The Classics Club: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

I have been ploughing on with my new-found love for short story collections in 2013. At the end of 2012 I read and adored The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I adored it so much that I immediately started another of Doyle’s collection, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. The weather has taken a bitter turn here in the UK. Most nights I have been very keen to tuck myself in bed and lose myself in a mystery, hence me having finished off another collection so soon.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection made up of the next twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories Arthur Conan Doyle wrote and had published in The Strand. The most famous story from the collection would have to be The Final Problem where we see our intrepid sleuth take on his finest nemesis Professor Moriarty. I very much enjoyed The Final Problem as well as The Stock-Broker’s Clerk, The Musgrave Ritual, and The Naval Treaty. That being said again there were no stories in this collection I didn’t enjoy, they were all fascinating, the four I have named though particularly captured my attention.

Like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes collection, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes had a good range of stories which were varied and well-balanced. There was also the wonderful chemistry between his two protagonists that I love to witness during the intricate mysteries. I did find I was most drawn to Holmes’s companion Dr Watson in this collection more than the previous. In The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes I discovered there was a more sympathetic side to Holmes while in this collection I think we saw more of his unusual behaviour again. I imagine that difference is just down to the choice of stories in each collection.

I am still preferring reading the short story collections of Sherlock Holmes, as the shorter length of the stories means I can easily keep the thread of the mystery and fully enjoy all the twists and turns, without the worry of needing a break. Although I did find the length of the stories in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes varied more with The Naval Treaty being a lot longer than the rest of the stories in the collection. While the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes were of a more standard length. As much as I enjoyed both collections I think The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes just has the edge for me because of the standard length of the stories and how I think the choice of stories slightly captured my imagination more.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes was another fascinating read with more interesting adventures for me to discover. This is now my 9th read from my Classics Club list which means I am well on my way to my target of 10 books a year. On finishing this collection I started The Complete Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales for a bit of a change, although I hope I will be able to return to Sherlock Holmes again very soon.

Have you read The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes? What’s your favourite Sherlock Holmes story?

The Classics Club: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

I have become quite a fan of short story collections recently, as I now see the advantages of being able to read one or two stories at a time. At the beginning of December I read and enjoyed Aesop’s Fables when I finished that I decided to start The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I thought this might be a match made in heaven of two of my loves; short stories and crime. I read this collection alongside The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley. Between the two I spent many a happy hour curled up in a blanket in my mother’s conservatoire reading over my Christmas holiday.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection made up of the first twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories Arthur Conan Doyle wrote and had published in The Strand. The most famous story from the collection would have to be A Scandal in Bohemia where we are introduced to the infamous Irene Adler, one of the few people to ever best our intrepid sleuth. As much as I enjoyed A Scandal in Bohemia I would say my favourite stories were The Five Orange Pips, The Speckled Band, and The Copper Beeches. That being said there were no stories in this collection I didn’t enjoy, they were all fascinating, the three I have named though particularly captured my imagination.

This is not my first foray into the world of Sherlock Holmes, previously I have read A Study in Scarlet the first novel to include Holmes and his faithful companion Watson. Sadly several years have passed since I read this first novel but I was very keen to read more so when I joined The Classics Club I made space for Doyle’s work on my list. I am really glad I did because I just love delving into Doyle’s intricate mysteries and witnessing the chemistry between his two protagonists. I was a little hesitant because I hadn’t read any short stories by Doyle before but in fact I think I enjoyed this format more than I did the novel. The range of stories in this collection was varied and well-balanced. While the shorter length of the stories meant you could easily keep the thread of the mystery and fully enjoy all the twists and turns, without the worry of needing a break.

From my experience of reading A Study in Scarlet I found I was most drawn to Holmes’s companion Dr Watson. As much as I find the workings of Holmes’s mind fascinating, the down to earth narration of Watson is what made the story more relatable for me. I found a change in my opinion from reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes because I think in some of the stories we see a more sympathetic Holmes. The modern film and television adaptations tend to only focus on his intelligence and clinical thinking, while I feel Doyle’s original stories show Holmes can be compassionate. As much as I like the adaptations I’ve watched I think I now prefer the Holmes from the stories.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was a fascinating read with an interesting mix of adventures to discover. I also found my return to Doyle’s well-loved sleuth rather comforting. On finishing this collection I started The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes straight away. This is now my 8th read from my Classics Club list, I am very proud of my progress so far.

Have you read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes? What’s your favourite Sherlock Holmes story?

The Classics Club: Oliver Twist

With my recent blues I have not been in the mood for brand new reads, choosing to get lost in childhood favourite The Hobbit instead. Once I had finished that I decided to move onto Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens because I thought it would be a good go-between of the new and the familiar. I have never read the novel before but it is very hard not to know the story of the little orphan Oliver due to the musical, films, and television adaptations. This turned out to be a wonderful choice. I found a lot of comfort in discovering known to me characters in their original context.

Oliver Twist is a harrowing adventure that follows a young orphaned boy trying to survive in Victorian England. Oliver is born in the work house which in Victorian times then places a stain upon his character by others in the community. A stain Oliver finds very hard to escape from. While I have always felt sorry for Oliver from other sources I have seen the character in, I was not prepared for how much more the novel would make me feel. Any child in Oliver’s position would be heart-breaking to read about but Oliver is no ordinary child; he has such a pure and honest heart that many in the novel just don’t wish to acknowledge. I found it hard to put this novel down because I was so keen to see Oliver escape his situation, but as he seems to escape one bad situation he falls into other just as bad situations. Dickens highlights very successfully in this novel what a vicious cycle life could be like for a pauper child in this time period.

Before reading Oliver Twist I had only read one other novel by Dickens which was Nicholas Nickleby. This was some years ago now. I do remember enjoying the story and characters however I found the language hard to get into. With several more years of reading experience I was hoping I would have better luck with my second foray into Dickens work, and I was right. I still feel Dickens’s use of language is rather convoluted and highly detailed but it didn’t take me long to get into the flow of the style. Once I was into the style I found I was free to just get lost in the story. And boy, can Dickens weave a wonderful story.

What I was surprised about how much of an adventure Oliver Twist turned out to be. Before reading this I always imagined all the story took place in the back streets of London but there are in fact many locations and situations Oliver finds himself in. What I feel really makes the story though are all the interesting and colourful characters that Oliver meets during his journey. The pompous and silly Beagle Mr Bumble, slimy Noah Claypole, the slick Artful Dodger, the kind and patient Mr Brownlow, the angelic Rose, the fallen Nancy, the dark and brutal Sikes, and of course the one we all know; the sneaky, conniving and ruthless old Jew Fagin. And that is only mentioning about half of the characters! I think the variety of strong characters is maybe the secret as to why Dickens novels have been so well-loved and adapted over the years.

Oliver Twist is a wonderfully touching and insightful fictional look into a world gone by. I highly recommend reading this novel. This is now my 6th book towards The Classics Club. I am now really looking forward to cracking open my copy of Great Expectations.

Have you read this novel? Did you enjoy it?

Tiger Paw – Charles A Cornell

Tiger Paw is a mystery thriller novel by the British born, Canadian raised author Charles A Cornell. Tiger Paw was independently published in April 2012 by Cornell and is now available in paperback, hardback, or in a digital format. I read a great deal of mysteries but not a huge amount of thrillers. What really drew me to this thriller was the elements of Indian/Hindu culture, religion, and mythology that lies as a backbone within the action. Sadly this novel languished on my kindle for sometime. Then on my recent break to North Wales I finally gave Tiger Paw ago, after a reminder from some fellow bookworms how good a thriller can be as a holiday read.

Tiger Paw follows the FBI profiler Scott Forrester as he is called to yet another murder scene where a vicious serial killer has left their unusual and unique tag. The latest victim Matthew Carleton a billionaire Wall Street mogul has been found drowned in a bath full of his own expensive wine collection. Across the marbled bathroom wall the killer has written in Carleton’s blood a sentence in an unknown script followed by three gash like marks, which has given rise to the name The Tiger Paw Killer. The unknown script leads Scott Forrester and his partner down a dangerous road into the world of a demonic East Indian cult where they hope to find this killer while there is still anyone left on Wall Street.

It has been a while since I’ve read a thriller and so Tiger Paw was quite a refreshing read for me. And my trip to Wales was the perfect time to start this as I had plenty of time to throw myself into the twisting plot. The story itself was well-written and well paced, although I was slightly thrown by being brought into the novel at the fourth murder. However in hindsight this was a great way to keep the pace up. The character of Scott Forrester is pretty typical. Intelligent, thorough, hot-headed, and has terrible taste in women while his partner is the completely opposite. So there is nothing ground-breaking about the characters or the murders but everything does work well. The interest really comes when we dive into the world of the demonic East Indian cult. I had no idea that within the Hindu religion there was an equivalent to Satan and Satanists? But now I do! I found the back story of the Hindu religion and East Indian culture within Tiger Paw fascinating. The ending was a good solid end, some surprises, but some not so for me as I had a nasty feeling about a particular character as soon as I met them. I clearly should become a profiler!

Tiger Paw was an interesting thriller with a fascinating East Indian cult element. I recommend to bookworms with a love of thrillers and/or an interest in East Indian culture/religion.

I received a free digital copy of Tiger Paw from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What Other’s Thought: (Have you reviewed this book? Let me know would love to add your link)

The Deathly Portent – Elizabeth Bailey

The Deathly Portent is a historical mystery by British author Elizabeth Bailey, and is the second Lady Fan Mystery. The first instalment being The Gilded Shroud which I have not read hopefully shouldn’t harm to read them out of order. Elizabeth Bailey is a new author for me but the genre of book is certainly not. I read the words mystery, crime, murder, Georgian setting, and a Lady sleuth and I was sold on this book! I have recently read quite a few surreal reads and desperately reached for this book hoping for a bit of comfort from one of my favourite genres.

The Deathly Portent follows the adventures of the notorious Lady sleuth Ottilia, recently made Lady Francis Fanshawe. Ottilia and her new husband Lord Fanshawe have been visiting family after their honeymoon when they find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere when their carriage breaks. They are drawn towards the small village of Witherley seeking food, shelter, and a mystery. For Ottilia has heard rumours of a terrible murder and witchcraft. On arriving in Witherley and meetings its odd ball collection of inhabitants Ottilia finds out the local blacksmith Duggleby has been found dead in his forge with the roof caved in. The villagers are convinced this is the work of the Widow Dale who they believe is a witch. While the hammer blow to the back of Duggleby’s head sets Ottilia believing something far more sinister is going on.

I made a slow start on The Deathly Portent due to me starting it during a rather stressful period of time for me, but actually this book was exactly what I needed. I have been hankering after a bit of cozy crime for sometime now and this was the fix I needed. An added bonus to The Deathly Portent was the historical setting. There is nothing better than a mystery to sweep you away other than a historical mystery to sweep you away. The setting for which Elizabeth Bailey got spot on. The rural descriptions were perfect, the dress, manners, and language were all very good too. I didn’t notice one slip up and I always think the key to historical fiction is continuity especially in the language used. There was to be an extra added bonus for me as I started to read the description of the location of Witherley. Apparently it was just up the road from Atherstone and sits upon a tributary of the Anker river. My hometown is just up the road from Atherstone and is actually built upon the Anker river itself! What a lovely coincidence, I thought.

The real star of this book though is of course Ottilia and the mystery she is trying to solve. I instantly loved Ottilia because she is intelligent, witty, attractive, loving, and independent. Although sometimes her heart can over-rule her head which could often lead to some mis-adventures for our heroine. Her faithful husband and side-kick Lord Fanshawe was another interesting character who proved his worth on many such mis-adventures. The mystery Ottilia is on the trail of is constantly twisting and turning, leaving almost all the inhabitants of Witherley under suspicion and so Ottilia methodically interrogates them all but often they don’t realise she is interrogated them! I actually think I had landed on the culprit before our intrepid Lady Fan but it didn’t dampen the enjoyment of the culminating climax of the book.

Overall The Deathly Portent was a thoroughly enjoyable read. A strong mystery, a well executed setting, and an even stronger heroine to boot. I really will have to keep an eye out for more of Elizabeth Bailey’s work from now on.

I received a free copy of The Deathly Portent from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What Other’s Thought: Helen @ She Reads Novels , Lubylou @ I Hug My Books , Lou @ Lou Graham’s Blog , Nikki-Ann @ Notes of Life , (You?)