What are you currently reading?

[John]

I am reading The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant by Allen Barra. I was amused on reading that Alabama's first Rose Bowl team in 1925 included a player named Sherlock Holmes!

[Ken B]

I am currently reading The People Next Door by Christopher Ransom. It has some pretty crappy reviews but I was one of the few that enjoyed another of Ransom's books, The Birthing House. So far, its got a pretty creepy feel to it.

[Joyce]

i am reading The Italian Secretay, which has Sherlock and Watson meeting with Mycroft to find a ghost. it is pretty good so far.

[John]

I am starting Criminal by Karin Slaughter today. Have been looking forward to this one for a while.

[Joanna]

John wrote: "I am reading The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant by Allen Barra. I was amused on reading that Alabama's first Rose Bowl team in 1925 included a player named Sherlock Holmes!"

Really? haha someone's parents were nerds.

I am actually reading A Wrinkle in Time for the first time. It's too bad I didn't read it as a kid because I think it am not enjoying it as much as I would have.

[Ken B]

I have just finished The People Next Door by Christopher Ransom.

I am not sure that I understand the bad reviews and ratings for either of Christopher Ransom's books that I have read, The Birthing House or The People Next Door. Both are fair horror novels, both have horrible reviews and both are better than some John Saul or Richard Laymon books that I have read that have glowing reviews.

That being said, I am giving this book 3 stars with a bias towards 3 1/2.

A Colorado family's life is falling apart. Their family restaurant is failing. Their teenage son is running with the wrong crowd and their adolescent daughter is prone to fits and hallucinations. Then a creepy new family moves into the behemoth new eyesore next door. They bring with them a lot of questions...and a few surprising answers.

[Ken B]

I am currently reading Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg. It is the book that the movie "Angel Heart" is based upon.

[Joshua]

Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin stories.

[John]

I just finished Criminal by Karin Slaughter and today I am starting Crater by Homer Hickam. It's a sci-fi story about mining on the Moon. I gave Criminal five stars.

[Ken B]

I just finished Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg.

I wish I had read this book before seeing the movie "Angel Heart". But, as it has been over 20 years since I have seen the movie, I had forgotten most of the details (except a pretty steamy sex scene with Lisa Bonet (We're not in "Cosby" anymore, Theo! WOW!). And of course, I remembered the ending. That being said, it did not much detract from how damn good this book is!

5 STARS, favorited

[Matt]

I just received (and just finished) a book called The Autobiography of Sherlock Holmes by Don Libey which purports to be a long-lost manuscript penned by Holmes detailing the 'truth' re: his upbringing, schooling, detective years up until 1929 when the manuscript (titled "Montague Notations") abruptly stops.

In the tradition of WBG's Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective, Michael Hardwick's Sherlock Holmes: My Life and Crimes, Michael Harrison's The World of Sherlock Holmes, etc., Mr Libey re-imagines the canon from the ground up, confirming some parts, slightly altering others - dismissing completely traditional aspects of the canon while suggesting completely sacrilegious novelties - all revealed for the very time now in these pages!

I'll post a full review to Always1895.net in a day or two, but if you're looking for a short (~140 pages), speculative 'take' on the canon from someone who clearly has a deep and lifetime passion for Holmes, Watson and their lives, I would suggest picking up a copy of this post-haste! You can order it here.

[Ken B]

I am reading Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie. I am a Hercule Poirot junky. I go back to Poirot when I am feeling mentally drained. I need a fix.

[Sean]

I'm on to The Silver Locomotive Mystery

I'm about 85 pgs in and so far so good.

[Amanda]

I am currently reading The Detective and The Woman: A Novel of Sherlock Holmes by Amy Thomas. I am about a 100 pages into it and really enjoying it.

[Rohit]

i finished reading 'his last bow' few days back...now planning to start with 'casebook of sherlock holmes'

[Ken B]

I just started Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. It is the second book in the Dexter series. Oh, that lovable serial killer!!!

[Ken B]

I just finished Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

It is another well written book. I liked it but certainly not to the level that I enjoyed Darkly Dreaming Dexter. I find it frustrating that I am already growing bored with a series (2 books into 7) after liking the first as much as I did. I think the issue lies in the ancillary characters. I am not finding myself liking any of them. In fact, I find myself dreading chapters where our hero has to spend so much time interacting with them. They all seem so desperately needy in one form or another, almost annoyingly whiny!

4 STARS (but closer to 3 1/2)

[John]

I am really enjoying King City by Lee Goldberg. The main character reminds me of Jack Reacher, Jesse Stone, and Joe Pike.

[Ken B]

Just started Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

[Amanda]

I am going to try to finish reading "To Kingdom Come" by Will Thomas tonight. This is the second book in his Barker and Llewelyn series. This has been a great book. I really liked the first book, I am glad to see, the second book has been just as great.

[Ken B]

Amanda wrote: "I am going to try to finish reading "To Kingdom Come" by Will Thomas tonight. This is the second book in his Barker and Llewelyn series. This has been a great book. I really liked the first book, I..."

That whole series was great. I wish he would write some more!

[Amanda]

I totally agree with you Ken, this books so far have been wonderful. I was able to finish reading it last night and it was wonderful. Since there are only three more books in this series, I am going to take my time reading them.

[John]

I want to read the rest of the Will Thomas series, but unfortunately my local library doesn't have them. For now I am picking back up on Harry Potter. I'm rereading the entire series this year. I just started Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixby J.K. Rowling

[Amanda]

I am currently reading, a biography based book about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's friendship called, "Holmes and Watson" by June Thomson. I haven't gotten to far into it, it's not because of the book, the book is actually pretty fast paced and really interesting.

[Mike]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Laurie R. King's series with SH and Mary Russell. Perhaps everyone here is long past that? I'm working through the series, currently on #8 Locked Rooms. I also have Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett waiting. So many books, so little time.

This is a great forum. Thanks to everyone for all the ideas and references!

[Amanda]

I am currently reading Island of Bones by Imogen Robertson. This is the third book in Imogen Robertson's Mrs. Westerman and Crowther series. I liked the first two books in this series and think the third is just as great. This book is a little more different than the first two, in this one the focus is more on Crowther's story.

[Matt]

Mike - have you seen Laurie King's page on here? Laurie R. King

I have yet to read her Mary Russell series, but I'm a huge fan of some of the books she's edited (usually along with Leslie Klinger:
The Grand Game: A Celebration of Sherlockian Scholarship vols. 1 and 2
and
A Study in Sherlock
Excellent stuff!

[Ken B]

Just finished a couple of books. Both of which were Dollar Bin purchases!

First, Thunderhead, another good book by the dynamic duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Nora Kelly and Bill Smithback head out to search for the lost city of gold, Quivira, armed with a long-lost letter written by Kelly's father and a qualified crew of archaeologists and support staff. They delve into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Anasazi Indians and discover the frightening truth.

3 STARS

Second, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. Science fiction from 1897! HG Wells! What else can you say? Fantastic!

4 STARS

[John]

Mike wrote: "I also have Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett waiting. So many books, so little time."

I really enjoyed all of the Larry Millett books featuring Holmes and Watson in Minnesota, especially Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon. Wish he would write more.

[Mike]

Matt wrote: "...I'm a huge fan of some of the books she's edited..."

Thanks, Matt. I added The Grand Game: A Celebration of Sherlockian Scholarship to my huge listing of ACD-SH related works. Somehow I missed those.

[Ken B]

Just started Witch by Barbara Michaels. I found it in the dollar bin at a used bookstore and thought I would give it a run. So far it is a decent ghost story in the gothic horror genre.

The reviews on the book are strong but there are occasional outliers stating that the book is slow starting and one even says "Wondered why characters didn't have cell phones and wrote letters". WOW! Dickens and Shakespeare must be a real bitch to get through for that reader!

[Ken B]

I just finished Witch by Barbara Michaels.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book up until the last few chapters and then I was just plain disappointed. The book had a great theme, an old house formerly occupied by a witch, an apparent haunting, an over-zealous, highly religious town population that hated/feared the home's new tenant, a mysterious cellar, etc. The author took the time to develop an anticipation around those things. And then, in the final chapters, seemed to rush to a quick ending with a couple of plot shortcuts and an unlikely familiarity between a couple of characters.

I hesitate to call this book a horror novel. While there were certainly horror elements, those never really took flight. This was more of a Gothic horror that pulled up short and turned into a really shallow mystery with a Brady Bunch ending.

2 STARS

[Ken B]

Just started The House That Jack Built by Graham Masterton.

[John]

Today I am starting Seven Dials by Anne Perry, a Thomas and Charlotte Pitts Victoria era mystery.

[Matt]

Mike - If you use Twitter and you're into The Beekeeper's Apprentice series of books, you should consider following Laurie R. King's @mary_russell online persona.

A word of warning: LRK rarely breaks character when posting as Mary Russell on Twitter, which sometimes confuses or freaks people out - but that's just a variant of 'playing the game'. A good example:

@mary_russell @LaurieRKing "Ms King doesn't use her twitter account. Would you like to send a link to me? I, do, use my twitter account."

Though I have yet to read any LRK novels, I highly respect King both for the success of her Sherlock Holmes pastiches as well as her devotion to said series (as well as her non-fiction Sherlockian studies writing).

[Rohit]

I just finished reading the 'cantervile ghost' by Oscar Wilde ....wasn't scary at all...the same period mentioned as of Sherlock Holmes (1890s) .....and now I am planning to start reading 'a house of silk ' ......all the previous books I read recently in last year were all ebooks on my iPad...and this one is a real book....so I might get some time getting used to it..let's c ;)

[Ken B]

Just started Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green. I picked up the used paperback for $0.50 at a library book sale. The book has some really high ratings from several of my friends. Is great so far.

[Ken B]

I just finished The House That Jack Built by Graham Masterton. I picked it up in the $1 bin at a used bookstore.

A dilapidated NY estate becomes the obsession of a NY attorney after he has a life-changing "accident". In pretty quick order, the builder of the estate, who disappeared in 1937 under mysterious circumstances, begins to possess the attorney, and his sadism, gambling and dark behavior follows.

I thought the book was well written but was annoyed by a couple of scenes late in the book. An appraiser turns up with a fairly valuable piece of information that seemed odd to be in his possession. There was also a scene with a cat with a bow on its tail that was a bit strange as well. Still though, not a bad read.

3 STARS

[Joanna]

Ken wrote: "Just started Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green. I picked up the used paperback for $0.50 at a library book sale. The book has some really high ratings from several of my friends. Is gr..."

I've read about 5 of those nightside books. They are really entertaining!

[Ken B]

I just finished Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green.

This one went a little further into the sci-fi/fantasy realm for my usual taste but it seemed to work.

Our hero, John Taylor, is a detective, in the noir sense of the word, who "finds lost things". He was born and raised in a hidden, darker side of London, Nightside, where horror and fantasy are the reality. He takes a case to find a runaway that was mysteriously drawn into Nightside by some unseen and previously unknown force.

The story reminded me of a heavier version of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series. Whereas, Castor operates in the realm of reality with the physical limitations of such, Taylor's world does not know these boundaries.

4 STARS

[Ken B]

Just started Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie, another Hercule Poirot mystery.

[John]

I am just starting Kill All the Lawyers by Paul Levine, my third book in the Solomon and Lord series. I just finished Seven Dials a Victorian mystery by Anne Perry.

[Mike]

Finished Defending Jacob by William Landay and starting The God of the Hive, #10 in the Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King.

[Rohit]

Just finished yesterday reading 'The House Of silk' ...this was my first Sherlock Holmes pastiche and it was a brilliant one! the story was awesome and gripping! And references to the holmes other stories from canon were properly adjusted in the book. I enjoyed this book more than any other. Overall Horowitz is an amazing writer

[Ken B]

I just finished Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie.

I was not expecting this to be a collection of short stories when I picked it up. Usually, the volumes in this series are labelled "...and other stories". But, the edition that I read is not so labelled. Not that it matters much. I was just looking forward to settling into a full-length Poirot mystery rather than something shorter.

But, what else is there to say! Poirot! Agatha Christie!

4 STARS

[Ken B]

I just started The Satan Legacy by William Jessop. It is a self-published paperback that I picked up for $0.50 at a library used book sale. Little or no information about the book or the author. Had to have it added to Goodreads even. But, it looks to be a nice haunted house story...perfect for the season!

[John]

Just finished Kill All the Lawyers by Paul Levine which I loved and am starting today Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay Faye. Maybe I'm in time to get in on the discussion.

[Ken B]

I'm just not going to be able to finish The Satan Legacy by William Jessop.

It started out with a lot of good ideas and a promising setting, a small English village, an inherited country mansion with a questionable past and a coven of witches. But, it certainly did not live up to expectations.

There were a couple of inconsistencies in the story line, hard to follow conversations and sudden character mood changes that seemed forced. It was as if the author knew where he wanted to be in the story but wasn't sure how to do it gracefully.

I believe this is the first self-published book that I have read and I can see why the publishers didn't pick this one up. I think an honest set of fresh eyes and a good editor could have done a lot for this novel.

[Ken B]

I am still working on Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee. But, I picked up The Witches by Roald Dahl this morning for a quick read.

I'm not sure what I read in the past by Dahl, but I had the impression that he wrote in more of a psychedelic style (similar in style to The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury) than this book is written. I was happy to see that this book is not at all written in that style and is actually a damn good read so far!

[Ken B]

I just finished The Witches by Roald Dahl.

This book was a pleasant surprise to me. I had formed an opinion from somewhere that Roald Dahl wrote in more of a psychedelic style, like The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, than this book was written. That kept me from looking further into any of his works until I picked up this book for a quick, season-appropriate read.

It turned out to be a really nice read that left me wanting to read more about the adventures of the boy (spoiler avoided) and his Grandmamma.

5 STARS, favorited