An Affair to Remember: Sparkling Cyanide | 1944

(image from here) "Rosemary, that's for remembrance." - Sparkling Cyanide, p. 37 We have heartily enjoyed spending the month of July reading along with our friends @maidensofmurder over on Instagram! Thank you so much again, Maidens, for this opportunity to enjoy Agatha Christie together! The Sum of It: Our story begins with a group of party guests somewhat guiltily remembering a dinner they all attended nearly a year before...one that...

Agatha's First Drafts

(image from here) The YOA Treatment: Although we have a bit of a love/hate relationship with short stories (#trueconfessions), we have enjoyed getting to know more about Agatha Christie's writing process by seeing how her sprightly, easy-to-read style and enthralling plots fit into both short story and novel form.  Many times we have seen Agatha almost doing a trial run of plot ideas in a short format, which she then fleshes out into a full-length...

A Smattering of Sleuths: Three Blind Mice and Other Stories | 1950

(image from here) "Snow was piled five feet high, drifting up against the doors and windows. Outside it was still snowing. The world was white, silent, and—in some subtle way—menacing." - Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, p. 24 The Sum of It: Our read this week is another collection of short stories featuring nearly all of Agatha's sleuths! The book begins with one of Agatha's most notable stories, Three Blind Mice (more on that later!),...

Agatha's Sleuths T-Shirt Giveaway!

Hello friends! Guess what! It's #giveaway time again! This time we are giving away one of our new Agatha's Sleuths t-shirts!  HOW TO ENTER: 1.) We are doing this giveaway as part of our collaboration with our Agatha pals over at Maidens of Murder, so head on over to Instagram and make sure you're following us (@theyearofagatha) and the Maidens (@maidensofmurder). 2.) Find and like our giveaway post on our Instagram and...

When I'm Sixty Four (Hoo!): N or M? | 1941

Image from here "'Tuppence and I, you see, aren't on those terms. We go into things -- together!' In his mind was that phrase, uttered years ago, at the close of an earlier war. A joint venture... That was what his life with Tuppence had been and would always be -- a Joint Venture..."  - N or M?, p. 50 The Sum of It: Agatha goes FULL ON WWII in this book, which reunites us with our favorite secret agent couple, Tommy and Tuppence....

Which Agatha Book Should You Read First? | A Little Quiz!

(image from here) Happy weekend, friends! We are making our way through N or M? this week, but wanted to share a fun little quiz we made on Buzzfeed to help you decide which Agatha Christie book to read first if you're still new to Christie-land OR give you an idea if you're in the valley of decision about which book to read next! Follow this link HERE to take our quiz! Happy quizzing and reading! -A. &...

Don't You Know That You're Toxic? | Agatha & Poison

This is an actual photo of Agatha in her WWI nurse outfit from the Agatha Christie Archive! We found it in this really interesting article from The Telegraph about how WWI influenced Agatha and her writing. Give it a read! It's no secret (certainly not from those of you who've read a few books) that poison is one of Agatha's favorite weapons. She gets pretty creative with it at times, sometimes it's a mysterious tribal potion on the tip of a tiny...

Sunbathers Beware: Evil Under the Sun | 1940

(image from here) "It was, Hercule Poirot thought, like watching the needle of a compass. Patrick Redfern was deflected, his feet changed their direction. The needle, do what it will, must obey the law of magnetism and turn to the north. Patrick Redfern's feet brought him to Arlena Stuart." -Evil Under the Sun, p. 15-16 The Sum of It: Papa Poirot is on vacation again! But, like usual, he isn't even totally off the detective clock because wherever...

We Become Guest #MaidensofMurder | Sparkling Cocktail Recipe (Cyanide Not Included!)

Hello dear readers! We are SO very excited and honored to be guest Maidens this month with our Instagram friends over at @maidensofmurder! The Maidens have been reading several Agatha Christie books each month, and we are joining them for their July read of Sparkling Cyanide. In honor of this read, we are going to be featuring a Sparkling Cyanide-themed post each Thursday this month and will have our recap of this read on the blog in a few weeks,...

He is an Englishman: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe | 1940

Photo from here "Hercule Poirot remained sipping his chocolate and going over the facts as he had just outlined. He felt satisfied that they were as he had stated them. Within that circle of persons was the hand that had actually done the deed -- no matter whose the inspiration had been. Then his eyebrows shot up as he realized that the list was incomplete. He had left out one name." - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, p. 89 The Sum of It: So this one...

Friday Night Murder: A Murder is Announced | 1950

(image from here) He said reverently: "She's just the finest detective God ever made. Natural genius cultivated in a suitable soil."  -Sir Henry Clithering, A Murder is Announced, p. 58 The Sum of It: Our latest read just happens to be one of my very favorites: A Murder is Announced. Not only does it feature Miss Jane Marple (who I dare say may be my favorite Agatha detective to read! #stillalsolovepoirot #dontworry), but the premise and...