. Maybe Will made the wrong choice in not turning Deacon in but he loved Mary and his girls so much. I don't think our modern sensibilities can understand the pressure he was under. Deacon, quoting Lord Peter, was a very unsatisfactory person. I wish we had heard more about Hilary in future books. Since Wimsey was her trustee and she was going to Oxford it would have seemed possible to work her in.
English Mysteries Club
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I think that's it exactly carolina, this novel as well as being a great detective story also had the wonderful "sparring" between LPW and Harriet . Im sure she will soon realise he is serious about his intentions, well I think there is already the odd moment when she knows it !