Or cracker dog! ACGaS opens with Herriot up to his shoulder in a cow.
Then all is right with the world.
I appreciate that Gaudy Night is highly regarded, and it’s certainly well-written, but it just wasn’t for me. My problem was that Sayers had at least four big themes running through the book, and crime-solving certainly wasn’t the most prominent. Also, I have never warmed up to Peter Wimsey as a character. He’s just too perfect, and his relationship with Harriet Vane is really cringe-worthy.
Nice to hear Ruth Rendell’s praise for Josephine Tey. I have great respect for both of them as writers. I’ve read most of Tey, and I’m really looking forward to reading The Franchise Affair next. So far Brat Farrar is my favorite.
LOL!
Every now and then my dog will get a sudden burst of energy, and do tight circles on the bed or repeatedly jump onto/down from something. Whenever that happens, I tell her she’s gone crackerdog. 
Finished Stars In My Pocket Like Grains Of Sand, by Samuel R. Delaney. It has two, maybe three good stories in it surrounded by 300+ pages of padding.
Now I’m reading Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, which I’m enjoying so far.
You and me both!
I finished reading a novel called Not of This Fold. Part of a mystery series about a woman named Linda Wallheim who is the wife of a Mormon bishop. She has a lot of issues with the church, and that part is very interesting; she’s a well developed character. She also does some really really dumb things in attempting to solve the crime. The mystery part is fairly forgettable, but as a novel it works well.
I read most of the Wimsey novels during my teenage “classic mystery” bingeing years during the 70s, but I skipped the Harriet Vane books because, even as a callow youth, I could not picture Lord Peter as a romantic hero. Beginning last summer, I decided to go back and fill that gap.
Strong Poison had one of the cleverest murder plans ever. Bonus points for keeping Harriet in jail through most of the book.
Have His Carcase was less of a tour de force of criminology, but presented Harriet as a human and engaging personality. When she wore the flirty dress on the picnic and the big lug tried to kiss her, I was right there with Peter when he was ready to punch the lug’s nose. I would have held his coat, anyway.
Gaudy Night was, as Rough Draft said, off in all directions. I was mainly interested in the portrayal of weirdo female academics at Oxford in the mid-30s, and Sayers did that well, but Harriet kinda faded into the background and the mystery plot was uninvolving. Peter being away on the continent singlehandedly solving the forthcoming WWII was really irritating. Peter being fawned over by everyone at Oxford was worse. The pretentious Latin proposal and acceptance did not help.
Enjoy The Franchise Affair.. Warning: as in Gaudy Night, there is no murder.
Repeatedly. 
His description of trying to get a semen sample from a bull is classic. I still cannot read that story without putting the book down and burying my face in a pillow so I don’t disturb the household with gales of laughter.
And the poor dog with mange. He tried for weeks to help her, and finally realized he couldn’t.
I have The Franchise Affair on request from my library.
Also, I had an interesting coincidence last night. I was reading Ruth Rendell’s Harm Done, and in Chapter 5, Inspector Wexford specifically references The Franchise Affair as being similar to the case he’s currently working. He also appears to spoil the plot, but I guess I’ll just have to live with that.
Regarding Sayers and Peter Wimsey, I think I’ll read Have His Carcase because I’ve heard good things about it. That will make four of her books under my belt; maybe I’ll pass on the rest.
Another thought on Gaudy Night: The dog collar was the last straw for me!
Oh, god, I don’t remember the dog collar scene.
Please don’t tell me that Lord Peter made Harriet wear it for the marriage proposal.
Or vice versa.
Ha! Actually, Lord Peter did make Harriet wear it, but as a deterrent to strangulation attempts (yes, I rolled my eyes too).
This is horribly embarrassing to admit, but I read that scene thinking “Huh, danger of strangling…wear a sturdy piece of leather around the neck…yeah, that’d work.”
I am such an innocent little lamb. And Sayers is one dirty old broad.
I finished The Lost Man. I enjoyed the journey very much, but when I had the answer to the mystery, I could see all the pieces fit together…but I didn’t believe it in my heart. Anyway, still a good book although I can tell you I won’t be marrying any Australian blokes anytime soon!
Today I read nearly all of The Test by Sylvain Neuvel. It’s a very fast-paced novella about a man taking a citizenship test which is scored according to his actions in a simulation.
Finished Woodward’s Fear: Trump in the White House, which seems oddly appropriate right now, and passed it on to my wife.
I’ve veered from my original intent, and am now reading the Isaac Asimov story collection The Bicentennial Man*, which I hadn’t read when it first came out. Reading the second volume of his autobiography made me realize that I was missing a lot of his SF oeuvre by not reading this. I’ll come back to the Hunley later.
*Besides, I’ve seen the movie, but not read the story. There are a couple of commercial movies supposedly adapted from his work, and a few indie and student films more closely adapted, but this film "feels’ more like an Asimov story than any other one I’ve seen.
So this week… I got sick and that lead to a lot of reading. Since Monday, I’ve read:
Think of England by KJ Charles, a m/m romance/espionage/Victorian house party with blackmail, sabotage and lots of nookie.
The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles, Victorian magic and hijinks in a country estate with a rather unusual lord at the helm (m/m)
Remnant by KJ Charles & Jordan L Hawk ummmm more Victorian m/m magic and shenanigans, though this time, in part, in a museum…
Color of You by CS Poe, modern m/m story of a band director who moves to a small town and meets the love of his life. The story was a bit rushed and would have benefitted greatly from more time taken with the romance and the development of Merlin’s relationship with his students. But still a sweet read.
Proper English by KJ Charles. More Victorian hijinks and murder in a country house but this time it’s f/f 
And I am currently blazing through the 7th Sandman Slim volume Killing Pretty. Stark needs to figure out who tried to kill Death. (Please tell me it was Terry Pratchett) (Kadrey aaaaalllllllmoooost lost me at the prior volume, but Death pulled me back in)
Also reading The Inventor by Emily Organ. More Victorian, but a murder in London and no sign of any romance…
Finished Munich, by Robert Harris. Intrigue behind the scenes of the infamous September 1938 Munich conference, which Prime Minister Chamberlain said meant “Peace in our time!” upon his return to London. It was good but not his best. I like that Hitler’s supposed sexual relationship with his niece was touched on. Didn’t Cecil have a column on that?
Next up is The Kremlin’s Candidate, by Jason Matthews, the final installment of his Red Sparrow trilogy.
Finished Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. The plot wasn’t the most original, but the world building was interesting. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Just started The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
Finished The Test. It was just okay, but it was such a quick read I don’t feel the time was wasted. Nearly all the reviews over at Goodreads mention Black Mirror…I don’t even know what that is.
Anyhoo, onward. Today I started on The Invited by Jennifer McMahon. It’s a haunted house novel by an author whose work I’ve always enjoyed, so I’m quite happy this Monday morning!
nm
Just finished it. Pretty good, although Jack and his friend Dr. Maturin spend a big chunk of the novel as POWs in Boston.
Next up: Evan Thomas’s John Paul Jones, a bio of the biggest Revolutionary War hero of the U.S. Navy. It’s OK but not great so far.
The story is far better than the movie IMHO.
Not that I could find.