January 2016 - The Sherlockian

[Cherie]

Yes, Jmom, I loved those SH episodes on STNG! I really liked the guy who played the Morairty character they saved in the hollow deck program. They had some great episodes with stories in the hollow deck.

Is Sherlock ever going to come back on?

[jaxnsmom]

I heard season 4 will be on in January 2017.

[Lynda]

Didn't they do a flashback Christmas special?

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished the book last night. I gave it 3 stars overall.

Sarah - (view spoiler)[ I was surprised to learn that she was Sebastian's wife. I still can't see Harold as a romantic figure. I keep picturing the deerstalker hat, pipe, and magnifying glass stuck in a pocket in 2010. Oh well, the growing interest between the two was merely a mention in the story. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, the parts I liked the best were the relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker. I wonder if Bram ever knew (view spoiler)[ if his Count What's-His-Name garnered as much fame as Sherlock Holmes. I'm not sure I cared for the ending of either mystery. Still the whole premise of what was contained in the missing diary was an interesting conjecture of the author. (hide spoiler)]

[jaxnsmom]

Lynda wrote: "Didn't they do a flashback Christmas special?"

Something about a bride - The Abominable Bride?. Took place in present and in the past due to a drug induced sleep by Sherlock. Interesting how he was aware of both times while in the past.

[Joan]

Cherie wrote: "There is another series of Sherlock stories by different authors. I have The Stuff of Nightmares and Sherlock Holmes: The Spirit Box waiting on my book shelf, as wel..."
Cherie,
is there any one particular author that you feel does a good job of writing Sherlock stories?

[Joan]

Lynda wrote: ""I can resist everything except temptation.""

love that one

[Cherie]

jaxnsmom wrote: "Lynda wrote: "Didn't they do a flashback Christmas special?"

Something about a bride - The Abominable Bride?. Took place in present and in the past due to a drug induced sleep by Sherlock. Interes..."

What??? I missed it???

[Cherie]

Joan wrote: "Cherie wrote: "There is another series of Sherlock stories by different authors. I have The Stuff of Nightmares and Sherlock Holmes: The Spirit Box waiting on my boo..."

Joan - I guess I have to say, based on what I have read that NO one writes SH like ACD did. Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson comes close, but still not the same (more emotional, but I loved it). Two others I really liked are The Last Sherlock Holmes Story and Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography. I gave these three 5 stars, but if you can, you should not miss Dust and Shadows in audio. I have two books by Anthony Horowitz called The House of Silk and Moriarty that I have been saving to read. (both will be in my Geocache Challenge). I have another called The Crack in the Lens that I am anxious to read too.

If you have not read the original SH volumes by ACD, I suggest you start there. Many are better than others, but have value if you are interested in the characters. I enjoyed this volume of short stories also In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon. Most were very intertaining.

[Lynda]

Cherie wrote: "What??? I missed it??? "

I missed it too, but I knew it was coming, I just didn't think to go hunt for it over the holidays.

[Debra]

I'm coming in at the final hours here having just started reading the book yesterday,. I seem to this a lot, so can't join in on most of the discussion. My apologies, everyone!

I liked the way the book started with Doyle stating he's going to kill Holmes. Got me interested right off. I'm finding I'm more interested in Doyle's story than in the 2010 mystery. Although, I do want to know what's in that diary!

[Carla]

Just finished and I thought it was wonderful! I thought the double time line kept things moving without being hard to follow and the overall story kept very true to SH stories.
I love SH mysteries and have the complete stories, as well as The Italian Secretary: A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes.
I was a bit concerned in the beginning with Harold's character being a bit too eccentric, but found that he rounded out nicely as the plot progressed. Great pick for January!

[Debra]

Glad to see other people enjoying this book. I think the only Holmes book I read was Hounds of the Baskervilles. I really enjoyed it, even though I'd already seen one of the movies based on it. It was an interesting read.

I've certainly seen a LOT of Holmes movies, including the more recent ones at the theater with Robert Downy, Jr. and Jude Law. Very entertaining!

[Sandra, Moderator]

I'm reading Labyrinth Society: The Versailles Vendetta, a middle grade fantasy, and I found this quote yesterday: "I know what you're thinking. Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character. Not. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was not Sherlock Holmes's creator. He was his biographer. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was a memoir. Sherlock was a real detective". It made me laugh. So many years later the Sherlock-Arthur nature is still being writing about.

[Tasha]

I have A Study in Scarlet out from the library now but probably won't get to it until later in Feb but I am really looking forward to it.

[Tasha]

Oh, but I forgot that I also bought that Sherlock British Mystery Multipack for my kindle so I have it on there as well, haha!

[Lynda]

I watched the Sherlock Christmas special, "The Abominable Bride" last night. What a hoot, and a great shout-out to a lot of the short stories. I realized, though, I don't remember very much of the last season, so I should probably rewatch it!

[Ava Catherine]

I like the double plot lines and agree that it makes the book more interesting. I found it amusing that Doyle was berated about the head and shoulders by a little old woman because of Holmes's death, and Doyle was surprised to see townspeople wearing black armbands in mourning for Holmes. There were quite a few humorous moments for me, and I enjoyed the book very much.

[Janice, Moderator]

I chuckled throughout the book as well, Connie. The repartee between Arthur and Bram was quite humorous.

[Debra]

Yes, Connie, that little old lady was something else! And the armbands.

Janice, Almeta and I both liked having Bram Stoker in as a character. Now someone needs to write a story where Bram is the MAIN character. I'd totally go for that!

[Janice, Moderator]

I was thinking the same thing, Debra.

[Ava Catherine]

I love Bram Stoker, too. His interaction with Doyle was my favorite part. Great character! I agree about a book with Stoker as the main character.

I also like the quirky, odd-ball nature of Harold's character.

[Debra]

The part where they go in drag to the Suffragist meeting was a hoot! Plus I learned more about Suffragists. I didn't know there were debates between the women about it. Interesting.

I found it also interesting that Doyle's era was the time electric lights were being introduced. The romance of the gas lights, and the nostalgia Doyle feels for them is very understandable.

Yes, Connie, Harold was a odd-ball character and I really liked him and his deductive skills. I like the way it ended with him and Sarah. Hoping there is a relationship budding there.

Bram was a good friend of Doyle's. His concern about the diary was spot-on. Doyle wasn't thinking into the future of his descendants and his fans.

Overall, I will give this book a 4. It was a delight reading it! I think the author did well with character-development; they really come alive. And the plot was great. The 2 timelines working towards a similar conclusion was wonderful.

[Lynda]

Debra wrote: "I found it also interesting that Doyle's era was the time electric lights were being introduced. The romance of the gas lights, and the nostalgia Doyle feels for them is very understandable. "

I thought it interesting that Stoker's advice for Doyle was to keep Holmes in gas-light - don't bring him into the electric age. Yet, currently, we have two installments of Sherlock Holmes that exist in the current day. The BBC Sherlock debuted in 2010, I'm sure after the book was written. I wonder what the author thinks of that statement now.

[Debra]

Yes, I think I prefer Holmes in the gas-light era.

[Janice, Moderator]

Electricity tends to dim the gothic feel. :)

[Cherie]

The editor of the anthology I am reading loves the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock and Watson and all of the new ones that brought our hero and his Boswell out from the stodgy gas-light of those Victorian times (my words, not his).

He wrote, "Jude Law's Watson is tough, capable, brilliant in his own right, and frequently clashes with his friend and companion." He wrote, " By seeing Holmes and Watson away from their Victorian roots, I see the men (or women!) themselves, as Doyle imagined them: troubled, broken, quite possibly dangerous."

"And then there's Benedict Cumberbatch's brilliant borderline-autistic (not actually sociopathic, what-ever he says) modern-day Holmes, and Jonny Lee Miller's New York-based recovering addict. Holmes is huge now, and all in the re-imaginings, unfolding the beating heart of a complex character many of us completely missed in its original context."

Oh, and another book I have forgotten to mention (along with it's movie version), The Seven-Percent Solution. If you have read The Sign of Four, you will get a kick of seeing Toby re-introduced. I won't tell you how many times I watched the movie. Watch it if you can!

[Debra]

Janice wrote: "Electricity tends to dim the gothic feel. :)"

That's the word I was searching for!

[Debra]

Cherie:

That is an interesting what the editor said. And I already admitted to loving the Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law movies.

I've added more books to my TBR!

I really think it is quite amazing how one character has lived on in millions of people's minds since the late 1800's. Wow!

[Janice, Moderator]

Debra wrote: "I've added more books to my TBR!..."

This group read has been good or bad for that, depending on your POV.

[Lynda]

I do agree regarding the brilliant BBC Sherlock. I think he translates very well in modern culture, which speaks to his universal appeal, a true testament to what/who ACD created!

...or did he!

[Sandra, Moderator]

Debra wrote: "Yes, I think I prefer Holmes in the gas-light era."

I can envision ACD and Stoker being a kind of nostalgic type.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I added a couple of books the author recommends in the Author's Note at the end of the book. I'm specially interested in the Bram Stoker's biography Bram Stoker And The Man Who Was Dracula

[Cherie]

Sandra wrote: "I added a couple of books the author recommends in the Author's Note at the end of the book. I'm specially interested in the Bram Stoker's biography [book:Bram Stoker And The Man Who Was Dracula|72..."

I think I had added some of his book recs too, and I have added this Stoker biography, Sandra. Thanks!

[Lynda]

I'm adding it to!

[Janice, Moderator]

LOL! I added it as well.

[Debra]

Oh dear! Me too!

[Sandra, Moderator]

Well... it seems we are ready for another buddy read in the future. :)

[Daniel]

I started reading this book last night, on the heals of working through the Sherlock Holmes cannon. I am on chapter 8 and enjoying the journey so far.