It's been a busy book week, in part because I finished one book and started three this afternoon. Two of those books are going to be on the back-burner a while so it's fine, actually

Just Finished

Roseanna — Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö

The first book I've read based on this thread. I liked it, but didn't love it. Reading it side-by-side with a Christie, I definitely appreciated its more workmanlike tone as the murder gets investigated through months of hard and often-fruitless work. I found myself increasing the pace of my own reading as the dragnet started to close in, so I was pretty excited about it but then I didn't especially like the action of the climax. I also think '50s Swedes should learn more about their rights and not just take it on faith that they have to answer cops' questions (though I guess I don't have any idea how the Swedish legal system works). I'll probably try another book in the series after I've made it through some other suggestions

Black Coffee — Agatha Christie/Charles Osborne

I think I might have read this one years ago but I'm not really sure. This one is an adaptation of a play Christie wrote and you can tell. As it has been given the full novelization treatment and Poirots often aren't action-packed, I didn't think it would be as obvious as it is with film adaptations of plays, but I think I would have guessed it even if the book didn't tell me. The way events keep happening with characters entering the room moments after others leave has stage pacing and it is noticeable that any event outside the room is left either implied or is described later by another character. Honestly, I find it charming.

Currently Reading

New Books

Around the World in Eighty Days — Jules Verne

I decided I was going to read this in time with the 80 Days race but apparently this book isn't broken down by day. I had just sort of assumed this would be written as a daily journal or otherwise would cleanly delineate the journey by day. I'll work something out.

The Burglar in the Closet — Lawrence Block

@swizzard recommended this series. I'm 2 chapters in and, just as promised, there's a burglar in a closet. Seems like this will be fun

The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing, 1450–1800 — Lucien Febvre & Henri-Jean Martin

Back in 2015, I started a non-fiction book club with friends and we read some stuff before it fizzled out in 2017. This was the book we were supposed to read next. A few days ago, @iiiiiii suggested seeing if another friend still wanted to read this with us. They did and now our book club is back after a 5-year hiatus. We haven't worked out timing on reading this but I had to read the intro because I'm excited