WEDNESDAY READING: THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY

The good old murder mystery - saviour of the train/bus/plane/cab traveller, the gang of which I was a temporary member a couple of days ago on my flight. My mum took me to the nearby bookstore to pick out a tried-and-true classic Agatha Christie, called the Seven Dials Mystery.

This story was published in 1929 and my edition contains an interesting section by the editor on Christie and classism. Christie has been criticised for being rather a dodgy judge on elitist issues in England.




The novel concerns a group of rich layabouts whose practical joke goes rather awry. It's not a spoiler if I say there's a murder cause seriously! - my readers are not bonzos - and there's some rather dodgy and somewhat forced romance happening between utterly mismatched bonzos that you didn't even see forming... I frankly didn't agree with any of the romances. It felt like it distracted from the main point of the story. It is an interesting initial plot setup most certainly - in your average Christie manor house - but quickly dwindles into eyebrow-arching moments where I was kind of left thinking 'well, I didn't see that coming because I wasn't really given the opportunity to figure it out!'






That above comment applies to the romances even. Seriously - the pairings were unnecessary, unexpected and rather forced. Kind of like 'when a boy meets a girl....'

It did pass the time however - a big tick in my box for what constitutes a great whodunnit paperback! It is rather a thriller than a murder problem where the reader is left at the mercy of the characters. It's definitely not dull - as I pointed out it's a plot worthy of Christie indeed, and the lazy layabouts are just as interesting and colourful as ever on their own. My particular favourite was the eccentric Lady 'Bundle'.

Overall this isn't really Christie's finest work/ Sad Cypress or The Big Four still remain my favourite works of hers. Where the Seven Dials lacks in plot finesse however, it makes up in some interesting character developments. The characters are all rather likeable in the -turn-up-my-nose at the Eton-educated-loveable-cousin kind of way; but since this IS a whodunnit...I kind of want to be able to follow the trail of clues towards the endgame. But for a plane-trip paperback, or a lazy afternoon read (nothing too challenging) this is a nice choice and is a pleasant enough read. 

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Boyfriend and I partook in this view of the rather shallow pool at Hyde park today.

ACCESSORIES: SILK-WRAPPED BANGLES

On my trip to Bangladesh, I was sure to pick up these gorgeous bangles to accesorise! They are plastic (I have wooden ones too) wrapped in reshmi - which means silk in Bengali - and come in a range of gorgeous colours. I find that they really brighten up any outfit and are just very suitable for spring and summer.

BREAKFAST AND MACARONS

After coming back, I had breakfast with boyfriend - some kind of bread with basil pesto, avocado and tomato and haloumi on it and two boiled eggs! I had to swallow the prospect of the price along with the good taste though...

Last night we also had macarons for a snack - it was part of my coming home present.

WEDNESDAY READING: LA TESTAMENT FRANCAISE

Lately, having a tonne of free time, I've been reading a fair bit and thought it might be a good idea to do a weekly reading post.

The most recent book I read was La Testament Francaise by Andrei Makine. While it's apparently the winner of two prestigious awards, I felt it was rather flowery.

The story concerns a highly dislikeable and measly Russian boy who has a French grandmother and feels at odds with a growing French identity within him. Most of it is him bad mouthing his poor grandmother and then singing the praises of her Frenchness - in equal parts.

Also rated M for sexual refereneces - after all it is the monologue of a deeply dull teenage boy, although surprisingly imaginative! His erotic fantasies span not only space, but also time; one of the most exciting scenes is when he fixates over the hips of some poor women his grandmother's age.

 Truly a visionary! His first sexual exploit is also a labour of love (for himself) and bears no relevance to the already nonexistent plotline.

A sister seems to somewhat exist in the story but is of no apparent importance as she just disappears from the narrative after a while, except to balance out the narrator's sheer impudence.

Basically the story is simply the wet dream of a teenager who doesn't let mere notions of nationality or ideology get in the way of his fantasies. 

I supposethe premise is somewhat interesting, what with the dual identities, but the exploration of that theme is not dealt with. But what can you expect when the main character is a daft woozy?

EXPERIENCES

Reflecting back over the last couple of days, I realise that in a hasty bid to grow up quickly I forgot to savour some quintessential experiences.

Such as the experience of growing up in a refreshing pocket of greenery amidst a city that is almost stripped bare of it now. Visiting this time and having the opportunity to look at something I had previously taken for granted really put a more positive spin on my childhood. Of course, this much cannot be said about the company I used to keep...

But speaking of childhood, and with a craving for fairy floss in the back of my mind, I wanted to talk about one of my great loves - the ferris wheel!

Along with carousels, ferris wheels are what I always run towards whenever I'm in the vicinity of one. This also may apply to Lovisa stores....

While we didn't eat anything from the park that night (had tarragon chicken at home I believe), we bought a 2-for 8 buck double pass on one ride. Naturally we picked the ferris wheel with the gorgeous views over the still harbour.

While traditional derivatives of the ferris wheel exist (in some parts of the world it is a wooden structure with less gondolas in it), it is the fairy lights which draws me to it, like an irksome insect to one's reading lamp. Makes for some wonderful memories too :)

The view from the inside while we descended was quite magical. Poor boyfriend, a little nervous with heights, chose not to look down at all stages of our journey up and down.

I think, if I were younger I would have scorned going for a ride on a ferris wheel. But being the ripe old age that I am, it feels just more and more important to savour these days of relative freedom (no job, no kids, no taxes) and do these small things which lend to great joy in my life.

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 12

After a 3-year long  hiatus I have returned to the blogosphere, this time hopefully with more of an understanding of what I want to write about and Blogger, once again, seems to be the suitable platform for this holiday whim of mine. On my adventures I will usually be accompanied by my boyfriend, who is often the photographer, and if not the photographer, then he is the initiator of the outing!

Speaking of my boyfriend, currently I am on a trip away from him, and I do miss him. Looking at old photos thus is a way to revisit some great memories with him, friends, and family. 

Lunch together for our 7 month anniversary was A-1 (okay so we celebrate menseveraries - so sue me!) and the coffee was superb too. After i get back i hope we go back for breakfast - he hated avocados and boiled eggs but he just deals with it - a development which I am immensely thankful for. After all, Crust pizza with avocado on top isn't quite as wonderful enjoyed on one's own - a stretch of the imagination indeed.

Scrolling through photos on my phone I see this stunning bouquet of rainbow roses. I've included a photo  - its from the same day.

Lunch was ground beef burger with..stuff in it - I can't recall what it was. Being both of slight build, Boyfriend and I shared this along with a side order of mushrooms in garlic oil. The sauce was a chilli aioli blend - v v v tasty!