Friday Reads - 5th Edition, A Sherlock Holmes Viewing Experience, and a Few Other Things...

Friday Reads 5th Edition

I only read the introduction to this book. I am supposed to read it for a buddy read this month, though, so I really should get around to it soon. I want to finish the Kingsolver first, though.

I didn't really need another short story collection, but this came in for me at the library and I decided to see about finishing it to post about on Valentine's day. It just seemed to be good timing.

I am really enjoying this book, but with all my other 'projects' it keeps getting pushed to the side. When I do read it I spend a bit of time with it, but obviously I need to spend a bit more!

This will probably be on here for the month. I am just reading a story or 2 here and there depending on how much time I have. I think this is going to be my method for the year because I have many short story collections that are unread.

This book continues to be rather interesting. For one thing, I think it is brave for people to share their experiences in such a public format. It also gives you things to think about. I like to say I am pretty open-minded, but there are times where I probably could be more so...

I am about halfway through this book and really enjoying it. I have been brain-storming ways to have even a little garden this year, which I do most years anyway, and I was explaining to the cc yesterday that I would really like to learn how to make cheese.

At the rate I am going this is going it will be 2013 before I finish it. It's my own fault. I never have enough hours in the day for everything that I want to do and I always have too many books on the go!

Watching BBC Sherlock Season 1: A Q & A About the Experience with Suey and Melissa.

Suey's Questions:

-- Favorite thing about this show?
Well, first up I am very happy that Sherlock Holmes is played by someone other than Robert Downey Jr. As much as I enjoy the movie versions he is just not who I had pictured for Holmes. I am a bit torn on the two actors playing Watson, though. They are both very different; but each have their strong points. On a more serious note, my favourite things about the show are the humour, creativity of changing the time period entirely and making it work, and the chemistry between Watson and Holmes. Obviously that ties into the humour over and over again, but what I actually mean is that the two actors work well together.

-- Least favorite thing about the show?
Okay, I am sure there is probably something, but nothing is really coming to mind at the moment.

-- Analyze the characters.
Well, first there is Sherlock. I think that he is played really well. I can picture the character that I have read about easily while watching him on the screen. He might not be a perfect casting choice, but that is the hard part about watching books become movies. I enjoy watching his mind work and his humour even if he is not necessarily trying to be funny. I think it is a good interpretation of how Sherlock works. Then, we have Watson. When I saw him in the very beginning I didn't really think he matched what I had always pictured as a Watson, but as I continued to watch I couldn't help thinking he captures the character very well. He is a perfect companion for Holmes and plays off him very well. I also enjoy that instead of writing their adventures into books he is blogging about it. I am just going to go with the two main characters.

-- How is this one different from other Sherlock shows?
I have to admit that I have only really watched Sherlock the one other time and that was just the Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law movies. I believe that their core the shows are very similar, but the writers also have their own interpretations of how to show it on the screen. Also, this show is actually British with British actors. The movies are not. They do have things like the humour, the connection of Holmes and Watson, etc in common, though.

-- Are you most into the stories? Or the characters? Or the actors?
I think it is a little bit of both. The stories really come together and I enjoy learning both the back stories and watching Holmes get to the bottom of the cases.  Then, I really enjoy both Holmes and Watson. They make the watching experience a lot of fun. And, in order for them to work so well they have to be played by wonderful actors. So, I enjoy all three.

My Questions:

-- Have you ever read the original novels? If so, how do you think the characters compare to those in the books? 
I have read some of the original books, but I haven't finished. I would like to catch-up this year, though. I have read enough to get an idea of the characters, though, and like I said above they might not be exactly as I pictured them, but they still have a lot going for them.

-- Which was your favourite episode of the 3?
I think the very first one was my favourite just because I enjoyed the puzzle of it all. But then, I also enjoyed when Moriarty was introduced through a voice on the phone and Holmes had to solve puzzles to save them all. I really think all three episodes had redeeming qualities that made them all very enjoyable overall.

-- Did you like how the show is set in the present day?
I love it! I think it opens up much more creativity for the show to break away a bit from the 'common' story. It also opens up the door for new technology. In the very first episode when they are having a press conference and Sherlock keeps sending text messages to all of the reporters telling them the police are wrong is priceless. This is not something that would have been possible if they had set it in the past.

-- What do you think of how while Sherlock is thinking words appear on the screen instead of the watcher being left in the dark.
I love this idea! The guy does, too. I like watching how Sherlock comes up with his ideas. The way that he thinks is wonderful. We should all be more observant!

-- What do want to see in the second season?
Well, I am going to be obvious and just say I want to know how the cliff-hanger ending is addressed.

Final Thoughts: This was fun! I don't watch a lot of things as a group, so I was excited to do something a bit different. If you have read my blog with any regularity you will notice that I enjoy buddy reads, so this was the next possible step. I also think we chose a great show to try this with. I look forward to more review with Suey and Melissa in the future, but also to more Sherlock!

Then, I just wanted to inform everyone that there will be the first months wrap-up post on Lu's blog today. Be sure and check it out and make sure you didn't miss anything. The Linky and such for February will be on this blog on the 28th. I hope to see people participate!

Lastly, I know I won't have time to join in for this event, but if anyone needs someone to write to I will happily write back. I also collect postcards... Just saying! (If you need my address just ask.)

The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Completed January 3, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on in the Series

As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor and urges Holmes and Watson to accompany her. And in the ensuing investigation which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog and a love affair even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, Isn't it gorgeous!'

This the second book in the Sherlock Holmes series. I have all ready read the third book, so that means that I have actually read 3 books in a series. We will just ignore that it is a series I only started this year...

Once again, I love Sherlock Holmes. I always knew that I would. I should have read these books a long time ago! There was always something about the character of Holmes that appealed to me. Instead, I just watched from the sidelines and never read the originals. I am remedying that now! This book also made me appreciate Watson a bit more. He has a sort of separate storyline in this book that is a bit endearing. In spin-offs that I have seen, people always make Watson seem like a fair less person than Holmes. That is simply not the case. Even if you are not as smart as Holmes, that doesn't make you any less of a person because Holmes is simply a genius. His ideas on things are comical and you often wonder how he accomplishes anything.

This is another short look at one of the cases that Holmes investigates. It starts with a distraught, but sensible, young woman who comes to him for help. I have to admit, for the time in which these books were written, the women are actually sensible. They are not entirely Damsel in Distress characters. Some of them handle things rather well. In the short story collection I reviewed earlier this year, one woman even outsmarts Holmes. I have to applaud Doyle for mostly treating women in his books with dignity and respect. Now, some of the things that Holmes says about women are not exactly flattering, but one has to pick their battles!

There is a lot of elements to this case that sound rather odd, but when Doyle puts them together they make for another fun addition to the series. I am looking forward to more later on in the year!

The Series:
1. A Study in Scarlet
2. The Sign of Four
3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
4. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
5. The Hound of Baskervilles
6. The Valley of Fear
7. The Return of Sherlock Holmes
8. His Last Bow
9. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes

This book counts for the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Completed January 1, 2010

Reason for Reading: Carry on in the Series

Convalescing in London after a disastrous experience of war in Afghanistan, Dr John Watson finds himself sharing rooms with his enigmatic new acquaintance, Sherlock Holmes. But their quiet bachelor life at 221B Baker Street is soon interrupted by the grisly discovery of a dead man in a grimy ill-omened' house in south-east London, his face contorted by an expression of horror and hatred such as Watson has never seen before. On the wall, the word rache German for revenge' is written in blood, yet there are no wounds on the victim or signs of a struggle. Watson's head is in a whirl, but the formidable Holmes relishes this challenge to his deductive powers, and so begins their famous investigative partnership.

This is the first adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This is the story where they meet and it all begins. It is worth reading just to see how Dr. Watson deals with Holmes and his eccentric nature. It was entertaining. Holmes is himself from the very beginning, but Watson moves in with him anyway. This is their first case together and it is an interesting one. The novel is not very long, but it is a good introduction to the characters and stories that you will come to expect from the series overall.

Holmes is an interesting character, though. You never know quite what to expect from him, but at the same time he is predictable. I really like how Doyle wrote his character. You could almost call him annoying, but at the same time he is endearing. He is the type of character that is so smart he doesn't quite know how to deal in the real world, but at the same time he helps many people out and makes them quite fond of his abilities. Plus, Watson needs to learn what Holmes is capable of because when he moves in he doesn't even know what he does for a living.

Overall, another good book in the Sherlock Holmes series.

The Series:

1. A Study in Scarlet

2. The Sign of Four

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

4. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

5. The Hound of Baskervilles

6. The Valley of Fear

7. The Return of Sherlock Holmes

8. His Last Bow

9. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes

This book counts for the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Completed January 1, 2011

Recommended by Rachel

This splendid collection of mysteries carries readers back to a gas-lit era, when literature's greatest detective lived on Baker Street. A dozen of Holmes and Watson's best-known cases includes 'The Speckled Band', 'The Red-Headed League', 'The Five Orange Pips', 'The Copper Beeches', and 'A Scandal in Bohemia.'

Rachel is a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, so I always wanted to read some to see what the fuss was about. This was the second book I read on my eReader and it was well-worth the time. I have always known who Sherlock Holmes was, of course, but most of the enjoyment can be derived from actually reading the books in the series. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of short stories. Normally I am not a big fan of short stories, but these are more like connected case files. Dr. Watson has married and moved away from Baker Street, but he still makes appearances so he can participate in the cases and record them for posterity.

As many people know, Sherlock Holmes is a character that you will not find anywhere else. He reminds me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Show in the sense that he is a species all of his own. You never know what they are going to do next. Now, Holmes has taken it upon himself to help others, so that is rather different from Sheldon, but they still are rather different than anyone else you see in real life or literature. Over the course of the stories I found myself being drawn into the world of Sherlock Holmes. I was curious how the cases were going to play out and what clues he found during the course of his investigation. It all makes so much sense when he explains things out, but until then you are rather left in the dark. By Watson telling the story you find things out as he does, so you don't have too much information and are not disappointed by the big reveal.

Overall I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Watson makes for an interesting narrator and Holmes is, and always will be, Holmes. I think I developed a little literary crush on him now and cannot wait to read more books in the series to find out what he is up to next.

The Series:

1. A Study in Scarlet

2. The Sign of Four

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

4. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

5. The Hound of Baskervilles

6. The Valley of Fear

7. The Return of Sherlock Holmes

8. His Last Bow

9. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes

This book counts for the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.