It's our first post of 2024 and we hope that the new year has got off to a good start for everybody. The years go by so quickly; before I know it, I'll be writing a new post to welcome 2025! I haven't really made any resolutions as such this year as I'm one of those people whose resolutions fall to the wayside before January is even over! But like most people, I'm just working towards a happier, healthier and more fulfilling year. Pretty much like I do every year!
One thing I absolutely will be doing is continuing with the Read Christie Challenge for 2024. I had an absolute blast completing the challenge last year so I just had to do it all over again. What's interesting about this year's challenge is that it focuses on Agatha Christie's works through the decades, from the 1920s when she had her first novel published to the 1970s when she had the last of her works published. This year has kicked off in spectacular style with The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie's first novel and the one that introduced everyone's favourite Belgian private detective, the one and only Hercule Poirot; not forgetting of course Captain Hastings and Inspector Japp. The January part of this challenge is over and we will now move on to the next novel, The Secret Adversary. I can't wait!
But how did I do with last year's challenge? Surprisingly well, I have to say! My reasons for doing the Read Christie Challenge - aside from wanting to read more works by this fabulous author - was to get back into reading and become a more consistent reader, and prove to myself that I could actually start and finish something. And I think I've succeeded! Admittedly I didn't get to finish a lot of the novels on time, but that's what comes with real-life commitments that need to be fulfilled. But on the whole, I think I did quite well.
It was also quite surprising that there were novels I thought I would enjoy but weren't quite for me, as good as they were, and the ones I thought would be a chore to get through but I actually ended up enjoying immensely. For instance I thought I would really enjoy They Do It With Mirrors but for some reason my interest waned after a while. And then there was Death Comes as the End which I dreaded reading as I didn't think it would be my cup of tea due to the setting in ancient Egypt and it not being a 'classic Christie,' but I actually could not put it down. The ending was also a complete surprise and one I really didn't see coming. In many ways, Death Comes as the End is a classic Christie - just not in a quintessentially English village-type setting, and it is now definitely one of my faves!
Another surprise was that the novels I found interesting and enjoyable were not always met with great enthusiasm by other readers going by the comments that I came across. For instance, I'm a huge fan of short stories so I loved Partners in Crime. But there were others who said they would have preferred a full-length, in-depth novel, full of intrigue that they could really get stuck into rather than a collection of short stories that they felt didn't have enough time to build up any real suspense. I also quite liked Endless Night. It wasn't a typically Christie whodunnit. It had a more haunting, almost gothic feel, I thought. However my best friend said it was her least favourite Christie novel. I get the impression that many Christie fans prefer her classic crimes and whodunnits over her works that are a little out of the ordinary. As with anything, everyone has their favourites and not-so-favourites... and that's OK!
And while I agree that Unfinished Portrait, which Christie wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, was pretty heavy reading in the sense that it never seemed to end (meaning that it was quite a long novel, not that it was boring!) I actually liked the novel as there was a lot that I could relate to as much of the protagonist's thoughts and experiences deeply resonated with me. However there were others who said that they could not continue reading the book as it just wasn't for them and what they really needed was a typical Christie. It was my first time ever reading a Westmacott, and it's a completely different genre and style to a classic Christie - there's no crime to solve for a start! What? An Agatha Christie novel without toxic substances and poison-pen letters??? However can that be!
And an added bonus with this challenge is that it was a great opportunity to check out the film and TV adaptations based on Christie's novels - and there are many! I like the whole compare and contrast aspect of reading the book and then watching the screen adaptation. I prefer the type of adaptations that don't stray too far from Christie's original literary works. I like to see how Christie's vision plays out on the screen so I much prefer older adaptations because I feel they don't differ too much. Though that said, the newer adaptations are still quite entertaining - I just try to ignore the fact that 'that's not how it was in the book!'
So yes - I'm looking forward to this year's literary adventures. Bring it on! And I hope everyone continues to have a great new year x
Photos: Angel Noire
GIF: Wix
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
And we're now nearly two months in!
Happy new year! 😀