The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Discussion

[Sandy]

This is the discussion thread for the spring 2012 Group Read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

[Dalynn]

I'll be starting this read probably tomorrow, as I finished my other read last night. (Just don't think I'll get that far today. LOL)

I'm excited - this counts for another group also, and since I'd already started the book I just finished before the 1st, this is the first book I'm reading for the Seasonal challenge!

Who else? Have you started yet?

[Luckngrace]

Just finished the Sherlock Holmes short story book and was surprised how much I liked it (read it while recovering from stomach virus ugh). I had read The Hound of the Baskervilles previously and liked the short stories better.

[Alice]

I had started reading this book before the challenge (but not more than half way through before the challenge started!) and so was glad it was chosen as a Group Read.

I had read a couple of these short stories when I was at school but I got reinterested in them when the Sherlock Series started on telly.

I really enjoyed reading this book although the language is very antiquated! I recognised a lot of the stories as I have seen them in tv adaptations in the past but I also think that a lot of mystery/detective programmes have stolen ideas from Sherlock Holmes and reused the plots.

A timeless classic!

[Dlmrose]

I received a copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes for my 10th birthday and spent the summer hiding in the basement reading, ignoring "go outside and play". To my mind, I was playing- completely caught up in these mysteries. Not much has changed. These stories were completely enjoyable, though I missed the fun of the discovery. I was surprised at how much I remembered.

[Isabell]

I had already listened to some of the stories as audiobook (our local library has adaptions of the cases), so I knew where some of the cases were headed. Still I was surprised at how much I had forgotten and how intriguing it was to listen to it all again. Some of the adventures were new to me, which improved the experience even more.

By the way, if anyone is interested in listening to a very good performance of this for free, there is a librivox recording of the book read by Mark Smith (I listened to that recording for this task) that is very good.

Eta: And here even is the book page for said recording (book page includes link to librivox page, where you can download the recording): The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Audiobook read by Mark Smith)

[Dalynn]

Just four more short stories to go! C'mon now, I can power through this! I can!

I'm enjoying it, but it's spring time and spring cleaning fever has gotten me... for like, the first time EVER. LOL So I'm heeding it when I can!

Enjoyed the Speckled Band. Unexpected and suspenseful without being horrifying or graphic. Perfect. <3

[Laurie]

I have read and watched all of these stories many times and enjoyed them just as much this time as all of the other times. My personal favorites are: The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Red-Headed League, and The Adventure of the Copper Beaches. Even though Arthur Conan Doyle wrote these stories in 1892, they read with wonderful ease today.

[Megan W]

I just finished the stories today. Some of the tales were as much of a mystery to me as they were to Watson, but towards the end I was able to start piecing the clues together with Holmes.

Now the plan is to finish the rest of the Sherlock Holmes collection, so that I can be completely prepared when they finally air the second series of Sherlock here in the US.

[Usako]

I am in the process of reading this book. Only at the first short story and intrigued to see where it goes.

[Dalynn]

I finally finished these the other day! Great stories, though I was clueless for most of them when I really prefer to have at least the opportunity to form my own hypothesis.

Was a bit disappointed as it didn't really meet my expectations. The stories and writing were great, just, some themes were darker than I'd realized. I'll keep reading some of the other books and stories and maybe they'll grow on me. LOL

[Wendy UK]

I enjoyed this much more than I expected! Sherlock Holmes is so familiar, through television and film, that I felt I knew all about him although I had never read any of the books! I found it easier to read than I expected, given that they are such Victorian stories, and the short story format makes it very fast moving. Conan Doyle writes so beautifully that it's made me want to read more of the Sherlock Holmes books.

I read the edition with an introduction by Mark Gatiss, which was very interesting. I think his recent BBC series is the best modernisation of anything that I've ever seen, and reading these stories and seeing how the characters of Holmes and Watson, and the relationship between them, are developed, has confirmed me in that view.

[Butterflycager]

In the nightstand drawer in the guest room at my in-laws' house in Pennsylvania, there is a battered copy of this book, and every time I visit, I put myself to sleep at night by reading some of the stories. Last night, I finished it again for what must have been the twentieth time, and I still found it satisfying. My favorite passage is still that bit in "The Red-Headed League" where the client describes seeing all the other redheads in line to apply for the position, and colors such as brick and straw and lemon are used to describe their hair. My other favorite stories are "A Case of Identity" and "The Boscombe Valley Mystery."

[Lindy-Lane]

I am enjoying this collection so much. I recently read The Barker Street Regulars (for task #20.6) and it had so many references to Holmes, that I just HAD to choose The Adventures of Sherlock Holmesfor my Group Read task.

[Sassafrass]

I really enjoyed this. I really can't believe I didn't read any Sherlock Holmes stories before now. I've put a few more on my TBR pile now. :)

[Sandy]

I really enjoyed these stories - I think I must have read them at some point when I was much younger, but I didn't remember any of the details, and some of the stories didn't even ring a bell. I'm going to have to read more of the these stories.

And, to make it even more fun, I read this on my kindle while I was in London on vacation, so I could keep reading bits to my husband and saying, "ooh, we were on that street yesterday!"

[Lindy-Lane]

I've finished and would have to say that a couple of my favorite stories were "The Five Orange Pips" and "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor". I absolutely love the following quote of Holmes' when his door bell sounds..."Why, said I (Watson), glancing up at my companion, "that was surly the bell. Who could come to-night? Some friend of yours, perhaps?" "Except yourself I have none," he (Holmes) answered. "I do not encourage visitors." I giggled and giggled and giggled. I could just visualize Holmes saying this; his facial expression while doing so and his tone of voice!

An excellent read of the "game's afoot!"

[Hettie]

I enjoyed this book. Having seen the BBC's new modern adaptation made me want to read the originals. I have been holding off watching season 2 until I have read all the books!!

I agree with Dalynn that some of the stories were a lot darker than I expected but they were still enjoyable.

I was very happy to be able to solve a couple of the stories before I reached the conclusion. Though on reflection this just may be because these stories have been used so often in other tales and tv series that even though I had not read or watched these I was familar with the underlying plot.

Reading this book also showed my how much of Doyles work is now part of common culture and so becomes well known even if you have never read it.

[Nick]

I, too, remember reading some of these stories as a teenager, way back when. But rediscovering them all these decades later is a real hoot! I recognise how Arthur Conan Doyle's language has seeped in to the contemporary revival of interest in Victoriana -- especially in Joyce Carol Oates, but also in all the Jack-the-Ripper themed books that have been appearing lately.

What amazes me is how much I now enjoy something that I know annoyed me to no end back when I first read them -- how oftentimes there qre unanswered questions. Such as "The Five Orange Pips" where you don't ever really know why the KKK is after the Englishmen -- it's enough that Holmes deduces it is the Klan. And then you don't know exactly what happened to the KKK's ship which never reaches the USA! I find it really fun to scratch your head over these things now -- earlier in my life I would've been just plain bothered.

[Kate S]

I found these stories entertaining. I am not usually a fan of short stories, but I do like a good mystery and Sherlock is a classic! I will be including more Holmes and Watson adventures in my summer reading.

[Christie]

Like many I also really enjoyed the short story format of this book. I start to get too bored if mysteries take too long to come to the resolution, which was certainly not the case here. Almost makes me want to see how I would enjoy the longer The Hound of the Baskervilles. Throughout all of the cases, I loved learning along with Watson about all of the little details that really make things come together. Things certainly have changed between then and now when we have DNA analysis and the like to aid us in solving mysteries, but there's nothing like getting your hands dirty (and perhaps disguising oneself) to really understand what is going on. I have to say that I especially loved 'The Red-Headed League'--Doyle was quite creative.

[Deanna]

I enjoyed re-reading these old favorites. I had the pleasure to visit the Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street in London when I visited there in 2006. It was very interesting to be in his sitting room and to be able to look out the front window onto the street, as he did so often in his stories. But I got to see red, double decker buses and black taxi cabs instead of horse drawn carriages! lol