@Jo, I'm actually very familiar with the FotF radio theatre drama of The Secret Garden; it tends to be rarer for me to be more familiar with an adaptation than the source material, but it was that case here. I will be curious to hear what you think of the Alicia Appleman book - I'm not familiar with her, but it sounds like a worthy account to read about.

I got my chapter 22 last week, @SnowAngel, but I didn't look at it closely enough to see the "24". I also haven't see anything about new hardcovers, but that doesn't sound good. :[]
Oh, yes, that can be a problem with Christie! I've generally liked the Tommy & Tuppence books (though, I think there's one I haven't read still) - even when the mysteries aren't necessarily my favourites, they're great characters.
Alas about the books you left behind at the bookstore (hurrah for Richard Scarry!)! I hope they'll still be there the next time you go.
I know I've read one (or maybe two?) of the The Man from U.N.C.L.E. novels - I think it may've been The Doomsday Affair as I had a similar reaction to it. Hopefully the next one(s) will be better!
Glad you're enjoying your current nonfiction read, even if it's been slow.

I recently read The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty; it was much shorter than The Cat of Bubastes but felt similarly sloggish and suffered from bouncing between a historical narrative and telling a separate story. But I think it was even worse than Cat in that the protagonist was the best at everything and always succeeded, even to the point of being instrumental in saving England and Paris multiple times - he should've left a mark on the historical record if he was real. He also sure went after Danish ships and men for booty an awful lot for someone who claimed he only fought to defend England.   And then there was

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telling Freda that of course she would become a Christian and abandon her "barbarous" gods and people when they got married, though she rightly immediately told him that his God seemed good, but she'd like to know more about Him before she decided to follow Him.