Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

I’ve wanted to read this for forever, for several reasons. First of all, someone gave me this book as a gift a while ago, so I’ve had it in the shelf for a while. I’ve also wanted to get into the mystery genre, and I feel like Agatha Christie would be an awesome place to start. I also played a videogame a long time ago about this book, and I remember loving it. Thankfully I remember virtually nothing about it so I can read it not knowing what’s gonna happen next!

Finished:

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb I liked this book a lot! Good political intrigue, especially towards the end. I really need the rest of the series now.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Wow, what a fun book! I definitely did not see the ending coming, which in a mystery I'd say is a good thing. I was also surprised at how often she used French in the dialogue. The main character is Belgian and his French-speaking friend usually drop a few French phrases per chapter. I speak French so it wasn't an issue for me. However, it makes me wonder how much French your average 1930's reader knew. Was it just common for people to know basic French? Maybe her being English had something to do with it? I wouldn't expect the people I know now (in America) to understand most of the French that she used.

Currently Reading:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte After seeing multiple people mention this book on the "what book do you regret not reading sooner" thread I decided to pick it up. It's been sitting on my shelf since Christmas. I'm only about 20 pages in, but so far so good.

Finished: Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.

It was a fun read, pretty easy to get through. I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't seen the movie and knew the ending though. The movie adaptation of Death on the Nile is supposed to come out next year, so I'll probably try to read that before it comes out.

Just started: A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking

I'm not even a whole chapter in, but seems promising!

Also currently reading: Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music, by Jan Swafford

I decided this year I wanted to get better acquainted with classical music, and this book has been great for that. Written in pretty laymen terms so as a beginner I can get most of it, but also full of great information and really engaging to read. I'm working through it slowly only because the author provides a lot of suggestions for listening. I like to read it at a coffee shop or something where I can put my headphones on and listen to the music as I read.

Finished Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.

It was good, as Christie almost always is. To be honest I thought I'd read this book ages ago, but I got confused between Christie's "train" murders (this one, The Mystery of the Blue Train, 4.50 from Paddington) and it turns out I've never actually read this one. So that was a pleasant surprise.

Just started Authority, by Jeff Vandermeer. I wasn't much of a fan of Annihilation, but the completionist in me wants to finish the trilogy, and I'm looking for something relatively light.

Finished:

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway

Murder on the Oriental Express, by Agatha Christie

Started:

The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

I am reading Tales of King Arthur, by Henry Gilbert to my son .

I started the audiobook Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.

I'm working on Shadow & Claw, by Gene Wolfe.

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet: absolutely phenomenal. The world feels so large and real (I’m aware it’s historical fiction, but still, it feels like I’m apart of it), and as a result I’ve gotten so immersed and invested into the stories, characters, and the world, that I can barely put it down. I certainly plan to read the sequels (I know they’re not really connected, but I like Ken Follet’s storytelling and writing). I highly recommend it, though it definitely portrays (explicitly) how despicable some people can be, so it’s worth knowing that it contains disturbing themes of just about every nature. Not a light read, but well worth it.

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie: honestly pretty disappointed, given her reputation. it just doesn’t feel like it has much life in it. I also have a hard time keeping up when too many characters are dropped at the same time— in this case all back to back, with descriptions of personality and appearance. I’m also not a fan of her method of relaying information to the reader, it feels almost expository. I’ll still probably finish it, but so far I’m not particularly satisfied.

Both I began this week.

The President Is Missing, by James Patterson & Bill Clinton
I don't really know why I was drawn to this book, but I honestly couldn't get enough of it. It's interesting to see content in a novel that has factual and accurate representations of how the United States Government works. I thought the title was misleading because I was surprised to find out that this book went in a completely different direction than what I thought. It's a page-turner for sure.

Any Man, by Amber Tamblyn
Honestly, this was an interesting take on sexual assault from the male perspective. I think this was a really great read.

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
I was honestly let down. This book was hyped up so much, but it was just meh. The whole book was practically just a movie script.

Finished:
Educated, by Tara Westover 5/5
I am I am I am, by Maggie O'Farrell 4/5
Slade House, by David Mitchell 3/5

Almost finished:
Becoming, by Michelle Obama

Just started:
There, There by Tommy Orange
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

Finch, by Jeff VanderMeer Almost finished this book, which is the last in the Ambergris trilogy and I'll be sad to say goodbye! I've loved each book so far even though they're all written very differently. City of Saints and Madmen is a series of vignettes/short stories all set within Ambergris, Shriek is first person and written like a biography of a brother and a sister, and Finch is a noir detective novel that ties them together.

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie Listening to this on audiobook right now and so impressed with Dan Stevens' narration. His voices and accents are just great!

I finished The Children Act, by Ian McEwan which was quite good and a short read. Lot's of law talk and the dialogue is a bit rigid, but otherwise enjoyed it.

Started Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie, which I am very excited before as I have never read Christie.

I am reading Tales of King Arthur, by Henry Gilbert to my son .

I finished the audiobook Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie and have started Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown.

I'm working on Shadow & Claw, by Gene Wolfe.

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
I recently finished And Then There Were None and The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I figured I'd read one more Christie and then get back to some other stuff. I wouldn't say I love these books, but they are pretty enjoyable and entertaining reads. I definitely enjoy Poirot, more so in this book than Styles. Perhaps it's because this is a later book in the series and he is more developed as a character.

Finished Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie, which I liked a lot.

I think next up will be Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi.

I am almost finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig and am halfway through Surfacing by Margaret Atwood.

I will be starting Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie and Nation Maker by Richard Gwyn in a couple of days.

Going to read Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie and If Tomorrow Comes, by Sidney Sheldon hope I finish these this week!

Currently reading The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I am really enjoying it so far, I don't read fantasy too often and am loving the writing. I feel like I stay interested in the book when reading and love the detail he puts into his storytelling.

I just finished Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I enjoyed that book as well, it has been my favourite of Agatha Christie's novels so far. The ending was surprising to me and I enjoyed reading how Poirot deduced the solution. I watched the movie the day after and it was nowhere near as good as the book (which is typical). The movie was confusing and left out way too much for me to really enjoy, although it was a very nice looking movie