Talkie Tuesday: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

 

"Perhaps one day, when this terrible war is ended, 

we shall work again together, eh?

And Poirot will explain it all to you."

 

Hello everyone!

 

My, but it's been a WHILE since I've done one of these.

 

It's a shame really, because this piece tonight happens to be part of one of my all-time favourite series ever made, and I'm talking EVER.

 

There is nothing out there that can compare to it.

 

Basically, I'm someone who grew up watching Jeremy Brett play his way through Sherlock Holmes stories, then once I was old enough, I switched to this.

 

But apparently all I've ever done have been snippets and vague looks into the series, which won't do!

 

It's time to be more serious about it, possibly even gotta-catch-em-all serious.

 

So without further ado, let's hop straight into The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

 

Tome Thursday: Anything Ghost

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back, and I hope your Easter proved both entertaining and heart-warming.

 

Unfortunately, the Christian world lost its venerated Pope earlier this week, and of course people will be mourning him. I, personally, only really followed him through the news, but he was a very forward-thinking man and a modern man at that, so I believe the world at large absolutely lost a great figure, overall.

 

That said, we can only hope the Vatican now elects someone who will lead them forward through these turbulent times.

 

And speaking of turbulent.

 

One of our favourite amateur sleuths is back this week, in the book I picked for tonight's review post. She's been absent from regular publications for a couple of months, but we already know that the fifth book in the series is on the way, so never fear!

 

Put on your thinking caps and some glitter, because we're headed to the heart of gambling and desert show business tonight, in Anything Ghost.

 

Tome Thursday: Hercule Poirot's Christmas

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week's book is just a little bit different in the sense that it's not all happy-go-lucky, merry, or bright. Well, some of it certainly is, but for the most part ... not really.

 

Obviously you can have all the sweetness and Christmas-y adorable feelings whenever you pick a book up, but every once in a while there can also be another thing happening, and it's kind of fun to deviate a little.

 

Plus, I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan, so naturally I'll try and sneak in one of her books if I possibly can along the way.

It doesn't help that watching His Dark Materials and hearing David Suchet's voice as he portrays one of the daemons is one of the best things that's happened in a while, because honestly, I LOVE this man, and his portrayal of Hercule Poirot is probably one that will last for all time.

 

The fact remains there is only one REALLY good Belgian detective.

 

And he also had an interesting Christmas a couple of times.

 

Hercule Poirot's Christmas covers just one of those adventures.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Hercule Poirot's Christmas

 

"Hercule Poirot is a detective, not a bodyguard."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

Tonight, we're taking a look at another slightly less Christmas-y entry, although it's STILL just festive enough to warrant being added to our list on here.

 

I seem to be on a detective kick lately, and who can blame me?

 

You gotta have some of the nitty-gritty alongside all the fluff that usually surrounds the holidays!

 

Hercule Poirot is just the right man for the job, too, if you can't get your hands on some Sherlock Holmes (although come to think of it, I might dig up one of Jeremy Brett's entries into the series and see if HE made a Christmas one ...).

 

And you just can't say no to the tiny detective, really, you can't.

 

He's impossible to resist.

 

Which is why we're having a look at Hercule Poirot's Christmas.

 

Tome Thursday: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Hopefully you're all prepared for the holidays and don't need to go into any more stores, because even though we're in a rather dicey and unfortunate situation right now, somehow people STILL gather there en masse.

 

You would think, right?

 

But hopefully most of you are all done with every shopping expedition and you can enjoy the time at home now that the holidays are officially upon us.

 

As it so happens, the main focus of our little book review tonight could NOT stay at home despite the fact he wanted to. And isn't that just sat in the long run? Luckily for us though it does turn out quite funny along the way so it isn't as though we don't get any payoff from it.

 

If you're thinking that the title of this book is a bit weird in terms of what I've just said, you may even be right.

 

Then again, when it comes to Agatha Christie and her Hercule Poirot, it usually is.

 

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding awaits!

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

 

"There is but one Hercule Poirot, and I am he."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome, once again, to the Christmas extravaganza that takes over this blog every single year, and has for, well, literal years already.

 

It's that time again, or 'tis the season, really, which means that for the remaining month of December, the only theme of the blog posts will be Christmas and everything Christmas-related you can think of. That's just the reality, sorrynotsorry.

Ahem.

So what better way to start off than with a little mystery, eh?

Sure, I tend to gravitate towards Hallmark and whatnot when it comes to these seasonal movies, particularly and especially for the end-of-the-year holidays, but I figured, why not try for something different?

After all. There's only one Hercule Poirot.

And he has just the one wish for the holidays, but alas, it doesn't get granted in The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

Tome Thursday: Death on the Nile

 

Hello everyone!

 

As I spent my Tuesday blog post talking about the recent remake of Death on the Nile, I figured it's only fair and proper if I have a look at the original book that inspired all these adaptations.

 

I'm thinking of doing the same as I did with Murder on the Orient Express and also blogging about the David Suchet version, but we'll see.

 

For now, suffice to say that there are differences between the original book and the Kenneth Branagh remake.

 

However, the differences themselves aren't a glaring problem as far as I'm concerned - well, other than the case being presented poorly without REALLY asking the pertinent questions that might help move it along, but overall it isn't BAD.

 

The BAD part comes at the end and with Branagh's desire to change canon, so without further ado let's have a look at the ACTUAL story, shall we?

 

After all, Agatha Christie devoted her whole life to writing these things.

 

Death on the Nile is just one of her many successes.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Death on the Nile

 

"It takes two."

 

Hello everyone!

 

We return to the world of old Hollywood glamour, murder mysteries, and great mustaches.

 

No, seriously, we do.

 

You may have noticed that this blog features works by Agatha Christie rather often, and that's on purpose given that I thoroughly enjoy anything and everything that woman has ever written.

 

So when there are adaptations, you can bet I'll be somewhere close, or at least not far behind!

 

I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery, okay?

 

That said, I wasn't that much of a sucker for Kenneth Branagh's remake of Murder on the Orient Express, but I wanted to give this sequel to it a go because ... well, I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

And it wasn't even TOO bad, overall, if not for the blasted ending.

 

Hold on to your hats, we're taking a cruise through Egypt in Death on the Nile!

 

Tome Thursday: Cards on the Table

 

Hello everyone!

 

It's been a while since I touched on anything Agatha Christie-related on this blog, so I figured, why not go back to what are essentially my roots, for a spell?

 

I've been doing all kinds of fantasy and sci-fi jumping about, but haven't done a good ole murder mystery in what feels like forever.

 

So here we go!

 

I think I actually have Death on the Nile on here somewhere, book version, though I may do a more updated review in the style I use nowadays when writing them. It seems fair given that the movie is releasing soon enough - not that I'm expecting much, but it should at least be SOMEWHAT entertaining, maybe.

 

We'll have to wait and see.

 

In the meantime, we delve into another rather fabulous case of Hercule Poirot - and one in which ALL FOUR SUSPECTS could have done it!

 

But the question is, which one DID? Cards on the Table answers that, and more.

 

Tome Thursday: The Mystery of Three Quarters

 

Hello everyone!

 

For a little while now I've been on a sort of mystery kick, and whenever this happens to me I usually start snooping around my Agatha Christie collection, because, really, who else to read but two of the most famous sleuths of all time?

 

Okay, Sherlock Holmes is also a distinct possibility, but I'll admit I need a special type of weather for him.

 

Hercule Poirot or Jane Marple, however, don't give me those hangups.

 

Besides, there are still some books I never managed to get to even though I've more or less gone through the entire collection before, a number of times.

 

BUT.

 

I'm not talking about an Agatha Christie original tonight, oh no.

 

No I'm going with a Sophie Hannah Poirot resurrection, of which there are now four new books altogether.

 

Tonight's pick is thus titled The Mystery of Three Quarters.

 

Tome Thursday: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

 

Hello everyone!

 

Hopefully you're all prepared for the holidays and don't need to go into any more stores, because even though we're in a rather dicey and unfortunate situation right now, somehow people STILL gather there en masse.

 

You would think, right?

 

But hopefully most of you are all done with every shopping expedition and you can enjoy the time at home now that the holidays are officially upon us.

 

As it so happens, the main focus of our little book review tonight could NOT stay at home despite the fact he wanted to. And isn't that just sat in the long run? Luckily for us though it does turn out quite funny along the way so it isn't as though we don't get any payoff from it.

 

If you're thinking that the title of this book is a bit weird in terms of what I've just said, you may even be right.

 

Then again, when it comes to Agatha Christie and her Hercule Poirot, it usually is.

 

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding awaits!

 

Tome Thursday: Hercule Poirot's Christmas

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week's book is just a little bit different in the sense that it's not all happy-go-lucky, merry, or bright. Well, some of it certainly is, but for the most part ... not really.

 

Obviously you can have all the sweetness and Christmas-y adorable feelings whenever you pick a book up, but every once in a while there can also be another thing happening, and it's kind of fun to deviate a little.

 

Plus, I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan, so naturally I'll try and sneak in one of her books if I possibly can along the way.

It doesn't help that watching His Dark Materials and hearing David Suchet's voice as he portrays one of the daemons is one of the best things that's happened in a while, because honestly, I LOVE this man, and his portrayal of Hercule Poirot is probably one that will last for all time.

 

The fact remains there is only one REALLY good Belgian detective.

 

And he also had an interesting Christmas a couple of times.

 

Hercule Poirot's Christmas covers just one of those adventures.

 

Murder on the Orient Express (Booktober)

 

"I do not approve of murder."

 

 

I once again saved the very best for last, at least in my opinion, but who can deny that Agatha Christie really remains the Queen of Mystery? And the silly movie with Kenneth Branagh aside, Murder on the Orient Express remains one of her best works to this day. What happens when an American household is shaken to its core by a senseless brutal act, and the staff decide to take matters into their own hands? As they have just the luck of finding themselves on the fabled Orient Express alongside Hercule Poirot, famous mustachioed detective extraordinaire, we have the privilege of experiencing it all first-hand. And if reading about it isn't enough, I highly recommend the television series starring David Suchet!

 

 

 

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer—in case he or she decides to strike again ...

(from Goodreads)

 

xx

*image not mine

 

The Avalon Café Mysteries (Booktober)

The Lost Legion (Booktober)

The Bourne Trilogy (Booktober)

Becoming Mrs. Lewis (Booktober)

Lord John Grey (Booktober)

The Last Wish (Booktober)

The Inheritance Cycle (Booktober)

His Dark Materials (Booktober)

The White Queen (Booktober)

The Thorn Birds (Booktober)

The Bourbon Kings (Booktober)

Cop of the Year (Booktober)

Nefertiti (Booktober)

Timeline (Booktober)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

 

"Gott im Himmel! What is there now?"

 

 

 

With the new movie coming out (and by the looks of the trailer it might even be good) it's time to take a look at one of Agatha Christie's beloved mysteries again. Let's take a ride down the Nile alongside the egg-head-shaped detective who attracts problems like a magnet. And if you have the stomach for it, let's investigate the murder of a beautiful young woman - a crime of passion if there ever was one. Because when tempers run hot under the Egyptian sun, what else can you expect?

 

 

 

 

 

The tranquility of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful. A girl who had everything ... until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: "I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger." Yet in this exotic setting nothing is ever quite what it seems ...

(from book jacket)

xx

*image not mine

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

Hallowe'en Party (Booktober)

"Some memories are better buried."

 

And finally, the grand finale. The big bang. The curtain call. Of course I would have saved the best for last, especially when it comes to books you should read around Halloween time. And what better book is there than Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party? It has Poirot, it has mystery, it has murder, and it also features our favourite egg-head detective mincing around in his patent leather shoes. Out of all the books this month, this one has to be among my top favourites for autumnal reads, because it simply brings out the very best of the season.

Okay yes, it also brings you murder, but that's just Christie's thing.

At a Hallowe'en party, Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the 'evil presence'. But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer ...

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

All Souls Trilogy (Booktober)

Cobweb Bride Trilogy (Booktober)

These Old Shades (Booktober)

Term Limits (Booktober)

Boudica (Booktober)

The Lady of the Rivers (Booktober)

The Name of the Wind (Booktober)

The Red Knight of Germany (Booktober)

The Kommandant's Girl (Booktober)

Nemesis (Booktober)

Outlander series (Booktober)

The Conqueror Series (Booktober)

The Lost Symbol (Booktober)

The Host (Booktober)

The Bridgertons (Booktober)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Booktober)

The Infernal Devices (Booktober)

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Booktober)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

The Shadow of the Wind (Booktober)

Dracula (Booktober)

Life and Death (Booktober)

ACOTAR series (Booktober)

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Booktober)

Sepulchre (Booktober)

Pride and Prejudice (Booktober)

Tempting Autumn (Booktober)

Harry Potter (Booktober)

The Hobbit (Booktober)

Talkie Tuesday: Hallowe'en Party

"Old sins cast long shadows, Madame."

Hello everyone!

One day before Halloween evening on the 31st, and a big, big holiday in my country which has nothing to do with Halloween and everything with the Reformation period in Europe, and here I am with a VERY witchy, Halloween-y movie review. 

I think the only thing that could be more on-point would be the Addams Family.

As it happens, however, I have quite the fondness for a certain Belgian detective.

Yes, he's BELGIAN people, he's NOT French!

And of course Agatha Christie was more than kind to focus one of her books right around the time of Halloween and the festive period.

Then it got adapted and the marvelous David Suchet portrayed the detective in question, so what more could you ask for at this time of year?

Let's dig our teeth right into Poirot's Hallowe'en Party!

Tome Thursday: Closed Casket

Hello everyone!

I apologise in advance if some portions of this blog may seem rambly or perhaps a little shakier than usual. I'm trying to fight off the beginnings of the flu so I'm pretty much drinking tea and vitamin C and cold medicine, coupled with a lot of honey and ginger, but my head still kind of feels like I may need a little bit of help lifting it next time I get up.

But anyway!

Yesterday (while I was feeling better than Tuesday and much better than today, being Thursday) I sneakily asked my father if I could steal a book he's currently reading. You're probably thinking GASP SO MEAN.

Not really - I asked before I nabbed it. Also, I'm a fast reader so I finished the book in one afternoon and now it's back where it belongs, waiting for my dad to continue munching through it.

The book I'm talking about is titled Closed Casket, and is the second of the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, written by Sophie Hannah, who alone of all the writers vying for the honour of continuing Ms Christie's legacy was given that privilege.

Talkie Tuesday: Murder on the Orient Express (2)

"I do not approve of murder."

Hello everyone!

So a little while back I sat down to watch the re-make of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, helmed by Kenneth Branagh and some other famous film stars. 

Unfortunately, you may also know that one did NOT go off without a hitch.

In the spirit of trying to cleanse my taste buds from that foul thing, I ended up rewatching the David Suchet version with my friends (and then to top it off a couple of days ago, I also hunkered down for Death on the Nile, also with Suchet playing the titular role of the Belgian detective). Needless to say, the final consensus was that the Suchet apparition was much better than the Branagh one.

This does not necessarily have everything to do with the role of the sleuth, however, but with everything else happening around him, and how it's portrayed.

And while I will agree that, story-wise, there weren't that many differences between 2010 and 2017, the presentation of said story remains wildly opposite.

Back on the Orient Express we go!

Saturday Snippet: Poirot Problems

xx

*images not mine

Talkie Tuesday: Murder on the Orient Express

"I do not approve of murder."

Hello everyone!

First off, greetings from a VERY cold place. I swear, all that cold that seemed to have given the Koreans so much trouble during the Winter Olympics relocated up to Europe now. I can't remember the last time it's been this cold! 

Luckily, however, temperatures SHOULD rise by next week, though I doubt they'll go as high as mine did while I was watching the movie featured in tonight's blog post.

Many of you will know (or you're about to learn) that I am a devoted Agatha Christie fan. I have her entire book collection in the electronic version AND all of her Hercule Poirot-centered books in physical copies as well. Which does remind me that my padre needs to give me the books of hers he's hoarding so we can make one shelf of it.

Anyway.

As a fan, then, there's no way you can miss out on her most famous case involving Belgian detecive Monsieur Poirot. But while Murder on the Orient Express has the flare, it doesn't quite have the bang it might have wanted.