Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Reasons I Love Agatha Christie

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Reasons I Love X.  I went back and forth on what to fill in the blank with and suddenly the most obvious answer hit me - Agatha Christie.  I've been a huge Agatha Christie fan for just about as long as I can remember but so often I hear people talking about never having read her and not knowing where to start.  A number of years ago I bought a PC game of And Then There Were None and the cashier at the game store stared at the cover for several minutes and finally said "Agatha Christie... I think my grandmother used to read her."  (I was maybe 26 at the time.  If you're wondering my response was a blank stare followed by "uh huh") So since I'm in no way old enough to be gamer girl's grandmother I thought I'd share the 10 reasons I love Agatha Christie.

Poirot as played by David Suchet

1.  Nothing is ever as it seems.  From Poirot's fussy mannerisms and almost comical personality which hides a devastatingly logical and brilliant brain to Miss Marple's attention to detail and rich knowledge of human nature hidden behind a rather dithery and naive old lady nothing is what it seems.  There are heiresses who aren't anything of the kind, lazy young men who actually work for the foreign office, devoted mothers who are far more devoted to control than to the children, There are harmless seeming ordinary people who are in fact just wearing a mask to cover the fact that they are in fact devious and pathological murderers.  Nothing in the world of Christie is truly what it seems.

2.  Seeing 50+ years through the eyes of one person.  From 1920 when her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles to 1973 with Postern of Fate we can see the world through Agatha's eyes.  While she doesn't talk about current events, in fact she purposely didn't mention World War II in the books that she was writing during that time, we watch the changes in attitude towards crime and other social issues over those 50 years.

3.  We get a peek into the life of an archeologist during the 30s, 40s, and 50s.  Christie's second husband was renowned archeologist Max Mallowan and it was a subject that interested her as well.  Several of her books are set in digs in Iraq and other areas.  She also wrote a memoir of her experiences called Come Tell Me How You Live that is fascinating.

4.  It's fun to pick up on her jokes.  The main one is a character named Mrs. Oliver who is a well known mystery author who has a Finnish detective.  She's very outspoken in her feelings about her detective and dealing with fans and I can just hear Agatha's voice.  It's a bit like getting a peek behind the pages.

5.  Despite how well known Agatha Christie was and is she still has her mysteries.  Shortly after she rose to fame Agatha Christie disappeared.  She was found 11 days later and no one ever was able to offer a full explanation as to what happened.  Agatha herself refused to speak of it.  There are a number of theories and books and even a Doctor Who episode.

6.  I love watching a brilliant writer experiment and evolve.  Christie turned out at least one book a year as well as countless short stories and plays.  At that pace almost everything she wrote was published which becomes fascinating to see her techniques evolve and watch her play with plot ideas or characters in short stories and full length books.  A number of her books were written to fulfill contract obligations but there are a number where I can almost feel her glee as she plays with a complicated plot.

7.  She kills hundreds of people yet none of her books make me double check the locks and jump at shadows.  I love a good thriller but sometimes it's just nice to have a clean page turning murder that is more a brain exercise than scary.

8.  The mysteries are timeless.  Sure there's the occasional attitude or word that is so impossibly dated it makes you cringe but the murders themselves are timeless.  I read a mystery by another author written in the 60s and all I could think was if they'd had google the book would have been 20 pages.  I've never felt that with Agatha.

9.  The variety is huge.  Between international spy novels, classic locked room murders, and adventure romps Agatha Christie offers a little bit of everything in the mystery genre.  Even her two primary detectives - the comical confident Poirot and the dithering reserved Miss Marple - could not be more different.

10.  They're just good mysteries.  Everything else aside her mysteries are just plain good. There are a few exceptions (let's just pretend Postern of Fate and Passenger to Frankfurt never happened) but for the most part you can't go wrong with a Christie murder.  If you're looking for some to try I highly recommend Death on the Nile, The Sleeping Murder, The Tuesday Night Murder Club, And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Ordeal by Innocence though there are so many great ones it is hard to narrow down the list.

Are you an Agatha Christie fan?  Who is your favorite author?

Scarlet - Review

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles Book 2) by Marissa Meyer

Rating: Very Good
Source: Library
Description:  Cinder the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles.  She's trying to break out of prison - even though if she's succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.  Halfway round the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing.  It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life.  When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her.  As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder.  Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: YA

Why I Picked This Book: After finishing Cinder I couldn't wait to find out what happened next!

My Impression:  Neither young adult or dystopian are on my regular genre list but I'm falling in love fast with the Lunar Chronicles.  As with Cinder I loved how this fairy tale retelling was done.  It's fairly obvious but beautifully modified and not just a gimmick to keep the story going.  This is the story of Cinderella and now Red Riding Hood in a world with cyborgs and Lunars and a battle of life or death.  When we first meet Scarlet she is frustrated with the lack of answers regarding her beloved grandmother's disappearance.  The authorities are refusing to believe that there is anything suspicious but Scarlet knows that something is terribly wrong.  Right away I liked Scarlet.  She's fiercely loyal to her grandmother and is happy working with her on the farm and selling their vegetables to vendors.  She's impulsive and even at the very beginning has to put a lot of effort into biting her tongue because she doesn't want to lose a client.  However, that doesn't last very long and the adventure really begins!
The night we meet Scarlet is the night she meets Wolf.  Right away she doesn't trust him but she's intrigued by him.  His manner is so different from his violent street fighter persona that she can't quite figure him out.  She also begins to realize that she could use his help even though she doesn't really trust him.  As the adventure continues Scarlet fights her attraction to Wolf along with her desire to trust him even though she doesn't fully.  While she does need his help she's in no way helpless and is able to think for herself and fight for herself which I really liked.  I also loved seeing the continuation of Cinder's story and the arrival of Thorne into the team.
There's a lot less setup and world building in this second book so it does move faster and has considerable more action and development.  While Scarlet and Cinder are both intelligent, brave, and determined young women they're also both very unique.  Plus, I was thrilled to see the reappearance of Iko.  Now I can't wait to get my hands on Cress and find out what happens next.  The setup at the end of Scarlet has me thinking that the adventure is only going to get more action packed.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:   Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to starting Cress and meeting more characters and seeing where the story goes.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  This is far away from my usual reading and I've really loved both of these books.  If the premise at all intrigues you don't hesitate to pick up Cinder and get started!

This Week in Reading - June 5

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Thornyhold by Mary Stewart- I read most of Mary Stewart's books in college but it's been a long time and I remember very little about them.  I decided I wanted to revisit her books and randomly selected Thornyhold as the one I wanted to reread.  Of course that's the one book my library doesn't have!  Luckily I got it used from Amazon and it arrived this week.  I'm looking forward to reading it!(Amazon)

Other than that it was a quiet week.  I've got one book request pending on NetGalley and with that publisher it could go either way.  I'm trying to cut way back on my book acquiring.  I know I say that a lot but lately it's gotten all a bit out of control.  I'm out of space and definitely need to do some major catch up on my review books.  I know I have a pre-order or two coming next week but hopefully that will be about it!

Currently:

Reading: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King (part of the Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series), It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas and Haunted Destiny by Heather Graham

Listening:  I've found a whole bunch of new podcasts that I'm interested in which means I have tons of podcasts to catch up on.  Since my listening time during the summer isn't what it is during the school year I've decided to give audio books a rest for a little while and focus mostly on podcasts.  Some of the new ones I'm trying out are Stuff You Should Know, Real Crime Profile, True Crime Garage, The Night Time Podcast, and Stuff You Missed in History Class.  I've also discovered and am really enjoying it Read It and Weep where they tackle a movie, book or television show and discuss it in a way that normally has me laughing.  I also have really been enjoying Overdue which focuses on books we should have read by now.  And I still have my trusty favorites - TV Crimes, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Super Serials, The Readers, History Chicks, All the Books, What Should I Read Next, Get Booked, and Avon on the Air.

Watching:  We only have 2 episodes of The Blacklist left *sob*.  I'm hoping Netflix decides to get season 3 very very soon!  I'm also hoping to watch Live and Let Die now that I've finished the book.  I have a James Bond project worked out in my head that I'm hoping to turn into a post or series of posts.  And I'm about ready to start one of my favorite indulgences - The Bachelorette.  I'm a few episodes behind but I'll get caught up before the finale.  I'm also planning on starting Supernatural back up.  I'd taken a break for the last few weeks but now I'm ready to go back and see what the boys are up too.

Off the Blog:

We had a little adventure this week.  Wednesday night the Tornado was in bed and J and I had settled down to watch The Blacklist.  A little thunderstorm had popped up as so often happens during the summer but for the most part it sounded pretty far off.  Then all of a sudden we heard this huge boom and the power cut out.  Then the whole world outside the winds was glowing green and there was this super loud buzzing noise.  It was a bit like being inside a massive bug zapper on serious steroids.  It glowed green for a few seconds and then faded down to where it was still really bright.  J went running outside and I went to get the Tornado who by this point was unnerved by all the noise and the fact that the lights were out.  It turned out that lightening had struck the transformer by our driveway and it was blazing.  Through the rain and the trees I could see the flames shooting up.  I called the fire department because there are a clutch of trees between the power lines and our house and it was just too easy to picture the flames jumping from tree to tree and finally towards our roof.  The good thing about living outside city limits is that we have a volunteer fire department and they're very enthusiastic.  Within just a few minutes we had about 7 guys in full fire gear watching the fire and making sure it didn't spread.  At one point we had 15 or so people, 1 fire truck, 2 first responder vehicles, and about 8 personal vehicles all out in front of our house with lights blazing.  It was quite a scene.  Luckily, it came to nothing and the utility even got the power back on within a few hours.  I am waiting to see if I got any super powers from the lightening striking so close but so far nothing.  The Tornado was beside himself with excitement between the fire truck and all the lights, all the people running around, the fire and the power going out.  I have a feeling he'll be talking about it for awhile!

Other than that not much has happened this week.  Emma went back down to school and Paul is spending a lot of time with his friends waiting to get notice of when he leaves for boot camp.  The Tornado and I declared Fridays "Fun Friday" and spent most of the day in our pajamas playing video games.  I killed it on Mario Kart but he still has me beat on Super Mario 3D World.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday: Deep Dark - Romantic Suspense Review
Tuesday: My Top Ten Beach Reads
Wednesday: A Golden Cage - Cozy Historical Mystery Review
Thursday: A Wrinkle in Time - Middle Grade Science Fiction Review
Friday: Friday Linkups featuring Excerpts from It Happened One Autumn
Saturday: America's Best Breakfasts - Cookbook Review + Recipe

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) - Review

Tuesday: Top Ten Reasons I Love Agatha Christie

Wednesday: Tea Cups and Carnage - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Thursday: Haunted Destiny - Paranormal Romantic Suspense Review

Friday: Friday Linkups featuring current book

Saturday: The Year of Cozy - Review

Have a great week and happy reading!

America's Best Breakfasts - Cookbook Review + Recipe

America's Best Breakfasts by Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman is part cookbook part travel book and manages to do both well.  The book is divided into regions and each region has about 15 recipes all from different areas in that region.  And we don't just get the recipe - we get the story.  We see the people and the restaurant behind the food.  They talk about about why the recipe came to be, who it's a favorite with, and why the serve it.  Some stories are more detailed than others.  Some recipes just come with a paragraph or two while others take up several pages with pictures of the people, the place, and the people who love it.  There are a scattering of inserts that don't include a recipe but instead focus on an area or a restaurant or bakery that is particularly iconic.  Not only did the recipes make my mouth water and make me want to get cooking but they made me want to grab my car keys and take a road trip to some of the fabulous diners, restaurants, and bakeries listed.  There are a few that aren't that far away and I can hear them calling my name!  I can guarantee that next time I travel a bit far from home I'll be checking this book to see if there's one of these yummy looking places close by.

The recipes are just as varied as the areas they represent.  There are sweet recipes - like Chocolate Doughnuts and Creme Anglais, Graham Cracker Waffles, Brioche Cinnamon Buns, and a delicious looking Summer Granola.  There are savory recipes such as a Fritatta with Seasonal Greens, Pho Bo (beef noodle soup), Corn and Andouille Skillet Fritters, and Oven-Baked Eggs with White Beans, Roasted Tomatoes, and Olives.  The variety in this book is amazing from standard breakfast fare like morning glory muffins, lemon-blueberry waffles, and shrimp in grits to the more unusual foods such as kimchi pancakes, Malawach (Yemenite Fried Bread), and Breakfast Pang with Fennel-Maple Glazed Bacon I think there's something for everyone in America's Best Breakasts.

The recipes themselves are laid out simply with ingredients that aren't too difficult to find (and they seem to offer quite a number of substitutes for more regional ingredients) and easy to follow steps.  I'm not one to prepare complicated breakfasts and breakfast time but the majority of these recipes would be great for anytime of day.  I think I will try this recipe from Imperial in Portland, Oregon.  Partly because of it's simplicity, partly because the chef de cuisine is Doug Adams who was one of my favorites on Top Chef Season 12, and partly because I might have been a bit too enthusiastic in my basil plant buying and now have a major surplus!

Caramaelized Grapefruit with Basil Sugar

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large ruby red grapefruit, half and seeded.

3 large bright green, unblemished basil leaves (patted dry of all moisture if rinsed), plus more as needed

1/2 cup sugar, plus more as needed

Julienned mint, for garnish

Preheat the broiler on high, or a grill pan over high heat.  Place the oil in a medium shallow bowl and dip the cut side of the grapefruit halves in the oil to coat well.  Broil the halves (face up) or grill them (face down) until slightly charred, 5 to 6 minutes.  Chill the grapefruit until very cold, at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in an electric spice grinder or coffee grinder, combine the basil and sugar.  Process until the sugar is bright green, adding more sugar if the mixture clumps or is wet, or an additional basil leaf or two to achieve the desired color and flavor.  Using a grapefruit knife or sharp paring knife, separate the grapefruit segments from the membranes.  Drizzle olive oil on top of the grapefruit, then generously sprinkle each half with at least 2 tablespoons basil sugar.  Garnish with mint.

What caught my eye: I love that almost all the prep work can be done well ahead of time - including grilling the grapefruit.  I think I could even do that the night before.  I also really like that I can use a grill pan instead of broiling it.  They also include other suggestions for the basil sugar that sound delicious such as dipping strawberries into it or rimming a cocktail glass with it. 

If you don't have a spice or coffee grinder you can use a food processor for the same effect.  I have a little 1 cup food processor I picked up somewhere for not all that much that I use for this kind of thing so I don't have to pull out my heavy food processor.

I'm looking forward to giving this bright and fresh recipe a try one morning.  It sounds like it's sure to bring a little sunshine into a dreary day!

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review

Friday Linkups - It Happened One Autumn

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice.

This Week's Book Blogger Hop Question:
Do you answer all the comments left on your blog?

My Answer:
I try but lately I haven't been doing very well.  I'm hoping to get back on track soon and possibly start using disquis so that commentors will be notified of the answer.

This week's book is actually a reread for me.  I've tried to incorporate a few rereadings this year as I found I really missed reading some old favorites.  This one - It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas - isn't necessarily a favorite but I did enjoy it and wanted to revisit the characters.  Plus for some reason I remembered almost nothing about it and wanted to fix that before I read the next book in the series - The Devil in Winter - which is one of my favorites.  I've read almost no historical romance in the last couple of years and it's nice to revisit a reliable book and author.

The Beginning: 
London, 1843
Two young women stood at the threshold of the perfumery, one tugging impatiently at the arm of the other.  "Do we have to go in there?" the smaller one was saying in a flat American accent, resisting as the other pulled her forcibly into the quietly lit shop.

My Thoughts:
I like that the heroine in this book is American as I've always been fascinated by the stories of the wealthy Americans who took their daughters to England to find a titled husband for them.

The 56: (Actually 156)
"Pardon," came Daisy's voice from nearby, "but I am going to take this opportunity to make use of the ...the... oh, whatever the polite world is for it, I have no idea.  I will meet you at the entrance of the dining hall."

My Thoughts:
I can't imagine going from relative freedom and then suddenly being dropped into a world that has so much more structure and strict rules for how you should and shouldn't behave.  I feel for Daisy here.  She's trying to do what she's supposed to do but she's getting frustrated.  Luckily her sense of humor keeps her from getting to stressed about it all.

So what do you think?  Keep reading?  How often do you reread?

A Wrinkle in Time - Review

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Rating: Very Good

Source: Library (audio)
Description:  It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.  "Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them, "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course.  Let me be on my way.  Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".  Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared.  Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin and Charles Wallace to rescue him.  But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space? (from Goodreads)

Genre: Children's - Middle Grade, Science Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I remember loving this book as a child but I found I remembered almost nothing about it.  I had some time open up on my audio schedule and I couldn't resist revisiting this book.

My Impression: I remember loving this book in childhood.  I remember exactly where the book was located in the library and what the cover looked like and that about sums it up!  Rereading it as an adult was fascinating on multiple levels.  I'm surprised that I loved it so much - not because it isn't interesting and well written but because it's so different.  In some ways it is similar to the adventure stories that I adored but it is most definitely science fiction which has never been a genre I've really read much of so it surprises me how much I enjoyed this as a kid.

The book itself is definitely different.  I've found that main characters in Middle Grade adventure stories tend to be perpetually cheerful resilient and mature children.  Meg Murray is none of those things.  She's angry, she holds grudges, she complains, and she is most definitely her age.  The other characters - Charles Wallace and Cal - are not as well developed but are still unusual.  That's all before we meet Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which and step through the wrinkle in time.  

From there the adventure expands over time and space.  I did lose thread of the story a time or two and had to back track but I think that may have been because I was listening to this on audio and I think print might have worked  a little better.  As for the adventure itself it's something better read about than discussed.  And since my reading of science fiction is fairly limited I can't really compare it to other books of the genre.  

I can say that I really enjoyed this revisit to L'Engles' universe and I'd really like to continue with the series.  

I listened to audio book and while the narrator, Hope Davis, did a good job I'm not sure the book itself works perfectly as an audio.  I think I might read the next book to see if it's easier to keep track of all the details.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely.  I don't think I was aware when I first read it that this was the first book in a series.  I'd like to see what happens next with these characters.

Would I Recommend this Book?: I would.  It wasn't what I expected given my usual reading but it was interesting and worth the read.

A Golden Cage - Review

A Golden Cage (Newport Gilded Age #2) Shelley Freydont
Rating: Very Good
Source: Netgalley

Description:  The author of A Gilded Grave returns to Newport, Rhode Island, at the close of the nineteenth century, where headstrong heiress Deanna Randolph must solve another murder among the social elite.  With her mother in Europe, Deanna is staying with the Ballard family, who agree to chaperone her through the summer season and guide her toward an advantageous marriage proposal - or so her mother hopes.  Relishing her new freedom, Deanna is more interested in buying one of the fashionable new bathing costumes, joining a ladies' bicycling club and befriending an actress named Amabelle Deeks, all of which would scandalize her mother.  Far more scandalous is the discovery of a young man bludgeoned to death on the conservatory floor at Bonheur, the Ballards' sumptuous "cottage".  Deanna recognizes him as an actor who performed at the birthday fete for a prominent judge the night before.  But why was he at Bonheur?  And where is Amabelle?  Concerned her new friend may be in danger - or worse - Deanna enlists the help of her intrepid maid, Elspeth, and her former beau, Joe Ballard, to find Amabelle before the villain of this drama demands an encore.  (From Goodreads)

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I enjoyed the previous book in the series and I really love this time period and location.

My Impression:  I really enjoyed the previous book in the series so going in my expectations were fairly high. I really like Deanna and it was fun to see how she's doing away from her controlling mother and among the more relaxed and progressive Ballard women.  I also felt like we saw a lot more of Joe and Will in this book and got more of a peek into their private lives and thoughts.
Joe and Deanna's relationship is still developing and I found it interesting how they danced around each other with Deanna feeling jealous occasionally even though she constantly reminds herself that she shouldn't.  I found Joe's worries about Deanna's action sweet.  He was of course worried about her safety but also her reputation and voices more than once his concern that when Deanna cares about society or tries to take her place there that too much damage will be done and she won't be able too.  He's not overbearing but he's clearly thinking ahead in a way that Deanna isn't.

The time period in this book is not simply window dressing.  So much of the characters' actions are influenced by societal pressures or beliefs.  I also loved Deanna's maid, Elspeth.  Not only is their relationship wonderful and hilarious but she provides a window into the below stairs world that Deanna really can't visit.

The mystery itself was well done and solid.  I didn't know what had happened or why or who was to blame for quite some time and it definitely kept me reading.  I did feel like it moved a little slower than the first book - at least for the first half - and it took me awhile to get fully invested in the story.  However, even before I really connected I was still entertained and intrigued.

This is an entertaining mystery that makes full use of its gorgeous and complicated setting.  The characters are likable and complex and incredibly readable.   If you enjoy historical mysteries you can't go wrong with this book or A Gilded Grave.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I've really enjoyed both the books in this series as well as books in her Celebration Bay series.

Would I Recommend this Book?: I would though I think I would recommend reading the first book before this one.  While the mystery is stand alone the relationships between some of the main characters are complicated and it might make more sense in order.