Agatha Christie Reading Challenge 2021

I wasn’t going to do any kind of reading challenge this year. But then this caught my eye. Curated by the official Agatha Christie estate, this reading challenge appeals to me for two reasons…

Read Christie 2021

The first reason is that Agatha Christie has written over 70 novels and it is one of my life’s aims to read them all. I’ve made a little dent in that task so far – edging towards 20 of her books (these ones, if you’re interested). So anything that helps me read more Christie, especially titles I may not have heard of before, is really appealing to me.

The second reason is that my main feeling towards 2021 reading is that I don’t want to be restricted in any way – while also wanting people to just tell me what great books to read. So what I particularly enjoy about this reading challenge is that it’s themed – a wonderful hybrid of my two contradicting reading requirements for 2021.

Rather than just giving us a specific book to read per month, you pick one from Agatha’s vast catalogue that fits within the monthly theme. And what are they? Well…

The Hollow – A Hercule Poirot Mystery

The element of choice is there but to help you along, there is also a book per month that will be the focus of discussion. For January, it’s a Hercule Poirot story: The Hollow. Prior to reading about this challenge, I had never heard of The Hollow so, you see, this is already hitting my requirements of introducing me to great new Agatha titles to read. Here’s The Hollow‘s blurb to whet your appetite:

‘Lucy Angkatell invited Hercule Poirot to lunch. To tease the great detective, her guests stage a mock murder beside the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the victim plays the scene for real. As his blood drips into the water, John Christow gasps one final word: `Henrietta’. In the confusion, a gun sinks to the bottom of the pool. Poirot’s enquiries reveal a complex web of romantic attachments. It seems everyone in the drama is a suspect – and each a victim of love.’

Have I tempted you? Are you going to join in and #readchristie2021 too? If you search this hashtag on Instagram and Twitter, there will be monthly discussions around each of the titles.

You can grab your copy of The Hollow here – let me know if you read it, I love discussing a great Agatha book!