Am I the only person who reads Agatha Christie?

[overthinking]

My DH and friends giggle at me but I love her books. Chocolate, sofa snuggles and one of her books and I am a happy lady
Am I the only one?

[FannyMcNally]

My first AC's were Ordeal by Innocence and Ten Little Indians. I loved the covers, they were so gruesome that it started me on a life long love affair with her books. They were the Fontana 1960s editions I think. A Caribbean Mystery was particularly horrible. I must dig them out and find out who illustrated them! The tv adaptations have skewed my favourites over the years although I still watch all of them when they're on.

Some of the adaptations are awful - Ordeal by Innocence especially sticking in my mind because Miss Marple was in it when she SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN!!!

Agree with Joan Hickson being the best Marple and I really liked the intro music and graphics.

I LOATHE the books with Tommy and Tuppence, Harley Quinn, Mrs Oliver and Mr Satterthwaite. Miss Marple or HP? I think HP wins because I get irritated by Miss Marple recognising wrong 'uns by their resemblance to residents of St Mary Mead.

Great thread BTW.

[DontmindifIdo]

My first AC was Lord Edgewear Dies - was a good introduction. I do like Ten Little Indians/And then there were None (I believe it was renamed).

I need to go through a list and work out which ones I've not read.

[Alicadabra]

I also get furious at them mucking around with the plots and particularly for drafting in Miss Marple for no reason. The Secret of Chimneys is probably my favourite Christie book and ITV randomly changed almost everything about it.

Having said that, I rather liked Geraldine McEwan's twinkly-eyed slightly wicked old lady approach - it was different but believable (I certainly believed she'd stick her nose in everywhere!) Julia McKenzie is ok but really just a 'lite' version of Joan Hickson, who was the definitive Miss Marple in my view (especially in A Murder is Announced - absolutely brilliant).

I read dozens of Christie books when I was young and have recently loved rediscovering some of them on my Kindle. Better still, I've found a couple that I've never read!

[ZZZenagain]

think you have the same version of A Caribbean Mystery as I have Fanny. The cover makes me cringe, can't look at it.

I love an AC, perfect old fashioned cosy. I really like Cat Among the Pigeons and A Body in the Library. One I never really got on with was the one (forgotten the title) where Miss Marple gets sent on a stately homes of England tour and has to find out what really happened to Verity Hunt and some millionaire's son.

Nemesis perhaps. Could be called Nemesis.

[Iseeall]

Our cat is named Agatha in honour of the lady herself.

[ZZZenagain]

when my dd is practising instruments , I am generally not allowed in. If she deigns to allow it, she plays the Miss Marple theme to signal to me that I am required or permitted to come in.

She is thinking about changing to HP now.

[Clawdy]

Nemesis is the follow-up story to A Caribbean Mystery,featuring the son of Mr. Rafiel.

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

Are you 70 plus?

[Clawdy]

Fanny I love Harley Quinn! so dark. Apparently AC loved 'em too. They could never be filmed,though....don't think?

[FannyMcNally]

No no no!

ZZZ have we both got the copy with the green head and bulging eye? Horrid! And you're right, the stately home one is Nemesis.

[ariadneoliver]

Rather shamefacedly, having dissed the drafting in of Miss Marple to random plots, I have to confess that one of my favourite tv adaptations is the Geraldine McEwan version of The Pale Horse. I have it on Sky plus and will happily will re-watch it for relaxation.

[ZZZenagain]

that's the one Fanny, it is hideous. I'd buy it again just to have a different cover. What were they thinking?

[Nivet]

Me too, me too! I bought the entire Miss Marple box set to read when I was pregnant with DS, perfectly non-taxing for a woman likely to cry at the Weetabix advert .

I also bought the DVD box set to watch during my first two weeks of maternity leave, DS arrived early, four years later I still have finished watching them.

Someone asked up thread about a box set (sorry, on my phone so can't see who), The Book People often do the whole set for about £12.

[FannyMcNally]

I was tempted to buy the complete Joan Hickson DVD set but on Amazon it's still over £40. There is a dutch subtitled set for £15 so I might ask the dds to buy that for my birthday in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it already!

[Nivet]

FannyMcNally I'm decluttering and reducing our DVD collection.

You are welcome to have my box set as it's your birthday! If you PM me your address I'll post them to you.

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

I am getting worried that my Roger Ackroyd hasn't arrived yet.

I have never been into Marple and the rest but have only ever avoided them on TV. Might try them once I am done with Poirot but have loads left.

[FannyMcNally]

Have pm'd you Nivet

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

It arrived, but is an early seventies edition. I should have known. I don't mind though, I just really don't like the new fangled, bland covers so I still have a great illustration.

[MrsFrederickWentworth]

I love them but especially Miss Marple. I come from.a small village and what she says is so true. HP is do self satisfied.

The Agatha Raisins are fun, but if you want gentle and sentimental, try MC Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series, or the Precious Ramotswes, which I love because thru get the taste of Botswana.

Doris, am with you though find Campion more irritating than Lord Peter. Also love Josephine Tey, all of which have just been republished, and Edmund thingmummy of The Moving Toyshop and others.

[Alfonso1]

I love Agatha Christie books. Always read them when I am sick in bed. Very comforting.

[notcitrus]

I've got that scary-covered Caribbean Mystery too!

The first 'grown up' books I read were Christies, and then living abroad the local library's English section was limited but seemed to include them all. At the time loads of the social nuances and historical references went over my head, but I loved Miss Marple's line about meeting all of human nature in a village and it being easy to study - I felt the same way about my boarding school.

So now reading them again to appreciate the backgrounds properly, but currently sidetracked by Sayers, who I seem to be reading backwards - just read Gaudy Night and want to start it again!

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

MrsFrederickWentworth - nooo I am the real Mrs Frederivk Wentworth.

It seems we share more than Agatha Christie

[FannyMcNally]

Just resurrecting this thread to publicly thank Nivet for my birthday present!

I am slowly working my way through the series and hugely enjoying Joan Hickson's wonderful Miss Marple. I am going to re-read the books as well, just to see how close this series was to the originals. Lovely!

[MrsFrederickWentworth]

Mixedmama, v sorry (not) you fell down that stair at the Cobb in Lyme Regis.. you are not alone, there is a MNr who always wants to address me as Ms Anne Elliot.

Hah. Got there first and last.

( the secret thoughts of AE)

[chalkie34]

love Agatha Christie and Agatha raisin both great writers also love jack higgins