Buddy Read - Sherlock Holmes

[Savita]

Hi , Aniket , most welcome !

[Savita]

I've finished The Engineer's Thumb . (view spoiler)[ It was an exciting story , but I was disappointed because the scoundrels escaped in the end . SH , however , deduced the location beautifully . (hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

I finished 2 more chapters..

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb:
This one for me was more of a Karma thing than SH thing.. I hope the German died in the fire... And I hope we had known more about what he was actually intending to do with the hydraulic press as the Engineer suspected... The story was intriguing from the very beginning.. I wonder how the guy survived with a severed thumb a whole night and made it to Paddington.. I'd die as soon as I see any blood oozing out of me.. 😂

The Adventure of the Nobel Bachelor:
My heart broke with this one.. Poor guy.. 💔

[Savita]

I've finshed The Noble Bachelor too . (view spoiler)[ I didn't mind the end , because the young couple get reunited , and they were very much in love . Stiff St. Simon was very title and wealth conscious , and interested in young Hatty's fortune . She was neither interested in his title , nor was she in love with him . Actually , I felt sorry for Flora , Sehrish . 😱
Nice deduction by SH 🔍 (hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

Hi Folks.. I was able to finish the last two chapters.

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet:
This was an amazing case, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved how the son wanted to protect the honor of his cousin and didn't utter a word even if he had to be jailed.. perfect display of love and respect. This case was so satisfying to read! 🙂 and the very famous dialogue "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth"

The Adventure of the Copper Beeches:
My god!!!! 😱 people could stoop to such low levels for money!! liked this case too and happy Alice got her happily ever after

[Bela]

The last two chapters left to be read. Good to know that we will be closing the adventures on a good note. 😊

[Savita]

I've finished The Beryl Coronet , and fully agree with Sehrish that it's a lovely story . (view spoiler)[ I was glad things ended happily for the father and the noble son . Mary didn't deserve any sympathy . She deserved George Burnwell 😱 ! (hide spoiler)]

[Bela]

The berly coronet was lovely with a dash of sentiment ( rarely found in SH) thrown in. But I was disappointed with the last story again. True that Alice found her happy ending but overall I found it did not hold my attention much. And SH again back to showing his egoistic character.

Overall, I give 3 stars to The adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

[Savita]

Well , folks , I liked The Copper Beeches . It was an interesting story .(view spoiler)[ The ruthless behaviour of the Rucastle couple was frightening and repulsive . Happily , the story had a good end . (hide spoiler)]
I give 4 stars to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , considering the qualties of the stories and the enjoyable sleuthing by SH .

[Sehrish |]

Hello People!

How is it going? I forgot to mention my overall rating for Adventures of Sherlock Holmes... I'd give it 4 stars.. some cases were amazing where as some lacked content, the characters weren't good, etc.

What is everyone planning to read over the weekend? Which book will we start next from the series? let me know!!

Have a happy weekend!!!

[Savita]

Happy weekend reading to you , too , Sehrish ! Hope your reading challenge is going great ! It's almost over , isn't it ?

[Sehrish |]

Hey Savita.. Yess!!! It's going great, thanks! 😊

[Savita]

Sehrish wrote: "Hey Savita.. Yess!!! It's going great, thanks! 😊"

Wonderful 📖😊 !

[Sehrish |]

Hello Hello Peeps!!! 🙂

How is it going? I haven't heard from you guys in a long time. Have you guys read anything this past week?

After my Reading Rush Read-a-Thon, I have almost finished 1 more books -- The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern. I am enjoying this one. How about you guys?

Which book will we be starting for the SH Buddy Read next?

Have a good weekend you guys!😁

[Savita]

Hi , Sehrish ! Which book is next in the SH series , would you know ?
Have a nice weekend , too , yourself ! 📚😊

[Sehrish |]

The next in the series according to GR is The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, book #4..would you like to start with that? Or the next one after that, book #5 which is The Hound of the Baskervilles?

[Savita]

Hi , Sehrish ! I will have to postpone the reading for a while due to unforseen circumstances . I hope you won't mind ? I'll let you know at the earliest . I'm so sorry , Sehrish .

[Sehrish |]

Hey... That's alright, I hope everything is fine with you and your family. Take care.. We can pick up where we left off once all are back!

[Savita]

Thank you , Sehrish ! 😊

[Savita]

Hi , Sehrish ! Hi , Everyone ! How are you all ? Is anyone interested in reading The Hound of Baskervilles ? 🙂

[Vasimraja]

hy.. Savita ... if you want to read The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle , I can join in any day.

[Savita]

Hi Vasimraja ! I would love to read The adventure of the blue carbuncle , but I have promised to read The hound of Baskervilles with Sehrish , so if you could please wait , we will start the blue carbuncle immediately thereafter ?

[Sehrish |]

Hi Savita.. good to hear from you again! Hope you are doing well.

Hi Vasimraja.. welcome! 🙂
We've already finished The Blue Carbuncle, it was part of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. We were going to start the next book in the Sherlock Holmes Series which is either The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes or The Hound of the Baskervilles whichever you guys like.

[Savita]

Hi , Sehrish ! Yes , I'm doing good , thank you ! Hope you're fine too ?
Could we start with The Hound of the Baskervilles , and follow it up with The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes ?

[Savita]

@ Vasimraja : would you like to join us for The Hound of the Baskervilles/ Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes ?

[Sehrish |]

Awesome.. Let's start there.. How about others? Aniket? Bela? Kirti?

[Savita]

@ Sehrish : 👍I 'll start today

[Bela]

Hi guys, hope you all are doing well. Things have been a bit hectic so could not get back to you all earlier.

I have already read the hound of the Baskerville. So you all can go ahead with it. I will probably join in later with the next series.
Happy reading !!

[Savita]

@ Bela : Hi ! Looking forward to you joining us for Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes 🙂

[Savita]

I've finished Chapter 2 . Very interesting story so far . I particularly liked a passage in this chapter :
(view spoiler)[ " .... that the same Justice which punishes sin may also most graciously forgive it , and that no ban is so heavy but that by prayer and repentance it may be removed . "
How miserable it would be for human beings if the option for repentance did not bring Divine forgiveness , because we human beings inevitably make mistakes , small or big , and it is reassuring to know that the Highest Court of Justice upstairs is not cruel and indifferent to our pleas for another chance . (hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

I am glad you are enjoying it so far Savita.. 😊 I first read this story when I was like 15yrs old.. I almost forgot it.. It will be fun to re-read it so many years later!

[Savita]

We come to know and understand life better and better with each passing decade . Some of the author' s worthwhile messages may be quite missed at 15 , Sehrish, and likely to be picked up and understood much better by a more mature and experienced mind, at a later age .
The story is so well written by Dr Watson , I can't help but enjoy reading it . 😊 .
Hope you are also enjoying it 😊?

[Savita]

I've reached Chapter 5 . Just don't know whom to suspect as yet .
In Chapter 3 I liked SH's response to John Watson's query : (view spoiler)[ ( J.Watson ) " Then you yourself are inclining to the supernatural explanation ."
( SH ) " The devil's agents may be of flesh and blood , may they not ? "
Really true ! Just like God seems to speak through some incredibly beautiful human beings _ Mohammed Rafi , Hemant Kumar , Swami Vivekanand ..... _ , but yet others are so evil , they could be nothing but human agents of the Devil 👿 ! (hide spoiler)]

[Kirti]

Hi guys.
I apologise for disappearing without informing. Life has been crazy! Hope you guys are doing well.
Let me know where you’ve reached and I shall join in from there itself and try to catch up with the skipped content later.

[Savita]

Oh Hi , Kirti ! Nice to have you back ! Most welcome !
We are reading The Hound of the Baskervilles . I don't know where Sehrish has reached , but I'm starting Chapter 5 . I'm a slow reader , so you'll be able to catch up easily . Happy reading 📖

[Savita]

No news from my fellow readers 😟
I've reached Chapter 7 .
In Chapter 6 I came across a beautiful description . Can't say whether A C Doyle had a pen in his hand , a camera or a brush !
" .... the slanting rays of a low sun turning the streams to threads of gold , and glowing on the red earth new turned by the plough , and the broad tangle of the woodlands . "

[Sehrish |]

Hey Kirti... Welcome back!

@Savita..sorry for being away.. I am done with 3 chapters.. Some parts of the story are coming back to me from my school days.. It's still very exciting to read this again..

Also wow! I like when writers describe certain things so beautifully, it almost becomes real to our minds..

[Savita]

@ Sehrish ... True ! The classic authors were really so talented . Thomas Hardy , George Eliot , Daphne du Maurier , the Bronte sisters ........ . It is such a pleasure to read their books !

[Sehrish |]

Thank you for the recommendations Savita.. I will definitely add them on my TBR.

I am done with Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[I like it how Dr. Watson is able to deduce certain things on his own.. Like living with Sherlock is teaching him some of his unique techniques 😁 also, I liked the part where SH really gets worried for sending his friend over to a dangerous place, their blooming friendship always makes me smile (hide spoiler)]

[Savita]

Most welcome , Sehrish ! Read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by the Bronte sisters , Tess of the d Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier . These books are slow reads , so as not to miss the beauty of the author's style and language . Happy reading !

(view spoiler)[ I , too , liked how SH is worried for his friend . Their friendship is so very pleasant to read about . They complement each other perfectly . (hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

Thank you @Savita. Will definitely do so.

I have finished 10 chapters. The story is so interesting right from the beginning. The descriptions of the lush moor is what I liked the most. If it weren't for the evil lurking in the moor, it would have sounded such a beatiful location for a picnic... hehe..🤭

(view spoiler)[
1. I liked how Dr. Watson is able to take care of so many things on his own. He was capable of interrogating the Butler and his wife and extract the truth about the criminal.
2. He is so vigilant during his stay at the Baskerville House, he sleeps light and is very careful in examining the neighbors, the surroundings
3. Honestly SH is missing from the scene but the story is still as interesting to read as it would have been in his presence and his amazing detective skills. I think Dr. Watson plays a good 'Acting SH' 😁
4. The description of the Hound and the cries they heard during their night trek to catch Selden was so creepy. I can never imagine staying in such a place ever... gives me chills..
5. Also, I think the stranger lurking on the hill is SH, he is keeping watch on all the activities I guess 🤐
6. I am unable to decide who'd be the culprit, since I read the book a long long time ago, I don't remember it very well.. but I somehow have my suspicions towards Stapelton🤔 (hide spoiler)]

[Kirti]

I'm done with Chapter 5.

This is quite an interesting one. I have a tendency to generalize and predict the plot only to get disappointed eventually. I started off with a similar mindset and lower concentration as I picked up a book to read after a significant break. But I owe it to you guys who were still active here to give me a push to read and not procrastinate.

(view spoiler)[

But as I said this one turned out to be more interesting so far than I expected it to be.
Maybe this time Sherlock gets beaten like he mentions in 'The Five Orange pips'. And I also hope this one to have a factor of supernatural activity as described but I do have a feeling it won't be anything more than a mortal conspiracy. Let's see what happens.
I liked a very simple line by Sherlock in this one - "The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”

Allow me to go a little philosophical. The above sentence is similar to life in general. Like life is very simple and so is its meaning but how we consciously fail to notice and understand the same while pretending to be naive and helpless.

(hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

Completely agree with you Kirti.. We ourselves complicate our life and then blame the consequences.. If only we paused and saw how simple it is..

[Savita]

@ Sehrish .... I've reached Chapter 11 too . This story is better than the previous ones . The descriptions of the moor , the countryside and Baskerville Hall are superb . What an atmosphere A C Doyle has built up over the moor and the Hall ! (view spoiler)[ The mire , the baying of the ? hound , the escaped convict , the dark , silent Hall - all enough to send shivers down the spine ! Even Sir Henry's enthusiasm gets dampened . I would rather be in bustling London than in the big , scattered , lonely countryside houses described . Especially with a criminal at large !

Stapleton is definitely a suspect . I can't make out the role of Laura Lyons 🤔

Agree - Dr Watson plays a good Acting SH ! 🙂 (hide spoiler)]
Thoroughly enjoying this story ! Thanks to you , Sehrish ! 😊

[Savita]

@ Kirti .... It's most of all Sehrish's enthusiasm that has kept this thread active , and I'm so glad , because we all are enjoying The Hound of the Baskervilles so much . 😊

I liked the line that you mentioned and your observation . I think we're mostly too engrossed in ourselves and in participating in spicy gossips . The beauty and meaning of life quite passes us by ☹ ! It takes spiritual leaders , good poets , singers and authors to get us focused on the deep and rich aspects of life , which otherwise remain unfortunately invisible to the blind lay humanity .

(view spoiler)[ Oh , I hope this one doesn't end like Five Orage Pips ! I like Sir Henry so much ! He's such an outright and enthusiastic person ! (hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

I've finished it guys! What a case this was. I loved every bit of it.
(view spoiler)[I must tell you, my heart was so full with love for this duo, when SH explained why he had to send Dr. Watson earlier and then he came without informing anyone. He wanted to bring justice to Sir Henry but he also loved and cared for his friend too much to leave him alone. He kept a tab on Dr. Watson at all times, even had an errand boy who was tracking Dr. Watson's movements. This gesture of friendship was so very well described, my heart melted!

Finally!! Justice!! What an evil person this Stapleton. He was so mean, he used his wife as a bait and also treated her with disrespect. He abused her too. But, thank god she wasn't completely involved in all his evil conspiracies. (hide spoiler)]

After so many cases, such an interesting juicy case has come our way! I am giving this a big fat 5⭐️

[Savita]

Sehrish , I hope you'll wait for us to catch up before starting Memoirs of SH ? I'm still on Chapter 11 and I think Kirti is on Chapter 5 .

(view spoiler)[ I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Sir Henry 🤞 (hide spoiler)]

[Savita]

Finished Chapter 11 - (view spoiler)[ Oh God , what a hearty laugh I had at the end of Chapter 11 ! 😂 . Dear brave , sincere Dr Watson ! 😂 ! Hug him 😊 (hide spoiler)]

[Sehrish |]

Hahaha, yes.. Poor Dr. Watson.

Ofcourse I will wait for you guys

[Savita]

@ Sehrish : 👍😊