classics

2019 Bookish Inspiration Reading Challenge: #BIyearofclassics

January 4, 2019
murder

2018 was a good reading year for me.  I read some great books that I really enjoyed.  (Click here to see the post on 27 four and five-star reads of 2018.) But as I looked back at my Goodreads account, I realized that most of my reading was in one genre, namely suspense/thrillers, and very few other genres were represented.  I also realized that I read very few books on my “should read” list.

My “should read” books are ones that I feel as if I should have read in high school or college and either never got the opportunity, or just never took the opportunity.  (Yes, I was one of those kids that didn’t like to be told what book to read!)  They are books that I have heard are good, or books that I know are referenced a lot in other literary works.    My goal for 2019 is to get 12 of those book titles off of my TBR list and onto my ‘Read’ Shelf by reading one title a month.  To see the year of reading list, subscribe to my monthly newsletter here!

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I will be posting my progress on Instagram weekly and twice a month on my blog.   You can follow along on Instagram by following me @bookishinspiration, or with the hashtag #BIyearofclassics I would love to hear your thoughts on the books that I choose.  Or, it would be super fun if anyone wanted to read along with me!


So, without further ado, my January 2019 #BIyearofclassics read is…………


Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie


Why I chose this book:

I know, I know.  Another mystery/suspense book. But I am ashamed to admit I have never read an Agatha Christie book – in my entire life!  Seems a little bit wrong for someone who loves mysteries, doesn’t it?  Well that ends now. Specifically, I chose Murder on the Orient Express because I know that it is one of her most famous books, and that there are several movie versions out (which I have never seen).  I would like to read this book and then watch one or two of the movies to see what I think about the adaptations. I am super excited to get started on this. It will be a fun first #BIyearofclassics read!


How this will work:

On January 28, I will post about my reading of Murder on the Orient Express on my blog.  

Throughout the month, I will be posting answers to some of the questions on Instagram as well.


Here are some questions I will be thinking about as I read thanks to the Madison Library District in Idaho:

  1. Were you able to solve the mystery before Poirot did, or were you surprised when Poirot revealed the culprits?
  2. Why did Agatha Christie set the murder on a train? What does the train symbolize in the novel?
  3. Agatha Christie based parts of her novel on the real life kidnapping case of Charles Lindbergh. What are the similarities and differences between the true crime story and the fictional Armstrong kidnapping?
  4. Where the murderers justified in killing Mr. Ratchett?
  5. An episode of the television show Doctor Who, titled “The Unicorn and the Wasp” (Season 4, Episode 7), features Agatha Christie as a character. In what ways does the episode remain true to history? What creative liberties does the episode take when exploring Christie’s life and works? How does the episode allude to Murder on the Orient Express?
  6. What are your overall thoughts about this book?

I hope that you will enjoy reading along with me and discussing the book, or at least following along on my classics adventure!  


If you would like to see the complete list of my #BIyearofclassics, subscribe to my new monthly newsletter below!

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Thanks for visiting the blog today.  Until next time, happy reading!

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  • Melissia @ Books and Sassy Lilacs January 4, 2019 at 2:25 pm

    I totally read a lot of suspense/mystery/thrillers and need to break out of that. I’ve also never read Agatha Christie…perhaps I should also change that 🙂

    • admin January 7, 2019 at 2:15 am

      Yes! If you are like me, you would really like her work. I am halfway through Murder on the Orient Express and am already thinking about which Christie novel I should read next! So this year, I’ll probably go from thrillers to mysteries. LOL! Let me know if you decide to pick up one of the books. I’d love to hear which one you chose!

  • Moms Love Learning January 4, 2019 at 8:58 pm

    I did not specifically read this book but I like very much Agatha Christie’s books. My husband loves watching the movie versions. However, he finds it slightly annoying when I already know who is the murder because I read the book before.
    This is a great project. I am very curious to see which books you are going to choose.

    • admin January 7, 2019 at 2:13 am

      I really like this book! I can see why you like her. It’s a fast, fun read! I have only ever seen And Then There Were None, so I am excited to watch the movie version of Murder Express. But you are right, it is annoying when you know who did it! 🙂 I am also going to try and watch that Dr. Who episode. I think it’s interesting that so many plotlines are based on her work! Thanks for following along with this project. We will see where it goes!