The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

For my next literary adventure I took a dip into the world of short stories.  This made quite a nice change from longer novels that demand you keep reading, particularly with my habit of reading short chunks in my lunch break.  That's not to say I now have a preference for the shorter format, just that variety is a good thing.

Continuing my journey through the world of Sherlock Holmes, the first two novels are followed by a collection of short stories.  While each story has its own plot, references are frequently made to past cases that have been 'documented' by Dr Watson.  Although the references are small, it is enough to feel some small reward for loyally reading everything in order.

One thing I did struggle with was the timeline.  The first story, A Scandal in Bohemia, is set shortly after The Sign of the Four, however the pattern does not continue.  While some stories play out in order others are from an earlier time, even from between when the two novels are set.  The year is usually given at the start of the story but, particularly with references to earlier documented cases that were actually later, I still found it a little hard to keep track of.

As would probably be expected of a collection of short stories, my reaction to the individual plots was mixed.  In some cases, particularly The Adventure of Copper Beeches, I managed to work out the major plot point very early on, which isn't something I particularly enjoy in a mystery book.  However with others I found the story interesting and the mystery intriguing.  The only problem is that as I read each story in a row it's hard to remember the individual plots!

And now I think I will return to novels for a while.  Not for too long though, as my obsession with Sherlock Holmes is getting stronger, and I'm sure the next collection of short stories will start to call my name.

Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb

Ok, so reading another book before the end of the year didn't happen.  Actually, it almost did.  I managed to get started reading, but the inevitable array of Christmas activities sidetracked me from getting any further.  And so with the majority of the book read this week, Royal Assassin becomes the first book of the 30 that I aim to read in 2013.

Having been eyeing up the book for a few months, I returned to the world of the Six Duchies with the second book in the Farseer trilogy.  The story resumes a few months after the last one finished, and the first chapter contains lots of handy reflections to remind you of what happened before.  Fitz continues as narrator, again providing a philosophical view of the events in his life.

It felt easier to connect with the characters this time round, all though part of that may be leftover connection from reading Assassin's Apprentice.  One of the joys of reading books written in first person is to share the narrators wish of knocking some sense into someone, while at the same time wishing yourself that someone would knock some sense into the narrator.  This certainly happened to me more than once over the course of the story.  But, as his world grew more complicated and started to fall around him, it was difficult not to feel bad for the situations FItz found himself in.  Even if he was an idiot at times.

For the first time in a while, I inadvertently received a spoiler before reading this.  Generally I try to go into books (or films) untainted from knowledge of what will happen.  On mentioning to my husband that I was going to continue with the trilogy, he enquired "Is that the one with [x] in?"  I confusedly said no.  Several chapters into the book [x] appeared and then turned out to be rather important for the rest of the book.  Cue one rather sheepish looking husband.

As with the first book, the immediate plot lines are sewn up enough that you don't feel the need to immediately stay up all night to continue, although as I finished reading this after midnight on a workday the damage had already been done.  Plenty of threads are left open, though, and a care for the characters is enough to make me think that the final book of the trilogy won't be sat on our shelves for too much longer.

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

At the start of the year I set myself the target of reading 25 books in 2012.  At times it looked like I would read far more, and at times I felt as if I'd never make it.  Still, 2 days ago I finished reading the book that took me to the finish line, and it was a great book to finish with.

There are many books that I feel I should have read, and among those are a lot of classics.  This list includes Jane Eyre, but I've always been put off borrowing it from the library because of its length.  Enter the Kindle, meaning that it is just as light as other books and doesn't feel like such a mammoth task.

Jane Eyre is written as the autobiography of the girl with the same name.  I say girl, at the start her childhood memories are played out but much of the book is focussed on her life aged 17 and over.  Living with harsh relatives as a child, Jane struggles to grow up with others as she attends school.  But it is after she leaves school and enters employment that things start to get really interesting for her.

In the end, length wasn't an issue at all.  I initially decided to have this as my 25th book to ensure that I finished it in about a month, so taking under 2 weeks was unexpected.  Although the childhood scenes at the start could be hard going at times I quickly became obsessed with Jane's world and wanted to read more.  That buzz of wanting to continue reading after the end of my lunch break returned, and wow did it feel good!

I think the main factor in making this such a compelling read is how wonderfully real Jane herself is.  She isn't perfect and doesn't pretend to be, and there's an inherent honesty about her character.  The story itself is beautifully written, particularly when retaining the values held at a young age.

As for the themes covered, well that's a fairly long list.  Family, wealth, religion, loneliness, love - just a few that immediately spring to mind.  And the honest method of storytelling allows a true understanding of Jane's opinion on each matter, even as those feelings change over time.  Definitely a lot of thought-provoking stuff going on.

It seems almost trivial to state this, but I would definitely recommend this book.  Give it the attention it deserves at the start and it will repay you til the end.  And now I'm off to see if I can keep going and exceed my target for the year!

The Sign of the Four - Arthur Conan Doyle

For my next literary outing I returned to to world of Sherlock Holmes.  After not being overly thrilled with the first novel, I didn't really have high hopes for the next.  But it seemed convenient to read (being on my Kindle) and avoided too much decision making.

The Sign of the Four revolves around a mystery that starts with Mary Morstan reporting to Sherlock Holmes about the strange events surrounding her father's disappearance.  Over time, however, the mystery quickly thickens and as one loose end is tied up another unravels.

What I really liked about this book was that it felt slightly more realistic than the first.  Holmes himself is portrayed brilliantly.  The idea that a man who thrives on intellectual challenge would turn to drugs when the puzzles run out is very easy to believe.  And then there are those quiet periods where leads dry up and trails go dead, so all they can do is wait.  Which, again, contributes to making the whole thing seem just a little more likely.  Or as likely as you can get in a story about treasure.

It has everything a good mystery book should have.  Intrigue, a cast of crazy characters, grey areas between good guys and bad guys, and a high-speed chase.  I always love a good chase scene.  The story completely pulled me in and I couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen next.  Even during the reveal I kept hanging on every word, because it was played out so well.

The only thing I did struggle with is a lack of knowledge about the politics of India in the 1850s.  And, quite frankly, it's not something I would expect most people to be familiar with.  But this is one of the things you get when reading a book that was written over 120 years ago.  However, the context is explained well enough and so it's easy to pick up everything you need.

I would definitely recommend this book and will most certainly carry on with the world of Sherlock Holmes when time allows.  The art of pure logical deduction is such a great concept that such a character absolutely fascinates me.

The Truth - Terry Pratchett

How do I write one of these posts again?  It's kind of been a while.  Every time I think I've got over the worst reading blip another one turns up.  And in a style that's becoming far too familiar, it took me weeks to read the first 100 pages and then about a day for the other 300.

Returning to Discworld for the first time in a while, I finally reached the 25th book in the series.  The Truth is based in Ankh-Morpork and follows William de Worde as he goes from part-time newsletter writer to full-time newspaper editor.  It's amazing what a printing press and some business-savvy dwarves can do with an idea.  As is the way with these things, once you start looking for more news you find more than you'd bargained for.

The range of characters involved in The Times are typical Pratchett brilliance.  William himself is the perfect shadow of his father, more so than he'd ever even realise, and the relationship between him and Sacharissa is beautifully real.  The transformation of the pair into hard-core journalists is brilliantly written.

But my favourite character has to be Otto.  As a reformed vampire he has taken the pledge to stop biting people, and so has driven his passion into the world of photography.  Cue a desire to ever-improve the technology, and lots of issues with flashlights.  A particular personal highlight was the dwarves singing the positive-reinforcement songs.

I also enjoyed the role that the Watch played in the story, as Vimes is such a great character.  The developing chemistry between the Duke and William was wonderful.

This is definitely a book I would recommend.  Even if you haven't read a Discworld book before you would still enjoy the satirical references to the world of newspapers.  But it would mean missing out on the passing references, which are sometimes the best bits in Pratchett books.

The Truth Shall Set Ye Free, as they say (whoever they are), and the truth is that sometimes all you need is appropriately-timed roaring thunder to make your day.

Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

Of the large number of books on our bookshelves that I have yet to read, 12 carry the name of Robin Hobb.  Loved by my husband, auntie, cousin and many others, I have been meaning to try out one of her books for some time.  And now, that count has just gone down to 11.

Assassin's Apprentice is the first book in The Farseer Trilogy and is based in the Six Duchies, a kingdom ruled by the Farseer family.  It follows the life of Fitz, a royal bastard who struggles to fit in with either royal or normal folk and has to find his own path.

The story is told in first person, but in a reflective way such that the older Fitz can analyse the decisions he made in younger days.Each chapter begins with a section of the history of the Duchies, which our storyteller has been tasked with writing.  This provides more insights into the political situation surrounding the land, and some of its key characters.

I confess, it took me a little while to get into this.  Another book to fall victim to me reading while tired.  I also struggled a bit with some of the plotlines at first.  The brutality in parts surprised me, but became one of the things I really appreciated.  Every aspect in the story is raw.  What you see is what you get.  And the telling in first person allows this to be delivered beautifully and honestly.

When my husband suggested this book, I had no idea what to expect.  The fantasy genre covers such a wide range that it can be hard to tell how 'overt' the fantasy aspects will be.  In this case, the magic is built in slowly.  You are introduced to the world and its characters long before magic becomes apparent, and through the acceptance of a young boy it's almost easy to miss it when it first comes in.

The important distinction, in my opinion, is that the world does not purely exist for the forms of magic it holds.  Because the Skill is taught to so few the every day life of most people goes on without really noticing it.  This means that when magic does come to the forefront its place has been earned.  The purpose for using it can clearly be seen.  Which seems to me to be the mark of a very well written book.  One that uses fantasy elements to enhance good writing, rather than to mask poor writing.

It took me a while, but I did fall in love with the characters.  Not in my usual way of connecting with one or two more than others, but in a way that made me appreciate all their individual characteristics and how well the personalities played off each other.  It was also interesting how Fitz's perception of different people changed as he got older and wiser, and as familiar faces appeared and disappeared in his life.

For the first book in a trilogy, the ending is very satisfying.  Enough ends gets tied up that it justifies being a story in its own right, rather than just 'part 1'.  Which means I don't need to instantly plough on to the next one, and so can reflect more on what I've read.  At the same time, though, there are enough open threads and tantalising glimpses that mean I can't see it being long before I return to the world of the Six Duchies.

A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle

Recently I was given the lovely present of a Kindle, which I needed an excuse to try out.  So I started to think of the older books that I keep meaning to read, and Sherlock Holmes sprung to mind.  With the wonders of modern technology, I downloaded the entire Sherlock Holmes collection in under a minute, and started to read A Study in Scarlet.

The first novel to feature the famous detective and his medical sidekick focuses on the death of an American - a mystery which the police detectives find to be beyond their reach.  Holmes finds the whole thing very simple and spends much of the time parading in front of the others just how simple he finds it.

Ok, so that doesn't sound a ringing endorsement for the story.  And in some ways, it sums up how I felt.  Halfway through the crime is solved and the plot switches to back-story.  This confused me at first, but at times I felt like I enjoyed the back-story more than the main detective plot itself.  That may not be any bad sign on the story, more a sign of my habits.

As is quite clear from this blog, I really like Agatha Christie's Poirot series.  These focus a great deal on the idea that a good detective looks at things from a different angle to see things that others miss.  I've also watched a fair bit of CSI, so the concept of analysing evidence is somewhat second nature.  But what needs to be remembered is that Sherlock Holmes was before all that and living in a different age.

Overall I'm a bit undecided.  The actual mystery itself felt a bit weak, and as a reader basically no details are provided til the final reveal, giving no chance of even making a guess at the murderer.  However, I know that one of the later novels is the more acclaimed and so I'm going to give them a chance and carry on.  Besides, I've got the whole lot sat on my Kindle already.