Mmmm I wonder if you’re allowed to spend the weekend snuggled up inside a shop? This is Pop and Scott in Melbourne and it looks like the perfect place to sit and read…all we need is a cup of tea…
Happy Weekend Everyone.
Monthly Archives: June 2018
J.J. Abrams: The Mystery Box
Love mystery? So does J.J. Abrams. In this Ted talk he traces his love for the unseen mystery which is evident in his films and Lost, back to its magical beginnings.
Solving the mysteries of the world with Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie has a tome of work including over 100 plays, short story collections, and novels. Many of these have been translated into over a hundred languages and though many have tried to out do her, she remains the best selling modern writer in the world.
Her genre of choice is crime and mystery and within it she has developed fabulous characters… a little old lady who was the world’s biggest sticky beak who could latch onto a seemingly random comment and use it to solve a crime and a Belgian with a finely trimmed moustache who enjoyed his creature comforts.
Let’s have a look at a few of her titles.
Agatha Christie’s most famous murder mystery, reissued with a new cover to tie in with the 2017 film adaptation. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.
Hercule Poirot is perhaps Agatha Christie’s most interesting and endearing character; short, round, and slightly comical, Poirot has a razor-sharp mind and puts unlimited trust in his “little grey cells.” Those little cells come through for him every time, enabling Poirot to solve some of the most baffling mysteries ever conceived. In Death on the Nile, Poirot, on vacation in Africa, meets the rich, beautiful Linnet Doyle and her new husband, Simon. As usual, all is not as it seems between the newlyweds, and when Linnet is found murdered, Poirot must sort through a boatload of suspects to find the killer before he (or she) strikes again.
Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again…and again…
Agatha Christie’s beloved classic The A.B.C. Murders sets Hercule Poirot on the trail of a killer. There’s a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet and the whole country is in a state of panic. A is for Mrs. Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident but leaving a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal, mistake.
and if you fancy getting to know a little more behind the scenes…
The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie: A Biographical Companion to the Works of Agatha Christie by Charles Osbourne
Charles Osborne, a lifelong student of Agatha Christie, has created a comprehensive guide to her world as examined through her books. Illustrated with rarely seen photos and updated to include details of the publications, films and TV adaptations of her writings, this book provides fascinating reading for any Christie aficionado.
Click through here to see more of Agatha Christie’s works.
Enjoy!
#tuesdaychat
Our favourite Agatha Christie mystery is Murder on the Orient Express…we just can’t resist Poirot…an amazing sleuth with a fabulous waxed moustache. Which is your fav mystery?
Monday Inspo
On the blog this week we will be looking into the page turners of Agatha Christie…but first we have some wise worlds from the Queen of Mystery.
Happy Weekend!
The weekend is tantalisingly close…and we think we’ve found just the spot to spend it curled up with a book. Happy Weekend Everyone! 
Getting our Fantasy on with Raymond E Feist
He’s been crowned the King of fantasy writing and he’s currently on a world tour with the launch of book number one of his new series Firemane. Today we’re sharing our favourite titles from Raymond E Feist. Clear your weekend, because once you read one Feist book there’s no stopping you from wanting to read the rest, he’s an author whose books really encourage binge reading!
This is the first volume in Feist’s epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga which is an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny. In a world engulfed by war, we are introduced to four young protagonists, Declan, an apprentice blacksmith and three friends being schooled in the deadly arts of espionage and assignation, Donte, Hava and Hatushaly. The destinies of these four youngsters are fatally entwined, as they are caught up in a web of lies, betrayal, love and danger, under the shadow of a prophecy that tells of an heir to the deadly Firemane magic.
The Riftwar Saga comprises of three books; Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon, and it’s his classic fantasy epic, Magician, which has enchanted readers for over twenty five years.
At Crydee, a frontier outpost in the tranquil Kingdom of the Isles, an orphan boy, Pug, is apprenticed to a master magician — and the destinies of two worlds are changed forever. Suddenly the peace of the Kingdom is destroyed as mysterious alien invaders swarm the land. Pug is swept up into the conflict but for him and his warrior friend, Tomas, an odyssey into the unknown has only just begun. Tomas will inherit a legacy of savage power from an ancient civilisation. Pug’s destiny is to lead him through a rift in the fabric of space and time to the mastery of the unimaginable powers of a strange new magic.
The Empire Trilogy was written by Feist and Janny Wurts and was the first fantasy trilogy that I have ever read…I had often rolled my eyes when someone recommended fantasy as a genre to read and I resisted it for years, until one day I picked up a copy of Daughter of the Empire…and was hooked within the first chapter.
Magic and murder engulf the realm of Kelewan. Fierce warlords ignite a bitter blood feud to enslave the empire of Tsuranuanni. While in the opulent Imperial courts, assassins and spy-master plot cunning and devious intrigues against the rightful heir. Now Mara, a young, untested Ruling lady, is called upon to lead her people in a heroic struggle for survival. But first she must rally an army of rebel warriors, form a pact with the alien cho-ja, and marry the son of a hated enemy. Only then can Mara face her most dangerous foe of all in his own impregnable stronghold. An epic tale of adventure and intrigue. Daughter of the Empire is fantasy of the highest order by two of the most talented writers in the field today.
Krondor’s Sons is a continuation series of two books following on twenty years after the Riftwar Saga. It begins with Prince of Blood.
Prince of the Blood follows the adventures that erupt when a group of powerful nobles attempt to overthrow the Empress of Kesh, bitterly dividing the court. In the centre of the conflict are the two princes of Krondor, Borric and Erland. When Borric escapes and makes a desperate journey back tothe court to warn of the traitor’s plans – which if they were to succeed, would start a war that would twar the Empire apart.
And when you have finished these titles, be sure to check out the rest of Feist’s titles here.
Enjoy!
How movies teach manhood
In this #tedtalk Stokes asks for more movies that send positive messages to boys: that cooperation is heroic, and respecting women is as manly as defeating the villain. It’s a good watch.
#tuesdaychat
It’s Feist Day and we are getting our sci fi on!!! Which 3 Feist characters would you most want to meet? We’d pick Pug, Mara and Kevin of Zūn.
Monday Inspo
Raymond E Feist is in town this week and we’re so excited to be seeing him tomorrow night! Check out the blog on Thursday as we’ll be sharing our fav Feist titles.
