December 2021 Wrap-Up

Books Read:

Fell Murder by E.C.R. Lorac (1944)  3/5 stars

In this Golden Age mystery,  a north country farmer is murdered and Scotland Yard Inspector Macdonald is called in to solve the case.  The writing is excellent and Lorac was able to flesh out characters surprisingly well in a short time.  The solution, however, was obvious from the beginning so there was no suspense or tension built.  

What Did It Mean? by Angela Thirkell (1954)  4/5 stars

This is the 23rd novel in the Barsetshire series, and follows the residents of one of the county villages as they prepare to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  As I have come to expect from Thrikell, it's witty, intelligent, a bit snarky, and fully enjoyable.  

(note: This series must be read in order to appreciate the complex relationships of the characters.)

Audio Books Completed:

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (1934)  5/5 stars

This is one of my favorites of the Lord Peter mysteries.  It is clever, intelligent, and excellently written, with an engrossing, memorable, and moving plot.  

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham (1938)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham (1933)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (1935)  2/5 stars  (my review here)

Did Not Finish:

Through a Glass, Darkly by Jostein Gaarder 

My discussion here.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books of 2021

I read ten five-star books this year.  Here they are, in no particular order:

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

This is a charming coming-of-age novel, beautifully penned, with  memorable characters.  I've read it several times, and each time I am again amazed at just how good it is.

The Killer and the Slain: a Strange Story by Hugh Walpole

Excellently written, disquieting and moving.  My full review is here.

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King

Intelligent, compelling, and well-written.  King's greatest strength lies in her ability to weave together canon Holmes with her own inventions, as she does marvelously here. 

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

This fantasy is smart, witty, geeky, and mostly incredible and, though not perfect, it's close enough.  My full review is here.

The Red Right Hand  by Joel Townsley Roberts

This classic mystery/thriller is a fantastic read, engrossing and impossible to put down!  My full review is here.

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

This is one of my favorites of the Lord Peter mysteries.  It is clever, intelligent, and excellently written, with an engrossing, memorable, and moving plot.  

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

It's well-plotted, presents an extraordinary surprise, and the pieces fit together well.  I highly recommend it!

Jutland Cottage by Angela Thirkell

As is always the case with her novels, this one is a charming, gentle read with genuine wit and a bit of snark. (Note: This series must be read in order.)

The Mingham Air by Elizabeth Fair

This delightful, witty novel is filled with excellently-drawn characters, believable situations, and intelligent prose.  My full review is here.

Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries

edited by Martin Edwards

This is a wonderful collection of (mostly) Golden Age mystery short stories, with a wide variety of situations by an equally diverse set of authors.  My full review is here.

Bonus:

I discovered Abir Mukherjee's Sam Wyndham series this year and while I didn't give any of them a five star rating, I highly recommend these books.  Wyndham is a morally gray Detective Inspector stationed in Calcutta during the 1920s. In generally, this series is excellently written, with beautiful descriptions, solid prose, and well-drawn characters.

Links to my full reviews:

A Rising Man 

A Necessary Evil

Smoke and Ashes

Death in the East

Top Ten Tuesday is a long-running weekly blog prompt, currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

Gaudy Night 

Dorothy L. Sayers

1935

2/5 stars

Harriet Vane, Lord Peter's love interest, returns to her alma mater (the all-female Shrewsbury College, Oxford) to attend the annual Gaudy celebration.  While there, she discovers an anonymous letter and a malicious obscene drawing.  She is later contacted by the Dean, who reveals that, along with a spate of spiteful vandalism, threatening letters and drawings are being sent to most of the dons and some of the students, upsetting the college as a whole.  Harriet is requested to return to Shrewsbury to unmask the culprit.  When things take an even nastier turn, she finds herself out of her depth and requests Wimsey's help.

Gaudy Night is heralded as a great feminist novel, is widely lauded as a superb mystery, and was even a nominee for the Anthony Award for Best [mystery] Novel of the Century.

In actuality, it is a disappointment.

It is considered a feminist novel, I assume, because it takes place in an all-female college at a time when educated women were still looked on with some suspicion.  Unfortunately, rather than showing educated women in a favorable light, Sayers has the dons become stereotypical catty backbiters when confronted with obstacles outside of their intellectual sphere.  In addition, they are snobbish and out of touch with the real world, treating the less educated as inferior.  Shrewsbury College is most certainly not a positive feminist example.  (Not to mention that the ladies, including Harriet, were unable to solve this problem on their own and had to bring a man in to do it for them.)

Another negative factor is the protagonist herself.  Harriet Vane, not a particularly sympathetic character in Strong Poison or Have His Carcase,  is positively unlikable in Gaudy Night.  It is impossible to see what Wimsey finds lovable enough in Harriet to have kept him hanging around for five years.  Her self-obsession alone is enough to make her unbearable, and her interminable inner conversations as to why she can't marry Lord Peter are tedious and irritating.  

Then there are the continual philosophical discussions -- enough so that there have been arguments made that Gaudy Night is, in fact, a philosophical novel with some mystery thrown in.  Instead of prompting thought and interest, however, these dry talks are dull fillers, bloating an already lackluster mystery to 500 pages.

It feels wrong to rate only two stars to any book by so fine a writer as Sayers, but Gaudy Night is not a fine example of any mystery novel, let alone one of her own.  It isn't especially engrossing or surprising, has neither psychological thrills or suspense, and features Lord Peter only minorly.  It also lacks much of the wit of previous Sayers' novels, is haughty rather than intelligent, and is, frankly, not a fun read.

I expected to feel differently about this reread at this more mature age, and to see Gaudy Night as so many others do.  Sadly, I liked it much less and, next time I do a series read-through, will be skipping it along with Harriet's other two appearances.

Through a Glass, Darkly by Jostein Gaarder

Through a Glass, Darkly

Jostein Gaarder

1993 (first published in English, 1998)

Did Not Finish

This is a novel following the conversations of an angel, Ariel, with Cecilia, a terminally ill child.  There is little plot, the main emphasis being on the philosophical nature of their discussions which should make the reader ponder and think.

In 1995, when I read Gaarder's novel of philosophy, Sophie's World, I was simply blown away.  I loved how the author explained, taught, and challenged.  I read the Solitaire Mystery a few years later, and was just as amazed and enthralled.

Now, though, I'm questioning everything I've learned from Gaarder, looking at it through the lens of distrust caused by what I've read so far of Through a Glass, Darkly.

As I mentioned above, the angel Ariel comes to talk with Cecilia, who is bitter and angry about her illness. I expect that Ariel, in the end, helps her find peace with her eventual death, but I didn't get past this passage on page 44, when Ariel, speaking of being in heaven, says:

Sometimes, when we talk about how everything is and how everything might have been, God throws up his arms in despair and says, "I know that plenty of things might have been a little different, but what's done is done, and I'm not almighty, after all.

It's a simple thing, but it bothered me,  this denial of the almightiness of God.  I looked back at all the passages I had flagged as thought-provoking and profound, and wondered how does Gaarder feel about God?

After some research, I found an article in the L.A. Times from 1994 which says:

Gaarder is not a devotee of a single philosophical school, although he admits that way back when he discovered the German Romantics and the pantheistic approach to philosophy, “they made my heart beat a little quicker.” He said he subscribes to the Christian morals on which he was raised, but when pushed on whether he believes Jesus was God, he will answer only that that is a very good question.

I know that those not following the Christian faith will wonder just why I have a problem, but for me, if Gaarder won't commit as to whether Jesus is the Son of God, then it stands to reason he either doesn't think so, or is ashamed to be caught thinking so.  

Again, one might say "why does it matter?", but, for me, it does.  I don't feel I can trust Gaarder's philosophical opinions if we disagree so strongly on that point. 

Two by Allingham

Sweet Danger

Margery Allingham

1933

4/5 stars

In this adventure, the British Government enlists Campion's aid to locate the heirlooms of a forgotten Balkan  kingdom, Averna.  The Pontisbright family were the rightful heirs to this kingdom, but due to an unconfirmed marriage, the family lost their title.  All that is left of this House are the three Fittons: Amanda, her younger brother Hal, and older sister Mary.  Amanda, seventeen, becomes Campion's lieutenant as, following the clues of an aged riddle, they try desperately to find the crown, receipt, and deeds before their enemy does.

This is a delightful escapade, filled with secrets, excitement, and the unexpected.  Amanda Fitton steals the show from Campion, with her diverting ways and precocious practicality, but he still has ample time to shine with his understated heroism.   The intelligent and witty plot, while not necessarily credible, is a good deal of fun and one of Allingham's most memorable.

The Fashion in Shrouds

Margery Allingham

1938

4/5 stars

A few years ago the fiancé of Georgia Wells, a famous actress and femme fatale, disappeared.  She married another and continued with her career.  Now, however, the missing man's body has turned up, bringing with it just a hint of sordid shadow.  When another man in Georgia's life dies somewhat mysteriously,  Georgia sees it as fate's helping hand, while others aren't so sure.  Campion's sister Val, a brilliant and successful clothing designer, has her named linked to that death through an amusing anecdote shared by Georgia, making him decide that he must unearth the truth of Georgia's men to save Val's reputation.  

The story is clever and interesting, with nicely fleshed characters and an intriguing mystery.  Amanda Fitton, from Sweet Danger, makes a reappearance, and adds greatly to the charm of the novel.  Campion's underemphasized courage and audacity feature nicely, and his success as a detective and adventurer are plain.

I need to note that modern readers will have to ignore the horrible outlook on rape, and some quite dated attitudes toward women.  While not typical of all Golden Age mystery authors, these views do crop up in all artforms of that time occasionally, and have to be overlooked.  The rest of the book is quite nearly a five-star read, and I certainly recommend it.

November 2021 Wrap-Up

A lot of Animal Crossing made this a light reading month. 

Books Read:

The Beetle by Richard Marsh (1897)  4/5 stars (my review here)

Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King (2018)  4/5 stars

When the aunt of Russell's college friend disappears, she and Holmes head to Venice to find her.  This is another fun adventure, well-written and intelligent.  I had a problem with one part of the ending, however, hence four stars and not five.

Audio Books Completed:

Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie (1944)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell  (2009)  3/5 stars  (my review here)

Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham (1936)  4/5 stars

In this mystery, Campion's friend is arrested for murder, and  he races against time to find the real killer.  Despite remembering the solution, I enjoyed this reread immensely.  It's intelligent, witty, and interesting, with a surprise at the ending that seals the book as a solid four stars.

The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham (1937)  4/5 stars

To help a friend, Campion becomes involved in solving a murder.  This was a reread for me, but I still enjoyed it immensely.  The only Campion novel written from his first-person point of view, it's well-written, amusing and intelligent, with a  good twisty solution.

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers (1933)  4/5 stars

This, one of my favorite Lord Peter mysteries, sees him going to work incognito in an advertising agency to get to the bottom of a supposedly accidental death.  As is usual with Sayers, it's well-written, intelligent, witty, and at times surprising.  I thoroughly enjoyed this reread.

 

Did Not Finish:

When I Was You by Minka Kent

I knew the twist before I finished chapter eight, and, since I already had a bone to pick with the author about her depiction of mental illness, I gave up on this improbable plot.  On a whim, I read the spoilers on Goodreads; I was right on target, though the reason was even more hard-to-believe than I would have imagined.  

Angel with Two Faces by Nicola Upson

I didn't particularly care for the first of this series (An Expert in Murder; my review here) but, having run into several positive references to Upson recently, I decided to try the second book.  I had various problems with it, though was trying to press on, but after a stomach churning domestic abuse scene, I quit.  (I read the spoilers on Goodreads, and I was on the right icky track with my suspicions, but it got even worse than I was guessing.  I'm really glad I didn't read it.)

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

There is nothing wrong with this book, but it didn't grab me as a reread.  Since I already knew the ending, I decided to save it for another time, when I don't remember it so well.