Mystery Annotation

 

Author: Agatha Christie

Title: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Genre: Mysteries

Publication Date: 1926

Number of Pages: 276

Geographical Setting: King’s Abbot, England

Time Period: 1920s

Series (If applicable): Hercule Poirot

Plot Summary: Despite being in retirement in the quite village of King’s Abbot, Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate the murder of one of his friends, the wealthy Roger Ackroyd. With a cast of characters as potential suspects and a list of motives including debts, blackmail, and inheritance, the many alibis and differing details regarding the events the events of the evening, Poirot will have to use all his detective skills to determine who killed Roger Ackroyd.

Subject Headings: Private investigators

                                    Poirot, Hercule (Fictitious character)

                                    Murder - investigation

                                    Extortion

Appeal: storyline: intricately plotted

    tone: suspenseful

    writing style: compelling

    themes: unreliable narrator

3 terms that best describe this book: suspenseful, intricately plotted, twist ending

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson--this book explores Christie’s life from childhood to successful author, including her mysterious disappearance in 1926. Thompson was able to interview family members and read letters and other personal writings from Christie’s home.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara--a book about the serial killer in California during the 1970s and 80s, who committed 50 sexual assaults and 10 murders, but who remained at-large as of the time of McNamara’s work. The book was completed two years after her untimely death, and the perpetrator was arrested in 2018, the same year as the book’s release.

Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes--this compelling memoir by Paul Holes, a renowned cold case investigator, discusses some of the most challenging cold cases he has worked on, including his investigation and final arrest of the long-cold Golden State Killer suspect, Joseph DeAngelo.

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton--both are intricately plotted, compelling mysteries. This has an Agatha Christie “who-done-it” mystery style.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz--both intricately plotted mysteries, this book very much written in the style of Agatha Christie mysteries

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson--both are intricately plotted, suspenseful mysteries written in compelling style, and both have an unreliable narrator theme.

Romance Annotation

 

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Title: Devil in Winter

Genre: Romance, historical romance

Publication Date: 2006

Number of Pages: 368

Geographical Setting: London, England

Time Period: 1843

Series: Wallflowers, #3

Plot Summary: In order to avoid an unwanted marriage to a cousin and to maintain her terminally ill father’s inheritance, Evangeline Jenner proposed a marriage of convenience to the roguish Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. Sebastian had previously kidnapped Lillian Bowman, friend of Evangeline and fiancée of his friend, Marcus, Lord Westcliff, in order to secure money to support his lavish, aristocratic lifestyle. Sebastian and Evangeline escape to Gretna Green in Scotland for a speedy wedding, and discover on the journey that an unexpected and strong attraction exists between them. Upon their return to London to care for Evie’s dying father, Ivo Jenner, former boxer and owner of a successful London gambling club, Sebastian and Evie’s relationship grows deeper, and he is surprised to find that he loves her in a way he has never loved another woman, even willing to risk his own life to save her.

Subject Headings: Nobility - England - Fiction; Victorian erotic tales

Appeals: Pace: Leisurely paced; Tone: Steamy, funny; Writing style: banter-filled; Themes: marriage of convenience; opposites attract

3 terms that best describe this book: humorous, steamy, character growth

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:

Gretna Green: A Romantic History by Olga Sinclair--this is a history of the common historical wedding destination for English elopers who needed to bypass the rules of marriage that applied in England and Wales.

How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk guide to Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman--written by a historian who recreated Victorian living conditions to gain first-hand experience of life in the Victorian Era.

Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard--a glimpse into life of six members of Queen Victoria’s household, based on letters and diaries of her servants.

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh—both have marriage of convenience as themes, are historical romances set in the Victorian Era, and both deal with persons of nobility.

Marry in Haste by Anne Gracie—both are banter-filled with marriage of convenience theme.

Along Came a Lady by Christi Caldwell--both are steamy historical romances with an opposites attract theme.

 

 

Secret Shopper

I went to the library with a plan to find a romance book to read for the upcoming assignment. I have never read romance genre books, so I really did need some assistance in finding something. Before I went, I had to think about what I have read recently so that I'd be ready to answer questions about my reading history and preferences. I was all set to go and try to find a book to read!

When I got to the library, there was only one desk, and someone was being assisted so I looked around the library for a bit. It was not a very large library, but it was fairly normal for a public library. When the staff member at the desk was free, I went up to ask for help finding a book to get started reading in the romance genre. I don't know the person who helped me was a librarian, aide, lending clerk, or some other position. But they were not incredibly helpful in having a readers' advisory experience. When I told her that I am trying to expand my reading genres into romance and needed some help with finding a place to start, she just told me that Debbie Macomber was a popular romance author. She then pointed at the shelf section where her books were located.

I thanked her and went over there to browse a bit before calling it a day. There was another library employee shelving books right across the aisle from where Macomber's books are shelved. She asked if I was looking for something in particular, so I ran through my rehearsed script with her. She proved to be more helpful, pointing me toward a series that she enjoys and finding the first book in the series for me. While I was taking notes, she then asked the questions I was expecting at the start--what do you normally read? what do you think of x author or x book? etc. We talked about various genres for a while, but she did not change her recommendation at all. Neither staff member used any tools or other resources, which was a bit surprising. I'm not sure if I got a good recommendation or not, nor was the experience what I was expecting. But it was a good example of what I would not want to do if I have a customer come in to ask me for reading suggestions.