Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

Date published: 1930

Nationality of author: British, White

Category: Fiction

Genre: Mystery

Date finished: June 23, 2024

Rating: 10 grains of arsenic

Interesting topics: okay so apparently a "grain" is a unit of measurement of about 65 milligrams that used to be used for very small measurements. So a grain of arsenic is like 65 milligrams. Weird.

Notes: FINALLY I have met Harriet Vane! She is just as cool as I thought she would be. And Peter is FUMBLING! I stg he better get ahold of himself because this was not his best work.

The mystery was very fun. I was compelled the whole way through, and didn't feel cheated by the ending. This book felt like a celebration of women. Harriet's introduction as a fine, clever, witty, and unconventional lady was well done. The fact that a lady who had had a lover still being desirable after it ended, and it not being something she was to be ashamed of was very interesting. That and the escapades of Miss Climpson and Miss Murchison made the book both dramatic and delightful. Peter actually did very little important investigating. The Cattery was doing a lot of the heavy lifting for him.

Literature Moodboards // The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

it's like Game of Thrones meets Star Trek meets The Expanse meets Regency romance. it's incredible.

if you haven't heard of this AMAZING series by Lois McMaster Bujold, run don't walk and go read it immediately!!!!

also, fun fact, Lois Bujold got her start writing fanfic for Star Trek fanzines, which REALLY makes sense when you look at the content of her writing lol

the series wasn't written chronologically but it's definitely best to read it chronologically with one exception (which is to read Falling Free before Diplomatic Immunity).

here's my personal preferred reading order (with some notes):

Shards of Honor - 1986 start here! this book is about 33-year-old Cordelia, an astrocartographer from Beta Colony (Star Trek commie soyboy planet), and how she meets and falls in love with 44-year-old Aral Vorkosigan, a general from Barrayar (military aristocracy feudalism planet)

Barrayar - 1991 continues the story of Cordelia and Aral's romance, with many complications

The Warrior’s Apprentice - 1986 from this book onwards, the protagonist of the series shifts to Miles, Cordelia and Aral's disabled son. I was bracing myself for this switch because I was so attached to Cordelia, but 17-year-old Miles immediately jumps off the page here and quickly became one of my all time favorite literary characters. he's a disabled nepo baby from an extremely prejudiced and ableist society who may or may not have inspired Tyrion Lannister. he's incredible, character of all time, no notes

The Mountains of Mourning (novella) - 1989 this one is a novella that is part of The Borders of Infinity, which is a framing device for 3 novellas. the framing part of the book is set after Brothers in Arms, but I recommend reading each individual novella as it falls chronologically and then going back and reading the framing sections later

The Vor Game - 1990 Miles is 20 now

Cetaganda - 1995 a fun murder mystery starring 22-year-old Miles

Ethan of Athos - 1986 this book is somewhat of a detour because Miles isn't in it, but it heavily features a character who later becomes his girlfriend. it's set concurrently to Cetaganda

Labyrinth (novella) - 1989 another novella from Borders of Infinity which introduces Taura, a character who becomes very important to Miles

The Borders of Infinity (novella) - 1987 the final novella from the Borders of Infinity. it goes here chronologically. the framing device is technically set after Brothers in Arms, but it's fine to read here too if you want

Brothers in Arms - 1989 Miles goes to Earth in this one! kudos to Lois for pulling off one of my least favorite plot devices here (a secret clone) and making it an incredible and heart-breaking exploration of identity and character

Mirror Dance - 1994 this book is probably one of the best in the whole series. Lois was really cooking with this one! split POV between Miles and his clone brother, Mark

Memory - 1996 this book is a little quieter than the previous ones, but in a really good way

Komarr - 1998 introduces Miles primary love interest, Ekaterin, and splits POV between her and Miles. they're both 30 here

A Civil Campaign - 1999 this one is like, a classic Shakespearean comedy in terms of structure. apparently it was inspired by Regency romance. it's absolutely incredible and one of my favorites in the series

Winterfair Gifts (short story) - 2004 Miles and Ekaterin's wedding, told from the POV of one of their armsmen. sort of a Christmas special but in a good way!

Falling Free - 1988 another detour. this book is actually set 200 years before the events of the series, but it tells the origin story of the Quaddies and is relevant to Diplomatic Immunity, hence why I suggest reading it here

Diplomatic Immunity - 2002 32-year-old Miles and his wife untangle a diplomatic crisis with the Quaddies

Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance - 2012 told from the POV of Miles' cousin Ivan

The Flowers of Vashnoi (novella) - 2018 a novella about Ekaterin, Miles' wife

Cryoburn - 2010 get ready to WEEP

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen - 2016 we're back in Cordelia's POV for this one. lots of spicy revelations about her and Aral's marriage (including a space throuple)!!!! we love to see it!!!

I read this series so insanely fast, like I was quite literally blasting through one book a day (each book is around 300 pages so it's not as crazy as it sounds), but that's honestly how good they are.

every single book has at least one moment that made me stop short and really think about my life. I would say the whole series is kind of a meditation on the concept of honor. and also gender issues and disability politics. some of the gender terminology is dated, but the sentiments are extremely forward-thinking, especially considering when these books were largely written. as I mentioned, the main character is disabled, and there are MANY queer and gender non-conforming characters throughout the series!

if you like Ursula LeGuin, you'll probably enjoy these! honestly surprised Bujold isn't as well-known/highly regarded as LeGuin, because imo they're very similar and very comparable!!!

Because I don't want to pull this post / thread too far off topic.

Anyway, last night (night before last, as your reading this), I did indeed watch that British Lord Peter Wimsey film (1935) "The Silent Passenger". Turns out that (according to Wikipedia) it was based on a story that Dorothy L. Sayers wrote Specifically to adapted into a screenplay, but she was not the one who actually wrote the screenplay.

So it's only kinda by her.

But it was enough to remind me of one of the many reasons I love the character of Lord Peter so much: Unlike many (most?) of the Great Detectives of the golden era of mysteries, He does not hold himself up as the sole genius who is the only one who can solve the crime.

(I know Sherlock never said these exact words in Doyle's prose, but...)

Instead of saying "It's Elementary, Watson."

He says (paraphrased): "Bunter, that's brilliant! Thank you!"

Also, I learned in the podcast I listened to: Dorothy L. Sayers Solves her Mystery, that Sayers set herself the challenge of writing mysteries that fit the puzzle-solving requirements of the genre while also giving her protagonist a full character arc of personal growth. And one reason she stopped writing Lord Peter novels after the 14th one was because she ended up where she wanted his story to end.

Published: 2005 Page Count: 704

Late one night, exploring her father’s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to ‘My dear and unfortunate successor’. Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of – a labyrinth where the secrets of her father’s past and her mother’s mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history.

Date Started: 26 September 2024 Date Finished: 15 October 2024