What is the weirdest thing about hobbies? From a personal perspective, it's how it just suddenly wells up and occupies a part of your life. Mine for a long time has been collecting Pokemon cards. Everyone remembers them right? A small rectangular card with funny little Pokemon Art and all those calculating moves and whatnot. That hobby died a long time ago. And before I knew it, another one just popped out of nowhere.

I was a month into my post-undergraduate completion period when it struck. Browsing the net for games to play to spend my downtime I came across an old game that had me and my cousins glued to the computer screen. DEATH ON THE NILE, a game where we had to find clues to solve a murder that took place on the river Nile. There’s a movie out about it now that I’m sure some of you have seen it. But that is not the point of my rather exhausting writing (rant? This kind of feels like one, no?).

So I went to see if I can find a way to download the game to my PC. It was then that I learned that the game was based on the events of a book by the same name written by an author name Agatha Christie. By then I had developed a thing for reading, having read the novels that inspired GAME OF THRONES and a series of books written by Rick Riordan that centred around the mythology of Greece, Rome, Norse and Egypt, all of which takes place in the present day. So I ordered the book from a Facebook page and began reading it the day it arrived.

And before I knew it I am now six books in somehow and wanting even more. The stories are engaging, all centring around murders and detectives who strive to solve them. My favourites are the Hercule Poirot cases that Agatha Christie has written, but I’m sure once I’m done with those I’ll read the other ones that she has as well.

But the funny thing about all of this is that I was never into detective-style media. Sure I watched White Collar, Brooklyn 99 (which is pure comedic genius if anyone asks me), Castle, Sherlock, and Person of Interest, but it was not something that held my attention for too long after I was done with them (except Brooklyn 99. Love that show). I would watch and eventually, the plots, characters and nuances would leave my head. 

But there was just something so cosy about these books, about how they just welcomed you in, took you through an experience and presented such turns that you're left speechless for a few moments as you connect the dots in your head and want to slap yourself silly for not connecting it sooner. And months after you’re done reading them, you just don’t forget easy!

I guess what they say is true, Agatha Christie is the Queen of her genre.