pickPicked up a beautiful three novel vintage edition of Dorothy Sayers at my (semi)local used bookstore 📚I love Agatha too, no one can beat her for plot, but Dorothy is beloved ❤️& would you just look at that book jacket?! I want a bolt of fabric with this print!
pickI‘ve heard so many people say that Gaudy Night is the best of the Lord Peter Wimsey books. And now I see why.
When Harriet Vane returns to Oxford for a reunion, she is drawn into a poison-pen mystery at her alma mater. That‘s the essence of the plot, but the mystery and the Oxfordian context ends up serving as a vehicle for Harriet‘s own growth as she confronts her own avoidance of the past. ⬇️
pickI really enjoy how Lord Peter seems clever but also a little silly and impetuous, but there's a point in each of Sayers's novels when his serious side comes through, not in a heavy-handed way, but often just as a glimpse. In many ways I find this mask/true self characterization more realistic than the more either/or characters in many books, and it helps to explain why those around him are so devoted to him, even when he acts like an ass.
pickWhen I was ambivalent towards the first Lord Peter book, I had SO many people tell me that the series gets better as it goes along, so I've had the second book sitting about for quite some time waiting for me to pick it up. I did enjoy this one more (and found Lord Peter less annoying), but I also thought the mystery was a little weak. Still, I'll get around to book 3 one of these days. Soft pick.
Look at this #FolioSociety set that I found at a secondhand bookshop! Isn‘t it pretty?
I guess I should really get back to reading the series. 😆
pickI occasionally get lost reading Sayers's novels. I enjoy the pleasant meandering of the plot until I look up and realize I have no idea how we got to where we are. But in some ways I feel like the mystery itself is secondary to the relationships. The friendships in this one are excellent, and it's interesting how emotionally delicate the rich people seem to be, Peter included. I'm interested to watch these characters evolve.
#doublespin for Feb
pickThis was a great re-read of a classic mystery! The #audiobook version is read wonderfully by Ian Carmichael. I love Mrs Climpson, Wimsey's detective for hire, who gets all sorts of juicy information from people because she's an inquisitive older lady and no one suspects her of being a spy. This one also has interesting (for the time) sapphic subtext, both for the murder victim and the killer.
pickThree stories featuring Peter Wimsey. These were fun to read with engaging characters and mysteries at their heart. I enjoy seeing how Wimsey relates to the world (including disciplining children in one of the stories). I prefer novels as a way of getting to know characters and trying to solve the mystery, but these were fun, easy reading. Another classic cover!
Getting a cold when you are 33.5 weeks pregnant: not recommended
Listening to an old Dorothy L Sayers mystery you've already read while sick and very pregnant: recommended
pickThis was funny, clever, and full of Lord Peter‘s “piffle”—this time put to useful purpose as he goes undercover at an ad agency to investigate a suspicious death. I loved the spot-on caricatures of office personalities, as well as Lord Peter‘s various small “tells”! The mystery was also satisfying—other than one trope at the end that I hate. (Another belated review for a December read!) #CloakandDaggerChristmas - classic mystery #SeriesLove2023
