Read Christie 2023: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Read Christie 2024?

Read Christie 2024 is the official reading challenge from Agatha Christie Ltd, which explores 12 stories throughout the year. This year's theme is Agatha Christie: Through the Decades. We select 12 books to cover in detail, writing an introductory article at the start of each month. We then explore themes covered in this story, share facts, trivia, an audio clip, and images of the various editions published in the past and present around the world throughout the month. If a theme has plenty of books to choose from, we might cover them in a reading list, or if it is a popular favourite we might seek opinions on why this is so from an expert. We usually finish the month with a live typed Q&A with readers on our Facebook and Instagram pages, discussing what they liked and found interesting about the book. 

What do I need to do to join in?

To join in you simply need to print or download the Read Christie 2024 challenge postcard. This will be sent in your welcome email if you are a new subscriber, or in your December 27th newsletter if you already receive our emails. You can sign up to our newsletter here. We have published a list of the 12 books we will be reading, so you are welcome to follow our lead, or select your own based on the prompts. The complete list of stories we have chosen can be found on our Read Christie 2024 page.

How do I know which stories fit each category?

Each month, alongside our official choice, we offer alternative titles for readers to choose from which fit the categories. These are published in our Read Christie 2024 article which will go live in January, as well as in the monthly newsletter. 

Where can I share my opinions of the books I read for the challenge?

We post about the books on our X, Facebook and Instagram channels each week, so we encourage you to share your thoughts and observations on the books there. If you want to join in on Instagram, simply use the hashtag #ReadChristie2024 and tag us (@officialagathachristie) so we can see your posts. We also share plenty of reader reviews and photos via our Instagram feed too. As a general rule, we host two live conversations on the last Thursday of the month on Facebook and Instagram. These happen at 9am and 5pm (GMT) to accommodate multiple time-zones. We post an image of the book, and then type questions about it in the comments section. Over the course of the hour we respond to your thoughts and encourage you to interact with other fans. If you want to cover your choice on your blog don’t forget to tag our social channels so we can read them too.

I only discovered this challenge part way through the year, can I still join in?

You are welcome to join the challenge at any time throughout the year. If you go to our Read Christie 2024 article you can download your own postcard, see which book we are currently reading, and when our next book club is scheduled for. If you want, you can catch up on the previous months' books or just start at the month you've joined.

Are the books provided for the challenge?

We do not provide free books for participants, however there is no need to purchase 12 new books to join in. You may select stories which you already own (in print, via an eReader, or on audiobook), borrow the titles from a library or e-lending service, or make the most of the occasional promotional discounts we share on our social media to get your hands on them. If you do want to buy the books, then feel free! It might be a nice excuse to buy a few titles you don’t yet have in your collection.

I haven’t received my downloadable postcard?

Are you signed up to the Agatha Christie monthly newsletter? If not, sign up here to receive your challenge postcard.

If you signed up before the 27th December, you should have received it on December 27th in your last newsletter. We will also be re-sending it in our January newsletter, for those who might have been too busy during the holiday season to check their emails.

I would like a printed postcard. Can I have one?

Owing to the large volume of applicants, we have been unable to send printed postcards to all that applied for the challenge. We hope you can still join us by printing out the downloadable card at home, in the office, or at a library. If you can’t access a printer by any of these methods, please email [email protected] with the subject line ‘Read Christie 2024: Can’t Print’, as we have reserved a few printed copies to be sent out to people in this situation.

If there’s anything you want to know which we haven’t covered in this FAQ just email [email protected] with the subject line 'Read Christie: FAQs', and we’ll try to help, and update the answers accordingly.