I have been reading Agatha Christie.
And she is a brilliant writer. Sometimes, I think...horrifically
brilliant. I find I don't like reading about murder and I don't want
to understand the mind of a murderer or think about detective work. I
would rather be blissfully ignorant that psychopathic narcissistic
people exist. After reading around 10 of her books now, I think
Agatha must have been a little twisted herself to be able to come up
with so many “good” murderous villains and plots!
At least her villains get caught. And
confess their deeds. Unlike the real world.
I do like Marple. I want all the
descriptions of her attire to be made in real life so I can wear them
over tea. Except without the crime solving. Or bothersome nephews.
However, Marple's male counterpart
annoys me. I'm speaking of Hercule Poirot, whose very name sounds as
dry and strict as his character! Descriptions of his mustache make me
cringe. He's fastidious about everything and full of himself. He's
stuck up. I can't relate to him. I have no idea how his mind works,
it's so far removed from my limited awareness that it is hard to
comprehend. I am not detailed oriented. I am not organized. Thus,
perhaps the reason I like him least is that he makes me feel common.
He is brilliant, but he also knows it. I dislike a superior attitude
in a man, especially one coupled with actual intelligence; but
intellect to the point of snobbery. I know the BBC has made
several TV adaptations of Agatha's books—I need to check them out
to see how this all translates from manuscript to screen. I just feel
Poirot would be a hard man to please.
I would love to read a biography about
Agatha Christie's life. I wonder how she became fascinated with crime: was her father a policeman? I
mean, I first learned about her from a Dr Who episode, so my
knowledge is really limited. Did she ever solve a crime like in that
episode? Obviously without alien killer bees, I'm sure, but did a
murder ever happen right in front of her? I need to look up a
documentary. I may be done reading her books, but I am not done
reading about her. Someone that obsessed with death and murder must
have had an interesting life.
What have you been reading lately? Any
suggestions to put my way?
