The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Author: Washington Irving

I love this story! It is such a lovely mix of legendary ghost tale, village life and humorous suitor rivalries. 

Washington Irving first published this short story in 1819, but the tale has been re-published, re-told and re-imagined so many times since then! I imagine if the author knew his story has become a beloved classic he would be incredibly proud that the tale has stood the test of time. 

I read a old copy of the book online thanks to Openlibrary.org, and also listened to an audiobook version using Hoopla (Findaway Voices, 2024). I love having spooky stories read aloud to me and always love reading and listening to Classics. 

The audiobook has some issues. About 1/3 of the way through the story, the narrator changes. The audio starts off read by a person with a difficult to understand accent who mispronounces words (Ichabod was pronounced Itch-a-bod. Tarrytown was changed to Tar-ry-town. Katrina was changed to Patrina.) I was having a very very hard time listening to the book with all of the errors. Then the narrator switched to a man with a nice, easily understandable English accent. There were no more mispronunciations. However, parts of some sentences were left out and a couple times the narrator made mistakes while reading paused for a quick second and re-read a portion of a sentence. The errors were not edited out. I can handle those sorts of errors....the mispronunciations, however, made the first part of the book almost unbearable. Not sure if Jorge Hartman was the first narrator or the savior of the audiobook who stepped in partway through, but really they should have given a credit to both narrators. 

The old version of the book I read online was published by Putnam in 1864. The illustrations were

wonderful! I love old books, so I was very happy to get to enjoy this one, even if it was just a digital copy. 

I love this story. Although it has been turned into a horror tale in the modern era, it is more the story of a girl's successful attempts to make a man jealous enough to marry her, and the thwarting of another man's dreams of marrying a wealthy man's daughter. Such a fun, entertaining and cute story! With just that right amount of spooky to make it the perfect story to kick off Spooky Season reading. 

I just love all the mental imagery I get from this tale. Ichabod Crane being prone to imagination and belief in the supernatural and satan getting filled with all sorts of ghostly legends at a country dance.....then riding home alone in the dark. Only to be beset upon by the local legendary headless spirit.....   Yikes!! 

When I was in middle school and first read this story, I did not understand the real nuances. But listening to this tale as an adult makes me smile and laugh. Katrina's plan worked! She got her man.....   

REVIEW: The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories

 The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories
Author: Agatha Christie

This story collection features 9 short stories with mysteries solved by Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Parker Pyne. I'm not too excited about Parker Pyne, but glad to hit a story with Miss Marple in it! My reading challenge to journey though Agatha's mysteries in publication order means I have a lot of Hercule Poirot to read before I hit Miss Marple. 

I have to be honest and say I have a hard time reading through stories featuring some of Agatha's other characters -- Tommy & Tuppence, Superintendent Battle, Parker Pyne. I'm glad this one is a mix of Poirot, Marple and Pyne...otherwise I think I would be forcing myself to read this collection. 

The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories was first published in the US in 1939. It was not published in the UK, and is the first Agatha Christie book to only be published in the US. All of the stories in the collection were later published in the UK in other books. 

I'm reading my old paperback copy (Dell, 1983) and listening to an audio book (Harper Audio 2012). The audio has several narrators: Hugh Fraser, Joan Hickson, David Suchet, Isla Blair and Simon Vance.

The Regatta Mystery: This story featuring Parker Pyne was first published in this collection. However, it is a re-working of an earlier story written and published in magazines in the US and UK in 1936 that originally featured Hercule Poirot. The Poirot version was not published again until 2008 when it was included in an anthology of all Poirot short stories. I did not find any adaptations of this story. The
television series Poirot did not do an episode based on this story most likely because it is usually listed as a Parker Pyne short story. This story is interesting, but doesn't go into the case in depth. It's a great story to highlight or introduce a character, which is what I think Agatha was doing with the short mysteries she wrote for magazines in the 30s. I can see why she switched the story to Parker Pyne. It doesn't seem like a case that Hercule Poirot would investigate. I read both versions - the one with Parker Pyne and the one with Poirot. It's exactly the same story just with the detective changed. 

The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest:  First published in magazines in the UK and US in 1932, The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest was later lengthened into a novella and re-titled The Mystery of the Spanish Chest in 1960 (in three installments in a magazine). The television series Poirot adapted it as The Mystery of the Spanish Chest (Season 3, episode 8). This review is for the original story only because I'm reading in publication order and Spanish Chest wasn't published until 1960. I will watch the Poirot episode, as I read it follows the plot of the original story more closely rather than the expanded novella. I enjoyed this story. Very interesting mystery that wraps up quickly. I can see why Agatha expanded it into a longer story later, but I have to be honest that I really don't enjoy her habit of recycling stories like that. The Poirot episode follows the basic plot with some changes to interject Poirot into the story sooner and to flesh the plot out into episode length. Inspector Japp and Captain Hastings are added into the mix as well. I enjoyed the episode. Very well done! 

How Does Your Garden Grow?: In 1935, How Does Your Garden Grow? was originally published in magazines in the US and UK. The only adaptation I found is an episode of Poirot (Season 3, Episode 2). This story is the first appearance of Miss Lemon in a Poirot story. I enjoyed this story and was surprised and entertained by the ending. Definitely classic Hercule Poirot style....in a condensed format. There isn't a lot of detail because this is a short story. As soon as I finished reading/listening, I jumped right on to BritBox to watch the Poirot episode. I was so curious how they would flesh the plot out for an episode. I was not disappointed - a very entertaining episode! The plot sticks pretty close to the short story with some changes to add some extra drama, to  bring in Japp and Hastings, and to get Poirot involved sooner.

Problem at Pollensa Bay: This story features Parker Pyne and was first published in a UK magazine in 1935. US publication followed in 1936, also in a magazine, under a different title, Siren Business.  Interesting story with Parker Pyne playing his usual role in helping people make changes to their lives or helping with strange situations that pop up. Short, but enjoyable. If I'm totally truthful, I'm still not a big fan of Parker Pyne. I am giving him a chance though....he may still grow on me. I found no adaptations of this story.

Yellow Iris: Yellow Iris has an interesting backstory. It was first published in magazines in the UK and US in 1937. Later that same year, a radio play was performed on the BBC National Programme at 8 pm on November 2, 1937. Agatha wrote the script for the radio play, but the script was never published. The radio play lasted for an hour and was also re-broadcast on November 4th, 1937 on the BBC Regional Programme. The radio drama was set in a restaurant like the short story, but included musical numbers by artists portrayed as performing at the restaurant that night. The list of the cast and musical performers and even information about the broadcast can be easily found online, but the script and the radio program itself are apparently lost media. Critics did not like the performance, with one review I found stating that the musical numbers were so long and the actual mystery so short that the critic was bored by the performance. Most reviews I found said much the same thing: the music overtook the entire performance with long interludes and left very little time for the mystery. So, the experiment with mixing mystery and music did not go over well. I did read that the previously published short story is different in places from the radio script and that the lyrics included in the short story are not the same as in the audio drama. I am sad that there are no surviving recordings of either performance of this play and that the radio script is also lost media. I would love to read or listen, so that I could form my own opinion. The best part would be hearing the music from the era, and experiencing how they incorporated the performances and lyrics into the story! But, alas, neither version is available. Maybe someday someone will discover a copy, and we will be able to enjoy it!  

Other adaptations include a radio episode of Murder Clinic that aired in the US in 1943, but the episode appears to be lost media. And, the television show Poirot made an episode (Season 5, episode 3). This story is really good - I enjoyed the unusual way it started and how Poirot got pulled into the mystery. I can see why they wanted to combine the story with music. It's a shame that the radio performance didn't get better reviews. The ending of the short story is just awesome!

The Poirot episode changes a few things like how Poirot joins the investigation, and also fleshes the plot out to stretch it to episode length. I enjoyed the episode. It follows the original story closely, with just a few changes to make it fit into a television episode better.

 Miss Marple Tells a Story: This story was first presented as a radio play on the BBC radio National Programme. It aired on May 11.1934 with the script being read by Agatha Christie herself! I am completely disappointed, but I was unable to find a recording of this broadcast. More Agatha lost media!! Sadness!! It was first printed as a story in a magazine in 1935 under the title "Behind Closed Doors." I found no other adaptations of this story. I loved this story! The audio book version was read by Joan Hickson who starred in the Miss Marple television show from 1984 - 1992. I love this story! It's told in first person with Miss Marple's usual stream of details from serving cherry brandy to guests to her views on younger people. The character just always seems so....lovely. Like a friendly elderly lady who would be enjoyable to have a cup of tea with. :) She solved a complex murder case without even getting up out of her chair. :)

 The Dream: This tale is another Agatha Christie short story that was first published in magazines. The Saturday Evening Post ran it in 1937 and it appeared in The Strand Magazine in the UK in 1938. I would love to see one of the old issues of The Strand! I'd love to see how these stories were presented, what advertisements were in the issues, and what other authors were featured! The only adaptation I found for this Hercule Poirot story is an episode of Poirot (Season 1, Episode 10). The plot for this story is definitely interesting! The Poirot episode was well done and followed the original story relatively closely. Some changes were made to fit the show and expand the plot to episode length.

In a Glass Darkly: I didn't expect a story like this in this collection. It was a nice change of pace! As usual, this tale was first published in magazines in the US and UK in 1934. It is a standalone story that doesn't feature any of Agatha's usual characters. And, it's not really a murder mystery either. It has a bit of a supernatural feel to it, and is quite unusual. Very enjoyable! Adaptations that I found are a 1982 episode of The Agatha Christie Hour, and BBC Radio aired an audio drama based on the story in 2003. 

I watched The Agatha Christie Hour on AcornTV. The episode fleshed out the plot, adding more build-up and drama, but stayed true to the basic story. The quality of the video is definitely poor (grainy, dark, definitely filmed for 1980s television), but the story was engaging and enjoyable. 

I happen to have the BBC radio audio book, Twelve Radio Mysteries, which includes the radio drama based on this story. It has been modernized to take place at the time of the Gulf War and makes some pretty sweeping changes to the plot. But, I still enjoyed listening. I like these full-cast audio dramas! Good quality recording and I didn't mind the modernization for the most part. I wouldn't like it being done to a novel by Agatha Christie, but for a short story I don't mind it.

Problem at Sea: The final story in this collection is another Hercule Poirot tale. It was first published in magazines in the US and UK in 1936. Once again, Poirot is trying to vacation. He is on board a ship traveling to Alexandria when a rather difficult passenger is murdered. It has a rather interesting twisty ending. I enjoyed this one! The only adapation I found is, of course, an episode of Poirot (Season 1, episode 7). The episode was very good and kept closely to the original story. A couple sideplots were added to lengthen the story and Hastings was added. All in all, it was an enjoyable presentation of the story! 

For the most part, I enjoyed all of these stories. I wish there had been more Miss Marple though. The story included for her was a bit weak. The stories were varied, and I enjoyed reading them all. A few were stronger than others, but I didn't think any were bad. After I finished the last story, I relegated my worn out paperback to the trash.

On to the next book -- Murder is Easy! I don't have a paperback for this one, and have never read it before. It has Superintendent Battle in it, which is probably why I never bought it or read it. I feel like I'm forcing myself to read this one. I still have that nagging dislike of her lesser known characters like Battle, Tommy & Tuppence, Parker Pyne, etc. I'm hoping reading the novel will help me towards getting over that!

 

 

REVIEW: Hercule Poirot's Christmas

 Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Author: Agatha Christie

My old paperback copy of this book is in sad shape. The cover has a tear in it. The pages are brittle and turning a dark brown with age. No pages are falling out yet, but the glue is at the point where just reading it this final time will probably start a cascade of loose pages. It has that lovely, sweet old book smell. This is its last venture off the bookshelf. It's time to read it one last time and throw it away. 

This paperback is part of a boxed set I bought at a garage sale when I was 9. I had a very advanced reading level and read every book I came across. I saw these books on the table with other sale items and peddled my bike back to my house to ask my mom for $4. Back in the 70s, a kid asking for $4 was a bit of a hefty ask. But, when I explained it was for Agatha Christie books, my mom got into her little stash of money and gave me the $4.  I did chores for the rest of the summer to pay that back -- mowed the lawn, did laundry, cleaned the house. And every evening when I was done playing with friends and had a bit of time before bed (or even after I was supposed to be asleep with my flashlight under the covers) I read about Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. These were the first mystery books I ever read -- and it was love at first read. :) 

How do I know this book is part of that old set? Because of the signature I put just inside the front cover. I
was just learning how to write in cursive and hadn't yet personalized the letters to my own style. I followed the "rules" from penmanship class -- no extra breaks between letters and the tail required on capital P's. This schoolroom penmanship didn't last long for me, so it easily identifies this book as one I bought at that sale. Just seeing this old signature makes me smile. So many years ago!  

Ever since that summer, Agatha Christie has been my favorite author, and I love mystery novels. I spent decades trying to chase down copies of every mystery novel Agatha wrote. It was harder in the pre-internet days. Book lists inside the novels would only include the books printed by that specific publisher. Some books had different titles in the US and the UK. And there were 80+ books. I remember asking my local librarian if she could help me compile a list. She gave me a look, directed me to the card catalog, and said that's all the help she could give me. Our small town library had maybe 10 of her books. For years, I carried a piece of notebook paper with the titles of the books I didn't have yet. It was in no way a comprehensive list either. But I did the best I could do. I almost got them all.....and those books have gone with me to every apartment and home I've lived in since then.

Flash forward to the internet age -- this is the perfect time for the reading challenge I embarked on in 2019: reading all of Agatha Christie's books and short stories in publication order. Now I have the internet at my fingertips and pull up her bibliography and all of  her books at any time. I can even pull up photos of her home and her dog. :) A full list of everything she wrote whenever I want it. Minimal effort. Heaven!!

I wish I could go back and tell younger me to stop trying so hard.....that it would be easier to accomplish my goal in a few years. And, I thank God that librarians are now so much more helpful and friendly than the one that ran the library in my home town.(She also called my father and told him I was reading murder mysteries and she didn't feel it was appropriate reading for me -- and he responded that I could read anything in the library that I wanted with his full permission and told her to note that on my library card for future use. Thanks Dad!) 

I'm reading most of these old paperbacks for the last time, and then disposing of them. Most are ancient copies I bought in used book stores back in the days before I made Adult Money. I need the bookshelf space, and I can access any of Agatha's works that I want just by logging into my local library's online site, or Hoopla, or Libby. I don't need 70+ raggedy worn out paperbacks. But, I'm showing respect for what they meant to me over the years and reading them all first! Most of them I moved from place to place, but never actually had the time to read them.  So.....I'm reading them all....and, one by one, letting them go. 

Now -- to the review of this book!! I actually have a fandom tea blend that is a tribute to this book. Lovely mix of black tea, peppermint, white peony and cardamom. It's lovely! I sipped this tea while enjoying the story. 

The paperback copy I have is from 1976. I read the book while listening to the audio book (HarperAudio, 2012). The audio is narrated by Hugh Fraser and is just over six hours long. Fraser did a wonderful job of narration, as usual. 

Because I just read Appointment with Death, I couldn't help but compare this story to that one. In A Holiday for Murder the victim is much the same -- an elderly, horrible, mean family member is killed and Hercule Poirot has to ferret out the murderer. But, Holiday For Murder is much more enjoyable. The family members are still moochers hanging around to live off their father's money like remora, but they aren't whiners. And the father isn't portrayed as physically repugnant.....just a singularly vile, odd person. I enjoyed Holiday for Murder (AKA Hercule Poirot's Christmas or Murder for Christmas) much more than Appointment With Death. Better story. Better characters. 

The story unfolds with Agatha's usual perfect pacing. The chapters are separated by days since the murder happens just before Christmas Day with numbered sections under each day. She introduces each family member and then lets little tidbits of their past and personalities trickle in a bit at a time from various sources. Hercule is brought into the case by a friend, Colonel Johnson, who is a Chief Constable. What better way to celebrate the holiday than investigating a bizarre murder (for a famous detective, anyway!)

This story definitely shows how money can send a family into ridiculous fighting and even violence. Especially when thrown together at the holidays. Thinly veiled resentments, long standing problems, and family secrets seem to pop out when all are gathered under one roof, even for a celebration that ought to be joyous and fun. This time, the results were not only violent, but very bloody. 

The ending caught me by surprise, as usual. Kudos to Agatha on this one....I didn't figure it out. I was guessing between two characters and was totally wrong on both counts. Loved the ending!! 

Adaptations: This book has been adapted several times, but only two are ones I can enjoy. The rest are foreign adaptations.

In 1986, BBC Radio aired a radio drama based on this book. 

The television show Poirot had an episode that aired in 1994 (Season 6, episode 1)

And in 2006 and 2018, the story was adapted for French television. 

BBC Radio: These radio dramas are so entertaining to listen to! This one even has a bit of Christmas music! :) The entire broadcast lasts just under 1.5 hours. It was abridged a bit to fit into the time, but is very well done. You can find the BBC Agatha Christie audio dramas here: https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7 

Poirot Episode: This episode is largely faithful to the book, with some minor changes (like adding in Inspector Japp). Hastings does not appear in this episode. All in all, a very enjoyable episode. The show changes how Hercule Poirot ends up at the mansion in a way that didn't make much sense, but I still enjoyed the episode.

Now I'm moving on to the next book! A short story collection this time -- The Regatta Mystery and other Stories!

REVIEW: Appointent with Death

 Appointment with Death
Author: Agatha Christie

 

I have been working on a colossal reading challenge for the past 5 years -- Reading all of Agatha Christie's mystery novels and short stories in publication order. I'm happy to say I am almost out of the 1930's! 

Appointment With Death was first published as a novel in the UK and US in 1938. 

I read an old paperback copy (Dell, 1966) from my shelves and listened to an audio book (Harper Audio, 2012). The audio is narrated by Hugh Fraser. His performance is excellent, as usual. The audio is just under 6 hours long. 

Once again, Hercule Poirot is on vacation in the Middle East (Just finished Death on the Nile where Poirot vacationing in Egypt has to investigate murders on board a river cruise boat). His vacation and rest are, of course, interrupted by murder and mayhem.

Agatha Christie set several Poirot books in the middle east because in real life she was traveling with her husband, Max Mallowan, who was an archeologist. Appointment with Death is set in Jerusalem and Petra. 

I feel a bit sorry for Poirot. Every time he tries to take a vacation to rest, it seems fellow travelers always have to kill someone and act like idiots. Makes me wonder if the Belgian detective didn't lay awake in his hotel bed at night wishing he'd just gone to Scotland or Ireland, rather than all the way to the Middle East just to have wankers ruin his rest again. 

Can you imagine having a parent so manipulative and horrible that her own children are over heard plotting to murder her? It was their bad luck that the conversation happened to be over heard by a famous detective. When the old woman ends up actually dead....possibly poisoned....it casts suspicion on all of them. I spent most of this book wondering which of them actually managed to bump the old woman off, knowing that in the end Agatha's reveal would prove me horribly wrong in my guesses.  And I was right. The ending caught me by surprise as usual. Sneaky Agatha!

I had a hard time getting into this book full stop. 

So many bits of dialogue annoyed me. For example, one character said he hated older women who have lost their youthful beauty....as if by getting older women somehow lose all of their usefulness. There is also a lot of crude commentary about the murder victim's weight and appearance. Although this was part of building the vibe of her being difficult, manipulative, repugnant, and basically in very ill health, it got old after a few chapters. For me, constantly pointing out that she was ugly and morbidly obese didn't really further my concept of the character, it just made me not enjoy the story. 

I had a hard time liking most of the characters. The main suspects are the victim's adult children who are
  completely manipulated and controlled by her. In life, none of them ever made any attempt to better themselves or change their situation. They just sit around complaining. Any of them could have gotten an education or learned a skill, so they could tell the old woman to stuff it and make their own money. But nope....they just became useless, unskilled twits instead. Add to that all the whiny white Europeans visiting a foreign county and taking verbal pot shots at other classes, races and cultures. They all acted like spoiled idiots. I had no idea who to suspect of the murder....because they all seemed too stupid to really be able to pull it off. Too bad Hercule couldn't have had them all arrested. :)

For the entire book, I kept thinking how horrible it would be to book a trip to the Middle East to see such wonderful sights.....and have the trip ruined by such irritating fellow travelers. Having to sight-see with these people would have been totally insufferable. 

So far, this is my least favorite book by Agatha. The mystery was good. Pacing is spot on as usual. The investigation was interesting and the ending had its usual surprises. It's well written. But....the plot just didn't go over well with me, and I hated all of the characters (except for Hercule, of course). I do think that was the feeling that Agatha intended her readers to have (what a sorry lot of wankers!), but it made this a difficult story to finish. 

My very ancient paperback version has been read for the last time and retired. I found the front cover art incredibly weird and disturbing. The book was hard to look at! I suppose that makes the strange cover art completely fitting, as I found the entire story weird and disturbing. :) The pages were yellowed from age, the paper brittle, and the spine was beginning to lose grip on the pages. I read the final page, and threw the book away. 

This novel has been adapted several times. 

Agatha Christie reworked the novel into a stage play in 1945. The plot and characters were majorly changed, and Hercule Poirot doesn't actually appear in the play. So....same name, radically different story. I would be interested in reading a script to learn what changes she made. I was unable to find one online....but will keep my eye out just in case!

The book was adapted for a US television show, Danger, on January 16, 1951.  I was unable to find video online of this television episode. Not sure if it's lost media. I will keep searching just in case.

In 1988, Peter Ustinov starred in a movie version. 

BBC Radio 4 released an audio drama based on the novel in 2001. 

The television show, Poirot, has an episode based on this novel (Season 11, episode 4).

A french television show aired an episode in 2019. And, a Japanese version aired retitled as "Promise of Death." 

 1988 Movie: I do not like Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. His appearance and mannerisms are all wrong. And the 1980s Agatha Christie movies always come off as cheesy. They definitely have a made-for-television, melodramatic feel to them. I literally groaned out loud when I read the adaptations list for this book online....not another Ustinov Poirot movie. Ugh.  But......I watched it. Appointment with Death was Ustinov's sixth and last movie appearance as Poirot.

The cast is star-studded as usual - Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher, Hayley Mills, John Gielgud, and others. But that doesn't save the script. As usual, strange changes were made in the story line to make things obvious. One change I appreciated though was the fact that the victim was not morbidly obese or the subject of ridicule based on her appearance. She was old, cunning and horrible without being a cringe-worthy stereotype. 

The choice of theme music was just odd. It sounded like the theme music from a 1980s sitcom. 

That being said, it does stick at least relatively close to the important parts of the plot. And, even though I do not like Peter Ustinov as Poirot, in my opinion this was his best performance. Still not really Poirot.....but better than the other attempts.

BBC Radio Drama: I have to honestly say that I didn't listen to this episode because I really didn't like this story that much. I have listened to several of these Agatha Christie audio dramas and they are all very well done and entertaining.  Appointment with Death is just under 1.5 hours. I listened to about 10 minutes of it, and it opens just like the book. The sound quality is quite good. Interested readers can find the Agatha Christie Collection of audio dramas here: https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7  Definitely worth a listen!! I've enjoyed every episode I've listened to! I might back track and listen to the rest of Appointment With Death at some point....just passed on it at this time. 

Poirot Episode: This episode almost completely re-works the plot. Characters added and some left out. Weird melodramatic side plots are added -- abused orphans, slave traders, etc. Motivations are completely different. Huge plot centric lines from the book are completely missing. Usually Poirot sticks pretty closely to the original plots, but I can understand why they changed this one. Perhaps, the writers didn't like this story either? However, I didn't like most of the changes. Agatha Christie plots do not need editing or fundamental re-works. I can't really elaborate and avoid plot spoilers. I will just say that I would rather have an Agatha Christie plot that I didn't like very much left intact, rather than have ridiculous sweeping changes made. I didn't really like this episode.

To close, with more than 80 books to read in order to finish my challenge, there are bound to be some that I like less than others. This one just happened to the first one that I don't really like. It isn't the quality of the writing -- the writing is great, the plot is good, the pacing is perfect.  The story just isn't or me. 

I'm glad to be moving on. Next up? Hercule Poirot's Christmas (AKA Murder for Christmas or A Holiday for Murder)! :)