A few years ago I signed up for the reading challenge where I thought I was going to read all the Agatha Christie novels.  In order of publication.  Yes, 80 of them including her short story collections.  I didn’t get very far, but I remember reading the first Tommy and Tuppence book, The Secret Adversary, and loving it.  So, my own challenge to myself was to read the rest of those.  After reading two last month I only have one left.

 Partners in Crime. Finished 9/2019, 4.25/5 stars, mystery, 347 pages, pub. 1929

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford were restless for adventure, so when they were asked to take over Blunt’s International Detective Agency, they leapt at the chance. After their triumphant recovery of a pink pearl, intriguing cases kept on coming their way: a stabbing on Sunningdale golf course; cryptic messages in the personal columns of newspapers; and even a box of poisoned chocolates.  from Goodreads

They’ve been married six years and Tuppence is bored.  Tommy still works for the agency, but Tuppence wants more out of her life.  And, out of nowhere, an opportunity to aid their country appears and the two become sleuths, ‘owners’ of their own detective agency.  This was a series of short mysteries they solved, each while taking on the persona of a classic detective.  It was fun.

 N or M. Finished 9/2019, 4.25/5 stars, mystery, 304 pages, pub. 1941

The final words of the dying man…the code names of Hitler’s most dangerous agents…the mysterious clue that sends Tommy and Tuppence to a seaside resort on a mission of wartime intelligence. But not as husband and wife. As strangers, meeting by chance, setting an elaborate trap for an elusive killer.  from Goodreads

Tommy and Tuppence are older, with grown children now.  Tommy is asked to go north to investigate potential wartime spies, solo this time.  Tuppence doesn’t take kindly to this and as Tommy arrived at the inn he finds her already ensconced with a new identity.  I loved the seaside inn setting and loved their kids having no clue as to how their parents serve their country.

 Guardians of Being. Finished 8-27-19, 5/5 stars, 228 pages, pub. 2009

This wonderfully unique collaboration brings together two masters of their fields, joining original words by spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle with delightful illustrations by Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the acclaimed comic strip MUTTS. Every heartwarming page provokes thought, insight, and smiling reverence for all beings and each moment.

More than a collection of witty and charming drawings, the marriage of Patrick McDonnell’s art and Eckhart Tolle’s words conveys a profound love of nature, of animals, of humans, of all life-forms. Guardians of Being celebrates and reminds us of not only the oneness of all life but also the wonder and joy to be found in the present moment, amid the beauty we sometimes forget to notice all around us.   from Goodreads

I adore this book.  A beautifully written and illustrated book about the profound nature of animals and how our lives are better when we celebrate the pets in our lives.  This is a picture book with heartwarming insight.  “Just watching an animal closely can take you out of your mind and bring you into the present moment, which is where the animal lives all the time…surrendered to life.”   This is a perfect gift for the animal lover in your life.  I plan on buying a few copies for gifts and one for myself 🙂

 Elevation.  Finished 8-3-19, 3/5, fiction, pub. 2018

Unabridged audio read by Stephen King. 3 hours 46 minutes

Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.

In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face—including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.   from Goodreads

I was engaged in this feel good story, but the failure at the end for true resolution left me feeling ambivalent about it.  I have no idea how this was named Best Horror in the Goodreads poll last year.  I suppose people saw the name Stephen King and nominated and voted accordingly, but there was not one sentence of horror in this one.  Just an interesting idea, some good people, and hope that everyone can get along.