24. THE ABC MURDERS (Poirot)
Although Poirot receives anonymous warning letters about murders, he seems to be unable to stop a serial killer from killing Alice Asher from Andover, Betty Barnard from Bexhill-on-sea, Carmichael Clarke from Churston... A very Sherlock Holmesian story narrated by Dr. Watson, ups, Hastings, in which Poirot works as a psychological profiler to find the killer. One just has to find a motive...
Memorable quotes:
-"I had not the courage to say that I had not the least idea what he meant."
-"Is it worse to take the life or lives of strangers than to take the life of some near and dear to you - some one who trusts and believes in you, perhaps?... It is not worse. It is only more difficult."
-"Words, mademoiselle, are only the outer clothing of ideas."
-"Speech, so a wise old Frenchman said to me once, is an invention of man's to prevent him from thinking."
-"You can guess, of course - and a guess is either right or wrong. If it is right you call it an intuition. If it is wrong you usually do not speak of it again."
Favourite Guest Character: Hastings. Is he too regular?
Mystery: *****
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: **
11/15
23. A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED (Miss Marple)
On October 29th an unusual advertisement is published in a local paper, announcing a murder at 6:30 p.m. of the same day. Everyone appears there - and indeed a murder happens! Nobody knows the killer, nobody knows the victim, but maybe the victim knew somebody? Miss Marple investigates, talks to old ladies and finally a cat helps solving the mystery of violets, pearls, missing photographs, aspirin and yes, Delicious Death: "Let's all drink to Delicious Death and to hell with the after effects."
Memorable quotes:
-"Youth is the time to have your fling."
-"One is alone when the last one who remembers is gone."
-"It's never a mistake to marry a man you want to marry - even if you regret it."
-"It's what's in yourself that makes you happy or unhappy."
-"'She loves it', said Edmund, who had not the faintest idea whether this was so or not, but like most sons, preferred to believe that all was well with those loved, but frequently irritating beings, parents."
Favourite Guest Character: Mrs Goedler
Mystery: ****
Final Solution: ***
Entertainment: ***
10/15
22. TAKEN AT THE FLOOD (Poirot)
Only a few weeks after very rich Mr. Cloade marries young Rosaleen he is killed in an air raid. Now his family is left penniless.. that is unless the first husband of Rosaleen turns up alive and well. Poirot deals with a murder, a suicide and an accident, but which is which? A book in which twenty pages before the end, we're back now where we started.
Memorable quotes:
-"One should never struggle against the inevitable."
-"What I say is a gentleman's a gentleman even if he does drive a tractor."
-"No woman in the world is worth putting a bullet through your head."
-"What happens to the ivy when the oak round which it clings is struck down?"
-"The tragedy of life is that people do not change."
Favourite Guest Character: Lynn!
Mystery: **
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: **
8/15
Monday 31 January 2011
Thursday 27 January 2011
Cake for everyone!
Today's my birthday! But let's not talk about the numbers, OK?
First a bouquet of tulips:
Then obligatory candles (the number of candles has no relevant connection to the actual number of years):
And an experimental cake:
Experimental because this was the first time I made a spiral cake (Dimitrana style but faaar away from her perfection).
Experimental also because I wasn't sure which frosting (milk chololate or white chocolate) would suit better to the raspberry filling so I made half of each. Chocolate is better but it was too hard and broke on cutting. Will add more cream when I make it next time - which is tomorrow!
First a bouquet of tulips:
Then obligatory candles (the number of candles has no relevant connection to the actual number of years):
And an experimental cake:
Experimental because this was the first time I made a spiral cake (Dimitrana style but faaar away from her perfection).
Experimental also because I wasn't sure which frosting (milk chololate or white chocolate) would suit better to the raspberry filling so I made half of each. Chocolate is better but it was too hard and broke on cutting. Will add more cream when I make it next time - which is tomorrow!
Saturday 8 January 2011
Agatha Again
21. THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY
Bundle and Jimmy investigate the deaths of two of their friends. They find out that Seven Dials is more than just a district in London, even more than a night club, it's a secret society! What does it do and who are its members? One of Agatha's best in which nothing is what it seems. Nothing!
Memorable quotes:
-"I may say that as a general rule I do not hold with women standing for Parliament. They can make their influence felt in a more womanly fashion."
-"The more they talk, the less they'll do. You'd be surprised how well that works out."
-"Youth! What a wonderful thing!... And we do not appreciate it until we grow to - er - maturer years."
-"The young hero never tells his plans."
Favourite Guest Character: Bundle, of course!
Mystery: *****
Final Solution: *****
Entertainment: ****
14/15
20. AFTER THE FUNERAL (Poirot)
This one was difficult to read for me because it deals with what happens with a house after the owner dies... too close, too personal. Anyway, the Abernethies are a large family with many possible heirs although no-one really seems to be suitable: too many gamblers, artists, lousy painters. On top of it, one of them assumes that "he was murdered, wasn't he?" Was he really? Poirot collects the information from his friends, spies and even goes undercover to solve this mystery. It takes a master to recognise a true masterpiece! Oh, and wedding cakes that smell of almonds are bad for your health.
Memorable quotes:
-"The value of money is always relative."
-A woman who could be intelligent about everything else in the world could be a complete fool when it came to some particular man."
-"Everyone has something to hide."
-"It's a waste of time - having regrets."
Favourite Guest Character: Cora. Or Mr. Goby :-)
Mystery: ***
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: ***
10/15
19. THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE (Miss Marple)
The story is told by the vicar, who one moment wishes Colonel Protheroe was dead and the next moment finds him dead behind his desk. In St. Mary Mead, plenty of "old pussies", including a Miss Marple, seem to have heard or seen something. But the strangest thing is that the ones who confessed to murder are not guilty. Or?
Memorable quotes:
-"There is nothing so inhuman as the mask of the good servant."
-"Intuition is like reading a word without having to spell it out."
-"I should say her hearing is remarkably keen. I'm going by the amount of scandal she has started by 'just happening to overhear accidentally'."
-"There is ... a lot of human nature in all of us."
-"Nothing, I believe, is so full of life under the microscope as a drop of water from a stagnant pool."
-"The young people think the old people are fools; but the old people know the young people are fools!"
Favourite guest character: The vicar with his naivety.
Mystery: ***
Final solution: ***
Entertainment: ****
10/15
Bundle and Jimmy investigate the deaths of two of their friends. They find out that Seven Dials is more than just a district in London, even more than a night club, it's a secret society! What does it do and who are its members? One of Agatha's best in which nothing is what it seems. Nothing!
Memorable quotes:
-"I may say that as a general rule I do not hold with women standing for Parliament. They can make their influence felt in a more womanly fashion."
-"The more they talk, the less they'll do. You'd be surprised how well that works out."
-"Youth! What a wonderful thing!... And we do not appreciate it until we grow to - er - maturer years."
-"The young hero never tells his plans."
Favourite Guest Character: Bundle, of course!
Mystery: *****
Final Solution: *****
Entertainment: ****
14/15
20. AFTER THE FUNERAL (Poirot)
This one was difficult to read for me because it deals with what happens with a house after the owner dies... too close, too personal. Anyway, the Abernethies are a large family with many possible heirs although no-one really seems to be suitable: too many gamblers, artists, lousy painters. On top of it, one of them assumes that "he was murdered, wasn't he?" Was he really? Poirot collects the information from his friends, spies and even goes undercover to solve this mystery. It takes a master to recognise a true masterpiece! Oh, and wedding cakes that smell of almonds are bad for your health.
Memorable quotes:
-"The value of money is always relative."
-A woman who could be intelligent about everything else in the world could be a complete fool when it came to some particular man."
-"Everyone has something to hide."
-"It's a waste of time - having regrets."
Favourite Guest Character: Cora. Or Mr. Goby :-)
Mystery: ***
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: ***
10/15
19. THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE (Miss Marple)
The story is told by the vicar, who one moment wishes Colonel Protheroe was dead and the next moment finds him dead behind his desk. In St. Mary Mead, plenty of "old pussies", including a Miss Marple, seem to have heard or seen something. But the strangest thing is that the ones who confessed to murder are not guilty. Or?
Memorable quotes:
-"There is nothing so inhuman as the mask of the good servant."
-"Intuition is like reading a word without having to spell it out."
-"I should say her hearing is remarkably keen. I'm going by the amount of scandal she has started by 'just happening to overhear accidentally'."
-"There is ... a lot of human nature in all of us."
-"Nothing, I believe, is so full of life under the microscope as a drop of water from a stagnant pool."
-"The young people think the old people are fools; but the old people know the young people are fools!"
Favourite guest character: The vicar with his naivety.
Mystery: ***
Final solution: ***
Entertainment: ****
10/15
Saturday 1 January 2011
Happy 2011!
Wishing you all a happy 2011!
I finished 2010 with 53 items on my to-do list. In a week this number has first grown to 64 and has since been reduced to 50. Not bad, but one should be aware that all the items really really had to be done before New Year's Eve. Oh well.
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