Reading

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  • Agatha Christie is, of course, the grande dame of British mysteries. I grew up reading her and am still disappointed that there won't be anymore books by her. The period between the wars, in which most of her books are set, or, at least, her characters established, had quite a bit of upheavel as centuries old traditions came apart and people lost the old sense of loyalty to a place and/or a family. She still makes this time seem to be a genteel, pleasant place compared to our own lives, and yet she gives us a glimpse of the evil underneath the respectable surface. These are nostalgic reading for me, now, as I wish I could live in a time that was so pleasant and ordered, but realize that they were just as full of anxiety and fear of change as we are now.