I’m struggling at the moment to settle into a book – never quite sure why. My brain’s a little frazzled at the moment – it always is at this time of year, the time of students getting closer to exam leave starting, meaning that I’m up to my eyeballs in marking. Thank goodness I’m a Maths teacher (i.e. no essays) otherwise I’ve no idea how I’d cope.
Anyway, to pass the time away, I’d thought I’d set you a Bank Holiday Weekend challenge. It’s May Day in the UK, a Spring holiday with its origins far back in various pagan traditions. So while we Brits practise dancing round the maypole, here’s a little quiz – my version of the game that seems to be clogging up my Facebook feed.
So, in tribute to Rich over at Past Offences finally completing his reading of the entire Crime Writers’ Association Top 100, here’s a list of ten classic crime novels, nine of which I haven’t read and one which I have. The challenge is simple: which one of these books have I read? And the book that I read was pre-blog btw…
- Raymond Chandler – The Big Sleep
- Dashiell Hammett – The Maltese Falcon
- Dorothy L Sayers – Gaudy Night
- Francis Iles – Malice Aforethought
- John Buchan – The Thirty-Nine Steps
- Margery Allingham – The Tiger In The Smoke
- Patricia Highsmith – Strangers On A Train
- Reginald Hill – Deadheads
- P D James – A Taste For Death
- Nicholas Blake – The Beast Must Die
No prizes, just a bit of fun. Honest. Happy May Day everyone!
Oh, and as a bonus round – how many of the Crime Writers’ Association Top 100 Mystery Novels have I actually read?
In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel 
I’ve only read 20 of the CWA Top 100, so I could play this game, too! (Frankly, there aren’t many on the list that I feel I MUST read for the first time! Too many other goodies abound!)
Since all the people on your list are British except #2, I’m going to go with The Maltese Falcon as the one you didn’t read . . . yet! (It’s really good!)
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Of course, I mean you HAVE read Maltese Falcon and ignored all the British authors. That clinches how wrong I am!!!! 🙂
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Definitely incorrect reasoning – not saying if you’re right or wrong though…
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I have read 5 of those…you may have read the Christie, but if not…
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Which Christie?
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I’d reckon you’ve read the Buchan as a school set book.
Is my guess.
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Good deductive theorising. But while I’m not saying that you’re right or wrong, I should have been so lucky as to have read Buchan at school…
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We did Greenmantle when I was a kid, yahey!
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Quick look through the top 100 and I know I’ve read at least 72 of the books….I would think you’ve read at least that many!
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You have a better memory than me! I know I’ve read 64 of them, but over at least half of the others, probably more like two-thirds, I simply cannot remember: was that particular book among the Keatings I read, or the Bretts, or the Waughs, or the Prices, or the Hills . . .?
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I’ve read only four but I will go for The Beast Must Die, as the one you have read. Just a shot in the dark, I’m afraid.
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Given your penchant for a certain period of books, I’d say you’ve read John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps. I am amazed that you have not read all these books! : }
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I am going to guess Patricia Highsmith. It’s an insignificant hunch.
How many of those books have you read? I will guess 57.
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I think I’ll give the answer in my Book Of The Month post in a few days time. No-one’s got the number right so far… No comment on the book.
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I think you’ve read Reginald Hill’s Deadheads. My reasoning is based on the fact that you’ve made reference a few times in your blog to having read several Hill books pre-blog. As for the CWA list, I’m going to guess you’ve read 43 titles (for what it’s worth, I’ve read 39). I tried going through and guessing whether you’d read each book based on what things you seem to like to read, going by the blog entries. I suspect there are a number of titles and authors that wouldn’t be your cup of tea, but also several you haven’t gotten to yet. Yes, I know, I’m sure I’m dead wrong!
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” It’s May Day in the UK, a Spring holiday with its origins far back in various pagan traditions”
Here, May Day is celebrated as International Workers’ Day.
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The book you have read is Deadheads by Reginald Hill.
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Because? Not saying if you’re right or wrong, just curious as to your reasoning…
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In your post dated 30th July 2015 on Child’s Play by Reginald Hill, you have written,”I didn’t like Deadheads”
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Blimey. Is that from memory or Google?
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I keep telling everyone: Santosh knows everything!
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I know. I’m 90% sure that he didn’t need to look it up…
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Santosh, you continue to amaze 😀
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To be fair, if you type Deadheads into the search bar, you do find that post. Although knowing Santosh’s powers of recall, he probably didn’t do that.
I’d checked in advance googling the blog and “Deadheads” and nothing came up so I thought I was safe…
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