Tuesday Teasers

Published on by Margaret

I’ve come to a halt. I’ve finished the books I’ve been reading and can’t make my mind up what to read next. I have books out on loan from the library and plenty of books of my own that I want to read sometime. The problem is, which one should I read next?

So I thought I’d try a few teasers out on myself, taken from the opening chapters of books closest to hand.

The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré, in which George Smiley has become chief of the battered British Secret Service at a time when the betrayals of a Soviet double agent have riddled the spy network.

Afterwards, in the dusty little corners where London’s secret servants drink together, there was argument about where the Dolphin case history should really begin. One crowd, led by a blimpish fellow in charge of microphone transcription, went so far as to claim that the fitting date was sixty years ago when ‘that arch-cad Bill Haydon’ was born into the world under a treacherous star. Haydon’s very name struck a chill into them. (page 15)

The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan about Gwenni Morgan, who is inquisitive and bookish. She can fly in her sleep and loves playing detective.

Like every other night, I sped from the sea to drift along the road that winds its way down beyond the Baptism Pool and the Reservoir high into the hills behind the town. As I passed above the Pool I saw a man floating in it with his arms outstretched and the moon drowning in his eyes. (page 4)

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie in which Poirot investigates a complicated crime when the Blue Train steams into Nice and a murder is discovered.

It was close on midnight when a man crossed the Place de la Concorde. In spite of the handsome fur coat which garbed his meagre form, there was something essentially weak and paltry about him.

A little man with the face like a rat. (page 1)

Hector and the Search for Happiness by François Lelord about a young psychiatrist finding out whether there is such a thing as the secret of true happiness.

And yet Hector felt dissatisfied.

He felt dissatisfied because he could see perfectly well that he couldn’t make people happy. (page 5)

Well, I still don’t know what to read next. Has anyone read any of these? What would you suggest?

8 thoughts on “Tuesday Teasers”

  1. I loved the LeCarre books, but it must have been more than 20 years since I read them, and we had an entirely different relationship with [the USSR] then, so I don’t know how they would seem now. I just discovered though that there’s a whole series that might appeal to me – I don’t know if you’ve gotten into these – the Richard Jury mystery series by Martha Grimes. I saw her being compared to Elizabeth George. Here is the link if you’re interested:

    http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-05-25-grimesgeorge24_ST_N.htm

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    1. I haven’t read any of Le Carre’s books, although I watched the TV series years ago, so feel I sort of know the stories. I haven’t come across Martha Grimes, so thanks for the link. I’ll look them up.

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  2. Out of your list I would pick the Blue Train first. It’s been one of my favorite Christie’s that I’ve read the past year and a half. (Right after the Orient Express.) My second choice would be the LaCarre book. Even though it’s been 20 or 30 years since I read it, I still remember how I felt when I read The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. Very grippinng story.

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  3. I read the Le Carre’s years ago and loved them and they are compelling reading, but like all spy novels they are (I think) a little chilly.
    The Earth Hums In B Flat on the other hand is enchanting.
    I read it last year after a recommendation by Dovegreyreader and it was one of my favourite books of the year which is saying something because I had a good reading year in 2009!
    Gwenni Morgan is a delightful character and I loved the whole atmosphere of innocence and magic.
    There again, if I am unsure of what I want to read next, I usually end up with a crime novel or fantasy so maybe you should read the Agatha!

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  4. Warning!
    I am all in for le Carré but if you start the Smiley triology you have to start with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy!

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    1. I am all in for le Carré but if you start the Smiley triology you have to start with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy!
      Sorry I didn’t sign it, Margaret
      Palle

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  5. Since Nice is the place where my Dad grew up and I went to school I would vote for the Agatha Christi “The Mystery of the Blue Train”. Decisions decisions…

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