I've recently finished The Murderous Marriage
, The Wellspring of Death, The Wizard of Evesham, The Witch of Wychadden, The Day the Floods Came, The Love from Hell, The Haunted House, and The Deadly Dance. All were good, but I read them a bit out of order. Unlike the Hamish Macbeth stories, they do need to be read in order somewhat, or they get a bit confusing. In one book Agatha is married to James Lacey (briefly), in another she's persuing him, in another they're divorced and a new handsome neighbor has moved in next door. Also, she goes from amateur to professional private detective in The Deadly Dance, which I read early on. Oops. Lots of confusion, but once I really got to know the characters, I could pick up on the stories.I'm finishing up The Perfect Paragon, and then the latest book published, Kissing Christmas Goodbye. I hope there are more Agatha stories coming soon! I know M.C. Beaton tries to release one Hamish and one Agatha each year, but I don't know when the next Raisin story will be out.
Overall, I think I liked the Hamish stories better, but the Raisin stories are a lot of fun. I love the supporting characters, such as Mrs. Bloxby, Sir Charles Fraith, and Bill Wong.
Up next, Middlemarch (which will be the first George Eliot novel I've ever read) and The Tennant of Widefell Hall(finally!). I'm also going to give Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights another try. It's been so long since I read it...my tastes have changed since then. I may discover something I like about it. Also, another Charlotte Brontë- Villette, and Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey. Then I can say I've read all three Brontë sisters!
Finally, I'm also reading The Rough Guide to Classic Novels (vol. 1). It's a bit similar to 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, but with fewer titles!
1 comment:
If I were you, I'd skip Agnes Grey, go straight to Villette and use that as preparation for Middlemarch. If you want, head over to my blog for reviews of all three but bear in mind that I read Middlemarch before Villette which I think was a mistake. You're in for a treat there.
Anyway.... what I really wanted to say was...
If you're interested, there's a new version of Arukiyomi's 1001 books spreadsheet. Along with some cool new features, there are lists of both the revised 1001 books and those that were removed from the new 2008 list. That's right, the list has changed!
If you want a free copy of the spreadsheet, head over to Arukiyomi's blog.
Happy reading!
Post a Comment