Friday Face Off : A train or tram – travelling down the track, could be old style, futuristic, overhead, down below.

FFO

Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy .  This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers.  The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book (this doesn’t have to be a book that you’ve read), compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite.   Future’s themes are listed below – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme.  I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout.  This week’s theme:

A train or tram

I have no idea what I had in mind this week.  I could come up with a couple of books with trains, or tunnels or tracks but I’m so puzzled that I didn’t go for some sort of holiday theme.  Anyway.  I’ve gone for a book that I’m fairly certain I’ve not used before – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (the 10th in the Hercule Poirot series).  Here is a very small selection of covers focusing on mainly those that fit the theme.

I like a few this week:

I like the first one for the iconic font for the author’s name.  The middle feels very typical ‘murder/mystery’ and makes me think of Cluedo for some strange reason.  The final cover has more muted tones which are easy on the eye and I like the angle of the train smoke that fills the top of the cover. But my favourite, which feels like a modern cover with an old fashioned nod in terms of the font for the author’s name, is:

AC1

Do you have a favourite?

I’ve updated the list now to include themes for next year.  If you know of an event that’s coming up let me know and I’ll try and include covers that work for the event itself so that you can link up to the Friday Face Off and, as always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment – or if you’d like to host a week then simply let me know.  Also, I would just mention that it’s very possible that some of these might be repeats from previous FFOs although I have tried to invent more ‘open ended’ prompt that can be interpreted differently and also prompts that relate to emotions.  Finally, don’t struggle with any of these, this is meant to be a fun way of highlighting books.  If you can’t come up with a book you think fits for a particular week use a freebie – perhaps a recent read for example:

Next week –Cartoonish or graphic

2021

April

9th – Cartoonish or graphic

16th – I have to have it – a cover that gave you ‘grabby hands’

23rd – Your current read (if it has covers to compare) or any recent read

30th– A series that you love – highlight all the books in the series

May

Month of Wyrd and Wonder

7th – A Series where the cover changed midway through – which style do you prefer most

14th – The earliest fantasy you recall reading – or the first fantasy book you really loved, maybe the book that kickstarted your love of fantasy

21st – The Top Hat

28th – The Hood

June

4th – The nose boop – any animal, or human, with a close up shot.

11th – A cover that annoyed you and why

18th – Out of Perspective, or make you feel a bit dizzy

25th – Upside down, back to front or topsy turvy

July

2nd – A book with a landscape you’d like to visit

9th – A Wicked Grin

16th – Books with ‘book’ in the title

23rd – A Black Hole – could be in the universe or going deep into the ground

30th – Chaos – maybe too much going on in this one

August

6th – “They cluck their thick tongues, and shake their heads and suggest, os so very delicately!” – The Motel

13th – A favourite holiday read

20th – Dressed to kill (could be literally someone dressed to kill, or someone dressed up for a big night out

27th – Sunbathing or on the beach

September (RIP event)

3rd – 1920s feel, noir detective

10th – I’m Henry the Eighth I am – let’s look at Kings or other Emperors/rulers

17th – Books with ‘Murder’ in the title

24th – A favourite thriller

October

1st – A Halloween read

8th – Chills – anything at all that almost makes you too scared to pick up the book (your own pet hate)

15th – Your favourite book of magic

22nd – Books with ‘Queen’ in the title

29th – Must be gothic

November – Sci Fi Month

5th – Your earliest sci-fi read or the first sci-fi you reviewed

12th – A book with ‘star’ in the title

19th – Futuristic vista

26th – A Black Hole – in the universe or going deep into the ground

December

3rd – Windswept, the classic figure, stood majestically, with wind blowing out in a fetching way

10th – A fairytale retold

17th – Winter Solstice approaching – anything cold and seasonal

24th – All things fire – red hair, red covers, fire breathing dragons, simply fire?

31st – What’s your catnip – if it’s on a cover you have to pick it up

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Friday Face Off : “Farewell, Aragog, king of the arachnids, whose long and faithful friendship those who knew you would never forget!

FFO

Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy .  This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers.  The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book (this doesn’t have to be a book that you’ve read), compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite.   Future week’s themes are listed below – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme.  I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout.  This week’s theme:

Spider web – “Farewell, Aragog, king of the arachnids, whose long and faithful friendship those who knew you would never forget!

Yes, I struggled a little with this one.  I had a couple of books in mind but I know I’ve used them in the past for other themes.  This week I’ve gone with a book that I haven’t read but that fits this week’s prompt very well.  Agatha Christie’s Spider Web.  Here are the covers:

My favourite this week:

SW6

Do you have a favourite?

I’ll be updating the list in order to include forthcoming events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share then let me know in the comments).  As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment – or if you’d like to host a week then simply let me know.

Next week – Ripped/torn – interpret it as you wish

Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ or one of your favourite covers) (I’ve added some new themes – some of these are slightly different, in order to avoid too much repetition I’m trying to make the themes more of a suggestion that everyone can interpret how they like.  

201

23th October – Ripped/torn – interpret it as you wish

30th October – Forest/jungle – ‘None of the Jungle People like being disturbed.’

6th November – Planets – “You’re on Earth. There’s no cure for that.”

13th November – Bright – ‘The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades’.

20th November – Words only – “Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”

27th November – Modern sci fi

4th December –  Fae – or fairy??

11th December – Lake – the mysterious lake

18th December – Highly Stylised

25th December- Freebie – or day off.

Women’s History Month: Influential Female Authors through history

For the month of March the lovely Cupcakes and Machetes blog is running an event (inspired by the month of March being Women’s History Month) celebrating women’s achievements.  I thought I’d join in with this by listing a few female authors throughout history who have made a great contribution to the literary scene and whose works I have loved.  Below are three authors, with different styles of writing and stories that have given me much reading enjoyment over the years.  Gothic romance, gothic horror and murder mystery:

1. Charlotte Bronte – best known for Jane Eyre published under the Pseudonym Currer Bell.  Charlotte taught in a school and as a governess and her own experiences no doubt played into her works of fiction.  Charlotte and her sisters, Emily and Anne, all published their works under male names after being repeatedly rejected for publication.  She is an author who broke the mould, writing of a passionate woman who wasn’t afraid to stand up for her own desires or beliefs. Jane Eyre is a favourite of mine and a book that I have reread a few times.

janeeyre

2. Mary Shelley – a female writer who set out to write a ghost story and instead wrote, arguably, the first science fiction novel.  Frankenstein.  A gothic tale of creation and creator.  A fantastic book that really begs the question of who is the true ‘monster’ of the piece.  Shelley’s book was published anonymously with a foreword written by her husband – this of course led to speculation over whether she had actually written the book.  Frankenstein has maintained its ability to fascinate audiences through both the book and the many adaptations which it has inspired.

frankenstein

3. Agatha Christie – one of the most famous mystery writers.  Her two best known detectives are Poirot and Marple.  For a brief spell, back in the day, she became the centre of attention when she herself disappeared for a few days following a scandal concerning her husband.  Murder on the Orient Express is probably the most famous of her works but I’m very fond of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd:

rogerA

Of course there are lots of influential female writers.  Let me know who you would add to the list.

 

 

Mystery she wrote…

agatha.jpg

As part of the Classics Club 

‘Women’s Classic Literature Event 2016’

The question for the month of April is:

‘Share an interesting fact about the life of the author you’re currently reading for this event.’

My next read for the Club is going to be And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.  I haven’t started yet but I’ve just picked up a copy and so decided to make Agatha Christie the author of choice for this month’s question.

Now, I could just put a bunch of facts down now that I’ve read up about Agatha being home schooled or that she wrote her first books as a challenge from her sister Madge but what I found most intriguing, particularly given her style of books which have proved so very popular over the years, is the fact that she went missing herself!  Life imitating art imitating life!?!?

On the 3rd December 1926 Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days sparking a major manhunt involving police, volunteers and even aeroplanes!

Her car was found fairly quickly by the police and didn’t seem to have any signs of foul play and yet at the same time held no clues as to Agatha’s strange disappearance!

Agatha’s husband was suspected of foul play.  Arthur Conan Doyle tried to find Agatha using a medium and Dorothy Sayers visited the spot where her car was found to search for clues!

Finally, after 11 days of searching Agatha was found.  Located in a hotel in Harrogate.  To this day nobody has ever solved this mystery.  It is believed that Agatha’s husband was having an affair and she did in fact divorce him later on.  It is also suggested that she may have been in some form of car accident and suffered amnesia.  Another theory is that she was in a ‘fugue’ state – brought on by depression. 

Basically, it’s a mystery and perhaps only one that Miss Marple or Poirot himself can solve!  Was it all a very elaborate publicity stunt??  Who knows but it really does go to show that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction!

What really happened people.  Foul play or just a hoax??