I'm glad to hear the series does get better with each book for the most part. I tried Whose Body a couple times and couldn't get into it (although I've read a few Peter Wimsey short stories and really enjoyed them). Definitely going to give it a try again!!
You definitely should! And I don’t think it’s a series that needs to be read in order outside of the last few books. I hope you have better luck if you try it again. 😊
Great video! I cannot remember anything about Unnatural Death either. 😂 I would like to re-visit that one again. I love your top 3 so much. Brilliant books!
This was delightful. I've always enjoyed the slightly older Peter when he's less foppish. Do get ahold of Striding Folly. One of the stories shows Peter and Harriet as parents. It's so fun!
Thank you for watching! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. I will definitely track down that short story…I would love to read about the two of them as parents. 😁
I’m really interested in giving these books a try again. I picked up the first in the series a while ago and had trouble getting into it, so I’ll try book 5. Thanks for the recommendations!
Fantastic video! I have only read Whose Body and didn't think it was that great. If I ever pick the series back up, I'll probably start with book 5. Thanks!
Thank you your ranking! I started with Whose Body? some years ago because I wanted to read the series in order, but this first book was a big disappointment. I didn't particularly like Peter Wimsey, in the story. Then I heard here on UA-cam that the books featuring Harriet Vane are the best ones, so I went straight to Strong Poison which I absolutely loved. I found it unexpectedly funny! Next I read Have his Carcase (which is all right but I struggled a bit, and I agree, it's too long) and Gaudy Night (a very good one). I also read Murder Must Advertise which I don't remember much about other than finding it quite demanding for some reason. I'm currently reading and enjoying Clouds of Witness. I've got Busman's Honeymoon on my TBR, I'm looking forward to reading it some time soon. The Nine Tailors sounds interesting too.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I do think not starting with the first book is the way to go. You can always go back and read it later but it is a tough one to start with. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed some of the others!
The titles are Lord Peter Views the Body, Hangman's Holiday, In the Teeth of the Evidence, and Striding Folly. You can also find all the short stories collected in Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories.
I'm so excited that Clouds of Witness were on the bottom of the list. I liked it very much, but I only read 2 first books in the series. There is so much to look forward to! Do you suggest continuing in publication order or go to your 5 top favorites? I know I will read them all at some point, but I also don't want to burn out on the slower/weaker ones 🤷♀️
My suggestion would be to continue on and read Unnatural Death, Bellona Club, and Strong Poison then skip Five Red Herrings and Have His Carcase and then read from Murder Must Advertise to the end. Enjoy! You have lots to look forward to. 😊
I haven't read any of the Lord Peter Wimsy books yet, however I have read some of Dorothy L Sayers short stories which I really enjoyed, and have purchased the first book in the series which I plan to read next year.
💕⭐️ Nice reviewing of some of my favourite books. I’ll duck and hide after this next comment 😀…. I actually enjoy the BBC radio dramas much much more than the unabridged books (the radio dramas make for perfect post Christmas time listens).
No need to duck and hide! I really enjoyed the dramatization I listened to and will definitely listen to more. That would be a fun way to “reread” the books. 😊
I’ve read three books in Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series: “Whose Body?” and “Strong Poison” and “Gaudy Night.” Like you, I feel that “Gaudy Night” deserves first place. Being a fan all things bell-related, I’m tempted to try “The Nine Tailors” next.🔔
I have read all the books and I more or less agree with the order you picked. Nine Tailors is my stand out, then all three (4?) with Harriet Vane. I wouldn’t like to try to put the others in order, I love the Bellona Club and Murder Must Advertise. However I’m with you all the way on Five Red Herrings, and I’m from UK so possibly cope a bit better with the accent 😂. Great video, thank you.
I have read “Whose Body” and “Strong Poison”. I think I will go on with the series from “Strong Poison” as I also like what Harriet Vane brought to the story. I enjoyed your thoughts on the individual books. 📚 😊
I listened to "Whose Body" and really enjoyed. Not so much Gaudy Nights, constantly felt like Sayers was showing off. Guess it depends on how much one likes Harriet Vane.
Oh of course! This is all subjective. 😊 I enjoyed Whose Body? it just took me a bit to fall into the rhythm of it. I just enjoyed other books in the series more! If you don’t want any Harriet Vane, Murder Must Advertise or The Nine Tailors are excellent choices.
Definitely. You will have missed a bit of the beginning of Peter and Harriet knowing each other but it shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of the story. 😊
Thank you for this overview, Jen. I read these many years ago, and have been wanting to read them again. However, I always start with Whose Body?, get bogged down, and quit. I think it was pretty inexpensive on Kindle. By the way, I am listening to Christmas at Thrush Green. It was on sale on Audible, along with The School At Thrush Green.
I got booted down with Whose Body? the first couple of times I read it too. That was the main reason I recommended starting in the middle of the series. I think it’s so much stronger at that point. I really need to start the Thrush Green series! I have the first few books sitting on my shelves waiting for me. 😊
I think you could start anywhere, except that I would read the Harriet Vane ones in order. So I wouldn’t bother with Whose Body, or unnatural death if (when) I read them again.
I adore Lord Peter Wimsey. I pretty much agree with your order though I put Busman’s Honeymoon first and then Gaudy Night. I just really like seeing Peter and Harriett together. Have you read the continuation of this series by Jill Paton Walsh? They are very good as well.
I think I pretty much agree with the order, except that I would put Murder Must Advertise a bit higher up. I love hearing about what an advertising agency was like in the 1930’s. Unsurprisingly, the cynical adulteration and promotion of manufactured food was as bad then as it is now! Sayers worked in an advertising agency for a while, and it shows.
It was so hard to rank them! I do think I’m going to reread Murder Must Advertise to see if I can clear up what I missed at the end. If that hadn’t happened, this one would have been higher up my list. I was aware she worked in advertising and it definitely shows in this book. 😊
I love the way you review books. You are precise and get to the point, plus being so knowledgeable!
Thank you so much for saying that! Sometimes I wonder if I’m making any sense at all. 😂 I’m so glad you enjoy my reviews. 😊
I'm glad to hear the series does get better with each book for the most part. I tried Whose Body a couple times and couldn't get into it (although I've read a few Peter Wimsey short stories and really enjoyed them). Definitely going to give it a try again!!
You definitely should! And I don’t think it’s a series that needs to be read in order outside of the last few books. I hope you have better luck if you try it again. 😊
Great video! I cannot remember anything about Unnatural Death either. 😂 I would like to re-visit that one again. I love your top 3 so much. Brilliant books!
Thanks Elizabeth! 🥰 I don’t know why that one is so unmemorable! 🤷🏻♀️🤔
Thanks for the honest reviews! I will put the books on my "want to read" list!
You are welcome! I hope you enjoy them. 😊
This was delightful. I've always enjoyed the slightly older Peter when he's less foppish.
Do get ahold of Striding Folly. One of the stories shows Peter and Harriet as parents. It's so fun!
Thank you for watching! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. I will definitely track down that short story…I would love to read about the two of them as parents. 😁
So happy you did this review! I have the first 6 books but will now jump straight to Strong Poison 😊
I hope you enjoy it! 😊
I’m really interested in giving these books a try again. I picked up the first in the series a while ago and had trouble getting into it, so I’ll try book 5. Thanks for the recommendations!
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoyed the fifth book when you pick it up. 😊
Haven’t read any of these books, but as always, I enjoy your insights! ❤
🥰🥰🥰
Very informative!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Fantastic video! I have only read Whose Body and didn't think it was that great. If I ever pick the series back up, I'll probably start with book 5. Thanks!
I do think Whose Body? is a tough place to start with the series. I hope you have good luck with book 5!
Thank you your ranking! I started with Whose Body? some years ago because I wanted to read the series in order, but this first book was a big disappointment. I didn't particularly like Peter Wimsey, in the story. Then I heard here on UA-cam that the books featuring Harriet Vane are the best ones, so I went straight to Strong Poison which I absolutely loved. I found it unexpectedly funny! Next I read Have his Carcase (which is all right but I struggled a bit, and I agree, it's too long) and Gaudy Night (a very good one). I also read Murder Must Advertise which I don't remember much about other than finding it quite demanding for some reason. I'm currently reading and enjoying Clouds of Witness. I've got Busman's Honeymoon on my TBR, I'm looking forward to reading it some time soon. The Nine Tailors sounds interesting too.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I do think not starting with the first book is the way to go. You can always go back and read it later but it is a tough one to start with. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed some of the others!
Appreciate your work here… do you know what the title might be of Sayers’s short stories?😁
The titles are Lord Peter Views the Body, Hangman's Holiday, In the Teeth of the Evidence, and Striding Folly. You can also find all the short stories collected in Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories.
I'm so excited that Clouds of Witness were on the bottom of the list. I liked it very much, but I only read 2 first books in the series. There is so much to look forward to!
Do you suggest continuing in publication order or go to your 5 top favorites? I know I will read them all at some point, but I also don't want to burn out on the slower/weaker ones 🤷♀️
My suggestion would be to continue on and read Unnatural Death, Bellona Club, and Strong Poison then skip Five Red Herrings and Have His Carcase and then read from Murder Must Advertise to the end. Enjoy! You have lots to look forward to. 😊
Thank you 😊
I haven't read any of the Lord Peter Wimsy books yet, however I have read some of Dorothy L Sayers short stories which I really enjoyed, and have purchased the first book in the series which I plan to read next year.
I hope you enjoy them! I’m looking forward to reading the short stories.
I agree with you! This was a great review of the series!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. 😊
💕⭐️ Nice reviewing of some of my favourite books. I’ll duck and hide after this next comment 😀…. I actually enjoy the BBC radio dramas much much more than the unabridged books (the radio dramas make for perfect post Christmas time listens).
No need to duck and hide! I really enjoyed the dramatization I listened to and will definitely listen to more. That would be a fun way to “reread” the books. 😊
I’ve read three books in Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series: “Whose Body?” and “Strong Poison” and “Gaudy Night.” Like you, I feel that “Gaudy Night” deserves first place. Being a fan all things bell-related, I’m tempted to try “The Nine Tailors” next.🔔
If you enjoy bell ringing then you should definitely try The Nine Tailors!
I have read all the books and I more or less agree with the order you picked. Nine Tailors is my stand out, then all three (4?) with Harriet Vane. I wouldn’t like to try to put the others in order, I love the Bellona Club and Murder Must Advertise. However I’m with you all the way on Five Red Herrings, and I’m from UK so possibly cope a bit better with the accent 😂. Great video, thank you.
Thank you, Joy! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. And that makes me feel so much better that you didn’t enjoy Five Red Herrings either! 😊
I have read “Whose Body” and “Strong Poison”. I think I will go on with the series from “Strong Poison” as I also like what Harriet Vane brought to the story. I enjoyed your thoughts on the individual books. 📚 😊
Thank you! I definitely think the later books in the series are the best of the bunch!
I listened to "Whose Body" and really enjoyed. Not so much Gaudy Nights, constantly felt like Sayers was showing off. Guess it depends on how much one likes Harriet Vane.
Oh of course! This is all subjective. 😊 I enjoyed Whose Body? it just took me a bit to fall into the rhythm of it. I just enjoyed other books in the series more!
If you don’t want any Harriet Vane, Murder Must Advertise or The Nine Tailors are excellent choices.
The Literary Life Podcast has a series on Death Must Advertise which was helpful to me after reading.
Thank you! I will check that out. 😊
Ive never read any of these. Gaudy has been on my tbr. Can Gaudy Night be read on its on?
Definitely. You will have missed a bit of the beginning of Peter and Harriet knowing each other but it shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of the story. 😊
I want to read these books maybe not all of them not sure yet .
I hope you enjoy whichever ones you end up reading!
I was looking on Amazon, and it had a 15-book set. Are the other 4 books not part of it? Or what are they?
They are the short story collections. I only read the novels this year. 😊
Thank you for this overview, Jen. I read these many years ago, and have been wanting to read them again. However, I always start with Whose Body?, get bogged down, and quit. I think it was pretty inexpensive on Kindle.
By the way, I am listening to Christmas at Thrush Green. It was on sale on Audible, along with The School At Thrush Green.
I got booted down with Whose Body? the first couple of times I read it too. That was the main reason I recommended starting in the middle of the series. I think it’s so much stronger at that point.
I really need to start the Thrush Green series! I have the first few books sitting on my shelves waiting for me. 😊
I think you could start anywhere, except that I would read the Harriet Vane ones in order. So I wouldn’t bother with Whose Body, or unnatural death if (when) I read them again.
I adore Lord Peter Wimsey. I pretty much agree with your order though I put Busman’s Honeymoon first and then Gaudy Night. I just really like seeing Peter and Harriett together. Have you read the continuation of this series by Jill Paton Walsh? They are very good as well.
@@jensreadinglife You have a treat in store!
I think I pretty much agree with the order, except that I would put Murder Must Advertise a bit higher up. I love hearing about what an advertising agency was like in the 1930’s. Unsurprisingly, the cynical adulteration and promotion of manufactured food was as bad then as it is now! Sayers worked in an advertising agency for a while, and it shows.
It was so hard to rank them! I do think I’m going to reread Murder Must Advertise to see if I can clear up what I missed at the end. If that hadn’t happened, this one would have been higher up my list.
I was aware she worked in advertising and it definitely shows in this book. 😊