'The Secret Vanguard' by Michael Innes

 

Michael Innes is a favourite author of mine and I've managed to collect nearly all of his Inspector Appleby mysteries (and there are many of them). 'The Secret Vanguard' from 1940 is one of the books that was missing from my collection, and after reading a good review of it on a book blog a few months ago I had to seek it out. I read it very quickly a few days ago and it was quite a gripping adventure, with many similarities to John Buchan's 'The Thirty-Nine Steps', which I'd also recently re-read during my John Buchan reading marathon this Spring. I seem to have read several stories this year with someone being pursued by up-to-no-gooders!

Here is a brief description from the back of the book:  "Our lovely heroine and her various accomplices are the object of a superb chase across Scotland by a scheming band of undercover Nazis.  Sir John Appleby of Scotland Yard-a master craftsman in the art of crime and counterespionage-comes to the rescue, and the British empire stands secure once more."

Books Read In 2021

 Books Read In 2021:  Not the longest list...

A Shakespeare Motley:  An Illustrated Compendium   2020

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Midwinter by John Buchan   1927

Secret Sceptre by Francis Gerard   1937

An Eye For A Tooth by Dornford Yates   1943

Handmade In London by Andrew Lawson   1978

The School for Husbands (play) by Moliere

Fu Manchu’s Bride by Sax Rohmer   1933

The Cheyne Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts   1926

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice Leblanc   1906 (I was compelled to read an Arsene Lupin book after utterly enjoying watching the entirety of the 1970s series with the charming Georges Descrieres as Arsene Lupin).

Old Wives’ Lore for Gardeners by Maureen and Bridget Boland   1976

Sennelier:  A History In Color by Pascale Richard   2012

A Garden of My Own:  An Anthology with Wood Engravings by Yvonne Skargon   1996

Unquiet Landscape:  Places and Ideas in 20^th Century British Painting by Christopher Neve   1990  (A very interesting art book that became increasingly melancholic as it progressed, rather sad in parts)

Call in the Night by Susan Howatch   1967

Gardener’s Delight by John Seymour   1978

Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin   2008

Between Two Worlds by David Ward   2011

Rides Round Britain by John Byng   1790s

The Weight of the Evidence by Michael Innes 1943

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham   1938  (Another good Campion story, though I didn't enjoy this one as much as some others)

Spirit of Place:  Artists, Writers & The British Landscape by Susan Owens   2020  (A lovely and fascinating book that is worth re-reading in the future)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling 1997 (first time reading this, I suppose because it was so popular I shunned it, though loved the film)

The Folklore of Sussex by Jacqueline Simpson  1973

Legends and Romances of Brittany by Lewis Spence (began)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling   1998

Christmas:  Penhaligon’s Scented Treasury of Verse and Prose, edited by Sheila Pickles   1989

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper   1973 (a re-read)

The Secret Shoemakers by James Reeves 1966

An Entertaining Selection: Books Read In 2019

Hello again.  Despite taking a break from blog-writing, a rather long break, I have been reading though, and this past year's choices were full of mystery, adventure, fantasy; a lot of entertaining stories indeed!   Here they are, in order of finishing, with many photos.


1.  Fairy Gold:  A Book of Old English Fairy Tales-ed. by Ernest Rhys, 1912

2.  Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, 1951

3.  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis, 1952

4.  J.R.R. Tolkien, Architect of Middle Earth by Daniel Grotta

5.  Secret Chambers and Hiding Places by Allan Fea, 1901

6.  The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie, 1925

7.  Weekend With Death by Patricia Wentworth, 1941

8.  The English Ghost-ed. by Peter Ackroyd, 2010

9.  The Coldstone by Patricia Wentworth, 1930

10.  Fear By Night by Patricia Wentworth, 1934

11.  The Red Lacquer Case by Patricia Wentworth, 1924

12.  The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham, 1937

13.  English Fairy Tales:  Retold by F. A. Steele, 1918

14.  Manalive by G.K. Chesterton, 1912

15.  Haunted By Books by Mark Valentine, 2015

16.  Islands by John Fowles, 1978

17.  The Four Men by Hilaire Belloc, 1912

18.  The Mystery of Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer, 1913

19.  The Devil Doctor by Sax Rohmer, 1916

20.  The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, 1910

21.  Trains and Buttered Toast by John Betjeman, 2006 compilation

22.  Brandy For the Parson by Raymond Foxall, 1970

23.  The Loch Ness Story by Nicholas Witchell, 1974

24.  The Si-Fan Mysteries by Sax Rohmer, 1917

25.  Gryll Grange by Thomas Love Peacock, 1896

26.  Folk Revival by Fred Woods, 1979

27.  Gale Warning by Dornford Yates, 1939

28.  Living Legends by Richard Barber, 1980

29.  Song of the Harp:  Old Welsh Folktales by Linda Barrett- Osborne, 1975

30.  Curious Myths of the Middle Ages by Sabine Baring-Gould, 1866

31.  The Folio Book of the English Christmas, Folio Society

32.  The Box of Delights by John Masefield, 1935 (a re-read)

*began months ago and halfway though: 

William Morris by Fiona MacCarthy

A Degree of Mastery by Annie Tremmel Wilcox

*still reading occasionally from the year before:

The Journal Of A Tour To The Hebrides by James Boswell, 1786

Visions & Beliefs In The West Of Ireland by Lady Gregory, 1920

I intend to make this year's reading at least as interesting, varied, and entertaining as this past year's reading, with perhaps a bit more History added to the mix, and, as usual, a mix of favourite authors and authors I haven't yet read anything by before; so far it is going well, and there are many titles I plan to get to in the upcoming months, though there are no set plans, which makes it more fun.  

Books Read In 2018

Last year, for the first time, I posted my list of books read during the year, and am doing so again.  I had intended to finish more books than I did, but there were about three months where I barely read any books, though escapism was just what was needed.  I try to finish reading books I'm in the midst of before the year ends (for some reason) but there are always unfinished ones.  The list is mainly a mixture of mysteries, fantasy, vintage children's stories, and history; the books are not listed in the order they were begun, but the order in which they were finished.  I don't think I could pick a favourite, so many good ones in there, most of them were excellent.  I don't have any particular reading plans for this new year (though am beginning the year reading vintage children's fantasy classics), just the usual eclectic and often antique or vintage mix with a newer title thrown in here and there, and it surprises me to see that I've read nine books from the 2000s, not a usual thing for me.

The Maidenswell Folly by Greg Howes  2017

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis  1955

Mystery On The Moors by Barbara Michaels   1967

The Lay of the Last Minstrel by Sir Walter Scott   1805

Drawn From Life by William Thackeray

The Little Ferret by Raymond Foxall  1968

Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit  1902 

The Borrowers by Mary Norton  1952

The Return of Don Quixote by G. K. Chesterton  1927

A Floral Fantasy In An Old English Garden by Walter Crane  1899

Jacob's Room Is Full Of Books by Susan Hill  2017

The Silence of Herondale by Joan Aiken   1964

The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham  1933

Mystery On The Isle of Skye by Phyllis A. Whitney

The Black Veil & Other Tales of Supernatural Sleuths, ed. by Mark Valentine  2008

The Faerie Handbook  2017

The Adventurous Four by Enid Blyton  1941

The Heir by Vita Sackville-West  1922

Seasons They Change:  The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk by Jeanette Leech  2010

A Hotel By Clachan by Sybil Armstrong  1978

From London Far by Michael Innes  1946

He Arrived At Dusk by R.C. Ashby  1933

Men Of Iron by Howard Pyle 

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield  2006

Samuel Palmer by Timothy Wilcox  2005

The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters  1983

The Collected Connoisseur by Mark Valentine & John Howard  2010

Medievalism:  The Middle Ages In Modern England by Michael Alexander  2007

And some books begun in 2018, but not finished by the year's end:

Visions and Beliefs In The West of Ireland by Lady Gregory

Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border Vol. 1 by Sir Walter Scott

Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott

The  Journal Of A Tour To The Hebrides by James Boswell

King Arthur by Norma Lorre Goodrich

Fairy Gold:  A Book of Old English Folktales, chosen by Ernest Rhys

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

 With this new year I could begin with an overview of books read last year, or show the many book hauls there have been, but for now I'd like to mention this fine Victorian book read years ago, 'The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins, a very famous story written in 1868 which has been referred to as the first real detective novel.  This is a rather intriguing tale with a mysterious atmosphere that keeps one engaged and wondering, and with some surprises at the end.  The reader ponders on why Rachel Verinder behaves in such a perplexing way, and are people really as they appear?  In the beginning, what are the suspicious Indian conjurors lurking around the house up to?  The chapters consist of narratives by various characters in the story, beginning with good old Gabriel Betteridge, the House-Steward, who continually reads and quotes from his favourite book, 'Robinson Crusoe'.

 

Like with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story of  'The Blue Carbuncle', a unique and highly desirable gem that has been the cause of murder and mayhem in its history, the Moonstone is also the object of desire for some who will stop at nothing to obtain it. 

"The Moonstone, a priceless yellow diamond, is looted from an Indian temple and maliciously bequeathed to Rachel Verinder.  On her eighteenth birthday, her friend and suitor Frankin Blake brings the gift to her.  That very night, it is stolen again.  No one is above suspicion, as the idiosyncratic Sergeant Cuff and Franklin piece together a puzzling series of events as mystifying as an opium dream and as deceptive as the nearby Shivering Sand."  Penguin Classics 1998 edition

There have also been various adaptations of this story: a 1930s film, the 1972 BBC television series  with Vivien Heilbron, Robin Ellis, Martin Jarvis, etc...;  the 1996 television film with Keeley Hawes, Greg Wise, Antony Sher, etc...-all worth watching, though the last two mentioned are the best. Apparently there is a new version of it as well, which I've not seen. 



September Reading: Getting Lost In Wonderful Vintage Fiction

September's reading for me this year was full of vintage fiction, mainly crime fiction; just getting a bit lost in stories after a rather stressful time around the middle of the month.   I finished John Bude's excellent, 'The Cornish Coast Murder' and then went on to 'Appleby's Answer' by the ever-witty Michael Innes (a most unusual mystery indeed).  Then onto the next three selections: 

Firstly there was 'Adele And Co.' from 1931 by Dornford Yates. Dornford Yates has become a favourite author of mine within the last two years, and this was his fourth book I've read, I'm collecting them. He was very popular in his time, but is not too well known these days. "Here is a superior blend of excitement, drama, danger, intrigue and nostalgia... When Jill, Duchess of Padua, had her priceless pearls stolen, along with Adele and Daphne's jewels (and Berry's cufflinks), Berry and Co. face an impossible task in their attempt to recover them-particularly when they discover that Auntie Emma, a ruthless professional criminal, hopes to beat them to it. Throwing caution to the wind, Berry, Jonah and Boy embark on a thrilling chase which takes them from Paris to the Pyrenees..." This is an amazing book with lots of humour (Berry is so very funny), following on from 'Berry and Co.' and 'Jonah and Co.'

After that incredible adventure, the next choice was 'The Club of Queer Trades' from 1905 by the great G.K. Chesterton, an incredibly entertaining and eccentric little book consisting of six short stories filled with mystery, humour, and intrigue. "Eccentric sleuth, Basil Grant is deftly portrayed by Chesterton: mystic, enigmatic and often considered mad by his brother Rupert-the over-zealous private-eye- and by Charles Swinburne, gullible narrator of the six tales... Like Chesterton's more famous hero, Father Brown, Basil Grant detects crime by intuitive rather than conventional means." I enjoyed this one tremendously and some bits were very funny, and I need to get many more G.K. Chesterton books; he was a writer of great wit and wisdom.

The third book of that particular week that I found hard to put down, was 'The Crime At Black Dudley' from 1929 by Margery Allingham, her first mystery to feature Albert Campion. This one concerns a house party of bright young things gathered in a remote, ancient house full of secret passages, who become trapped in the house by a gang of ruthless criminals. Try this if you are in the mood for a great vintage Golden Age crime classic. Vintage Books has republished Margery Allingham's books in an attractive softcover edition and, after buying three of them, I'd like to get them all in that edition.

It had been years since I'd read one of her books, and I enjoyed 'The Crime At Black Dudley so much that it was followed by another Margery Allingham one,  'Look To The Lady', which I'll finish reading in a day or so, another great one from a great mystery writer; and they are best read in order to get the most out of them.

Dorothy L. Sayers: The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries

Dorothy L. Sayers is of one of the greatest and most literate mystery writers of all time, prolific during the "Golden Age" of crime fiction along with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and many more.  She created Lord Peter Wimsey, the famous aristocratic sleuth, and penned wonderful and highly intellectual mysteries that are popular to this day.  Being so familiar from having watched both excellent television adaptations with Ian Carmichael in the 1970s, and Edward Petherbridge in the late 1980s many times on television, video, and DVD, and reading some of the books many years ago before I had started keeping a reading record, I'm a bit muddled as to which ones I've actually read, and should probably just start from the beginning and carry on.

Featured here is my collection of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. I collected the large batch of secondhand paperbacks below many years ago, found a few and liked the cover design and artwork so much that the others in that edition were sought out.

 

 

A collection of all the Lord Peter Wimsey short stories:

A few titles in another edition, also with good cover design:

The Ghost of Down Hill by Edgar Wallace

This is a rather rare edition of this story, which I found for next to nothing in a secondhand book shop many years ago.  Even more unusual is that it still had the dust jacket, though in a somewhat fragile state. Here is the rather spooky passage that is illustrated in the book jacket art:


'The Ghost of Down Hill' by Edgar Wallace, 1929:

 "She undressed and sat in her kimono by the open window looking over the garden. It was the third quarter of the moon and it was rising as she looked out upon that most wonderful of landscapes. The snowy expanse of the Downs lay in blue shadow and the moonlight flooded the broad white Weald with an uncanny radiance. She sighed happily, switched off the light and snuggled into bed. The strangeness of the room and , perhaps, the queer smell which all new furniture has, prevented her sleeping as soundly as she expected. 

 She turned from side to side, dozing fitfully, and then she heard the faint sound of a foot on the gravel path outside. From the position of the patch of moonlight on the floor she knew it must be very late and wondered if her uncle was in the habit of taking midnight strolls on such a freezing night. Slipping out of bed she pulled on her dressing-gown, walked to the window, and looked out. And then her blood froze, and her knees gave under her, for there in the middle of the garden path, standing out against the snowy background, was a figure in the sombre habit of a monk! The cowl was drawn over his head and the face was invisible.
 
It stood there motionless, its hands concealed in its wide sleeves, its head bent as in thought. Then slowly the head turned and the moonlight fell upon the bony face, the hollow sockets of its eyes, the white gleam of its fleshless teeth.
For a moment she stared, paralysed, incapable of sound or movement; and then she found her voice, and with a shrill scream collapsed on the floor in a dead faint".

Crooked Adam by D. E. Stevenson

Crooked Adam by D.E. Stevenson is a wonderful tale of mystery, action, adventure, espionage and a bit of romance.  This is the second book I've read of this author and I've enjoyed both books very much.  This one was published in 1942, set in England then mainly Scotland, and involves the valiant efforts of some brave and honest men keeping the invention and plans of a new secret weapon ray gun out of the hands of Nazi German agents, who are desperate to get hold of it.

 Adam Southey, the Crooked Adam of the title, is so-called due to a limp he has with his leg.  In the beginning he is unfulfilled and discontent that he is working as a teacher when he'd rather be fighting for his country;  but Adam soon get swept up into an exciting and adventurous life that he could never have dreamed of. 

The story has a nice, easy pace, and combined with the detailed descriptions of scenery, one really gets a feel for the settings.  I can wholeheartedly recommend this book, it's a good one!

Agatha Christie: A Reader's Companion

 

'Agatha Christie- A Reader's Companion,' is a MUST if you are an Agatha Christie admirer.  It is a beautiful book and an absolute delight to browse through, being a compendium of all of her books and the date and synopsis of each story.  The most exciting feature of this book is the photographs of the artwork of the original dustjackets.

Another guide that goes into more depth than this one (but without the striking pictures) is 'The New Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Agatha Christie,' another Must Have for mystery readers.

 

   I've been an Agatha Christie fan since the age of eleven, but unfortunately I don't have a record of all her books I read in the early days, as I only started making a reading record several years later.  So, because there are so many titles, I sometimes wonder if I may have read a book in the past or not.  I have read some favourites multiple times, but I'm sure I have many more to read, and I'm glad that I haven't read them all....yet!