February Read/4

Title: A Murder Is Announced

Author: Christie, Agatha

Genre: Mystery

Number of Pages: 297

ISBN: 0396087027

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            An announcement in the local paper states the time and place when a murder is to occur in Miss Blacklock's Victorian house. The victim is not one of the house's several occupants, but an unexpected and unknown visitor. What follows is a classic Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities, a second death, a determined Inspector grimly following the twists and turns, and Miss Marple on hand to provide the final solution at some risk to herself in a dramatic confrontation just before the final curtain

My Read:

            This is my favorite Agatha Christie’s mystery book. At the age of 22 I read this book the very first time then I read it again at the age of 28. Now I read it the third time and am still impressed with its plot.

            “But, Hinch, she wasn’t there…”-page 229 This is the revelation of Ms Murgatroyd as she was trying to reconstruct the night of the young man’s murder. Miss Marple, later explained that the scene would be fairly and clearly remembered as the brain stopped thinking allowing the unconscious mind to recall what a person saw. It’s pretty scientific to me, a method and theory well stated even in modern time. What one didn’t see is what’s the secret the murder tried hard to conceal in this mystery case.

            “Lamp. Violets. Where is bottle of aspirin. Delicious Death. Making enquiries. Inquiries. Severe affliction bravely borne. Iodine. Pearls. Ah, pearls. Lotty-no, Letty. Berne. Old-Age Pension.” –page 245The aforementioned items/list was written in a hurry by Miss Marple in a bit piece of paper. This list allows the readers to follow the train of thought of Miss Marple’s and find the pieces of evidence and put them together to reconstruct the crime. Though Miss Marple, in the book, is described as an old English lady living in a village her method to solve a crime is very scientific and she knows well the human nature.

            “Because, once a weak person gets really frightened, they get quite savage with terror and they’ve no self-control at all.” –page 282 “She’s beside herself with fear. Not human any longer. Just a dangerous animal.” –page 290 Those are Miss Marple’s descriptions of Miss Blacklock, the murderer in this mystery case. To the point, aren’t they?

            “They seem to think life owes them something. I’ve known many an invalid who has suffered far worse and been cut off from life much more than Charlotte Blacklock-and they’ve managed to lead happy contented lives. It’s what’s in yourself that makes you happy or unhappy.”-page285 This is Miss Marple’s explanation and description of the murderer in this book. It’s the yourself to blame, no one else for things went wrong in one’s life. I agree.

            Another nice read of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery.

February Read/3

Title: It’s Not the How or the What but the Who: Succeed by Surrounding Yourself with the Best

Author: Fernanadez Araoz, Claudio

Call Number: 658.3 F363I 2014

Subjects: Personnel Management; Employee—Recruiting; Employee Selection; Organizational Effectiveness

Number of Pages: 244

ISBN: 9781625271525

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            Why surround yourself with the best? Because it matters—in all aspects of life.
In fact, in professional environments, getting people right—what global leadership authority Claudio Fernández-Aráoz calls “the art of great ‘who’ decisions”—marks the difference between success and failure. To thrive, you need to identify those with the highest potential, get them in your corner and on your team, and help them grow. Yet surprisingly very few of us are able to meet that challenge.
This series of short and engaging essays outlines the obstacles to great “who” decisions and offers solutions to address them in a systematic way. Drawing from several decades of experience in global executive search and talent development, as well as the latest management and psychology research, Fernández-Aráoz offers wisdom and practical advice to improve the choices we make about employees and mentors, business partners and friends, top corporate leaders and even elected officials.
The personal stories and cutting-edge studies described in the book will help you understand both your own failings and the external forces commonly at play in staffing decisions. The author shares concrete recommendations on how to select the best people, bring out their strengths, foster collective greatness in the groups you’ve assembled, and create not only better organizations but also a better society.
Starting with the cases of Amazon pioneer Jeff Bezos and Brazilian tycoon Roger Agnelli and continuing with individual and corporate examples from around the world, Fernández-Aráoz paints a vivid picture of what great “who” decisions look like and presents a fresh and commanding argument about why they matter more than ever today.

My Read:

            ‘Success is rooted in relationships, in the people around you…in order to succeed, it’s not the how or the what but the who.”-page 5 This saying bears some truth in life. Sometimes a good way to learn about a person is to know whom s/he hangs out with the most. Isn’t there a saying “Birds of the same feathers flock together?”

            “’At most companies, people spend 2 percent of their time recruiting and 75 percent managing their recruiting mistakes.’ It happens in life with poorly chosen friends and romantic partners, as well as at the office.” –page 24 This saying is worth of our time to ponder and reflect upon.

            “Candor and concern for those around you are two essential moral obligations of any leader.”-page 25 It’s obviously true to me.

            Chapter 36 is titled “Lone Wolves Starving.” Are you a lone wolf feeling lonely and alone in the workplace? It’s a good question to ask the self if one feels and consider herself an A player.

            There are plenty of real life stories and cases in the book. Of course, I told to myself, it would feel great to work with A players. An A player, herself, will be attracted by another A player for they would share similar work morals, attitudes, values and goals. If such encounter did take place between two people one would feel an untold spark or a chord been struck with joy. It’s similar to certain smell a hound would pick up from the keen nose and sixth sense. Such joy would arise from nowhere; it takes two to strike. Like two coins; it takes two coins to make sounds.

            Reading this book got me wondered about life. There are books talking about 20/80 rules. I wonder if I could break the 20/80 rule at some areas of my life. It won’t hurt to give it a try, I challenged myself. It would be an interesting year. Let’s see!

February Read/2

Title: The Body in the Library
Author: Christie, Agatha
Genre: Mystery
Book Description from amazon.com:
     The Queen of Mystery has come to Harper Collins! Agatha Christie, the acknowledged mistress of suspense—creator of indomitable sleuth Miss Marple, meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and so many other unforgettable characters—brings her entire oeuvre of ingenious whodunits, locked room mysteries, and perplexing puzzles to Harper Paperbacks. The Body in the Library, dressed in an evening gown and quite dead, is a stranger to the respectable Bantrys…so they invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate.
My Read:
It's another wonderful read of a classic Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie. Miss Marple is a keen and skillful observer who is good at detecting human nature. Page 97 said it all: "Human nature is very much the same anywhere, Sir Henry."

Fabruary Read

Title: The Tuesday Club Murders

Author: Christie, Agatha

Call Number: F

Genre: Mystery

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            The unifying premise for this short story collection is the Tuesday Club: six people who meet socially one evening at Jane Marple's home and then decide to meet regularly each Tuesday night to solve a mystery which a group member must relate.

My Read:

            It’s about “human nature,” said Miss Marple again and again through the book upon each case the book listed. There are three main categories one could always include in a murder or crime case. The cause of a murder could come from 1) love/hatred, 2) money/financial issue, and 3) revenge/eye for eye.

            It’s been years that I read all Miss Christie’s mystery books. It’s also the first translated mystery author I came across in my college life. Back then, hardly did I know anything about fiction for I was told to focus on academic study. It’s a random pick from the store that was forced to close due to some financial issue. Years later I read the books in English for it’s the only author I have known. Now I pick up the same author to enjoy reading. This time I know why I like Agatha Christie’s books.

            Her stories are told pretty straightforward meaning there is no extra unnecessary detail distracting readers. I felt like reading classic books: the stories are cleanly and clearly told. Though English is still a learned one I felt like I could own a taste of beautiful art of language. It’s a good read. At the same time readers got to realize more about human nature. Reading Miss Christie’s books invites me to ponder upon human nature and how imperfect the human beings are.

January Read/Ruby

Title: How a Library Work

Call Number: J027.4 S862H 2013

Title: Out and About At the Public Library

Call Number: J027.4 S 539O 2006

Ruby's notes and quotes from reading the two books:

There is a O'Hare Public Library in the little town of O'Hare. Stew Rabbit is a new visitor there, he bumps into a owl who works at the library and shows Stew how the place works.

    Checkout desk - You can get a library card, return books that you read, and check out or borrow new books.

 

    Sections - There are many different areas for different functions. Nonfiction and Fiction sections are for books. You can also use computers or tablets in the library. Multimedia area is for DVDs, Audiobooks and CDs. Most libraries have a separate children's section that includes books, magazines and DVDs especially for kids.

    Call number - Each library book has its own call number on its spine. The number tells where the book belongs, that means the book's address. All fiction books are shelved in alphabet order by the author's last name. Nonfiction call numbers have numbers and letters. Many libraries put books in order using the Dewey Decimal System. This system groups books by subject.

    You can keep books from library for three weeks, Videos and DVDs are checked out for one week, then they are due back. Something is overdue if it's not returned by its due date. At many libraries, you pay a fine for each day it's late. Libraries charge fines to help users remember to return things they borrow.

January Read/2

Title: The Monogram Murders: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery

Author: Hannah, Sophie

Subject: Mystery

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            Since the publication of her first novel in 1920, more than two billion copies of Agatha Christie's books have been sold around the globe. Now, for the first time ever, the guardians of her legacy have approved a brand-new novel featuring Dame Agatha's most beloved creation, Hercule Poirot.
Internationally bestselling author Sophie Hannah breathes new life into the incomparable detective. In this thrilling tale, Poirot plunges into a mystery set in 1920s London—a diabolically clever puzzle that will test his brilliant skills and baffle and delight longtime Christie fans and new generations of readers discovering him for the first time. Authorized by Christie's family, and featuring the most iconic detective of all time, this instant Christie classic is sure to be celebrated by mystery lovers the world over.
My Read:
            Agatha Christie is the first few author I came across in college reading translated fictions. The reason got me into reading her books is pretty straightforward and practical; her books were on sale at the store I visited. Later as I came to the U.S. Agatha Christie was also the first author I read fictions in English. The book I like the most is titled “A Murder Is Announced.” I still remember the pages describing the scene: people gathered in the room, light was turned off then back, a murder was committed when the light came back. People’s memories, like layers of onion were peeling off, came back as questions were asked and answers were followed by more questions. It’s pretty classic to me: beautifully plotted and stories were told revealing human beings’ imperfect traits.
            This book reminds me of Agatha Christie. Back then, when I was a young student, I didn’t know why I like Agatha Christie’s books. Last night I came to realize why. It’s a good reading experience.