Year-end recap 2016

1.  Best book(s) I read in 2016: "Circus" by Claire Battershill, "The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith, "Jane Steele" by Lyndsay Faye, and "Poles apart" by Terry Fallis

2.  Most disappointing book of 2016: "The view from the cheap seats" by Neil Gaiman

3.  Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2016: "The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

4.  Books I recommended most to people in 2016: "Jane Steele" by Lyndsay Faye

5.  Best series I discovered in 2016: The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

6.  Favourite new author(s) of 2016: Claire Battershill

7.  Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2016: "The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

8.  Book I most anticipated in 2016: "The Grain Brain whole life plan" by David Perlmutter

9.  Favourite cover of a book I read in 2016: 

10. Most memorable character in 2016: Cormoran Strike

11. Most beautifully written book of 2016: It's a tie between "Circus" by Claire Battershill and "What is not yours is not yours" by Helen Oyeyemi

12. Best book that was out of my comfort zone or was a new genre for me in 2016: "The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

13. Book that had the greatest impact on me in 2016: "Spark joy" by Marie Kondo

14. Book I can't believe I waited until 2016 to FINALLY read: "The song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller

15. Book I read in 2016 that would most likely be reread in 2017: "Circus" by Claire Battershill

16. Book that had a scene in it that had me reeling and dying to talk to someone about it? (A WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc.  No spoilers!): "The slow fix" by Ivan Coyote

Some fun stats:
Books completed: 46
Goodreads Reading Challenge goal: 40
Books by male authors: 17
Books by female authors: 28
Fiction: 21
Non-fiction: 25
Children's books: 9
YA books: 0
E-books: 3
Did not finish (DNF): 3
Re-reads: 0
Translated books: 0
Big fat books (more than 500 pages): 0

Read on,
Paula

The complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

First off, I have to say that I did myself a disservice by reading "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye before reading the original source material because Doyle's writing style is MUCH simpler.  I loved Faye's Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel about Jack the Ripper and am aware of the global fascination/adoration for Sherlock Holmes.  I read "The Hound of the Baskervilles" in high school but could only vaguely remember it.

I liked "A Study in Scarlet" because not only was it a mystery solved by Sherlock but it was also a story told by the culprit about the history of Mormons in Utah and the civil war in India.  The writing style and historical detail made it a fascinating story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I liked "The Five Orange Pips" for the historical lessons about the Ku Klux Klan that sent me to Google about their disbandment in 1869.

Perhaps when the short stories were published in a magazine for the general masses they may have been more suspenseful and exciting.  The more of them I read, the more formulaic they seemed to me.  They weren't thrilling mysteries to solve but threads to follow to the end where everything was neatly tied up.

One of the most annoying things about the Sherlock Holmes stories was the sprinkling of untranslated foreign phrases where context couldn't help with deciphering.  I was thoroughly happy to discover that someone had compiled them all in one spot and explained them.

The way people talk about Moriarty, I figured he would be in at least more than one story but he's NOT.  I was completely disappointed because the whole mythology behind Moriarty as Holmes' arch nemesis has no basis other than Holmes' own word in the one story.  So much has been made of Moriarty that you just expect to see him show up in more than just one story.  And then the actual writing of Moriarty was a let-down because other people's interpretations are far more detailed than the original story where Moriarty himself is more of a shadow figure than a real character.

Much has been made (and implied) about Holmes and Watson's relationship, considering that they lived together as roommates.  So I was utterly surprised when Watson meets his future wife in "The Sign of the Four" and is already married in "A Scandal in Bohemia".  Holmes and Watson don't actually live together for very long until after Holmes' faked death.

Mike from the Book Fight podcast wants to know: "Is Sherlock Holmes supposed to be a giant dick? Why does Watson keep working for him?"  I wondered this often myself.  "The Hound of the Baskervilles" triggered this question when Holmes sends Watson off to work on the mystery without him and then later in the story reveals that he's been working the case anyway.  In "The Final Problem", we meet Moriarty (for the only time) and the story ends with Moriarty and Holmes falling into the gorge at Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.  In the next story, "The Adventure of the Empty House", Holmes has been 'dead' for three years when he suddenly reappears and can't understand why Watson faints at the sight of him.  When Watson recovers and asks how Holmes survived and where he's been the last three years, Holmes basically says, "We'll talk about it later.  Right now we have work to do."  The deeper I got into the Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes, the less I liked him.

I decided not to finish reading all of the Sherlock Holmes stories.  I gave up at the beginning of "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" when Holmes mentions vampires in Transylvania.  I was severely disappointed in the source material.  For me, the widespread popularity and legend of the Sherlock Holmes character is blown way out of proportion from the original source material.  Although I like his logical skills of deduction, the man himself is not a very nice person.  Dr. Gregory House of the TV show "House, M.D." is supposed to be a Sherlockian character with similar logical skills of deduction.  In the beginning of the series, I very much liked the show but, over time, House, like Sherlock, shows that he's not a very nice person and I lose interest.

I wouldn't mind reading more Sherlock Holmes pastiche such as "The House of Silk" by Anthony Horowitz but I doubt any of them will be as fascinating and gripping as Lyndsay Faye's novel.

Read on,

Paula

Year-end book review 2013

1.  Best book(s) I read in 2013: "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye, "August Frost" by Monique Roffey, "Up and Down" by Terry Fallis, and "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn.

2.  Most disappointing book of 2013: I would say "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" by Karen Russell except that it was so disappointing that I didn't finish it.  Of the ones I actually finished, it would be "The Museum's Secret" by Henry Chancellor.

3.  Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013: "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion...I was surprised at how funny this book was.

4.  Books I recommended most to people in 2013: "Up and Down" by Terry Fallis

5.  Best series I discovered in 2013: The Coldwater Springs series by Jenn Roseton

6.  Favourite new author(s) of 2013: Jenn Roseton

7.  Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2013: "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye

8.  Book I most anticipated in 2013: "Tempest Reborn" by Nicole Peeler

9.  Favourite cover of a book I read in 2013: 

10. Most memorable character in 2013: It's a tie between August Frost ("August Frost") and Don Tillman ("The Rosie Project")

11. Most beautifully written book of 2013: "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey

12. Best book that was out of my comfort zone or was a new genre for me in 2013: "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn

13. Book that had the greatest impact on me in 2013: "The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide to Exercise and Other Incendiary Acts" by Hanne Blank

14. Book I can't believe I waited until 2013 to FINALLY read: "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

15. Book I read in 2013 that would most likely be reread in 2014: "August Frost" by Monique Roffey

16. Book that had a scene in it that had me reeling and dying to talk to someone about it? (A WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc.  No spoilers!): "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye


Some fun stats:
Books completed: 127
Books by male authors: 34
Books by female authors: 93
Fiction: 95
Non-fiction: 32
Children's books: 11
YA books: 3
E-books: 57
Longest book title:
Longest book: "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Big fat books (more than 500 pages): None, my longest book was 496 pages long.
Shortest book: any one of the BBW romance ebooks I read
Re-reads: 2

Although I didn't fully accomplish my Goodreads Reading Challenge, 127 out of 150 isn't bad (that's 10.5 books a month).  Even though I don't like that I couldn't finish it and thought I wouldn't do the challenge again this year, I've decided to put my challenge goal lower than last year.  Knowing that I have intentions to do more adventurous stuff outside of reading, I think 100 could legitimately be a challenge.  I got an iPhone in September and so I now have the Kindle and iBooks apps to take advantage of any unplanned reading time (like waiting for cabs to arrive) and it also gives me access to more e-books than before.  Having whittled down my TBR, I have high hopes for my 2014 reading.  I hope 2014 brings you much great reading too!

Read on,
Paula

BTT: How many?

How many? (from Booking Through Thursday)

1. How many books do you read in a week? Month? Year?

2. What's the best book or series you've read so far this year?

3. What's the worst book you read this year? Did you finish it?

How many books I read fluctuates based on the length of the book I'm reading, how much I like it, and how much free time I have.  So far, last year was a record-breaking year for me.  According to Goodreads, I read 242 books last year.  Granted, last year I was reading a lot of ebooks, which tend to be more novellas and short stories than full-length novels and non-fiction books.  This year, I'm not reading as many ebooks and am trying to read from my own library.  So far, the latter is not working out well, unless you count reading books I've newly bought.  Goodreads has a reading challenge where you set your own goal for the year.  This year my goal is 150...not as high as last year but reasonably attainable (I read 124 in 2011).  It's fun to see the little gauge on the challenge creep closer to the end.  Whether I'm successful or not, I know that I won't do it again.  I find it too stressful, especially because Goodreads tells you if you are ahead or behind schedule.  I'm currently behind schedule even though I was ahead of schedule for most of the year.  Now I'm getting anxious.  And now that I'm working more hours at work, I have less free time than last year for reading.

I have a tie for the best (fiction) book I've read so far this year.  "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye versus "Up and Down" by Terry Fallis.  I just can't make up my mind yet.  Both have their strong qualities that make it hard for me to pick just one.  But the best (non-fiction) book I've read this year is "The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide To Exercise and Other Incendiary Acts" by Hanne Blank.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is overweight, no matter how fit you already are.  (Yes,  you can be both fat and fit!)

I would have to say that "The Boy in the Dress" by David Walliams is the worst book I've read this year.  I did finish it but I was intensely disappointed.  You can read the un-review I wrote about it.  Basically, it was nothing like what I expected.

Read on,
Paula

March Chapters shopping

You've heard of 'dinner and a movie'.  Well, my girl friends and I went to 'dinner and Chapters' for my friend's birthday.

I probably would have spent more had I not forgotten my wallet at home (not realizing this until after dinner) and had to rely on a loan from one of my friends.  Also, I bought two books I hadn't intended to buy just to compensate for the fact that Chapters was sold out of "Dust and shadow" by Lyndsay Faye.  Silly me, I assumed Chapters would have copies considering it's a new-ish title.  Apparently, I was wrong.

I bought:
*The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
*The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
*To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
*Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
*The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

When I got home, I ordered a hardcover copy of "Dust and shadow" because Chapters only had the trade paperback available.  I wanted hardcover so I was happy to find that Better World Books had it.

Read on,
Paula

"Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye

Synopsis: From the gritty streets of nineteenth century London, the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson offers a tale unearthed after generations of lore: the harrowing story of Sherlock Holmes's attempt to hunt down Jack the Ripper.
As England's greatest specialist in criminal detection, Sherlock Holmes is unwavering in his quest to capture the killer responsible for terrifying London's East End. He hires an "unfortunate" known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper's earliest victims; and he relies heavily on the steadfast and devoted Dr. John H. Watson. When Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel during an attempt to catch the savage monster, the popular press launches an investigation of its own, questioning the great detective's role in the very crimes he is so fervently struggling to prevent. Stripped of his credibility, Holmes is left with no choice but to break every rule in the desperate race to find the madman known as "the Knife" before it is too late.
A masterly re-creation of history's most diabolical villain, Lyndsay Faye's debut brings unparalleled authenticity to the atmosphere of Whitechapel and London in the fledgling days of tabloid journalism and recalls the ideals evinced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most beloved and world-renowned characters. Jack the Ripper's identity, still hotly debated around the world more than a century after his crimes were committed, remains a mystery ripe for speculation. Dust and Shadow explores the terrifying prospect of tracking a serial killer without the advantage of modern forensics, and the result is a lightning-paced novel brimming with historical detail that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

My review: When I heard about "Dust and shadow" and the idea of reading the account of the Jack the Ripper murders as investigated by Sherlock Holmes, I was intrigued and immediately added it to my TBR.  I also recommended it for purchase for both my libraries since I figured it would interest enough people.  Well, if people love it as much as I did, it will never stay on the shelf for long.

I've read only one Sherlock Holmes novel, "The Hound of the Baskervilles", while in high school and haven't retained much of it in my memory.  At the same time, I am only vaguely aware of the Ripper case.  In this manner, I felt at times to be in-the-know and on the outside at the same time.  I frequently wondered just how much of what I was reading was fact.

This book is well-written and absorbing.  The wit and sarcasm make this a fun read, which sounds contradictory considering the content.  I loved the characters, especially Miss Monk, and the language of the time period.  There were times where a description implied a reference to a previous Holmes novel.  "Dust and shadow" is so brilliantly written that I, a decidedly non-murder mystery-reader, loved this book so much that I am buying myself a copy for rereading in the future AND buying the complete Sherlock Holmes works.  

Unfortunately, this book has further solidified my conviction NOT to read the Mary Russell series by Laurie King, no matter how good people tell me it is.  Although I'm normally fine with romances with an age gap, I just don't feel comfortable reading about a 38-year difference.

"Dust and shadow" is now my favourite read of 2013.  That's how much I loved it!  Oh, and I love that it was written by a female author.

Read on,
Paula