This video really highlights the dilemma one has when starting to read a new author's works. I always want to start from the beginning, but it's usually the wrong one to start with! That's why I like your ranking videos; they help with the dilemma.
Thanks! I agree. It's often not best to start with the first book but you can't know that unless you've already read the books. If someone wanted to read Ellery Queen and thought it best to go in order, they would read Roman Hat Mystery and then never read another book in the series again.
One more thing🙂 I just read an article from The Daily Mail regarding the new adaption of Murder is Easy, in which an author says that the BBC should either be faithful to Christie's general plot and characters, or just write their own stories. Anyway, I think you would find the article interesting.
You must be a mind reader because I literally just read that article. I saw it in the Christie reddit. I would largely agree with the article. I feel as if we are creeping more and more into "writer has original story and throws it into a Christie adaptation to get the name recognition".
I can add that to the list. That's a good idea. I do keep a list of topics but I only plan about a month or so in advance and I'm always moving around. My biggest fear is running out of video ideas.
Hilda Adams, I think it is. I haven't read any of those books but I have heard good things about them. I didn't actually realize they were mystery novels until recently.
I've only read The Mysterious Affair at Styles and A Study in Scarlet (both this year, lol. And we are on march). About the first, I liked many things about it. I think its weakest point were the character, too simple even for Christie standards. About Holmes's first novel... Well, I had an unexpected mix feeling about it. The way Holmes knows things is indeed fun and clever... But it feels cartoonish in a way that I know is the point, but for some reason I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
They both have that "first book feel" to them. I think a lot of people have fondness for them because they were first but they just aren't the best from those authors.
Thank you for another very interesting and informative video. I have made it a practice to skip the first book in a series if I find it tedious, and try the later ones,only going back to the debut if I have really liked the others. Method and order be damned!
Very interesting overview, which sent me off to research a few of the last writers. Here’s yet another topic idea, perhaps down the road you could revisit these 10 with your thoughts on which books first displayed their writer’s “classic” styles.
My award for Best First Mystery would go to Umberto Eco for The Name of the Rose, if you discount the 30 years of history and semiotics work.
I enjoyed The Name of the Rose but its been quite a while. I don't remember too much about it.
This video really highlights the dilemma one has when starting to read a new author's works. I always want to start from the beginning, but it's usually the wrong one to start with! That's why I like your ranking videos; they help with the dilemma.
Thanks! I agree. It's often not best to start with the first book but you can't know that unless you've already read the books. If someone wanted to read Ellery Queen and thought it best to go in order, they would read Roman Hat Mystery and then never read another book in the series again.
One more thing🙂
I just read an article from The Daily Mail regarding the new adaption of Murder is Easy, in which an author says that the BBC should either be faithful to Christie's general plot and characters, or just write their own stories. Anyway, I think you would find the article interesting.
You must be a mind reader because I literally just read that article. I saw it in the Christie reddit. I would largely agree with the article. I feel as if we are creeping more and more into "writer has original story and throws it into a Christie adaptation to get the name recognition".
I'm sure you have a massive list of topics but I'd be interested in your thoughts about which decade was Agatha Christie's best.
I can add that to the list. That's a good idea. I do keep a list of topics but I only plan about a month or so in advance and I'm always moving around. My biggest fear is running out of video ideas.
P.S. I seem to recall that Mary Roberts Rhinehart had a nurse main character in a few books. Hilda something?
Hilda Adams, I think it is. I haven't read any of those books but I have heard good things about them. I didn't actually realize they were mystery novels until recently.
I've only read The Mysterious Affair at Styles and A Study in Scarlet (both this year, lol. And we are on march).
About the first, I liked many things about it. I think its weakest point were the character, too simple even for Christie standards.
About Holmes's first novel... Well, I had an unexpected mix feeling about it. The way Holmes knows things is indeed fun and clever... But it feels cartoonish in a way that I know is the point, but for some reason I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
They both have that "first book feel" to them. I think a lot of people have fondness for them because they were first but they just aren't the best from those authors.
Thank you for another very interesting and informative video. I have made it a practice to skip the first book in a series if I find it tedious, and try the later ones,only going back to the debut if I have really liked the others. Method and order be damned!
With a few exceptions, I do think starting with the first novel is really not the ideal place to begin.
Very interesting overview, which sent me off to research a few of the last writers. Here’s yet another topic idea, perhaps down the road you could revisit these 10 with your thoughts on which books first displayed their writer’s “classic” styles.
That's a good idea. It'll be a while off though because I'd have to reread Crofts specifically.