Dreaming of London, I simply had to pick this up. Plus, it is FREE with my Audible subscription so a double bonus!

This was part of the 100 Books to Read Before You Die According to the BBC: https://www.listchallenges.com/bbcs-t...

To date, I have read 61 out of the 100, and I am determined to read them all. Send me a friend request if you want to see my progress or follow along.

First of all, if you haven't seen the TV Series, Sherlock, it is AMAZING! I was really curious though what was from Arthur Conan Doyle or what was a bit of literary license. I was simply shocked to discover that Sherlock actually did have a drug problem! That part was not made up!

The book consisted of 12 short stories with each story taking approximately one hour to read. Sherlock Holmes is not on the police force or with Scotland Yard but is a very bright man who seems to aid those in need. There is usually laid out a very interesting turn of events, and then Sherlock will exclaim that he solved it and then he will explain how he arrived at that conclusion. Some of the stories were better than others. My favorites were The Adventure of a Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of The Red Headed League, and The Adventure of A Case of Identity.

It was a bit eerie reading this book during the pandemic because it gave new meaning to "do not take it amiss if your visitor wears a mask."

There were also some very good quotes in this, and I enjoyed this exchange very much:
"You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room."
"Frequently."
"How often?"
"Well, some hundreds of times."
"Then how many are there?"
"How many? I don't know."
"Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed."

Gut punch. Note to self: Pay attention. You are missing important clues.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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Even to one who’s never read the books nor seen the movies, everybody knows of the legendary Detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful, intimate friend Doctor John Watson (heh, sure, friend

A bit of a disappointment, if I’m being honest, especially after the energy that came with the first two novels. The stories are quite short, which means that there isn’t enough time to set up the mystery/adventure adequately. It was often the case that I found the solutions to be hurried or cheap, sometimes being able to predict them from the very first page or so (though I am not sure how much of this is now owed to my being steeped in Sherlock rhetoric for so long).

The only story I thought was magnificent was A Scandal in Bohemia. The rest were middling, and some were poor (I am thinking of A Case of Identity, The Red-Headed League, The Speckled Band, and especially The Copper Beeches).

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Mycroft and Moriarty are on the way.