RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s
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RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s
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from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.
Note: RJ - Slayer of Trolls is not currently a member of this group.
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Scott wrote: "Interesting the second story has a character from the Pinkerton agency which was the same agency in the valley of fear. This agency is still around today was in the news over their depiction in red..."Very true. I think the Pinkertons may have been referenced in some earlier stories also. Study in Scarlet maybe?
I finished two more books bringing my total for the year to 4: 
His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
Janet wrote: "I am enjoying the book but this one definitely went over my head. Because of your comment I googled the phrase and read the lyrics. Didn't help much. They were incomprehensible to me."The video of the song is fun to watch but mostly the reference was funny to me because I knew the song well and enjoyed it long before I read it in RP1. They Might Be Giants' lyrics don't always make a lot of sense.
I finished The Adventure of the Devil's Foot which was a fun adventure with some nice twists. I also finished His Last Bow - Holmes comes out of retirement as a spy in WWI. Although there are some additional Holmes stories published during the 1920s (which we will read next month in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes), this story seems as though Doyle meant it to put an exclamation point on the end of Holmes' career.
This collection of short stories was very good throughout. I didn't notice any duds. It was probably my favorite of the series so far.
I'm going to take another brief Holmes break then I will pick up The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes around the 8th of February or so.
I finished The Adventure of the Dying Detective and liked it a lot. It's a more unique plot than the usual "client arrives and asks Holmes for help." So far I've enjoyed all of the stories in this volume more than usual Holmes stories. I'd say this is the best short story collection in the series.
oshizu wrote: "Oh, and I was a bit surprised by Wade's loooooooong password:“No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful.”"
Just another reference that probably went over most people's heads. That one made me laugh out loud when I read it though because I've seen TMBG in concert a couple times.
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans - I liked this one although I noticed some similarities with The Adventure of the Second Stain. Even (view spoiler) Still probably my favorite in this collection though.
Scott wrote: "One question did the writer of the note from the first chapter appear elsewhere in the book? And how did he get the information in it? Not sure if I missed something"The writer of the note, Fred Porlock, is an associate of the notorious Professor Moriarty. He never appears again in the book, however we assume that his association with Moriarty allowed him to come across the information in the note. How Moriarty is associated with the criminal enterprises featured in the story is never explained.
There's more interesting stuff at the wilipedia entry for the novel, for example the story is loosely based on the true life story of Pinkerton agent James McParland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Val...
The "original" YA gateway to Fantasy books include:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
and
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Both books, and their sequels, are suitable for children of all ages.
A lot of folks also like the series that starts with
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
and there's also a series about a boy magician that seems to be popular...
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Lena wrote: "I like this idea of increasing the quality of the books one reads over the years! I may have to give it a try myself.Best of luck with the challenge and I look forward to seeing which books you c..."
Thank you Lena!
I finished #2 for the year:
The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
I finished two more stories: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box - I enjoyed this story because the plot involved a lot of detecting by Holmes and Watson
The Adventure of the Red Circle: by Arthur Conan Doyle - I liked this one also, although it had echoes of The Valley of Fear
I'll probably finish next week...
Kristin wrote: "I nominate 
. I can't think of a better book! It is about Hollywood + A Solar System so two versions of the word star. It fits our yearly and monthly themes and is by a ..."I second Radiance. Valente's writing is beautiful. I would love to see her get more exposure.
1. What was your favorite book as a child?I'm not sure I had one favorite. Once I discovered the Hardy Boys mysteries I read them all, followed by the Three Investigators, Encyclopedia Brown, Tom Swift, Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, etc. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and A Wrinkle in Time were my introduction to SF/Fantasy books. In Jr High I enjoyed reading the Sword and Sorcery adventures of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and Conan. High School brought more contemporary adventures like Jaws, The Odessa File and The Poseidon Adventure.
2. What is your favorite book now?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
3. What book would you never remove from your bookshelf?
There's so many I would never part with, I won't bore you with the full list. If I had to name one I'd say The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
4. What book have your read more often than any other?
Either The Hobbit or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
5. What book kept you up way past your bedtime?
When I was a child I would take a flashlight and book and hide them under my covers so I could read after bedtime. As an adult I remember Jurassic Park and Rising Sun being so captivating I didn't want to put them down until 3 or 4 in the morning. And The Amityville Horror kept me up even after I put it down hahaha!
6. What book are you looking most forward to reading?
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Kristin wrote: "Bravo in finishing your first book! I ran into the same predicament as you. Oh well, one book closer to our 2019 goals, which isn't a bad thing :-D"Thanks Kristin!
End of the year summary 2018: I read 101 books which smashed my goal of 42 and is an all-time record for me. I had some unusual quirks in my schedule that allowed for more reading time, but it's unlikely that I will have that much time in 2019.
I think my biggest surprise was how many 4 and 5 star books I read this year. I feel like I do not give overly generous ratings, but I also focused on trying to read quality books this year and it definitely paid off! One big reason, I have to be honest, is that I cut down on the science fiction books and increased the number of mystery and general fiction books.
FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2018 (5 star ratings)
Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus by Ramez Naam
Black Wings Has My Angel by Elliott Chaze
March Violets by Philip Kerr
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Provinces of Night by William Gay
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
HONORARY MENTION (4 star ratings but very memorable)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Queenpin by Megan Abbott
The Asphalt Jungle by W.R. Burnett
The Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga by Jack Vance
Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Jerome K. Jerome
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Blue Room by Georges Simenon
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
IQ by Joe Ide
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow
The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
Personal Injuries by Scott Turow
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 edited by Elizabeth George
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
NEW AUTHORS TO ME (asterisk by the ones I really enjoyed and will try to read more of their work)
Naomi Novik *
Patricia Highsmith *
Oscar Wilde *
Anne McCaffrey
Richard K. Morgan *
Martha Wells
Megan Abbott *
Christa Faust
Joe Haldeman
Edward Anderson *
Ursula K. Le Guin *
Ramez Naam *
Edwin A. Abbott
Katherine Arden
W.R. Burnett *
James S.A. Corey
Mickey Spillane *
Alistair MacLean *
Jerome K. Jerome *
John Steakley
Dennis E. Taylor *
Elliott Chaze *
Steven Hall
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Philip Kerr *
Tanith Lee
Jeffrey Eugenides *
Arthur Conan Doyle *
Anthony Doerr *
Georges Simenon *
Joe Ide *
Carlos Ruiz Zafón *
Donald Hamilton
Douglas Preston
Lincoln Child
Ross Macdonald *
Claudia Gray
Josiah Bancroft *
Brooke Bolander *
Iain M. Banks
Michael Connelly *
Franz Kafka *
Lewis Carroll
Mark Haddon
Daphne du Maurier *
Robert R. McCammon
Algernon Blackwood *
Davis Grubb *
Andrew Ross Sorkin *
Graham Greene *
Daniel Keyes
Donna Tartt *
Kristin Hannah
Peter Straub
Charles Dickens *
John Berendt *
Henry Kuttner *
Paulo Coelho
Paolo Bacigalupi
Michael Robotham
LEAST FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2018 (1 star or DNF)
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Suspect by Michael Robotham
Invader by C.J. Cherryh
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
1. How many books did you read? Did you (or will you) meet your 2018 goal?I read 101 books which smashed my goal of 42 and is an all-time record for me. I had some unusual quirks in my schedule that allowed for more reading time, but it's unlikely that I will have that much time in 2019.
2. Which books were your favorite?
FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2018 (5 star ratings)
Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus by Ramez Naam
Black Wings Has My Angel by Elliott Chaze
March Violets by Philip Kerr
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Provinces of Night by William Gay
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
HONORARY MENTION (4 star ratings but very memorable)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Queenpin by Megan Abbott
The Asphalt Jungle by W.R. Burnett
The Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga by Jack Vance
Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Jerome K. Jerome
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Blue Room by Georges Simenon
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
IQ by Joe Ide
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow
The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
Personal Injuries by Scott Turow
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 edited by Elizabeth George
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
3. Which books were your least favorite?
LEAST FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2018 (1 star or DNF)
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Suspect by Michael Robotham
Invader by C.J. Cherryh
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
4. Did you find a new author or genre that you love?
NEW AUTHORS TO ME (asterisk by the ones I really enjoyed and will try to read more of their work)
Naomi Novik *
Patricia Highsmith *
Oscar Wilde *
Anne McCaffrey
Richard K. Morgan *
Martha Wells
Megan Abbott *
Christa Faust
Joe Haldeman
Edward Anderson *
Ursula K. Le Guin *
Ramez Naam *
Edwin A. Abbott
Katherine Arden
W.R. Burnett *
James S.A. Corey
Mickey Spillane *
Alistair MacLean *
Jerome K. Jerome *
John Steakley
Dennis E. Taylor *
Elliott Chaze *
Steven Hall
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Philip Kerr *
Tanith Lee
Jeffrey Eugenides *
Arthur Conan Doyle *
Anthony Doerr *
Georges Simenon *
Joe Ide *
Carlos Ruiz Zafón *
Donald Hamilton
Douglas Preston
Lincoln Child
Ross Macdonald *
Claudia Gray
Josiah Bancroft *
Brooke Bolander *
Iain M. Banks
Michael Connelly *
Franz Kafka *
Lewis Carroll
Mark Haddon
Daphne du Maurier *
Robert R. McCammon
Algernon Blackwood *
Davis Grubb *
Andrew Ross Sorkin *
Graham Greene *
Daniel Keyes
Donna Tartt *
Kristin Hannah
Peter Straub
Charles Dickens *
John Berendt *
Henry Kuttner *
Paulo Coelho
Paolo Bacigalupi
Michael Robotham
5. What was the biggest surprise for you? (Open to interpretation!)
I think it was a surprise to me how many 4 and 5 star books I read this year. I feel like I do not give generous ratings, but I also focused on trying to read quality books this year and it definitely paid off! One big reason, I have to be honest, is that I cut down on the science fiction books and increased the number of mystery and general fiction books.
6. Did you participate in any of our Yearly, Quarterly, or Monthly Challenges? Which was your favorite?
I did not participate in any of these challenges
I started reading this one yesterday, and I finished the first story The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge. Of course, someone's past comes back to haunt them, but although the familiar theme is really tiresome at this point (there is a thesis paper waiting to be written on what Doyle's theme has to say about Victorian-era England and Doyle himself) I have to say that this story pulled it off well. It's slightly longer than most Holmes short stories which gives the story a chance to better develop and also gives Holmes a little more to do. The brief preface at the beginning of the book indicates that Holmes has now retired and that Watson is telling some tales which appear to have occurred near the end of Holmes' career. The subtitle of the book is "Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes" which in some volumes is "Some Later Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes." The book was published in 1917 during WWI and Holmes' "war service" is referenced in the preface. Most of the stories (other than the title story) were actually published prior to the start of WWI.
Kadijah Michelle wrote: "RJ wrote: "Please add buddy reads for His Last Bow (January) and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (February) for those of us who are reading the series (carries over fro...Will do!"
Thank you Kadijah Michelle! :-)
