A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes Book One)

 

Publication Date: 

1888

Length:

176 pages

Summary:

Since I wondered myself...the title of this book comes from the words of Holmes himself in a speech to Watson. He says, "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it." This is the first story of Holmes and Watson. Through a series of events they become roommates and are seemingly compatible. Watson is intrigued by Holmes and his work, clients being those with criminal cases to solve. And Holmes likes schooling Watson on his methods, holding back his most coveted "tricks" for solving his cases. Watson, a veteran of the Second Afghan War is used to a serious side of life, but he still retains a bit of innocence and guile as he marvels at Holmes's uncanny detective skills. 

When a telegram arrives requesting Holmes's help in solving a new case, the two men travel to the crime scene, finding a victim, a strange German word written on the wall, RACHE, and a lady's gold wedding ring. After using a newspaper ad to try to find the ring's owner, Holmes later becomes convinced the owner is in on the murder. When another murder occurs with more identical clues, Holmes is convinced all is related and begins his deduction skills to solve the crimes and piece everything together. 

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Henry V The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King by Dan Jones

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm  featuring, Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King by   Dan Jones. Not only do I not find many books devoted entirely to this King, Dan  Jones is one of the best with biographies and history events. I am excited to see this  one coming in October! I hope you have found something you can't wait to read this week!

October 1, 2024

History/ History of U.K.

Henry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months and died at the age of just thirty-five, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond. The victor of Agincourt, he is remembered as the acme of kingship, a model to be closely imitated by his successors. William Shakespeare deployed Henry V as a study in youthful folly redirected to sober statesmanship. For one modern medievalist, Henry was, quite simply, “the greatest man who ever ruled England.”
 
For Dan Jones, Henry V is one of the most intriguing characters in all medieval history, but one of the hardest to pin down. He was a hardened, sometimes brutal warrior, yet he was also creative and artistic, with a bookish temperament. He was a leader who made many mistakes, who misjudged his friends and family, but he always seemed to triumph when it mattered. As king, he saved a shattered country from economic ruin, put down rebellions, and secured England’s borders; in foreign diplomacy, he made England a serious player once more. Yet through his conquests in northern France, he sowed the seeds for three generations of calamity at home, in the form of the Wars of the Roses.
 
Henry V is a historical titan whose legacy has become a complicated one. To understand the man behind the legend, Jones first examines Henry’s years of apprenticeship, when he saw the downfall of one king and the turbulent reign of another. Upon his accession in 1413, he had already been politically and militarily active for years, and his extraordinary achievements as king would come shortly after, earning him an unparalleled historical reputation. Writing with his characteristic wit and style, Jones delivers a thrilling and unmissable life of England’s greatest king.

Stacking the Shelves #36

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week!

Kindle purchase with digital points: $1.99

This is the first in the Lady Darby mystery series. I just reviewed the latest book by Anna Lee Huber, The Cold Light of Day, and want to try out her series set in a time and place I find a bit more interesting.....19th century Scotland. So this is the first one for this set. It is a very unique premise. Lady Darby will use her knowledge of human anatomy to help in a murder case. Should be a good read as I found Huber's other book very well written and complicated. This was because I'd started at the end. But it was a good book still so I'm hoping this one will be even better!

Library Borrow:

I really enjoy non-fiction books that are structured like this one. When they take several people in history that relate to a topic and give a short synopsis of each one. I can see a snapshot of a timeline or historical persons and then if one really appeals to me I can get a biography of just that person or time period. But I don't have to wade through lots and lots details I might not be interested in. This one includes Kings from Charlemagne to Robert the Bruce and are personalities that don't necessarily get a lot of attention. I will probably read it slowly and even skip around to the ones that are most appealing. 

Kindle Purchase with digital points: $1.99

I honestly was drawn to this book for its unique cover and title. I also love these reissued British Mystery Classics. This is a new to me author which is always good and I love trying out new mysteries anytime. The Amazon synopsis says it is an "exploration of morality, justice, and human nature." I like that added layer of depth and the classic authors really know how to write about those topics well. Hoping it's a good one!

Ordeal By Innocence by Agatha Christie (Read Christie 2024 September Selection)

 

Publication Date:

November 3, 1958

Length:

256 pages

Summary:

I have had a hard time keeping up with Read Christie this summer. So despite my post from two years ago about not liking audiobooks I'm fast changing my mind! I listened to this one. And it was a great break from reading in that the narration by Hugh Fraser from Poirot made it a lot of fun. I have missed out on reading the March, July, and August selections so it was nice to get back to my commitment of reading them each month.

Dr. Arthur Calgary is an explorer who has been away for some time in Antarctica. When he discovers he is the sole alibi for a man named Jacko Argyle in a murder conviction, he realizes he must contact the man's family and clear his name. Jacko was accused of murdering his adoptive, overbearing mother, Rachel Argyle. Unfortunately, when Dr. Calgary arrives at the family home, they are not receptive to his good news. It seems Jacko was convicted and died in prison, seemingly guilty of the crime. And the family feels that everyone should leave well enough alone. Jacko was not beloved by them, always in trouble, and causing mischief. No one seems to care if he was innocent of this particular crime as he was the cause of so much strife in their lives anyway. They also realize that if Jacko was innocent, then one of them might be the guilty party. And that is another burden no one wants to deal with.

But Dr. Calgary is not so sure the "leave well enough alone" scenario is acceptable. He feels a duty to get to the bottom of the question: If Jacko didn't murder the mother, then who did? And why? And so he sets out to discover motive, opportunity, and the reason behind it all. He meets resistance at every turn from the children and father and knows he is treading in dangerous territory. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder On the Nile by Verity Bright (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 19)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder On the Nile by Verity Bright. I'm currently on Book 10 of this series and I just love it. It is one of the few cozy series I started with at the beginning and have reviewed throughout the whole series so far. There is just something about it that appeals to me with the fun locations, clever, witty characters and gorgeous covers. It is a cozy series worth committing to. I hope you have a great week with whatever you can't wait to read!

September 26, 2024

Cozy Mysteries/Historical Mysteries

A cruise down the Nile, a camel ride around the pyramids, lunch in the shadow of the Sphinx… And a very dead body!

1924. Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler Clifford are touring the great, ancient sights of Egypt on a much-anticipated extended vacation. But when the pair arrive at the docks in Cairo expecting to board the luxurious paddle steamer advertised in their brochure, they are baffled by the crumbling old cruiser waiting for them. And things only go from bad to worse as death stalks the decks of the SS Cleopatra…

Two days into the trip one of their fellow passengers, Lieutenant Baxter, is found shot dead in his locked cabin. Immediately suspicious and desperate to see justice done, Eleanor discovers a half-finished note addressed to her hidden in Baxter’s travelling trunk. In it he asks her to deliver a vitally important letter to the authorities at their next stop down river: a priceless treasure worthy of a king has been stolen and an innocent man’s life hangs in the balance.

But before the sands of time wipe away all evidence on board, Eleanor must uncover who among the other travellers wanted Baxter dead. Was it the anxious archaeologist who doesn’t have an alibi, the reptile expert with a passion for the murderous Nile crocodile or the art dealer with a devious secret?

With the killer readying to strike again much closer to home, can Eleanor dig up the truth before she’s trapped in a tomb under the pyramids forever?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Involving Food

 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl features books that involve food. I knew there was slim chance I'd have reviews for anything on this topic. It just isn't my thing. But it sounded like a fun challenge to find them anyway. 

When searching though, I discovered so many that I was excited! Who knew there was a whole community of book and foodie lovers out there who actually make lists of these books and seek them out for this reason. I think that is fascinating. Since I am not a big fan of books set in the present I was also glad to see some historical fiction food themed books. I will definitely be trying out a couple of them. Number ten is right up my alley. Here is my list! Happy Reading ya'll :) 

1. The Hannah Swenson Mysteries by Joanne Fluke. 

2. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

3. Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mysteries by Ellery Adams

4. Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

6. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

7. Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen

8. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

9. Heartburn by Nora Ephron

10. John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk

Stacking the Shelves #35

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week!

This is book one in a five book series on the Plantagenets but starting with Richard II, not Henry and Eleanor. I have book one and it ends with Henry V and Agincourt in book five. This author has a wonderful website, MercedesRochelle.com, which links to her books and to two other sites where she explores medieval history. I plan to surf it this week as the articles are interesting. I'm hoping to learn more through her books as I can't find many that focus on the late 1300's or early 1400's like these do.

On sale for Kindle this week for 99 cents....that's right! For a dollar you can get this one. I was so excited. I have not read her books but am always hearing they are great. She's another I feel I have to devote time to and also there are so many great looking books to choose from I don't know where to start. The covers are just gorgeous and the characters are fascinating historical subjects. If you haven't snagged your copy do it tonight.

Holland is another new to me author that I have been intending to try out because she has written such a wide, eclectic series of books with all kinds of historical subjects and settings. I'm always fascinated with Egypt, tombs, and pyramids. I love cozy mysteries set in the 1920's in Egypt and this is the novel version of the real life team of Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon who discovered King Tut's tomb. It is only $2.99 on Kindle so I bought it. I'm on Chapter 4 and can't put it down. I will definitely continue with her books after this one!