Crooked House

In the Foreword to her mystery novel, Crooked House, Agatha Christie writes that of all she's written, this novel was one of her favorites. Having never heard of this novel before now, I wasn't quite sure how to take that statement.

However, after having read the novel, I have to agree with Ms. Christie. While I can hardly judge whether it is the best thing she had ever written, it is certainly very close to the top in my opinion.

Although my favorite Christie characters are nowhere to be found - no Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple - the novel was a great read. I don't understand why this novel isn't more well known among the general public or why it had never been made into a film until 2017. Of course, I wanted to watch the film before commenting on the novel.

Like every film ever adapted from a novel, there had to be changes made. That seems to be standard procedure in film making. There are changes in the film which aren't especially important to the story, so I'm not at all certain why these particular changes were made. One example is the change made regarding the two brothers, Phillip and Roger Leonides. In the novel, Roger is the older brother - in the film the birth order is switched. There doesn't appear to be any reason for that, as far as I can tell. In the novel, Brenda Leonides, the much younger widow of Aristide Leonides is British; in the film she is American. There's also an element of international intrigue in the film which isn't in the book.

Fortunately, the important elements of the story remains unchanged. The same people who are killed in the film are the same ones killed in the novel. The murderer is also the same.

Today, being the last day of July, it looks as if Crooked House will be the last item of July's reading list. The book list will appear in a later post. The Agatha Christie novel I began reading last night -(A Murder is Announced) will be the first book on the August reading list.

Accidental 10K

 

As I mentioned in Wednesday's blog post, I had a couple of options as to how to finish out this week's bicycling. I decided that I would take yesterday (Thursday) as a rest day, coming back to cycling on Friday and Saturday.

While resting Thursday, I thought about what I'd do today. One thing I decided on was to make changes in my use of the bicycle gears.

My bike has three gears on the front crank set and eight gears on the rear cassette. On the crank set, the smaller the gear, the easier it is to pedal - the larger gear adds more resistance. The gears on the rear cassette are opposite - the larger the gear, the easier to pedal. When I was riding on the Diversion Road I would stay in gear #1 on the crank set because of the slight incline and use a variety on the cassette on the way to Camanjac. Returning home along the Diversion Road, I would switch into #2 on the crank set because there was now a slight decline and I wanted more resistance.

As I began my new routine thru Tubtubon I found my use of the gears unsatisfactory. Most of this new route was flat enough where #2 on the crank set was fine, but when I'd change to #1 going up hill, the resistance would be way too loose. I decided that, starting today, I would keep the crank set in #2 the entire ride and strictly change gears on the cassette when needed. If having the front in #2 and the rear in a high gear while going uphill proved difficult, well, I'd have to soldier thru.

Knowing I'd be rested this morning, I wanted to do my best as far as distance was concerned. The minimum would be the 7 kilometer ride to and from the Gas & Go at Rovira Drive.

On the return ride from Gas & Go along Capt.A Cornelia Rd., there is a road that turns to the right - Buñao Rd. - According to Google Maps, there is a road that goes to the left from Buñao Rd. which connects with Dionesio Calbat. My plan was to take the right on Buñao Rd. then this left and back home via Dionesio Calbat. According to Google Maps, going this way would add 1.8 kilometers to my return ride. My total to and from Gas & Go would be about 8.8 kilometers.

However, this was a bit of a snag this morning. There was no turn to left!

 

I continued on to the National Hwy. I had two options at that point. Left onto the National Hwy to Dionesio Calbat or return to Capt.A Cornelia Rd. via Buñao Rd. I felt that going along the National Hwy. was an unsafe option, so it was back the way I came.

Needless to say, this addition to the ride this morning was quite an effort. When I made it home, I relaxed a bit before going online to Google Maps to calculate the added distance. Going back and forth on Buñao Rd. had added 2.8 kilometers to my ride, making this morning's ride 9.8 kilometers.......hammering hard on 10K.

It was an accidental 10K (more or less) and a very good ride. Add to this my new gearing policy, I had quite the workout this morning.

This Week's Cycling

 

I mentioned in Saturday's blog post that I had reached a personal record that morning by cycling 7 kilometers. Today, I'll post an update on my cycling this week.

I decided to rest from cycling on Sunday; Monday morning I rode again to the Gas & Go gasoline station, taking a slightly alternate route on the return, passing near the Judyville Subdivision. This alternate route probably added 100 meters to the total trip.

Feeling confident Tuesday morning, I thought I'd up the ante by biking the entire length of the Diversion road, from our house to the National Hwy, up to Rovira Dr. in Camanjac and returning home. That route would have been 8.7 kilometers, with a bit of an upward grade. I was not able to go more that about 6 kilometers that morning.

Today, not feeling fully rested, I knew I'd not be able to ride the entire way to the Gas & Go, but I headed in that direction, taking a left when I reached Larena Dr. making today's ride about 5.7 km.

 

The numbers show a decline as the week progressed. So, the question is - do I take a rest day tomorrow, coming back Friday - or do I see how the ride goes tomorrow and take Saturday as a rest day. I'm inclined to rest Thursday, riding Friday and Saturday with rest on Sunday.

More Agatha Christie

I last wrote about an Agatha Christie novel two weeks ago, after I had finished reading Evil Under the Sun. In that two week, I've read seven additional Christie novels. This number is far below my usual quota since I've begun reading Ms. Christie's work.

One particular novel was especially tedious - Death Comes as the End.

Christie went off in a very strange and unusual direction with this book. The story takes place in Thebes in the year 2000 BC. Obviously, Christie had gained an appreciation for pre- Christian era Egypt due to her husband being an archaeologist, but unfortunately, this novel does not work for me. It's far and away my least favorite work by Agatha Christie.

Immediately upon finishing Death Comes as the End, I began reading Sparkling Cyanide. This one was more up my street, as the English say. I wasn't far into Sparkling Cyanide when it struck me that I had read this before. As it turns out, this novel was a reworking of one of her short stories, Yellow Iris. The plot takes a very different turn half-way through, and the endings are very different. Being more in line with Christie's usual work, this novel restored my faith in her after having read Death Comes as the End.

Personal Best

 

It's been slightly over four months since I purchased my bicycle. I bought the bike a month before my 69th birthday, and I must admit, I found it difficult starting out.

I began my journey to increase my stamina by taking a daily bike ride along the Diversion Road in Sibulan. It certainly wasn't easy in the beginning, but I continued to ride four or five days a week, until I eventually managed to ride to the end of the road in Camanjac and back - a distance of 4 kilometers - regularly.

Looking to go on to a different level, I began, a few days ago biking along a different route past the barangay hall in Tubtubon.

This morning, I accomplished my personal best, by riding well past the barangay hall and on to the Gas and Go gas station on Rovira drive.

 

According to Google Maps, the distance there and back is 7 kilometers. Compared to my first ride on the day I purchased the bicycle, I view this as a major victory. Having reached this goal, I can see this route as my regular routine until I'm ready to jump to a 10K ride every morning.

Evil Under the Sun

Having finished And Then There Were None a few days ago, I consulted the The Agatha Christie Bibliography to see which of her novels I needed to download and add to my Kindle. The next three, in order were Sad Cypress - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and Evil Under the Sun . Thankfully, all three books featured Hercule Poirot and were quick, enjoyable reads.

Evil Under the Sun is the more famous of the three - I recall watching the 1982 film version starring Peter Ustinov, although I had forgotten many of the details. I found the movie at OK.RU and decided to watch it again before continuing on with my reading of Christie novels.

The film is reasonably faithful to the novel and I enjoyed watching it. Of course, film producers always seem to want to deviate from whatever book they've adapted. I don't really understand the point of changing a few characters or making alterations in the plot. Fortunately, the killer(s) remained the same.

Following Evil Under the Sun , the next in line is the 1941 mystery novel, N or M? . I wasn't enthusiastic about starting that particular book. The two main characters are Tommy and Tuppence and I haven't cared for any story in which they appeared. Added to that, the story is a World War II spy novel. I much prefer the old murder mystery.

I've gone ahead and started N or M? and honestly, I don't really care for it. I'll finish it, however, as I don't want to leave out any Agatha Christie novel I'm able to download.

And Then There Were None

Continuing in my quest to read the novels and short story collections of Agatha Christie, I've just finished reading And Then There Were None . Originally published in the U.K. in 1939 with the absolutely inappropriate title Ten Little Niggers , it has also appeared under a third name - Ten Little Indians . All three titles make reference to a children's counting song, which serves as a major element of the plot. In the edition I've just read, the song is given as Ten little Soldiers .

According to the wikipedia article linked to above, the novel is the world's best selling mystery with over 100 million copies sold and one of the top selling books of all time.

The ten people brought to the island are alleged by the mysterious "Mr. Owen" to have committed murders that have gone unpunished. Mr. Owen intends to rectify that.

Upon finishing the novel, I watched the 1945 film version at ok.ru. Without giving away any secrets, I want to compare the film version to the 1939 novel.

In many ways, the film follows the novel, although there are differences. In the film, the character Tony Marston is no longer English, but is a Russian prince, Nikita Starloff. The character Justice Wargrave was changed to Judge Francis J. Quincannon while the retired World War I hero, General MacArthur is given the new name, Gen. Sir John Mandrake. I suppose the General's name was changed in respect for Gen. Douglas MacArthur who played a prominent place in the news of 1945.

Among the better known stars of the film were Barry Fitzgerald as Judge Quincannon and Walter Huston as Dr. Armstrong.

In the novel, all ten of the individuals brought to Soldier Island are guilty. However, in the film, two of the people brought to Indian Island are innocent and manage to escape, thereby giving the film a "happy ending" which isn't in the novel. The mysterious "Mr. Owen" is the same person in the film and the novel, although the film version of his comeuppance is less complicated than it was in the book.

Parker Pyne Investigates

Although I'm a fan of the works Agatha Christie in general and her novels featuring Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot in particular, I had never come across her character Parker Pyne until recently when I began binge reading her novels and short story collections.

I'm not really sure what to make of Parker Pyne. He's not, strictly speaking, a detective. I hardly know how to classify the character. He advertises his services in the Personal section of the London Times - "ARE YOU HAPPY? IF NOT, CONSULT MR. PARKER PYNE. 17 Richmond Street."

People of all sorts come to Parker Pyne for a variety of reasons. Sometimes there may be a theft....once or twice there may have been a murder in this collection of short stories....but he's not at all like Poirot or Marple. Solving murder mysteries isn't his forte.

I was mildly interested in these 14 Parker Pyne stories, but toward the end, I was really longing for the finish.

In the original short story collection first published in the UK, there were 12 short stories. In this edition, two additional short stories - Problem at Pollensa Bay and The Regatta Mystery - were included. Fortunately, those two were also included in another Agatha Christie short story collection - The Regatta Mystery and other stories - which I had recently read, so I was able to skip those two this time.

I'll be going back to the novels. The next two in the queue are Murder is Easy and And Then There Were None, neither of which feature either of my two favorite Christie characters.

Belief

I recently came upon a photo of a couple holding a sign on which their beliefs were listed. The couple were participating in some sort of outdoor event, which I'm guessing may have had some political agenda.

The sign was basically a laundry list of bumper sticker slogans; the entire list could be classified as an Internet meme. The list of their beliefs is as follows:
Black Lives Matter
No Human is illegal
Love is love
Women's Rights Are Human Rights
Science is Real
Water is Life
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

I felt I might address each of these slogans with my own interpretation of the sentiments behind each individual slogan.

Black Lives Matter
I've come to find this a troubling slogan. Of course, Black lives matter, but so do the lives of every single human individual regardless of race, ethnicity or skin color. I don't particularly like the idea of segregating the different "lives that matter" into separate groups. In the WOKE culture, one is now considered racist if you believe that All Lives Matter.

No Human is illegal
The implication of this slogan is that the term "illegal alien" is no longer appropriate. In the wider sense, it suggests that borders should be eliminated. Being the husband of a woman that immigrated to the United States, I have sympathy for anyone wanting to come to the United States for a better life, but I'm also aware that unlimited migration into any country isn't workable. It certainly isn't "fair" that people that can walk into the U.S. from their country should take precedent over people from Asia, Europe or Africa who have no choice but to enter the country legally. I know quite a few Filipinos who would come to the United States today if it weren't for the visa requirements.

Love is love
I've come to see this slogan as support for same-sex marriage. In my opinion, the Government should remove itself from the issue of marriage. I see marriage as essentially a religious ceremony...I don't quite see the reasoning behind pledging your love for someone before a government official. When a couple choose to marry, the couple should present themselves to their religious advisor - priest, pastor, rabbi, qazi or madhun. If your religion sanctions same-sex marriage, then no outsider should have a say in the matter. However, there are many religious groups which are opposed to same-sex marriage, and their believers should not be forced to participate or sanction a ceremony that goes against their religion .

Women's Rights Are Human Rights
If by "Women's Rights" one means actual "Women's Rights", then there is no question that those Rights should be supported. However, if by "Women's Rights" you mean "abortion rights" then you've lost me. I have to go back to an earlier statement that All Lives Matter. An unborn human fetus is a human being that is entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Jumping ahead to the next slogan, it's clear that the human fetus has it's own unique DNA and is a separate individual from the mother.

Science is real
Yes, science is real, but unfortunately scientific beliefs are political. I know certain Liberal leaning folks who believe the science if the science supports their views on climate change or COVID, but who ignore the science when it supports Conservative ideas on sex and biology.
Likewise, I know quite a few Right-leaning folks who might embrace the science when it supports their Right to Life beliefs, but are reluctant to follow the science when it contradicts their particular interpretation of the Bible.

Water is Life
Honestly, I don't know anyone who against clean water.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
It's hard to argue against that point from a humanitarian viewpoint. But, I wonder if those holding a sign advocating that principle are willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate injustice around the world. Are they willing to boycott every nation that doesn't live up to their standards of justice? Are they willing to send combat troops to countries which do not hold the same values on Human Rights?

Unfortunately, my entire belief system can't be explained in a single blog post, and it certainly can't be summarized on one sign.

The Reading List for June

In one way, posting a list of the books I've read in the month of June is less complicated than in previous months. I only have to list one writer for the month - Agatha Christie. The only complication would be in the number of her books I read in June.

I've mentioned in earlier posts that very few of Agatha Christie's work is in the public domain and available at Project Gutenberg. Fortunately, for Christie fans, nearly all of her books are available to download as EPUB at Internet Archive. Of course, most commercial e-readers (including Kindle) cannot read EPUB files. However, there are websites which will convert the EPUB files to MOBI free of charge. Using those various sites, and the Christie bibliography, I've been able to read these ebooks in pretty much the order in which they were published. Sadly, the Internet Archive does not contain the works written by Christie under the nom de plume - Mary Westmacott.

Agatha Christie's novels are not particularly long; many being 200 pages or less. Most of the novels are "page turners" and one can usually read two of her books in two or three days. In June, I managed to read 24 of her books. Oddly enough, going in the order of publication, only 2 of those 24 books featured Miss Marple. It looks as though I'll be reading more of Agatha Christie's books in July, if I want to read Marple.

Now, for the list.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Poirot Investigates
The Big Four
The Man in the Brown Suit
The Secret of Chimneys
The Mystery of the Blue Train
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Seven Dials Mystery
The Murder at the Vicarage
The Sittaford Mystery
Peril at End House
Lord Edgware Dies
Murder on the Orient Express
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
Three Act Tragedy
Death in the Clouds
The A.B.C. Murders
Murder in Mesopotamia
Cards on the Table
Dumb Witness
Death on the Nile
Appointment With Death
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
The Thirteen Problems