Luann's Agatha Christie Reading Progress

[Luann]

I hope you don't mind if I just make myself at home here! I thought I would start a thread of my own to post my progress and reviews as I read through all of Agatha Christie's books! Well, we'll see if I make it through all of them. I'm involved in several other challenges and groups here on GR, so it's a matter of juggling and prioritizing. :)

I'm going to start with the list of Miss Marple mysteries and short stories and then go from there. I'm using the list posted at:
http://www.agathachristie.com

* Murder at the Vicarage - pub. 1930 - read June 12 - 5 stars
* The Thirteen Problems - pub. 1932 (also published as The Tuesday Club Murders)
* The Body in the Library - pub. 1942
* The Moving Finger - pub. 1943

(There are more on the list. See the link above. I'll add to the list as I read (or reread) the first few. I also have a book called Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories which has the Miss Marple stories from The Tuesday Club Murders, The Regatta Mystery, Three Blind Mice, and Double Sin.)

[Luann]

Murder at the Vicarage - read June 12 - 5 stars.

I love Agatha Christie! She was my go-to author for pleasure reading during college. As a break from studying all week, I would allow myself some pleasure reading time on the weekends. I read and enjoyed many Agatha Christie murder mysteries during that time. My favorite was always Miss Marple, although I don't remember ever reading this one. This is Agatha Christie's first book with Miss Marple, so I'm glad to have finally read it! Even though this was published in 1930, Miss Marple's observations of human behavior don't feel dated at all. And I didn't figure out who the murderer was! Overall, a great read. I echo the sentiments from the last line of the book: "Really Miss Marple is rather a dear."

[Ruth]

Luann wrote: "I hope you don't mind if I just make myself at home here! I thought I would start a thread of my own to post my progress and reviews as I read through all of Agatha Christie's books! Well, we'll se..."

Welcome! There's no judgment regarding how one reads Agatha Christie, and I look forward to reading your reviews.

[Luann]

Thanks, Ruth! I just wasn't sure if you wanted people to post their lists/reviews like in other challenge groups, since no one else has yet. It's such a new group! I was delighted to find it.

[Ruth]

Miss Marple is rather a dear. Nothing original in human nature; in her many years, she has truly seen it all. Jung would be pleased. I'm inspired to write a novel featuring the young Miss Marple, since those who are drawn to crime as she is, usually come to it earlier in life. I want to read all of the stories, first, however. It would be so much fun!

[Luann]

I just read Agatha Christie's An Autobiography and thought I would post my review here. I gave it four stars. Reading it really made me want to read and/or reread all of her books!

My review:
If you sat down with Agatha Christie and asked her about her life, this book would be the story she would tell. It is very conversational in tone. I found some parts to be extremely fascinating, and other parts only mildly interesting - especially in the beginning. I was very interested in the parts where she talked about her writing, how she got the ideas for many of her books, and how she felt about them. She had written many, many books before she ever thought of herself as a real author. I've loved all of her books that I've read over the years, and now I feel like I know the author herself as a real person. What a nice, smart, and humble lady she was! I definitely recommend this for any Agatha Christie fan.

Some favorite quotes:

"I was, I suppose, always overburdened with imagination. That has served me well in my profession--it must, indeed, be the basis of the novelist's craft--but it can give you some very bad sessions in other respects."

"An experience that you really enjoyed should never be repeated."
(She seemed to really believe this. She mentioned it several times - or how she didn't want to go back to a place she had really loved in case it had changed and would ruin her nice memories of it.)

"If the thing you want beyond anything cannot be, it is much better to recognize it and go forward, instead of dwelling on one's regrets and hopes."

"One of the nicest parts of traveling is coming home again."