"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (1926) by Agatha Christie

Book: Agatha Christie "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (1926)

Robin wanted everyone to enjoy "A Slice of Old English Sponge", quite how the work of Woody Guthrie fitted in was never resolved.

Robin described his love of Agatha Christie. His dreams are often enlivened by the appearance of the Queen of Crime, so it was only a matter of time before he dragged this obsession in front of Hove's finest book group for further exploration.

Robin loved "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd". No surprise there given his love of all things Christie.

Like Robin, Roger Ackroyd was a man who knew too much. He knew the woman he loved had poisoned her first husband. He knew someone was blackmailing her – and now he knew she had taken her own life with a drug overdose. Soon the evening post would let him know who the mystery blackmailer was. But Ackroyd was dead before he’d finished reading it – stabbed through the neck where he sat in the study.

Dame Agatha's mysteries are ingenious. Like this country house Cluedo plot. Little wonder Agatha Christie is still Britain's most popular detective writer EVER.

8/10

At least Robin and Hamish still love me

What about the rest of HBG?

Tristan 3/10
Nick 6/10
Keith 5/10
Roland 4/10
Nigel 5/10
Hamish8/10
Robin 8/10

Music: Billy Bragg and Wilco ‘Mermaid Avenue’ (1998)

Mermaid Avenue is a 1998 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco. The project was the first of several such projects organized by Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie, original director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation.

Tristan 3/10
Nick - load of old shite (based on 1 listen)
Keith 5/10
Roland 4/10
Nigel 7/10
Hamish 7/10
Robin 7/10

Film: Howards End dir by James Ivory (1992) 

Coming hot on the heels of a BBC adaptation that many of us had seen, this version was compared unfavourably by some amongst the HBG tastemakers

Tristan 8/10

Nick - no score

Keith 6/10

Roland 8/10

Nigel 7/10

Hamish 7/10

Robin 8/10

Endorse It

Roland: She's Gotta Have It (TV - Netflix)

Nick: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (Book)

Nick : The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane  (Book)