So I love to read. I don't just read a book a week or anything like that. I read a book a day, at least! I went to a book club once where the ladies kept talking about how they hadn't read a book in a month or more. Needless to say, I have NO CLUE how they could not pass a day without reading something!
I dedicate this blog to all those who are addicted (as I am) to reading and have a craving for a good book ALL THE TIME.
This morning instead of work, I read one of Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Whimsy mysteries. I should have worked, cleaned my house, scrapbooked, cooked, did the dishes, or worked (I said that twice, huh?), but did I? NO.
I love Dorothy Sayer's mysteries because they are not just about solving a mystery or catching the bad guy. That has a lot to do with it, but she also looks at the main characters and develop them with every new book. They are written post-WWI and set in England, mostly London. It is fun to see how different England and London were before WWII, at least I find it interesting, but then again I am a history buff...But I hate the History Channel.
Anyways, I love Agatha Christie novels (set at about the same time at the same place) but hers aren't quite as deep as Sayers are. She kind of skims the surface of the mystery, following a very similar pattern in all of her books (believe me I have read almost all of them, if not all of them). Sayers varies her technique a little bit, and I especially loved "Gaudy Night" because it was all set in Oxford, giving an idea about what Oxford was like before WWII. Sheesh, it would be nice to have lived in an era of servants! :)
If you don't know who I'm talking about or what books I'm talking about, shame on you!! Go look them up in your local library. Mostly library have TONS of books by both authors (especially Agatha Christie...she wrote over 100).
I would recommend "Whose Body" by Dorothy Sayers and "Orient Express" by Agatha Christie. But any of them would do. Dorothy Sayers are in a kind of order, but you can actually pick up any of hers at any given time. Agatha Christie are set in what ever year she wrote them and have no real order. Although "Final Curtian" was technically one of her last books, she wrote it long before she died, then had it published posthumously.
Anyways, enjoy reading!
Good choices but I'd say Christie's best work is And Then There Were None. Second, I'd go with Death on the Nile but Murder on the Orient Express is definitely an excellent read as well. Nine Tailors, by Sayers, is good. The pastor is a bit annoying but it's part of her characterization.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that Christie's books are rather aloof reads. She focuses on mindsets and clues in her books, which I like. She get right to the point, which makes them great vacation books. You can stop and pick up later without feeling like you've missed something.
Sayers writes a bit deeper and so hers are more suitable for rainy days. I just mean they're more suitable for longer periods of reading.
One thing though. Christie does write during and post WWII. Due to paper rationing she was unable to publish her work so it was published post war, then came more.
Not sure about Sayers right off hand. As you've probably guessed, I'm a Christie fan. My son became one in high school when they studied None.
Thanks for posting such an interesting contrast between authors.