Welcome to Litsy!

This was a fascinating look at the poisons, featured in many of her novels. It's quite detailed so was a bit heavy at times but I loved all the references. It's careful not to issue too many spoilers but I've read most so it didn't worry me, it just sparked a need to re-read the books. 4*

Sat in my car in the chilly Norfolk sunshine waiting for my daughter to finish getting some more time in for #JoyousJanuary readathon. Its not been a lot of reading but two books finished so far. Tagged above I started today after a visit to our brilliant library.

Chemist Kathryn Harkup looks into the different poisons Agatha Christie used in her books; how they work, are there any antidotes, real life cases and how they work in the selected books.

The chemistry in is this went over my head, but I still found this very interesting. Christie took the medical dispensary exam during WWI so she knows her poisons.

Harkup is very aware of spoilers so where she spoils the murder she will let you know.

A little science-y but SUPER interesting and a book I can't wait to (jokingly) tell people is one of my most-used reference manuals

Roll 47 for #Roll100

#AutumnPlease #Day30 #Poison A non fiction about the Queen of Poison herself, Dame Agatha & all the different ways she used them in her books. #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 6pts

#ScarathlonDailyPrompts #Day17 #Poison This is a NF all about the different poisons used in Dame Agatha novels. I‘ve only read some of it, it got put back on my #MountTBRShelvesOfDoom & forgotten for awhile but what I did read was fascinating. Covid fog stopped me from reading a lot of great books this year! #Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter 6pts

#ScarathlonDailyPrompts #Poison
@StayCurious

Book-related PSA! Apparently the dye used to make books like the ones pictured green contains arsenic. While I found this interesting, I also wanted to shout out to any collectors of older books (I‘m thinking of @LeahBergen , but I know there are others), so you can check your shelves.

https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/science/article/these...

A witty exchange from my current read ...

Very thorough but came off a bit dry in parts. I wanted something a bit more readable and this seemed a bit more like a reference book. It‘s excellent and well researched but, let‘s be honest, you‘re here for the Christie and not the science.

Promising beginning as far as A and B go anyway. Here's to spending my morning with the poisons of Agatha Christie

@Andrew65 I hope you accept this as it's technically not a series, but I think it is, as each of Kathryn's books focus on one specific author.

Day 2 #20series20days

Another latecomer to the party but better late than never!

1. Alice In Wonderland🐇
2. Sarah Addison Allen🍎
3. Alien👽
4. AC/DC⚡️
5. Ava Adore-Smashing Pumpkins🎃

#ManicMonday #LetterA

📖 Atonement
🖋Austen, Jane
🎬Arrested Development (season 1-3 only)
🎤Avery Brothers
🎼Across the Universe

#ManicMonday #LetterA @JoScho

So so so good!! I‘d recommend it to people who love Christie or are just fascinated by poisons — or both, obviously. There‘s a bit of history, a little literature and a chunk of science. I loved it! 🧪

#nfnov

“The seeds or pits of plants of the genus Prunus all contain cyanide; the stones or pips of peaches, cherries, apples and bitter almonds can be particularly dangerous and potentially lethal in large quantities.” ☠️

#til #nfnov

#ChillingPhotoChallenge #day14 #Poison Poison is used quite a lot in Dame Agathas work. The first book of hers I ever read when I was 11yrs old was Sparkling Cyanide in which a young wife is poisoned in her champagne at a dinner. There was also poison used in Five Little Pigs, Three Act Tragedy & Hickory Dickory Dock, just to name a few. This book is all about those poisons used. #Scareathlon #TeamSlaughter 1point #PointsTotal-462

Thanks to @LeahBergen I have the perfect book for today‘s #ScreamathonPhotoChallenge - #poison 🖤

An in depth look at the science behind the poisons Agatha Christie used in some of her novels, with sections on history, antidotes, and real life cases. Very interesting stuff as Christie had a background in pharmacology so her descriptions of poisons were usually accurate. I love the cover too!

#covercrush(es) round 2 for Kathryn Harkup's books.

Fancy playing for Jace @JenlovesJT47 ? Simply post 7 covers over 7 days that Jace loves without any explanation and tag a new litten each day.

#BookMailPt1 I have over a week of mail to get through, so bear with me. The most dangerous thing to my budget is that Booktopia now has Afterpay(online layby) but it makes it easier to pay them off instead of a lump sum. This book I had to add to my Dame Agatha collection, I actually bought it for my #cupidgoespostal before seeing she has it already. Win for me! Written by a scientist, she talks about the poisons used by Dame Agatha & company.

I think no author knows as much poisons as Dame Agatha Christie did. 🤔 #septemberdanes #poison

This book was a gift from @batsy , which I hope won‘t have to wait for me too long.

As expected, not a great reading month for me with only 6 books, but 3 of them were #litsyclassics so that's good at least. Looking forward to more reading in September! #augustwrapup #stats

Been in a bit of a book slump and this is exactly what I needed. Science, history, mystery, and Agatha! The author does a really great job of explaining the chemistry behind the poisons which I thought was really fascinating (I'm a chemist though so may be biased) Would highly recommend!

My lovely friend @batsy ordered me a book. This is straight from my TBR wishlist. Thanks so much, Suba! ❤️🤗

It‘s for plotting, I promise.
~
#authorlife #lovemyjob💻 #amplotting #agathachristie #cozymystery #ilovecozies #research

A bargain to add to my Agatha Christie shelves 🎉🎉

Hey all the #Agathachristie fans! This when I first started reading Christie. My stack has easily doubled since then. I am curious
1. What was your first Christie book?
2. Which is your favorite?
3. Have you read any of the books inspired by/retelling?

You know you are seriously considering writing as a career when you start collecting research books!

#ChemicalHeart

Digitalis is a poison that is often used to treat certain heart conditions and plays a starring role 😉 in a few Agatha Christie stories.

Check out the above exchange between Lady Astor and Churchill. 😂😂

#MarchIntoOz

This would be a helpful little guide for a #criminal . 😉

#FierceFeb

Perhaps not the most reassuring read when you have a terrible cough and your (doctor) mother gives you something to "shut you up"... ?

Fascinating stuff, though. I love that it explains biochemically how each poison works. It's not just an analysis of Christie's work, at all. (BTW, it also doesn't spoil the stories!)

Is there anything better than a sale at one of your local indies?If you get to Scottsdale ,AZ.check out the Poisoned Pen! Mystery specialist with first and rare editions as well, also official Diana Gabaldon hangout, they have events for her and signed books in stock usually.

#RaiseYourGlass ...or, erhm, I mean, better check it for arsenic. And, if you smell bitter almonds, and know it's not almond milk, maybe there's cyanide.

As a mystery lover, and a fan of Agatha Christie, this book is perfect. Learn about the poisons one can find in Christie's books. I'll drink to that...or maybe not... #augustgrrrl

@LiteraryinLititz are you familiar with this book? I came across it a couple weeks back but haven't checked it out yet.

First thought for #Poison. I want to write my own mystery novels, hence the post it notes - the book is a good introduction to the more familiar poisons Dame Agatha used. #90sinJuly @Cinfhen @Robothugs

5 ⭐

The Queen of Crime we know, has written many creative ways of murder in her books, but no method was used as many and as impressively as death by #poison. All the titles featured here involved death by poisoning! ☠️
#90sinjuly @Cinfhen @Robothugs

#bookhaul, Toronto edition. I must have been in a mood for dastardly deeds and murder most foul! Made it to Indigo and Ben McNally. Not pictured: Meddling Kids, which Ben McN did not have 😢 I'll snap that up on my Kindle instead!

Not even an hour home from vacation, and the mailman delivers my (physical) book order from Amazon Prime day! #bookmail

Hanging out at the DMV... #waiting

Look at how my favorite reading place as bloomed! I have wasps and a butterfly for company #heronhaven #wetland #nature #insectsareyourfriends

My goodreads group "science and inquiry" is reading this for July. #poison #groups #nonfiction

I love my new A notebook!!! ❤📚 And (not pictured because I had to hide it from my cat since it makes noise) my super awesome black cat pen!!!😻✏Thanks again @CrowCAH

I love this concept!

A deep and engaging read, I now know so much more about poisons than I did before. This book in no way spoils the mysteries from Agatha Christie's works, but only enhances them that'll make you scramble to read her works. Definitely one of my favorite reads from the year.

Check out my full review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1401135001

FOR ALL THE GEEKS OUT THERE. There is a book that is a collection of Christie's poisons explained by the chemical and medical point of view 😍
If you love science and #crimefiction this is for you🤓

Real life inspires fiction inspires real life.

This book made my nerdy heart happy. Harkup is a scientist and does an excellent job of explaining the minute workings of the different poisons. For each, she gives a history, shares real life cases, and explains how Christie used the poison in her stories. She is carefulow to not give away any plot spoilers and if she does, she gives you ample warning. I also loved how she wove in pop-science facts like how Cyanide is used in making Cyanotypes.