Tania Tania’s Comments (group member since Feb 21, 2016)


Tania’s comments from the Classics for Beginners group.

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41817 Thanks Suki, it was a perfect December read, I thought. Happy New Year All.
41817 I also preferred the Poirot short stories to Miss Marple. That one fell a little flat, for me.
41817 Suki wrote: "Up next is The Mystery of the Spanish Chest: A Short Story. According to Google, the chest must have looked something like this:

https://cdn20.pamono.com/p/g/1/4/1497......"


Thanks for this. I think this one was my favourite story.

Suki wrote: "I was curious, so I googled Christmas Pudding. Here is what I found:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris...

I live in Canada, and have never had Christmas pudding. It doesn't sound all..."


Christmas pudding is like a really boozey fruitcake, but it gets boiled or steamed. when served, it has brandy poured on it and gets set on fire. Personally, I loath dried fruit so I've never eaten it.

I really enjoyed this collection so I'm now reading Murder on the Orient Express
41817 I have now read 'The Underdog' 'Four and Twenty Blackbirds' and 'The Spanish Chest'. I'm really enjoying these stories, I think Four and Twenty Blackbirds is my favourite so far.
I noticed that in the UK, the book is only 99p on kindle at the moment. Probably reduced for Christmas.
41817 Suki wrote: "Tania wrote: "I've finished the first story 'The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding'.
I enjoyed it but for the atmosphere rather than the mystery. I think short stories are the hardest to write. I ..."


I'm certainly not complaining about short stories, it'll work well for all of us this month, I should think, and Christie writes a better short story than most. I shall try to fit in one a day, (ish)
41817 I've finished the first story 'The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding'.
I enjoyed it but for the atmosphere rather than the mystery. I think short stories are the hardest to write. I have read some of Chjristie's before, but I much prefer her novels. I would give 4* to this first story.
41817 I have started this one today.
I have read lots of Christie novels, she is one of my favourite writers. she is one of my go to authors when I need a comfort read.
Oct 01, 2018 09:44AM

41817 I loved The Painted Veil and Cakes and Ale. I read this one not too long ago and gave it 4*. A great read, though I thought that Charles Strickland was probably the most selfish and least likeable character I have come across in a long time.
Currently Reading (1055 new)
Jun 27, 2018 03:58AM

41817 I recently finished Joanna Godden, about a girl who is left a farm and decides to run it herself. It has echoes of Far From the Madding Crowd, but I much preferred Joanna Godden. She is a much warmer character than Bathsheba Everdene, but just as strong minded.
It is available on Project Gutenberg if anyone is interested in it.
Jun 14, 2018 10:10AM

41817 Nina, you can download a free copy of this book from Project Gutenberg. I will try to get to this book, but I have a bit of a backlog at the moment.
41817 I read this last year. A wonderful book. I hope you enjoy it if you are reading it
Apr 21, 2018 10:11AM

41817 Hi Steven.
Jane Austen I would describe more as a comedy of manners with an element of romance. 'Pride and Predjudice' is the most accesable, but you might enjoy 'Northanger Abbey' more, with it's gothic subplot.
The Brontes I found easy to read. I loved 'Jane Eyre' and 'The Tennant of Wildfell Hall'.I found Wuthering Heights easy enough, but while I appreciate the writing, I didn't like any of the characters.
I have read 'War and Peace' , personally, I found it a bit of a slog. I didn't enjoy all the battle scenes. It wasn't hard, but it is very long and not enough to interest me. It's still good. 3* from me.
Hope this helps and happy reading.
Apr 08, 2018 03:37AM

41817 Hi Michael. I also really enjoyed it. I think Philip's decision was rash, he didn't want her to have anything until he actually met her and became besotted.
I still don't really know if she was trying to poison Ambrose, but I think she probably was. I rather liked the ambiguity here, and that we had to make up our own minds.
I feel that she and Rainaldi were in cahoots. She doesn't seem like someone who could easily be controlled, he seems like a very shady character. They were up to something.
These were the impressions I got from the book, but I'm sure it can be read in many different ways.
Mar 30, 2018 02:39PM

41817 Great. I shall see if I can hunt down the film.
Heather, I also found I started off slowly and then it became a lot more compelling towards the end. I really liked the ending. It had me thinking about it for days after I'd finished.
Mar 29, 2018 12:06PM

41817 I haven't watched any of the films. I watch very little telly, and so have only 3 BBC channels on my TV. I know I could easily fix it to get more, but still wouldn't watch it so no point. Sorry. I do have Amozon Prime, which ending do you prefer, and I can see if the film is on there. Thanks.
Currently Reading (1055 new)
Mar 28, 2018 09:11AM

41817 Hi Blueberry. If you click on the Group Reads threads, it is there, but quite a way down. I think maybe I was the only one who read it though.
I'm currently reading The Making of a Marchioness, Part I and II by Frances Hodgson Burnett One of the Persephone Classics and the first of her adult books that I've read.
Mar 11, 2018 10:15AM

41817 I'm nearing the end and keep changing my mind as to what is going on here. I know that it is left open ended and is for the reader to decide whether Rachel is guilty or not, I think I need to get to the end before I can make that judgement with any conviction, but at the moment, my money is on guilty.
Mar 05, 2018 01:10PM

41817 I have just started this book, Have had it lurking on a bookshelf for a while. I'm 2 chapters in and Ambrose has just met and married Rachel in Italy.
Dec 30, 2017 11:41AM

41817 I finished my goal of 18 books when I finally finished Mary Barton. I also found it rather slow-going, I didn't find it as compelling as other books of hers I've read. Next year I'd like to carry on with the Barcetshire Chronicles by Trollope and finish off the Sherlock Holmes books.
41817 I started the other day too, but came down with the dreaded Lurgy, and have found it slow going. I'm feeling better now so I may be able to pick up the pace but I'm not finding it as easy as other Gaskell books I've read.
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