GoldenAgeCrimeClub

The Ghost of Blackwood Hall | Carolyn Keene

I missed #FridayHappyReadingHour yesterday but this morning I am enjoying my coffee and listening to the sound of the rain with the slider open.

I am ready to finish up the tagged for #NancyDrewBR as well as Parrot and Olivier for #OffMyShelf and #10beforetheend today.

Later, after errands and my parents, I will crack in to my pile for #ChristmasCrimeChallenge.

Aims42, kspenmoll, Cathythoughts, dabbe

bookandbedandtea Sounds like a lovely day 2w

Ruthiella @bookandbedandtea I do love Saturdays! ☕️📚 2w

kspenmoll Sounds like a great day! 2w

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Ruthiella @kspenmoll It‘s starting off well! ☕️📚 2w

AnnCrystal Loveliness 😉🎶🌧️📚🌧️. 2w

Ruthiella @AnnCrystal Loving the rainy weather! 🌧️ 2w

AnnCrystal @Ruthiella me too, my favorite 🎶🌧️💖🌧️🎶. 2w

Cathythoughts I missed this Friday too 😬 But I love the sound of rain 🥰 2w

Ruthiella @Cathythoughts it‘s very soothing. 🌧️ 2w

Tamra Oh, Christmas crime time! I need to decide on one to read. (edited) 2w

Ruthiella @Tamra There‘s a lot to choose from! 🎄🔪🎅🏻💀 2w

Tamra @Ruthiella any favorites? 2w

Ruthiella @Tamra well, I am partial to Agatha Christie, so there is

Hercule Poirot�s Christmas (Poirot)

Tamra @Ruthiella stacked! I‘ll check to see if I can snag it on audio via the library. (edited) 2w

Ruthiella @Tamra I also really liked this one that we read for #GoldenAgeCrimeClub a couple of years ago

An English Murder

(edited) 2w

Aims42 What a great way to start your Saturday!!! 2w

Ruthiella @Aims42 I agree! 😃 2w

Reggie I should know when it drops but your mug faked me out. I thought the tob list dropped today. 2w

Ruthiella @Reggie Ha ha ha! 😂 I didn‘t mean to deceive you. It just the most bookish mug I have. 2w

BkClubCare @Reggie @Ruthiella - Same! My first thought 💭 when I saw this mug! Well, also, “they” did release the LL on this date a few years ago. It popped up on my memories so I had the idea to check. 2w

Ruthiella @BkClubCare Sorry for causing a commotion! 😜😂 🐓 ❤️📚 2w

57 likes21 comments

Cuilin

Lie With Me | Philippe BESSON

Tagged book second favorite of the year!!!

Thanks to #GoldenAgeCrimeClub @Mitch for The Franchise Affair and #NaturalLitsy @AllDebooks for 🦋 book.

ChaoticMissAdventures I have Like With Me at the very top of my list for next year! So glad to see you enjoyed it. Swimming In The Dark was one of my favorites this year. And I read Besson's In The Absence of Men too, such great atmosphere in all of them. 2y

Cuilin @ChaoticMissAdventures I loved it and will reread it. I should read more by Besson. 2y

Mitch So glad it was a hit with you 🙌🏼 2y

44 likes3 comments

kwmg40

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

pick

I really enjoyed this final selection of the #goldenagecrimeclub. The mystery was intriguing, the characters had depth and the commentary on English society and politics was especially interesting. I was also amused by the fact that it was a Christmas setting but everyone was absolutely miserable! @Mitch

#wintergames #snowangels #longdarknights @Emilymdxn
#DashingDecember @Andrew65

kwmg40 #BookSpinBingo #RushAthon #Adventathon
#gottacatchemall #wintercosy #wintercleardown #AVMB23
#candylandreadathon #AtoZBingo
@TheAromaofBooks @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @BookmarkTavern
@Puddlejumper @Jadams1776 @CatsandBooks @Texreader 2y

BookmarkTavern Yay! 🎉🎉🎉 2y

Ruthiella I really liked this one too! 👍 2y

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y

Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 2y

31 likes5 comments

Librarybelle

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

pick

I had to stay up past my bedtime to finish this! A great mystery to bring in the Christmas weekend. Snow storms. Isolation. Members of the house party dying one by one. And, I loved Dr Bottwink, whose meticulous thoughts and observations were entertaining to read.

I‘ve enjoyed reading the #GoldenAgeCrimeClub books, @Mitch ! Thanks for hosting these!

#192025 #1951

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DGRachel

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

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I listened to this in 2019, enjoyed it, and promptly forgot about it. I liked it even more on the reread. There‘s something about stories of people being stranded because of weather, cut off from the rest of civilization while bodies start piling up that I just find delightful. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Toss in an English country estate, and I‘m almost guaranteed to love it. #goldenagecrimeclub

Mitch

emz711 I'll add it to my tbr! 2y

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Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

There were some great characters in this one - any favourites? Would you read more from Hare?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella I would definitely read more from Hare. For sure Dr. Bottwink was a favorite. I also like the butler, Briggs. And Mrs Carstairs was awful, but perfectly portrayed, IMO. 2y

DGRachel I enjoyed Hare‘s style, so I‘d definitely read more of his work. The characters were all great in their own way (whether wonderful or wonderfully terrible), but they felt almost more like caricatures than unique individuals. 2y

kwmg40 Only a few of the characters were likeable, but I found them all interesting. I've enjoyed a couple of Cyril Hare's Francis Pettigrew books and I would be happy to read more. 2y

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kwmg40 Thank you so much @Mitch for hosting the #goldenagecrimeclub this past year. I enjoyed all the selections and discovered a number of new authors! 2y

AmyG I‘d read more of his work. I enjoyed this one. @Mitch thank you for organizing this! Will you be continuing in 2024? 2y

Mitch @AmyG im not 100% sure - I might see what the appetite for more is from everyone x 2y

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Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

This book - whilst feeling like a classic golden age crime novel has really met the challenges of the 1950s head on - fascists, refugees, changes in social class and feelings around national identity all make an appearance in the drawing room! I wonder if it is some of these strands and there relevance to where we are in the world today that prompted it‘s reissue?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella I suspect you are right. And let‘s appreciate how Hare is reflecting actual contemporary values of the 50s. Not everyone was casually racist or sexist, etc. The ideals of human rights and equality have been around probably as long as humans have existed. It‘s not a new or “woke” concept. 2y

DGRachel It is interesting how so many of these issues, social and political, continue to circle around. It‘s like we learn nothing, or worse than that, we don‘t grow or become better human beings as societies. 😔 2y

kwmg40 I'm not sure if these factors contributed to the book's reissue, but the book did not feel as dated to me as some other crime novels from the 1950's. 2y

AmyG And what would a Golden Age Crime book be without a sprinkle of antisemitism??? 😬🤣 (edited) 2y

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Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

Dr Bottwink, the Czech history professor gave us a really great outsiders view of the madness of English society and customs ( & language!). What did you think of his character?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella I adored Dr. Bottwink! Especially his expertise in reaching the solution. (edited) 2y

DGRachel I thought he was a really interesting character. We got to see not only an outsider‘s perspective of the English guests and residents, but also a reflection of an English viewpoint on outsiders/foreigners. He also felt like a bit of a nod to Poirot, but that may have had more to do with the audiobook narrator. 2y

Ruthiella @DGRachel I agree. I also had shades of Poirot, because he too is a detective from the outside looking in on English culture. 2y

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Mitch Poirot was definitely channelled by Hare I think! I loved that Dr Bottwink was the only one to know enough about English systems to be useful in the end! 2y

kwmg40 I liked Dr. Bottwink's character very much and enjoyed his observations on English customs and language. However, I'm sure that if I were one of the houseguests, I would have found him extremely annoying! 2y

AmyG @DHRachel YES…Poirot was my thought too. I loved Bottwink‘s rational voice, piecing things together. 2y

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Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

“ It‘s Christmas, let‘s gather together 8 people who‘ll hate each other and force them to make merry, it‘ll be fine!” How did this fair as a classic Christmas crime novel?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella Well, as other Littens noted in their reviews , it wasn‘t particularly Christmassy-no games, crackers , carols or presents. So it actually could have taken place anytime in the winter. 2y

DGRachel I agree with @Ruthiella It didn‘t feel particularly Christmas-y, just winter-y. 2y

Mitch I agree - @Ruthiella and @dgrachel definitely wintery vibes - I wonder if adding Christmas into the title was done by the author or the marketing dept….🤔 2y

kwmg40 I liked the Christmas setting paired with the utter lack of goodwill amongst the guests. I think the fact that it was set during Christmas highlighted the bitterness and hypocrisy of the characters even more. 2y

AmyG Quite the Bah Humbug Christmas. The man who invited everyone seemed a bit curmudgeonly so I didn‘t expect a joyful holiday. Good setting for a murder, though. 2y

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