So in July I rolled the die to see how many books I would read and it came up with 8. I actually read 11, which put me for a total of 51/50 for the year so far! During the month there was also the Biannual Bibliothon, which I only read two books of, so we're not going to bother with a separate post for that. Let's get to the wrap up then!
Book #1: A Study in Pink by Steven Moffat
Sherlock Manga -
printed in English in the US for the first time! Adapting the
episodes of the smash-hit TV series starring worldwide superstars
Benedict Cumberbatch (upcoming"Doctor Strange") and Martin
Freeman ("The Hobbit"). Holmes and Watson tackle
brain-teasing crimes in modern-day London in this stunning Manga,
presented in its original right-to-left reading order, and in the
full chapters as originally serialized! Meet Holmes and Watson for
the first time... all over again!"
I am obsessed. Everyone knows this. I went to Books-a-Million (a new favorite store) with my friends and while I was off in the ladies' room, my bestie discovered this book and the next one in the comic section and put them in my cart. I want to know why they weren't in the manga section as they are literally manga, but that is entirely beside the point I suppose. I loved the way it followed the episode line for line. The only issue that I actually have is that the artist drew John's nose far too bulbous. Martin Freeman's nose is not nearly that large. It sort of ruined the art for me when he was in the screen. 5/5 stars though for the way they drew Sherlock and the story-line itself. I am so happy I picked it up.
Book #2: The Blind Banker by Steve Thompson
Manga adaptation of
the second Sherlock BBC episode - printed in English in the US for
the first time! Holmes and Watson tackle brain-teasing crimes in
modern-day London in this stunning Manga, presented in its original
right-to-left reading order, and in the full chapters as originally
serialized! Meet Holmes and Watson for the first time... all over
again!
This was the first book that she stuck into the cart, not realizing that it was the second book in the series. I knew as much because I've seen the entire series at least four or five times total, so I sort of remember the titles of the episodes of series one in order (next is The Great Game). I loved the way they stuck true to the episode once again. John's nose is still too big for my tastes, but I have learned to get over it in favor of reading the story and enjoying myself. I loved how they added a scene for Sherlock in Soo Lin's house. Not a big one, but a little bit of line to help the plot where there wasn't any (that I recall) in the episode. I am excited to get my hands on The Great Game when it makes its way here from wherever it is.
Book #3: Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Great Detective by Charlotte Montague
During his lifetime,
writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was involved in many public feuds. He
argued with Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, over the sinking of the
Titanic and fell out with American magician, Harry Houdini, over the
trickery of spiritualist mediums. But the life-long feud that Doyle
fought with his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, proved to be
the greatest feud of all. Holmes was so popular with readers that
Doyle grew to hate him. The Great Detective was taking over the
author's life - and-Doyle decided to kill him. So it was that
Sherlock Holmes died in 1893, killed off by a writer who felt
overshadowed by his main character. But Holmes would not die so
easily, and eventually, due to overwhelming demand, Sherlock Holmes
made a comeback in The Hound of
the Baskervilles in 1901. Holmes went on to feature in a
total of 56 short stories and four novels written by Doyle between
1903 and 1927. Not only did Holmes become more famous than his
writer, but he outlived him. Since then Sherlock Holmes has become
the most prolific character in the history of entertainment,
featuring in over 25,000 productions and products, including stage
and screen adaptations starring many fine actors from John Barrymore
in 1922 to Sir Ian McKellen in 2015.
I have a small story to go with this. I had set myself a budget of $75 for Books-a-Million. I didn't want to overspend (I did of course) and I had been having trouble finding a lot of the books that were on my list that I had brought with me to the store. I got three of the seven books. To appease myself, I indulged in a little retail therapy and ended up buying four Sherlock Holmes books. Three of which I read already in July. Now when I started this one, I was sitting in the ER waiting room with my friend, KS, who was suffering from extreme shortness of breath. Apparently outside tried to kill her. Anyway, I thought, as long as I was stuck in the ER anyway, I may as well get started on the book, right? Right. 4/5 stars because it was just a watered down version of the book that I was already reading, Mattias Boström's From Holmes to Sherlock, which I had forgotten at home that week. This book goes on minor tangents about other authors and actors that have some minor to major connection to Conan Doyle and his family. I enjoyed it as a coffee table book, which is what it is. It has been added to my Sherlock Shelf.
Book #4: From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Boström
Everyone knows
Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a unique literary
character who has remained popular for over a century and is
appreciated more than ever today. But what made this fictional
character, dreamed up by a small-town English doctor in the 1880s,
into such a lasting success, despite the author’s own attempt to
escape his invention? In From
Holmes to Sherlock
, Swedish author and Sherlock Holmes
expert Mattias Boström recreates the full story behind the legend
for the first time. From a young Arthur Conan Doyle sitting in a
Scottish lecture hall taking notes on his medical professor’s
powers of observation to the pair of modern-day fans who brainstormed
the idea behind the TV sensation Sherlock
,
from the publishing world’s first literary agent to the Georgian
princess who showed up at the Conan Doyle estate and altered a
legacy, the narrative follows the men and women who have created and
perpetuated the myth. It includes tales of unexpected fortune,
accidental romance, and inheritances gone awry, and tells of the
actors, writers, readers, and other players who have transformed
Sherlock Holmes from the gentleman amateur of the Victorian era to
the odd genius of today. Told in fast-paced, novelistic prose, From
Holmes to Sherlock
is a singular celebration of the most
famous detective in the world—a must-read for newcomers and experts
alike.
I swear I read more than just books related to Sherlock Holmes this month. I swear it! I just had a really good run for the first week and a half of July. So this is a much more in depth version of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Great Detective by Charlotte Montague. If you want a quick read, go for Montague. If you want a longer, more detailed read, go for Boström. I loved it. I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since discovering the BBC series and then the plethora of things available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. I then started reading the original stories and when I saw this on the shelf at Barnes & Noble I just had to have it. KS even looked me in the eye and said "You're not putting that down, are you?" I was so not going to give it up for anything. I started it the day I bought it, back in 2017 some time. Around Christmas I think? Good lord, I looked it up. 24th October 2017. I started this just a few weeks after my birthday and didn't finish it until just a few weeks before my birthday. I love how he used more informal language to talk about Arthur Conan Doyle and the character of Sherlock. I loved the way we started before Sherlock was a thing and ended after it did more than a century later. I really suggest that anyone wanting to learn about Sherlock Holmes, and all of the weird branch societies that came from the fandom to read this book. 5/5 stars for sure!
Book #5: 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
12
Years a Slave is a riveting true account of a free man
captured and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. Solomon
Northup's narrative explores one of the darkest times in American
history and captures in vivid detail the unimaginable realities of
slavery. In 1841, the educated musician Solomon Northup, a free man
living in New York who is cruelly deceived by the promise of a job in
Washington, is drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. Once
Solomon arrives in New Orleans, he is given a slave name and soon
realizes that any mention of his rights as a free man is sure to
bring cruel punishment or death. Denied his freedom and ripped away
from his family, he spends twelve emotionally and physically grueling
years on a Louisiana cotton plantation enduring the hardships and
brutalities of life as a slave. When Solomon eventually finds a
sympathizing friend, a daring rescue is attempted that could either
end in Solomon's death or restore his freedom and reunite him with
his family. When Solomon Northup published this harrowing account of
slavery in 1853, it immediately stirred up controversy in the
national debate over slavery, helping to sway public opinion in
favou\r of abolition. His book 12
Years a Slave remains one of the most insightful, detailed,
and eloquent depictions of slavery in America. It demonstrates the
extraordinary resilience of one man's spirit in the face of extreme
suffering and his incredible will to survive.
I don't even remember exactly why I wanted to read this at all, beyond the fact that I had seen the movie on Netflix. Then I bought a copy from BookOutlet so I could read it. I was even particular about the cover that I got. I liked this one the best. I felt so bad for Solomon throughout the book, especially when he is beaten for something entirely out of his control. I wished he could have either escaped permanently the first time or remained with Ford on his plantation. I doubt Ford would have treated him badly. I loved the story. It reads like a fictional novel, even though it's actually not. 4/5 stars because the way it was told left me a little to be desired, but it was still very good nonetheless. I will recommend it to friends and family who want to learn more about slave life.
Book #6: Death Note: Boredom by Tsugumi Ohba
Light Yagami is an ace
student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But
all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by
a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in
the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the
Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin
dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to
track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight
of his noble goal... or his life? Light tests the boundaries of the
Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily,
Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and
leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With
access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the
authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can
Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?
Once, many moons ago, I owned the entire thirteen-book series and one of the associated novels. I sold them on eBay when I thought I was over manga and wouldn't read them any more. Then I spontaneously got back into it after finding a ton of interesting anime on the Netflix. Then I found out that a friend of mine moved out of town/state/something...and that she had a ton of books left behind she had no intention of ever reading again or keeping and that I could go through them and pick what I wanted before they were donated. I found the first seven volumes of Death Note among them and I was so excited that I actually tripped over my own feet. This one really just cements how psychotic Light is. He's incredibly apathetic toward anyone that he doesn't think will further his goal toward ridding the world of what he considers to be evil. I loved it just as much now as I did back when I first read it. 4/5 stars, because the art was a little weird. I liked how Light is just intelligent enough to quickly think up ways to use the Death Note that even Ryuk hadn't come up with. It was beautiful. I am excited to pick up the next volume in the series and continue on!
Book #7: Religions in Japan by William K. Bunce
From the report
prepared by the Religions and Cultural Resources Division, Civil
Information and Education Section, General Headquarters of the
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, Tokyo, March 1948, under the
editorial direction of William K. Bunce.
Do I have an explanation for why I wanted to read this? Nope. Not at all. I wasn't exactly pleased by the way it was sorted out. Bunce kind of did middle, beginning, end as far as the religions themselves are concerned. Shinto is the native, primitive religion. Buddhism was brought over a little later from mainland China. Then lastly, Christianity was brought, slowly, from oddly enough, also China, as well as America, England, France, Germany and so forth. However, instead of being in that order, Bunce put Buddhism first, then Shinto, then Christianity last. I understand why Christianity was last, it's still somewhat contested in Japan. Many of the populace are either Shinto (or a subset of) or Buddhist. The information is definitely outdated now, but still useful for those studying religion and/or Japan. 3/5 stars, because really it was just old.
Book #8: Pride Park by Caitlin McGee
On June 12, 2016, the
LGBT+ community was deeply shaken. 49 people were killed and 53
injured in a terrorist attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando,
Florida. Pulse was a gay club, and the attack took place as a crowd
gathered to watch a Puerto Rican drag queen. The heartbreak felt
personal. This book was born from a desire to do more than just offer
prayers. Pride Park is an attempt to create something lasting. It
includes stories and poems from coast to coast, and around the world.
They are stories to entertain and enlighten. Each story is connected
in some way to the fictional location of Pride Park, a safe space for
the LGBT+ community where the graffiti at the entrance reads “Pride.
Hope. Love.” The book raises funds for The Trevor Project, offering
help to LGBT+ youth in crisis. Written by those in the community and
allies, Pride Park is a safe place to heal, inspire, love, and most
of all...hope.
I cannot remember right now where I was, or what I was doing when the news came on about the Pulse shooting. I remember my friends, who like me are part of the community, talking about it. I recall the reactions across the internet and everyone praying for those from the nightclub. That's it. That's all I can remember. You can see my thoughts and feelings better in my review [INSERT REVIEW LINK]. Go check it out. It's a very good book.
Book #9: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Welcome to the cursed
town of Sparrow...where, two centuries ago, three sisters were
sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and
they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a
brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of
three weak hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring
boys into the harbor and pulling them under. Like many locals,
seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town.
But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo
Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.
Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked
streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo
suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to
those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. But only Penny sees
what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or
save herself.
I had seen this book about on YouTube being talked about by various members of the BookTube community. I saw it on sale cheap at Walmart, and thought I would give it a go. Since it was one of the books for the Biannual Bibliothon, I would give it a go. I did like it very much. It was incredibly good. It took me a while to figure out one of the plot twists, but even when I didn't manage it, it was still very good. 4/5 stars. I sort of wish that it wasn't a romance, but you get what you get. I loved the story and will be recommending this one to friends.
Book #10: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
She flees on her
wedding day. She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s
secret collection. She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own
father. She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House
of Morrighan. The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and
the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide.
Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political
alliance. Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia escapes to a distant
village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the
common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers
arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an
assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on
the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel
her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.
5/5 stars, definitely. I loved the way that Lia was not some ninny of a princess. She didn't just bow down and do what they wanted of her. Instead she just left. She didn't let her 'duty' to her people stop her. Unfortunately, she probably should have considered the impact it would have on the people when she left. I feel bad for all of the people of Dalbrek, and Morrighan. I feel especially bad for Pauline, for reasons you will learn about in the book. I wish her all the best in the world for what she will be going through. I cannot wait to see how Lia fares in
The Heart of Betrayal when I get my hands on it. I can even count it, along with
The Beauty in Darkness for the Biannual Bibliothon as 2) A Book from Someone Else's TBR and 7) The Last Book You Bought. Yay!
Book #11: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
English magicians were
once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at their beck
and call; they could command winds, mountains, and woods. But by the
early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic.
They can only write long, dull papers about it, while fairy servants
are nothing but a fading memory. But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire,
the rich, reclusive Mr Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of
lost and forgotten books from England's magical past and regained
some of the powers of England's magicians. He goes to London and
raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his
help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte,
creating ghostly fleets of rain-ships to confuse and alarm the
French. All goes well until a rival magician appears. Jonathan
Strange is handsome, charming, and talkative -- the very opposite of
Mr Norrell. Strange thinks nothing of enduring the rigors of
campaigning with Wellington's army and doing magic on battlefields.
Astonished to find another practicing magician, Mr Norrell accepts
Strange as a pupil. But it soon becomes clear that their ideas of
what English magic ought to be are very different. For Mr Norrell,
their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan
Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms
of magic. He becomes fascinated by the ancient, shadowy figure of the
Raven King, a child taken by fairies who became king of both England
and Faerie, and the most legendary magician of all. Eventually
Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to
destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he
holds dear.
I have been reading this on and off since 2016. It's a decently hefty book at 782 pages long, and you would probably believe that I read 5/7 of it during a two-day span in July. It was very good especially once I actually started to read it. There reached a point where I was just about 550-page marker, and all I could think about were Strange and Norrell. I would half-ass my way through work just because I couldn't focus. I was so close to the conclusion that I had to know what happened. Which means of course that it just stop right in the middle. I want to know if Childermass ever became The Reader, and what the hell did the King's Letters say anyway?! I was kind of mad about Norrell's reaction to anything that was not expressly his idea or with his approval. He was so conceited that he thought that there should be only one practical magician in all of England, and it ought to be him and screw the other guy. Hell, screw the guy who actually brought magic to England in the first place. He was wrong as well, right Norrell? That said, someone really should have kept Jonathan in check. There were a number of things he did that were...ill advised at best. I think if they would have stayed together from the start and used their different mental capabilities as a unit, they wouldn't have gotten into half the messes they did. Oh well. 4/5 stars. It was really good and really interesting. I just wish that they would have finished the plots at the end.
