Review: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first book I finished in 2020 was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I thought it would be good to end the year with another Agatha Christie. A Christmas story seemed appropriate for the season. Unfortunately, I underestimated how busy Christmas would be (as I always do). So I finished this Christmas story in January 2021.

It seemed reasonable that the murderer wouldn’t be any of the obvious suspects but when the “who” in the “who done it” was revealed, it made perfect sense. A very satisfying conclusion. And some interesting writing along the way, for example, this description of one of the characters:

“...a mouth that knew only its own desires and that was as yet unaware of pity.”

View all my reviews

Review: The Lathe Of Heaven

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was looking for a copy of A Wizard of Earthsea which I read when I was a teenager. Instead, I found this book which I had never read. I couldn't quite make up my mind if I liked it or not. In the end, I decided I did but it is probably a three and a half rather than a four.

There are many interesting ideas explored in the book, for example: how do dreams impact on reality; are there multiple universes (or "continuums" as I think they are called in the book) and can we become aware of them; does power inevitably corrupt and if not, what sort of person can avoid the corruption?

There was a fair amount of Eastern mysticism stirred into the mix, so I cannot resist retelling the joke about the Dalai Lama ordering a pizza and when asked what toppings he wanted, he replied: "Make me one with everything.". He paid for it and waited for change but was told: "Change comes from within." Perhaps my ignorance of Eastern philosophy (as evidenced by my culturally insensitive attempt at humour) is why I did not understand the "solution" that (for want of a better designation) the protagonist of the novel was offered or, indeed, how it helped!

I think it would have worked better as a short story as I thought the narrative had raised the issues, and come to a natural conclusion when I was only about a third of the way through. I was quite enjoying thinking through the issues and working out the moral consequences myself. Instead, the story continued but it seemed to be stretched too thin.

Having said all that, it was a good story and I enjoyed reading it.

View all my reviews

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020

Didn't quite make it to target last year: 48 books read out of a target of 50. Was working on two books right up to the wire and finished one on January the first... In my defence, I started the year with a target of 40, upped it to 45 and then upped it again to 50, so I smashed my original target!

2020 Reading Challenge

Mr Muir has read 1 book toward their goal of 40 books.

hide

1 of 40 (2%)

view books

Interestingly, I read more books but wrote fewer reviews than in 2019. I suppose that's the right way round but I'll try and do better this year.

2021 Reading Challenge

Mr Muir has read 1 book toward their goal of 50 books.

hide

1 of 50 (2%)

view books

 

And here's the list of books I read... in case you are interested!

Mr Muir's bookshelf: read-in-2020

No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories

by Lee Child

tagged: read-in-2020

Where's My Cow?

by Terry Pratchett

tagged: read-in-2020

The One True Story: Daily Readings for Advent from Genesis to Jesus

by Tim Chester

A reading and a thought for every day in Advent. Often brought out details that had never thought about despite dealing with, what were often, well-known stories.

tagged: read-in-2020

Immortal Hulk Book One

by Al Ewing

tagged: read-in-2020

Darkness There: Selected Tales by Edgar Allan Poe

by Edgar Allan Poe

tagged: read-in-2020

Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production by John Tiffany
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a tricky "book" to review... it is not really a book, it's the script from a play. As such, I couldn't help but think how I would prefer to see it performed. There are things I like about this story but I'm going to start by getting some grumpiness out of the way...

I don't think a spoiler to say that at one point in the story, the two main characters fall out with each other. It didn't make any sense that one would dump the other so easily; especially since he was doing it because his dad told him to! Stupid and unbelievable. Then (inevitably) they make up but instead of explaining his sneaky plan (as anyone would do), Albus says: "That I’m saving as a sparkly surprise.". You’ve just made up. Tell him your plan! Also, they seemed to be setting up a gay relationship between the two boys... and then pulled back. Why set it up and then not follow through?

The final grumpiness, however, is reserved for Dumbledore who continues to annoy me! At one point he says (or rather, his portrait says) to Harry: "I was blind. That is what love does. I couldn’t see that you needed to hear that this closed-up, tricky, dangerous old man... loved you...". Oh for goodness sake! What is he saying: you always hurt the ones you love? He continues to groom and abuse Harry even from beyond the grave. Bah!

That said, I enjoyed the story. I was swept along and I wanted to see how it all turned out. The characters in the play seemed to be true to the characters from the books (too true perhaps, in that Harry seems to as dumb as ever!) and the scrapes and japes Albus and Scorpio get up to match the shenanigans their parents got up to in the books.

The highest praise I can give is: I would love to see it performed!

View all my reviews

Review: Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying... I know this is not a history book. It is historical fiction... but it did what (I think) historical fiction should do: it made me want to find out more about that period of history. It may not be entirely historically accurate but that doesn't mean it can't teach a truth about the protagonists and the historical situation.

There are some interesting parallels that can be drawn with the world today:

"How can he explain that to him? The world is not run from where he thinks. Not from border fortresses, not even from Whitehall. The world is run from Antwerp, from Florence, from places he has never imagined; from Lisbon, from where the ships with sails of silk drift west and are burned up in the sun. Not from the castle walls, but from counting houses, not be the call of the bugle, but by the click of the abacus, not by the grate and click of the mechanism of the gun but by the scrape of the pen on the page of the promissory note that pays for the gun and the gunsmith and the powder and shot."

This made me think of the big corporations that happily avoid paying taxes and ride roughshod over governments that try to hold them to account.

The characters were brought to life too. For example, Anne Boleyn coming across as a scheming mynx and Thomas Cromwell as highly intelligent but crackling with barely contained menace.

"When have I ever forced anyone to do anything, [Thomas] starts to say: but Richard cuts in, 'No, you don't, I agree, it's just that you are practiced at persuading, and sometimes it's quite difficult, sir, to distinguish being persuaded by you from being knocked down in the street and stamped on.'"

It is not always an easy read... but snippets like the one above make it well worth the effort!

View all my reviews

Review: Elric of Melniboné

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The last Moorcock I read was six years ago... but it was (allegedly) a Doctor Who book and I didn't enjoy it (see my review for details). It has taken me a while to get back to Moorcock, which is a pity because I really enjoyed his books as a teenager.

When I came across this book, I decided to go for it even though I thought I'd probably already read it... turns out I hadn't. In the Elric books I'd read, he already had Stormbringer but here, I learned how he came to possess it (or how it came to possess him?) and I thoroughly enjoyed this origin story. A real romp that had my hooked from more or less the first page.

This is the Moorcock I remember from my youth. I don't intend to wait another six years before I read more. I'm pretty sure I have The Sailor on the Seas of Fate somewhere... if only I can dig it out.

View all my reviews

Review: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Slightly disappointing. Started off well but towards the end became a bit teenage soap opera. (He loves her but she loves him but he’s married and she is desired by nasty wicked man who wants his nasty wicked way with her... and let’s throw in a scheming child out to cause mischief out of petty vindictiveness...)

Having said that, I did enjoy it, mostly, and it made me want to find out more about Vermeer and see his paintings... and that’s a good thing!

View all my reviews

(Still reading... but haven't posted a review for a while.)