Sleeping Murder and 7 Mondays

 Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple takes on an eighteen year old mystery when a young woman, Glenda, has unnerving flashbacks after moving into the house where she lived as a child. Her father's young wife disappeared years ago and was rumored to have run off with another man, but her husband believed himself guilty of murdering her and Glenda has had a brief flashback of a dead body on the front hall floor. Glenda and her husband, alarmed but intrigued, are happy to have Miss Marple's assistance with a quiet investigation into who knew what and when, and how it all fits together. 

I'm afraid didn't find it particularly interesting, but I do like the Miss Marple stories generally. This was a bit flat, with a lot of repetitive conversations and characters who weren't quite likeable. Not one of the better ones.       

7 Mondays by Students of Mount A. University

This is Vol. 27 of a journal showcasing literary and photographic art by students of Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B. I haven't read any of the previous volumes, in fact I didn't know of their existence, but I was kindly given this one by a friend and found it interesting. I'm not an avid fan of modern poetry - I can seldom unravel the cryptic language to get to the message beneath - but there were some interesting ones here. 

One in particular called Dear Mr. Irving is addressed to the family of mill owners cutting down our New Brunswick forests. In it the narrator, a tree, reminds them that we need trees to cleanse the air and help us breathe, and warns what the consequences might be if too many are lost. It makes a good point, but I know too little about the situation to know if the scenario suggested is a real possibility. I've read about the Irving company re-planting trees and working at forest management, but how effective those efforts are against what is being taken from the forests I don't know. 

Again, I didn't understand some of these poems, but I am glad the students have the opportunity to put their art out there. Poetry often doesn't get a fighting chance, so it's nice to see it still being written and read.