RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s Comments

RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

Note: RJ - Slayer of Trolls is not currently a member of this group.

Ilona wrote: "I am a little behind, but I'll try to start reading The Memoirs this weekend."

Sounds good Ilona!

I finished three more stories:

The Adventure of the Crooked Man
The Adventure of the Resident Patient
The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

I liked the Resident Patient story the best of the three, but they all seem to be treading on familiar ground, as if Doyle had run out of ideas or was getting bored and just re-hashing old stories. The Greek Interpreter story does introduce Holmes' brother Mycroft but he doesn't do much except introduce Holmes to the case.

Two more stories to go! I should finish in the next few days and be ready to start The Hound of the Baskervilles next week.

OK, who made it all the way through? And what did you think of it?

I finished this a couple days ago. The last few chapters were pretty far out there and I got lost a few times, although I managed to hang on to the main ideas (I think). The scientist bios at the end were a nice touch. Galileo in particular seemed like an interesting guy.

Winter wrote: "I'm nominating Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson because it's a throwback to my childhood and school library. Love this book!"

I'll also second this one. Avast ya scurvy dogs!

I finished three more which brings me to 62 for the year:


The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started a couple new books:


Provinces of Night by William Gay


The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Great job passing your goal with more than 3 months left in the year!

Everytime I want to check my messages on Goodreads I have to enter my password. (I assume everyone else has to do this too?) I am SO glad that Goodreads is protective of our privacy! Now I will never again have to fear that someone might break into my home, access my computer, and find out what my book clubs are reading next month. Thanks Goodreads!

Today I finished The Reigate Puzzle. It was a pretty straightforward mystery compared to some of Holmes' other cases. I enjoyed it but I guessed most of the solution in advance.

I finished two more which brings me to 59 for the year:


The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Personal Injuries by Scott Turow
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I really enjoyed this one as a child, but for whatever reason I didn't enjoy the sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I have too many books going to re-read this one in October but I might drop in for the discussion.

After taking a week-long break to finish another book, I'll be getting back to Holmes starting today. I'll finish this book up over the next week then I'll probably jump straight into The Hound of the Baskervilles for next month's buddy read.

Scott wrote: "Ok I'm caught on the previous books reading Study in Scarlet and Sign of Four. One thing that surprised me with Sign of Four was Watson's sudden life changing event... Well on to Memoirs.."

Yes, they didn't waste a lot of time with long courtships in those days...

I'm just about to start Chapter 8 which is the biggest chapter in the book.

Welcome aboard Alexxy and Allie!

Almost done with chapter 6, although my brain is so full of new information that I am concerned it may collapse into a singularity.

Time to get another coffee.

Hannah wrote: "


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by [author:Mark Haddon|1..."

Oooh I've wanted to read this one. Wouldn't mind joining you in reading it in October.

Sounds good Hannah! Anyone else want in? It's a short book and looks like a quick read.

Should be a quality read too. The list of awards the book won or was nominated for is astonishingly long:

Man Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist (2003), James Tait Black Memorial Prize Nominee for Fiction (2003), Whitbread Award for Novel and Book of the Year (2003), Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2003), McKitterick Prize (2004)
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (2003), Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (2004), ALA Alex Award (2004), Zilveren Zoen (2004), Lincoln Award Nominee (2006), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book Overall (2004), North East Teenage Book Award Nominee (2004), Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award (2004)

The Musgrave Ritual was another early Holmes case told to Watson - this one feels somewhat familiar but I can't think of a specific story that it relates to. I did figure out most of the twists but still enjoyed it overall.

I am thinking about reading


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

in October. Anyone want to join me?

Hannah wrote: "I nominate A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens...November 'throwback' may be a perfect time!"

You could say it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. ;-)