Murder in Three Acts

I chose to read Murder in Three Acts by Agatha Christie on the suggestion of another author of crime fiction. However, much to my dismay, I am unable to recall the author that suggested this book. I do recall reading, however, that the author said Murder in Three Acts was one of his (or her) favorites and that it defines the genre. I could hardly pass up such a recommendation. As someone who enjoys detective stories, it seemed like the perfect novel to add to my reading queue.

I rather enjoyed Murder in Three Acts, having only read one Christie novel before this. That, of course, was Murder on the Orient Express. This book also features her famous detective Hercule Poirot, who is pulled into the investigation rather late into the story. In fact, he almost plays a supporting role in the book, until the very end. The story is well written, with rather intriguing characters, and a plot that will keep the reader engaged in the story. It centers around two murders that feature the same witness, and consequently suspects. I had my suspicions about who the murderer would turn out to be, but must say it was only that. A hunch.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys crime novels, especially those set in the past.

Murder in Three Acts

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon

I picked up My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon, by Bart Yasso on a bit of a whim. I had just finished Again to Carthage and was finding books on running to be rather inspirational. So, while perusing Amazon, I saw this book and decided to purchase a copy. As an avid reader of Runner's World, I am familiar with Bart Yasso and decided to give it a shot. Soon after receiving it, however, I pulled a muscle in my right leg rather badly and had to take some time off running. I found the idea of reading books about running while being unable to run rather depressing, so this book sat on the shelf for a while.

I picked it up maybe four days ago and have managed to read it fairly quickly, despite being in professional staff training for approximately 12 hours a day. However, I have recently started running ago (no more than 3 miles, and at dreadfully slow paces), so I thought the book might prove to be somewhat inspirational as I make my return to running. I really enjoyed Bart's conversational writing style and the stories he chose to tell. He talks about being unathletic and wanting his father's approval (something to which I can loosely relate), his addition with drugs and alcohol (and how running saved him), as well as memorable trips around the globe to run races. The back of the book also has recommended training plans from Bart and a list of suggested races to run, both domestically and abroad.

All in all, it was a good book to ease me back into running and provide some inspiration. It even fueled my wanderlust and desire to find interesting races to run in unique parts of the world.

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insight of a Road Racing Icon