Agatha Christie Works

I'm curious to see how many of Agatha Christie's works I have read, and which ones are still outstanding. I've read so many over time that I'm sure I'll not be able to remember them all! But I'll try and make bold those I feel sure I've read. (With thanks to Delicious Death for the lists and links!)

Hercule Poirot:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The Murder on the Links

Poirot Investigates

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Big Four

The Mystery of the Blue Train

Peril at End House

Lord Edgware Dies

Murder on the Orient Express

Three Act Tragedy

Death in the Clouds

The ABC Murders

Murder in Mesopotamia

Cards on the Table

Dumb Witness

Death on the Nile

Murder in the Mews

Appointment with Death

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Sad Cypress

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Evil under the Sun

Five Little Pigs

The Hollow

The Labours of Hercules

Taken at the Flood

Mrs.McGinty's Dead

After the Funeral

Hickory Dickory Dock

Dead Man's Folly

Cat among the Pigeons

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

The Clocks

Third Girl

Hallowe'en Party

Elephants Can Remember

Poirot's Early Cases

Curtain

Problem at Pollensa Bay

Miss Marple:

The Murder at the Vicarage

The Thirteen Problems

The Body in the Library

The Moving Finger

A Murder Is Announced

They Do It with Mirrors

A Pocket Full of Rye

4:50 from Paddington

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

A Caribbean Mystery

At Bertram's Hotel

Nemesis

Sleeping Murder

Miss Marple's Final Cases

Other Mysteries:

"Tommy & Tuppence"

The Secret Adversary

Partners in Crime

N or M ?

By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Postern of Fate

The Man in the Brown Suit

The Secret of Chimneys

The Seven Dials Mystery

The Mysterious Mr.Quin

The Sittaford Mystery

The Hound of Death

The Listerdale Mystery

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Parker Pyne Investigates

Murder Is Easy

And Then There Were None

Towards Zero

Death Comes as the End

Sparkling Cyanide

Crooked House

They Came to Baghdad

Destination Unknown

Ordeal by Innocence

The Pale Horse

Endless Night

Passenger to Frankfurt

While the Light Lasts

Plays:

Black Coffee

*Ten Little Indians

*Appointment with Death

*Murder on the Nile

*The Hollow

The Mousetrap

Witness for the Prosecution

Spider's Web

*Towards Zero

Verdict

The Unexpected Guest

Rule of Three

*Go Back for Murder

Akhnaton

I'm sure I have read many of the others, but I have highlighted those that I am sure I have read. Although even then I don't think I can remember all the plots!! Or who did it ...

Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie

A fun read, one I hadn't read before. Scientists are going missing, the wife of one is injured in a plane crash, another woman suddenly is plunged into intrigue. I should make a list of all the Agatha Christie books I have and haven't read some time - they are always a sure fire hit in passing time enjoyably.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It's been a long time since a book made me cry. A bit embarrassing on the Overground. Great book.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Brown Eyes ed. by Nicole Moore

Thoughtful anthology of poems, interviews and essays by black and mixed race women. Some of the poems I did feel had been included as they had been written by black or mixed race women, rather than because they were particularly "good", but the essays were very insightful, full of reflection on issues such as whether one should be described as mixed race or black, and what sort of a role race plays in forming one's identity. I was a bit concerned that some of the women only just seemed to have discovered Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, but was pleased that a couple also mentioned other writers such as Jane Austen. Good to read a variety of authors, I think. Glad to have read this anthology.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

When She Was White by Judith Stone

This is a curious biography of Sandra Laing. Sandra's parents were white, so obviously when she was born, in apartheid South Africa, she was classified as white. However, her dark skin and frizzy hair resulted in "scandal-tongues" gossipping about her mother, and made her life very difficult. She was expelled from her whites-only school, was reclassified as coloured, eventually reclassified again as white after a long and bitter campaign waged by her father, then ran away from home to live with her black boyfriend in Swaziland.

The story seems to come out in fits and starts as Stone tries to piece together what happened to Sandra, as Sandra herself seems to have blanked many of the events of her childhood and struggles to understand the things that happened to her as she was growing up.

Stone peppers the narration with psychological sidenotes relating to the effects of living in apartheid South Africa, identity confusion and family breakdown. She also picks up the story from a variety of friends and from documents in Sandra's government file. It makes for a slightly awkward read at times, but is very interesting and informative.


Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Father Brown Stories by GK Chesterton

What a revelation! I loved reading these. Was particularly struck by the character of Flambeau. In the first couple of stories he was a great villain, and, I surmised, a Moriarty-type figure, whose scheming ways would be pitted against the intellect of the short, dull priest. But no! Soon he was a close friend of Fr Brown's! This seemed to epitomise the difference between Poirot and Brown. Father Brown works out who did it, hears their confession, counsels them - then appears to let them go! His eyes are always on the bigger picture. Great stories, thought provoking morals. Highly recommended.

Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award, and quite right too. Particularly interesting to read after the recent renewed interest in the Jamie Bulger killers. What is it like to take on a new identity? Pretty much a one day read.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

The Last Gospel by David Gibbons

Really quite silly - particularly the conclusion, although I always feared it would be! - but fun as well, just what I wanted. A page turner, from Claudius to Pompeii, to Jesus, lots of my favourite subjects in there. Of course, the Church is the big baddie, and all a bit daft, but nevermind!
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Magic: New Stories edited by JK Rowling

Magic little book of short stories, published to raise money for one parent family society. Wide variety of stories, just what I needed at that point in the term!
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

I enjoyed reading this book; I was very conscious of it being well written, good prose. But at the same time I was wondering, how did this win the Pulitzer Prize? And then, in the very last line, I finally saw the final connection. Read the last chapter again and was surprised I'd missed it! And that seemed to make it all worthwhile. Interesting.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende

This is one of Allende's books for young people, and as such it reads very differently from her other novels such as House of the Spirits. I have to say that I prefer her writing for adults, but this is quite a magical story. Alex and Nadia meet in the rainforest, and go on a spiritual journey in order to grow as people and, more importantly, to save the People of the Mist. Sometimes it is unclear whether the events they are experiencing are hallucinations or real.

I suppose this novel falls under the genre of magic realism; however, I sometimes wondered if I was supposed to believe certain descriptions, with the willing suspension of disbelief, or not.

I have enjoyed this story, but I look forward to be more transported by an adult Allende novel in the future!


Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

I read this one in a day! Another good book by Siobhan Dowd, who sadly died of cancer after writing this one. Such a shame - she is a very talented writer, and this is another moving story set in the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during the Troubles. An Iron Age body is found in a bog, like the Tollund Man, and this sets the scene.

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd

What an intensely sad and moving book. Very well written. I highly recommend. About a poor Irish family, in particular, Shell, just turned 16, and her relationship with her father, the local priest, and a worldly wise boy.

The Shoe Queen by Anna Davis

I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this book, but for a start I hadn't expected it to be set in the twenties! Lots of shoes, some intrigue, and a bit of an unexpected ending.

Girl Meets Cake by Susie Day

I can't quite remember the order I read my summer books in ... Anyway, this was a good one, about a girl whose parents work in a boarding school who ends up with a made up gingerbread boyfriend. Very fun.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

What can I say. Very exciting, fun and entertaining. And then Sherlock came out! Complete with Sherlock's website and Dr Watson's blog! Great stuff. I was really in the mood for it having read this book so recently!

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Quite a change from the historical fiction of my last novel! This story centres on Ted and Kat's missing cousin, Salim, who went up in the London Eye but didn't come down. The narrator, Ted, has a "syndrome" (on the autistic spectrum, perhaps?) which means his brain is "wired differently" from other people. He really likes the weather. This helps him to try and solve the problem. I read this book quickly. Very good.

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

Another lovely story set in South (and North) America (and China this time, too). Eliza, a baby left at Miss Rose's house in Chile, grows up, falls in love, travels to California during the goldrush, and meets many interesting people on the way. Beautifully told and described. I do love Isabel Allende's books - and I've taken another one out over the holidays.

The Amnesia Clinic by James Scudamore

Very interesting story about two friends with a love for a story. Set in Ecuador, the two boys go exploring for a fictional amnesia clinic, with a variety of consequences. Sad, good book.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

Actually finished this some time ago, but don't think I wrote about it ... Glad to have finished the story and found out what happened. Overall, a good story with interesting characters, very dark, epic, but a bit overlong too. For me, anyway.

The Queen and I by Sue Townsend

This was an enjoyable and creative read for the weekend. What if the UK became a republic and the former royal family had to live on a council housing estate? What I found most interesting is that the book was written some time ago, so it was funny to think how some things have changed.

Semi-Detached by Paul Heathorn

Definitely one of the strangest books I've read in a while! The blurb on the back made me laugh, and I liked the conceit of the two characters being named Will and Liam ... WilLiam ... But why did Liam want to build a portal in the first place? Quite suspenseful. Made me a bit nervous reading it! Would Liam be caught? Still thinking about it a bit.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

The Stuff of Nightmares by Malorie Blackman

I always enjoy a bit of Malorie Blackman! This one was quite spooky - I was glad I was reading it in bed in the morning, and not the night before! Interesting to see that some of the dreams were originally short stories - makes sense.

City of Stars by Mary Hoffman

Lovely, fantastical story, all the better for being partly set in a Medieval Italian (or, to be strictly accurate, Talian) town which holds a mad horse race each year - modelled on Siena, a city I have not visited - yet! This is the second book in the Stravaganza series. I was worried about not having read the first book, but this story of friendship stands on its own.

The Water Bearer by Dianne Hofmeyr

It probably makes sense to read this book about water and fire in a steaming hot bath. A nice story set off the coast of Zanzibar all the way to the interior of Zimbabwe. It was a shame that four pages were missing at the very end!



Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

August Heat by Andrea Camilleri

Another Inspector Montalbano Mystery! He discovers another mystery! And it's fun, hot, hot, hot and there is some good Italian food and swimming thrown in for good measure! I love these Camilleri mysteries!

Escape Velocity by Mark Walden

Dr Nero has been captured! And how can Otto do the computations that he is capable of? Another gripping read! I love this series! Very exciting and full of adventure, as well as being quick and easy to read!

The Overlord Protocol by Mark Walden

My librarian has finally got some more HIVE books! Otto and Wing have managed to leave the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, but will the staff at HIVE be able to protect them from afar? Another great read from this series!

Completely Unexpected Tales by Roald Dahl

Two volumes of Tales of the Unexpected, some of the stories were the same as I had read in the previous volume (which was more of an introduction for teens to Dahl's adult stories); all still great, dark, mysterious, funny.

The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories by Roald Dahl

Short stories are just right for the tube. These ones were so enjoyable I kept reading them while walking along the street. Most of these tales have wicked twists and turns, a satisfying darkness. Must go and find more now!

The Constant Gardener by John Le Carre

My first Le Carre book, which I borrowed from the library because I remembered I'd enjoyed the film. Glad I did - I might even read another one now! Very good and enjoyable read, following the widowed husband around the world as he follows in his wife's footsteps to try and find out what she had discovered before she was murdered. Can see why someone thought it would make a good film.

I've now finished the ten or so books I took out from the library at Christmas - need to update my blog though!

That Thing Around The Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

This collection of short stories has been an enjoyable companion on my tube journeys this week. The stories have a variety of settings, although most of them touch upon relationships, good and bad. One thing that struck me was the sympathetic portrayal of a number of gay characters, at stark odds with the vehemence and vitriol seen in some African countries at the moment; especially happy that these characters are not portrayed in any particular political light, just characters like the writer, the abandoned girlfriend, the new wife. The stories often seem to peter out; there is often no real climax or conclusion. But life is a bit like that, so the endings fit. Yes, it is acceptable to end a story like that, as one character asks.

The Cypriot by Andreas Koumi

Very moving and interesting book - highly recommended. I really didn't know anything about Cypriot history before reading this book - now I find myself noticing things in the news or in our local community that make me think about Turkish and Greek Cypriots, and what they might have experienced. Glad I read this one.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

I've read it because I wanted to find out what happened next ... Fine, but a bit clunky for me. Wonder what the film is like? Of course, I have to read the final story in the trilogy now to find out what happens to all the characters.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

A harrowing and very readable book. Eva writes to her estranged husband about their son, who has killed many students in a Columbine type attack. She reflects on her relationship with her son, going right back to their decision to have a child. Very thought provoking.

Books read in 2009

In reverse order:

79 * Rounding the Mark - Andrea Camilleri
78 * The Scent of the Night - Andrea Camilleri
77 * Excursion to Tindari - Andrea Camilleri
76 * Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett
75 * Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key - Jack Gantos
74 * The Voice of the Violin - Andrea Camilleri
73 * Diary of a Wimpy Kidd - Jeff Kinney
72 * The Shape of Water - Andrea Camilleri
71 * Clandestine in Chile - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
70 * Once - Morris Gleitzman
69 * Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
68 * Crick Crack, Monkey - Merle Hodge
67 * The Wheel of Surya - Jamila Gavin
66 * Breath, Eyes, Memory - Edwidge Danticat
65 * Krik? Krak! - Edwidge Danticat
64 * Crossing the River - Caryl Phillips
63 * The Kite Rider - Geraldine McCaughrean
62 * A Concise Chinese English Dictionary for Lovers - Xiaolu Guo
61 * Cast Adrift - Peter Guttridge
60 * The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
59 * Agatha Christie: Murder in Three Stages - Novelisations by Charles Osborne
58 * The Star of Kazan - Eva Ibbotson
57 * Olympiad: An Historical Novel - Tom Holt
56 * The Prestige - Christopher Priest
55 * The Human Factor - Graham Greene
54 * Brighton Rock - Graham Greene
53 * Beruit, I Love You: A Memoir - Zena El Khalil
52 * The Final Analysis of Dr Stark - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
51 * Miss Marple Complete Short Stories - Agatha Christie
50 * All The Way Home - Bookey Peek
49 * Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
48 * The Fourth Bear - Jasper Fforde
47 * The Labours of Hercules - Agatha Christie
46 * The Big Four - Agatha Christie
45 * Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
44 * The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
43 * Coram Boy - Jamila Gavin
42 * The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
41 * Portrait in Sepia - Isabel Allende
40 * The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman - Louis de Bernieres
39 * Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
38 * Junk - Melvyn Burgess
37 * Blazing Star - Lynne Markham
36 * It's a 50/50 Thing - Chris Higgins
35 * Deep Joy, or Something Like It - Karen McCombie
34 * Happiness and All That Stuff - Karen McCombie
33 * Hunky Dory - Jean Ure
32 * Finding Violet Park - Jenny Valentine
31 * Journey to the River Sea - Eva Ibbotson
30 * Smokescreen - Bernard Ashley
29 * Broken Soup - Jenny Valentine
28 * Higher Institute of Villainous Education - Mark Walden
27 * The Road of the Dead - Kevin Brooks
26 * Freak the Mighty - Rodman Philbrick
25 * Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers
24 * The Illustrated Mum - Jacqueline Wilson
23 * Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself - Judy Blume
22 * Waving, Not Drowning - Rosie Rushton
21 * Unheard Voices - Malorie Blackman (collection)
20 * Jack Sweettooth - Malorie Blackman
19 * Tell Me No Lies - Malorie Blackman
18 * Does My Head Look Big In This? - Randa Abdel-Fattah
17 * The Fire Eaters - David Almond
16 * Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
15 * The Complete Book of Aunts - Rupert Christiansen
14 * Before I Die - Jenny Downham
13 * Saffy's Angel - Hilary McKay
12 * Colour Bar - Susan Williams
11 * Ruby Red - Linzi Glass
10 * The View from Saturday - E.L. Konigsburg
9 * At Bertram's Hotel - Agatha Christie
8 * The Sound of Laughter - Peter Kay
7 * The World's Wife - Carol Ann Duffy
6 * Blue Shoes and Happiness - Alexander McCall Smith
5 * The Girl Who Married a Lion - Alexander McCall Smith
4 * The Fire Gospel - Michel Faber
3 * Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama
2 * Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison
1 * Double Cross - Malorie Blackman

So, 79 books. Not bad. Wish I'd managed a nice round 80 though! I shall try and analyse them later, if I can find the time!

Analysis

37 by men
42 by women
14 murder mystery novels (although I suppose it depends on what you include! I've included Camilleri, Christie, Brown and Faber)
3 biographical
7 by Caribbean authors, also another 3 or 4 set in South America

Once again, a lot of books aimed at teenagers, but also many more "serious" novels.

It's probably helped that I've spent quite a lot of time travelling by public transport this year. Might read less in 2010! We'll see.

The Shakespeare Secret by J.L. Carrell

A murder mystery apparently in the style of Dan Brown but with Shakespeare rather than Jesus as the star of the story. Interesting enough for me to decide not to get out of bed until I had finished it (I started and read most of it on the train yesterday), but some of the plot twists were a bit obvious, and some sections I think I read too quickly to really understand. Fun, though. First book fully read in 2010!

Flood Child by Emily Diamand

An interesting story about Lily Melkun and Zeph from the North Isling family, set in the future, when most of London (or Lunden as it is known by the reavers) is under water. The two young people meet and befriend each other, even though their families would be enemies. But can they stay friends?

Also, what happened to Andy?

Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri

As Montalbano considers retirement, he bumps into someone who makes him reconsider. Once again, the familiar friendly characters are here, as well as the delicious descriptions of Italian food, and everything else I have loved so much about the Montalbano mysteries! A good book to finish 2009 with.

The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri

In this story, money and a possible fraud is involved first, before there are any signs of murder. Another enjoyable Montalbano mystery, full of food, sea, olives and the Mafia. Perhaps.

Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri

I have really enjoyed all of Camilleri's Montalbano books. Love the descriptions of food, but also interesting to get glimpses into the Italian male psyche!

This one involved the disappearance of an elderly couple and the murder of a young man.

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Just the right sort of book for reading in the middle of winter! When Tiffany Aching accidentally dances with the Wintersmith, she begins the descent of winter, seeing Tiffany shaped snowflakes and icebergs. Think the librarian lent me this one because it had wee Scotsmen on the front, in the shape of the Wee Free Nac Mac Feegles. Och aye.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

Fun, fairly light-hearted look at the world through the eyes of a boy with ADHF. Good to remember that he is trying to be good, and just can't help himself when it goes wrong.

(I'm trying to catch up with my final 2009 books!)