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Book Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles

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The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sherlock Holmes #5
by Arthur Conan Doyle

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

I saved what is possibly the most well-known Holmes book for last in my first journey through the series. It’s the one title I’ve known since I was younger and imagined a scary hound in a foggy place (I’m beginning to suspect I actually read this many years ago, or maybe watched an adaptation). Though I’ve read conflicting arguments that this is the best or the worst in the series, I was looking forward to it, and it didn’t disappoint.

The legend laid forth at the beginning of the book sets the stage for the dark, dreary moor that becomes the setting for the second half of the book. The remoteness of the locale easily adds to the dread of what’s to come. Though I knew Holmes would be correct in his dismissal of any supernatural elements, and a few aspects of the plot along the way were less surprising, there were still some unexpected twists that kept me engaged until the very end. And I was struck once again by more compassion from Holmes than I feel like more modern adaptations have attributed to him. So though the pacing was a bit slow in places, overall, I enjoyed this intriguing, atmospheric read.

Here at the end of my first Holmes journey, while I did enjoy some of the books, it was fairly hit-or-miss for me, even within some of the collections. I’m really glad I stuck with it and finished them all, but I don’t believe I’ll re-read most of them in the future (probably some though). And really, while I know many people espouse books over movies/television, I don’t know if I believe that Sherlock Holmes would be a household name if it weren’t for the many adaptations that the stories inspired. At one point during this journey, I really struggled to understand why these books inspired all those adaptations, though I don’t anymore. If you’ve never read any Holmes, or haven’t read much, and you’re wondering if you should dive in now, I’d say it’s worth giving them a try.

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Audiobook Review: Hangman’s Curse

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Hangman’s Curse
Veritas Project #1
by Frank Peretti
Read by author

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA Christian thriller

I’ve read this book many times in the past (see review here), but this was my first time listening to the audiobook. I wish there were an unabridged version, but it was worth listening to the abridged to be able to listen to Peretti’s own narration, which I very much enjoyed. I think the majority of what was cut out was character-building of the Springfields, whereas the main story seemed intact to me. While I certainly feel that the entire book is worth reading, if you’re considering the audiobook version of Hangman’s Curse, I still recommend it.

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Book Review: Abby’s Letters

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Abby’s Letters
Book #1
by Dana Romanin

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Christian YA romance

When 17-year-old Jane’s mom dies and leaves her and her 13-year-old sister Abby alone, Jane is determined to keep her sister out of foster care and does her best to pretend that her mom is still alive until she turns 18 and can file for guardianship of Abby.

The synopsis, as given above and the official one for this book, intrigued me a lot. The official synopsis includes an explanation for the title—thinking her mom is still alive, Abby writes letters to her, through which Jane comes to see a different side of her mom, who became an alcoholic after her husband’s death. This aspect intrigued me the most, especially considering the loss of my own mom earlier this year and hearing my sisters talk about a somewhat different mom than I really knew. Sadly, Abby’s letters don’t come into the book until much later than I expected and are mostly short and shallow. The connection they cause Jane to feel with her mom felt forced to me.  Instead, the plot was largely dwarfed by the all-too-common tropes often found in YA and/or romance. A love triangle casts a heavy shadow, and Jane lets herself be goaded into doing things she wouldn’t normally do because someone called her “boring,” thus making the character feel cliché and detracting from the otherwise strong personality I think the author was going for.

The book has 4 perspectives—all 3 sides of the love triangle and Abby. I felt it was a bit much at first, but I don’t really remember having any issues with it throughout the book (on the other hand, I don’t really need to see how perfectly perfect Jane and her body are from two male perspectives). I took issue with Jane’s seemingly cavalier treatment of both guys, though, as she would touch the friend on the chest or something, right in front of the boyfriend, as if she had no idea (at 17, mind you) of the intimacy of such a gesture.

Despite its shortcomings, the book did have some touching moments. I liked the conversion story, though it’s relegated to near the end of the book. It is a big part of the reason, though, that I am interested in seeing how this series continues, despite giving this book such a low rating. That and because I had an inkling that something was going on with Lindsey, who briefly turned the love triangle into a square, and the synopsis for the next book confirms my suspicions. As for this first book, though, it had the potential to be a poignant story about loss and discovery, but the love triangle and other YA/romance tropes got in the way.

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Book Review: Talking as Fast as I Can

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Talking as Fast as I Can
by Lauren Graham
Read by the author

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Memoir

Published around the time that the Gilmore Girls mini-series, A Year in the Life, came out, Lauren Graham talks briefly about what it was like the first time around and in depth about what it was like the second time around, as well as touching on other major projects and influences in her life.

I enjoyed listening to this collection of various stories and essays in Graham’s own voice (since I listened to the audiobook). As a fan and frequent binge-watcher of Gilmore Girls, I appreciated learning a little about Graham’s life and her thoughts about her time on the original show as well as her return for the mini-series. I wish I had liked the mini-series more, but that didn’t dampen my appreciation of that section of the book. It was a little sad, though, to hear about her relationship with Peter Krause (whose last name I have mispronounced for years now), knowing that that relationship has ended in more recent years.

I will say (with some sadness) that this is the kind of celebrity memoir that many people probably read and say that the author didn’t give us the true picture, because it didn’t talk about people she’s worked with in a bad light or go into deep detail on most subjects. I prefer not to expect more from anyone’s memoirs (celebrity or otherwise) than they are willing and able to share. The only detraction from the book, for me, was the recurring joke where Graham says “Hi” to various talk show or news show personalities, assuming they will eventually read this book. It was kinda amusing at first, but it started to feel way too much like unnecessary name-dropping, especially when there were 4-5 all clumped together. But outside of that, I’m really glad I read this book and recommend it for fans of Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, or Lauren Graham in general.

(There are a few pictures throughout the book, so if you borrow a digital audiobook that doesn’t include the pictures, like I did, you’ll have to borrow the actual book if you want to see the pictures.)

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September in Review

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I read 12 books last month, which is pretty impressive, considering that audiobooks often boost my numbers, and I spent most of the month on one long audiobook. My understandable stretch of less reading earlier this year seems to be at an end.

Here are the books I read in September:

39-6
tcw-24
swirling-sky
witness-protection
mcgee-8
annabel-lee
The Inquisition
good-girls-guide
LOTR1
tcw-25
mv-7
bite-before-christmas

In Too Deep by Jude Watson (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun (3.5 / 5)
Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou (5 / 5)
Greetings from Witness Protection! by Jake Burt (5 / 5)
Take Me Out of the Ball Game by Bill Myers (4 / 5)
Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa (4.5 / 5)
The Inquisition by Taran Matharu (4 / 5)
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (4.5 / 5)
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (4 / 5)
The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun (3 / 5)
The Final Spark by Richard Paul Evans (2 / 5)
‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from September was Beneath the Swirling Sky. I started 3 series, continued 5 series, and finished 0 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas

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‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas
Andy Carpenter #28
by David Rosenfelt

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When the Christmas party at the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue organization co-founded by defense attorney Andy Carpenter, is interrupted when one of the foundation’s dog foster volunteers is arrested for murder, Andy reluctantly takes his case. A witness in protective custody and a local crime family make this a Christmas to remember.

This is the 2nd book in this series that I’ve read now, the first being another Christmas-related book, and this has clinched my decision to start back at the beginning of this series soon. Though this book isn’t a traditional type of mystery story, giving the reader clues as they try to solve it along with the main character, it did still have some intrigue that I had a prediction about (and turned out to be right about). Like an episode of an old detective show like Matlock, we are shown not only the investigation, but also the courtroom scenes as he defends his (presumably) innocent client. Though some of the dog love is lost on me, since I’m a cat person, I enjoy the characters. What really stands out to me, though, is the wit and snark of the main character. Rosenfelt manages to make his detective funny without overdoing it.

There was a bit of repetitiveness here and there, and the ending felt pretty rushed, especially a final reveal. Otherwise, though, it’s easy to recommend it to fans of the mystery genre. The book isn’t exactly a Christmas story—it just happens to take place at Christmas time, and you really don’t need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: October 10, 2023

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Book Review: The Final Spark

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The Final Spark
Michael Vey #7
by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Prisoner of Cell 25.

After Michael’s sacrifice, the rest of the Electroclan tries to go on without him. Hatch and the surviving Elgen are still a threat to the world and need to be stopped.

I was so disappointed in this book. Evans built Hatch up to be just about the most sadistic bad guy in history, which is something that’s bothered me about the series, yet I was still looking forward to the downfall of him and his people. I had my ups and downs with the series up to this point, intrigued by the plot while actually not being a fan of the writing and characters, but as I came to what was meant to be the final book in the series at the time it was written, and certainly still the wrap-up to the books-long plot, it’s not a stretch to say I was looking forward to seeing some Elgen butt being kicked by some electric teens. But that is not what I got. Instead, the electric teens are sidelined (yet again), there’s lots of military strategy filler from characters we just met in the previous book as well as some brand new characters (who are all just about as sadistic as Hatch himself), and there’s even suddenly supernatural abilities from characters that aren’t electric or teens. The two “nonels” in the Electroclan, Ostin and Jack, get a chance to bond in this book, which is probably the only good thing that came out of it.

It’s pretty safe to say that no reader is going to go into this book believing Michael to be dead (sorry if that’s a spoiler), but Evans still could have done something less predictable to bring him back than what he did. Michael is barely even in this book and only shows up to be one of the most boring, lazy tropes in writing. And murder lots of people who aren’t even Elgen, who are just following orders. And not even bat an eye or feel bad about it later. The ending was not just unsatisfying, it was completely saccharine and unrealistic, not to mention leaving us without any wrap-up for several plots and characters. I would echo comments from other reviews that I’ve read that say it seems like Evans was bored with the series by this point and just wanted to get it through it without much thought, except that 5 years after this book came out, he started the series back up! And you know what the worst part is? I know I’m going to read the newer books. I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to help myself with this series—I know it has major flaws, and I have a hard time deciding whether or not I’d really recommend this series (it’s ridiculously brutal for the age group it’s meant for and way too angsty for adults), yet I can’t seem to help but want to see where it goes.

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Book Review: The Cat Who Brought Down the House

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The Cat Who Brought Down the House
Book #25
by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery

When a glamorous Hollywood resident, though former resident of Moose County, moves back to Pickaxe City in her retirement, it gets all the small-town residents in a tizzy. But things don’t seem quite right to former crime reporter Jim Qwilleran and his uncanny Siamese, Koko, who cries foul at a murder in the county over.

I could easily just copy half of my review for the book before this for this review too. In fact, I’ll save myself some time and do just that: “I kinda feel like the author is putting more page time into Qwilleran getting content for his collection of short stories or his twice-weekly newspaper column than into the episodic mysteries. The mystery in this book takes leaps forward that don’t allow for much intrigue or suspense. Still, I do generally enjoy the happenings in Moose County, as well as the characters.” The mystery in this book was even more of an off-to-the-side kind of deal than normal, and then it’s tied up almost too nicely.

It’s funny to me that one particular scene in this book was one I’ve remembered for years, so though I didn’t remember this particular book from when I was younger and read several of these, I definitely did. Yet, apparently this mystery-lite story didn’t leave me feeling like this series isn’t worth caring about. And it still doesn’t now. Because the truth is, 25 books into the series, the everyday happenings and special events of Moose County do interest me. So I still gave the book 3 stars, even though it probably doesn’t deserve it, because the primary reason I read these books is for the mystery, not the slice-of-life views of the locals. But as for whether or not I’d recommend this book to others, I would definitely not suggest that you pick up this book as your introduction to the series. Definitely start closer to the beginning.

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Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Book #1
by Holly Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA mystery, suspense

Using her senior school project as a guise, Pip decides to dig into the cold case of a girl that was supposedly murdered by her boyfriend, who then killed himself, five years in the past. At first, she just wants to come up with reasonable doubt that Sal Singh killed his girlfriend, and it’s not long before she comes up with quite a few potential suspects. But the more she digs into her town’s secrets, the more someone doesn’t like what she’s doing, and Pip and her loved ones might be in danger.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from this book—something more shallow, maybe, or full of teen angst—but instead I found it to be an enjoyable, fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing! There was a major Veronica Mars feel to the story (a show that I love), though Pip is much less jaded than Veronica Mars. Pip’s progression through the clues, adding suspects to her list, and re-arranging those suspects all coincide with her attempt to maintain her friendships and get a college application and essay done on time. There were some decisions that Pip made that I thought were pretty terrible, all the way up to the end, though I don’t know if that’s a fault in the writing or in her teenage decision-making skills. And I have to admit, at some points along the way, I was worried the ending and reveal would be anti-climactic, but it was anything but. Even when you think you know what’s going on, there’s a little more to uncover.

My 13-year-old daughter read this book as well; she might be a little on the young side for its target audience (not even being in high school yet), but she loved it! For those who want to know about content, there is some language, including 3-4 f-words, and plenty of references to teen sex and drug use, though nothing explicit. If you’re concerned, I’d definitely recommend reading it before your teen does (especially a younger teen). In the end, though, I’m glad I read it and look forward to continuing the series.

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Book Review: Annabel Lee

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Annabel Lee
Coffey & Hill #1
by Mike Nappa

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Thriller/suspense, Christian

When an eleven-year-old girl is hidden in an underground bunker by her uncle and told to not open the door for even him, unless he gives her the secret passcode, she doesn’t know why she’s there or how long she might be alone in the room with only a guard dog as company. Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill are turned onto the hunt for something secret and hidden, never expecting it to be a human being.

This book hooked me from the beginning and didn’t let up. It was fast-paced, suspenseful, and intriguing with some well-developed characters. I particularly like the bond that forms between two of those characters, though I think it’d be a spoiler to say who they are. It’s not Coffey and Hill, though, not because they aren’t good characters and good partners, but they were once married and are now divorced. And though the book seems to be leading toward a possible future reconciliation, at least as partners (they were also partners in a private investigation business when they were married), I could take or leave a reconciliation of romance, because one particular thing that Samuel did while they were married is something I know I could never get over. If Trudi can in a future book, good for her.

The book is told from three perspectives: Trudi Coffey’s and a mysterious ex-Special Forces man called The Mute’s are in 3rd person, past tense, and then there’s Annabel Lee (the 11-year-old girl), whose perspective is in 1st person, present tense. Normally this kind of changing between tenses and POV types bothers me, but I found that I didn’t mind it in this book. I suppose an author’s style can really affect how well it works. There was something about the writing that reminded me a lot of Frank Peretti or (early) Ted Dekker books I’ve enjoyed. I would not call this a Christian-genre book, exactly, but more like a book written with a Christian worldview, as Trudi had become a Christian in the years before the story and tries to filter her life through that newish lens. On the other hand, there are some really brutal and gory fight scenes in and around the climax. It got to be just a bit too much for me, which is the reason for the half-star detraction. Outside of that, I loved this book and recommend it to fans of suspense and thriller novels, especially with a Christian leaning.

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