At Bertram's Hotel

This is the 11th Miss Marple, and I have to say that I don't think very highly of it. The story has fantastic potential, with plenty of sub-plots and sub-sub-plots to keep you confused and unsure what's significant and what's not. Like much of Agatha Christie, it relies heavily on a fair amount of coincidence, which tends to annoy me. Unfortunately, this book simply does not live up to what one expects. The execution is poor and the pacing is problematic.

Miss Marple: the Complete Short Stories

I love this collection. I could read it every week! I'm particularly fond of the first set, generally known as the Tuesday Club Murders or Thirteen Problems. These short stories are a great introduction to Miss Marple and the way in which she goes about solving crimes (the well-known village parallel). The writing is particularly evocative and you can clearly picture a white-haired woman carefully counting stitches in the corner, listening to everything being said and quietly solving the mystery without anyone noticing.

They Do It With Mirrors

Due to lack of internet, I am horribly behind in my blogging, so expect a massive spate in the next week or so. Also, we'll be at the cottage this weekend, which will involve piles of reading and knitting and so on, so I'll have even more to catch up on when I get back... Lately I've been rereading a bunch of books, notably Agatha Christie's, because all the books I want to read are waiting in the wings for 2012 and the mass of challenges. You'd think that would give me less to review, but apparently I haven't reviewed most of these.

This is the 6th Miss Marple and one of my favourites. There's a slight hint of what she may have been like as a young girl and we get to see her outside of St Mary Mead, which is always good. She meets up with an old friend, who is worried about her sister, Carrie-Louise. She has been manipulated into inviting Miss Marple to visit her and, unsurprisingly, a murder occurs. This really is one of Christie's more ingenious plots and, knowing what happens, it's really interesting to reread it and see all the little clues and details that point in the right direction.

This is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys that sort of mystery.

Whoops

I tripped, I fell, I signed up for three more challenges. Of course, since I'm endeavouring to spend all those birthday presents I received on books (which I succeeded in today, as far as the Exclusive Books gift vouchers go), I think it's acceptable.

First up is the non-fiction, non-memoir challenge. This requires one to read non-fiction books that are not memoirs or any form of biography, really. I expect this to be easy, because I expect to continue to have access to the UCT Library. And even if I don't, I do really enjoy non-fiction, so that's okay. Of course, I also enjoy memoirs, so I'm going to start off with just ten, and see how far I get.

Next up is the war through the generations challenge, which is focusing on World War I in 2012. I shall start at 1-3 books, and see how interesting I really find it. I know I said I'd like to read more about it after reading about how it (possibly) affected Tolkien, but I'm not sure how I'll feel about it outside of that context.

And finally (I hope), I've signed up for the serial killer challenge. This, like religion, is one of those aspects of human nature that really fascinates me. So I'm looking forward to this. It doesn't seem to have any sort of level system, so I'm just going to read at random and enjoy this one.

The Romans

This has been sitting on my shelf for a while, and the only reason that I picked it up to read the other day, is the Reading Round Rome challenge, which I have now started. Six more books to go!

This is an interesting introduction to Ancient Rome. It recognises that it cannot cover everything, but highlights the main points in the development and demise of the civilisation. It certainly whet my appetite for more. Unfortunately, while it admits that there were seamier, repellent aspects to Ancient Rome, it mostly glosses over them. I shall have to discover those somewhere else. This book was rather heavy on Roman law and Stoicism, the military and the Senate, but didn't really tell me very much about what life was like for the average Roman on a day-to-day basis through the years, both in the city itself and in the provinces. How did the Roman Catholic religion come to be seen as a different form of Christianity than that of Byzantium or Africa? There are so many questions that this book raises (intentionally or otherwise) that I'm not sure I'll be able to limit my Roman reading to 7 books...

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time

This is a very interesting read. It's really quite a fascinating look at political matters, the way people live in other, less westernised countries and, most importantly, the lengths that people will go to in order to help themselves. All they need is the resources, which are so very hard to come by. Greg Mortenson, however, makes sure that they get them.

This book is partly about the development and work of the Central Asia Institute (much to my disappointment, this doesn't fit the requirements of my Middle Eastern challenge as a result) and the work they do. It's also partly about Greg Mortenson - who he is, why he is the way he is and so on. It's not really a biography, though it's certainly biographical. It's a weird mix of things. It's definitely worth reading, though it can be heavy-going in places.

The Lighthouse

Another fantastic PD James, in other setting that, sadly, doesn't really exist. I'd really like to go to some of the places in these books, they're so remote and evocative. Of course, that may just be the writing.

I was rather concerned by the cavalier mention of SARS in this book, without much explanation. I know what it is and contemporary readers will have known what it is, but will readers in ten years time know what it is? I was particularly concerned by Emma's premonition that 'something bad' would happen to Dalgliesh. I'm sure things like that really do happen sometimes, but it really doesn't make me think that a particular piece of fiction is realistic. Unsurprisingly, it makes me think just the opposite. And that the author in question isn't very good at foreshadowing, which is not the case with James.

The mystery itself is very good and there are no shortage of suspects, despite the restrictions imposed by the location. The beginning was very good, and though you don't learn who the victim is until the murder happens (unless the back-of-book synopsis is very different on your copy than mine), it was rather obvious who it would be and I was very pleased as the person was shown to be a most unlikable character. The solution is not immediately obvious, though there are hints (and, obviously, clues) to the solution throughout.

Emma

This beautiful item was a birthday gift from a couple of friends of mine. It is absolutely wonderful! SJW had found the first four issues online, but I refused to read it until I could read it in full, which is what is collected in this beautiful volume. It tells the story of Emma without deviating from the novel too obviously. There are a few points that weren't mentioned, that I would have liked to see in, such as the fact that Mrs Bates was the widow of the previous vicar of Highbury. The lack of John Knightley and the children's second visit was a bit annoying, but worked very well. Like most movie adaptations, one has to accept that an adaptation does things differently. Particularly in the way that backstory is dealt with, which I think this did very well. The way they kept referring to Mr Elton as the rector annoyed me, but I suspect it's due to the language differences between the UK and the US. I must admit that the US spelling did not bother me in the slightest.

The art was not brilliant, but managed to capture the style of the characters and the feeling of the book. I would've preferred it to be a little less cartoony and a little more realistic, but that's simply a matter of individual taste. I occasionally had a little difficulty distinguishing the men from each other, particularly in the case of the Knightley brothers, but I imagine they would look quite similar.

If you enjoy Austen and graphic novels, then this is a must! I shall have to locate the others in the series, so far Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

The Clocks

I've read this before, but I was in the mood for something light and entertaining and couldn't remember exactly what happened. I have to say that there are some monumental, and extremely unlikely coincidences in this book. I found the obligatory mention of Cold War spying and defection unnecessary, except in a way to get the protagonist into the story, which could have been managed far more skilfully by someone as capable as Christie. I have to say that I found the solution, which only Poirot managed to figure out, elegant and well thought out. This isn't one of her best, but it's still a quick read that's fun and entertaining, without requiring too much thought.

Devices and Desires

I really enjoy PD James. She writes very well. She recently (at the age of 92) wrote a sequel to Pride and Prejudice that involves Wickham's murder, which I'd like to read. This, however, is an older book that I found in a used bookshop the other day. It's one of the Adam Dalgliesh series, which is always good.

I have to say, however, I found this book disappointing. Dalgliesh, admittedly never the entire focus of the book, usually has a greater part in it. I didn't feel that that detracted from the book, as it was interesting to see him on the outside of the murder inquiry, looking in - a detached perspective that was able to cut both ways, as police officer and as witness or even suspect. What disappointed me, I think, is that it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. That's the problem with being brilliant -a good book by other standards is only mediocre. I found the aspect of terrorism relating to the nuclear power stations unnecessary and irrelevant, though amusing. Perhaps it was less so when the book was written, around the time that the Cold War ended. I have to say that I found the solution interesting, but I didn't find the motive particularly believable. I certainly didn't find some of the attitudes present particularly believable given the time it was set, but I was only a child at the time. It's perfectly possible that there really were women whose lives were as banal and empty as some of the attitudes and assumptions indicate. I can't imagine any woman in the late 80s or early 90s really being "a dried up spinster" whose life is entirely wrapped up in "keeping house" for her brother. I certainly can't imagine that anyone would actually believe that. But James clearly thought that would be believable, so it must have been at least partially accurate.

All in all, this was a well-written book, well worth reading. It's not quite up to James's usual standard, but given how high that is, this still manages to be a good read.

Towards Zero

I really enjoyed this. Sometimes Agatha Christie's can get a bit repetitive and are less enjoyable, but this was one of her best - right up there with The murder of Roger Ackroyd. I enjoy the character of Superintendent Battle, and the rest of the characterisation in this was just as good. I particularly liked the fact that any of the characters could have been the murderer. It makes it that much more satisfying a mystery. There were also a fair number of unrelated matters, snippets out of the characters' ordinary lives that helped make the story believable and more satisfying. Particularly as they were given without comment or anything relating them to the later bit they were to do with. At the same time, it still managed to be a quick, light read.

All in all, I'd certainly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Mushroom Pasta

I like mushrooms and I like pasta. I particularly like them together. I didn't always, but I think mushrooms are one of those acquired tastes. And I suspect I would've liked pasta a lot sooner if it hadn't always involved a tomato-based sauce, which I don't particularly like.

This recipe is actually to create an asparagus sauce, but I use it for mushrooms, or whatever else I feel like making. Even better, this is one of those sauces that is quick, so you can make it while your pasta is boiling.

First, chop up your vegetables. I always make my mushroom pieces nice and big because they shrink once they've cooked a bit. Then, boil a cup of milk. Keep an eye on it, because it's really annoying when it boils over. Once the milk is boiling, add in your vegetables and some stock powder or a crumbled up stock cube. Simmer that for a while, around ten minutes or so, stirring now and then. While that's busy, mix together 1T oil and 2t flour into a paste. Once you've finished simmering the sauce, add the paste, bring to the boil (again) and allow it to thicken, while stirring. Once it's at a consistency you like, serve with pasta.

Fibonacci Meret

A meret is a 'mystery beret'. I don't know why it's a mystery, that's something you should ask the woman who created the pattern, which is over here. It's not truly Fibonacci, though, as I ran out of the pale blue yarn and so finished the thing in purple. You probably can't see the different colours in the pictures, as it's hard enough to see them in real life and with the sun on the balcony, I'll be surprised if you can even tell that the hat isn't white!

This is ridiculously easy to make! I knit most of the thing on my circular US8s, because they're my shortest and I hate knitting across double pointed needles. I did eventually need to switch over to my US7 dpns, after I started decreasing to the crown. I should've done the ribbing on smaller needles as it's a little loose, but I really didn't want to ... mostly because I started off that way and had to restart about five times because I kept messing up the ribbing across the needles. I may make some more of these as gifts.

Geographical Challenges

This looks like being a particularly interesting challenge. There are no levels or targets set, the intention is simply to read about the Middle East. If you're wondering what is meant by "Middle East", have a look at the info post over here, which includes a bunch of books as well.

The Middle East is a particularly interesting area archaeologically, as well as historically, so I really do like the idea of reading up about it. I'm fairly sure that my knowledge of the area is shocking, so I'm really looking forward to this. While I'm tempted to set myself an amount to read, I'm going to resist the temptation.

Another geographic challenge I'm going to do is Reading Round Rome. One of the best things about this challenge is that I can start it now! I will just have to read seven books, instead of six. How simple is that?

Something that attracts me to both of these challenges is that they include non-fiction as well as fiction, which thrills me as I love non-fiction. I'm also terribly interested in history and religion and all that, both of which these challenges will have in abundance!

What's in a Name?

This is another challenge. It looks like an awful lot of fun and I cannot wait for 2012 so that I can start reading my challenge books! There's no indication that novels are preferred for this challenge, which makes me glad that I didn't start one of my new books yesterday, for it will be perfect for this!

1. A book that contains a topographical feature in the title. For this, I plan to read Island Magic by Elizabeth Goudge. Island, being the land-form in question, of course. I've read a fair amount of Goudge and enjoy her, but this has been sitting on my shelf a while. Now I'll have a particular reason to bring it down.
2. A book that contains something you'd see in the sky in the title. For this category I will be reading Human Smoke: the Beginnings of World War II, The End of Civilisation by Nicholson Baker. Smoke is a thing you would see in the sky, and I was planning to read this a little sooner than January (it's the book I bought yesterday), but I shall have to wait. If I can't wait, there's always DH Lawrence's The Rainbow.
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title. For this, I will read Gogga Brown: South Africa's Hermit Naturalist by MR Drennan. For those non-South African's among you, a gogga, is an insect of an indeterminate nature. So, really, perfect for this item on the challenge!
4. A book with a type of house in the title. For this I will read Dickens' Bleak House. This is a multi-challenge book, as it features in one of the classics challenges. I do however have quite a few other books in other challenges that would fit this (The Story of an African Farm, The House of Mirth, Great House, etc), so I might change my mind.
5. A book with something you'd find in your bag in the title. I may go for Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter for this one, as it is a multi-challenge book, being featured in my new author challenge. Or, perhaps, Thomas Keneally's Schindler's List, also part of the new author challenge. There are many options, but I have not decided.
6. A book with something you'd find on the calendar in the title. Perhaps Eliot's Middlemarch, as one would find March on the calendar. Perhaps I will even read it in March, for greater amusement. That's also part of the classics challenge, so that's a good choice. Other options are rather thin on the ground at the moment, excluding rereads, so we shall have to wait and see if something more appropriate (or amusing) presents itself.