Mystery Solved: Fantastic Read!

While traveling via the big metal bird, I finished up A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon.  It was a great read! If you're a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle and his infamous Consulting Detective, Sherlock Holmes, then you'll enjoy this book.  I think the one that I liked the best was written by Thomas Perry and entitled "The Startling Events in the Electrified City" which talked about what really happened when President McKinley was assassinated.

Now I've decided to start up The Napoleon of Crime: The life and times of Adam Worth master thief by Ben Macintyre.  Adam Worth, an infamous thief, is the title character of this book and the sole reason that I chose this was that Professor James Moriarty (of Sherlockian fame) was based off of him.  I think this will be just what I need to get through the long airplane ride back to NYC.  Of course, the update might be a while in coming as I have to work on my thesis for the next several weeks.

Keep those pages turning!!

I laughed, I cried, I questioned my sanity...

Well, I can tell you this about It's Not Me, It's You by Jon Richardson: it's dark humor.  I definitely found parts of it humorous (I even laughed aloud at several points) but I did not agree with the majority of his beliefs about relationships or indeed the human condition.  It is the author's belief that we should strive to make every day perfect and in order to do that we must all be focused on doing everything the right way.  I emphasize this because I don't think it's possible that there is a right or a wrong way to do certain things.  An example would be eating a meal.  He has a system whereby there are a specific number of mouthfuls and the last bite is absolutely perfect.  I believe that food must be eaten clockwise and that each round must be finished with a swallow of drink.  The difference here is that I don't begrudge others for not following in my footsteps because I know that would be insane (and in fact typing here that I have to eat in this manner makes me realize I might be insane anyway).  I don't want to discount all that he has to say because I think that he is generally trying to make the point that he tries inordinately hard to be happy and to make others happy and yet he fails spectacularly in both regards because he is such a perfectionist.  If you want to get a taste of his humor before you delve into this read I recommend watching this clip: http://youtu.be/iQvQqw1j8vk

If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.  I have loved virtually every incarnation of these characters and have read several articles and books which were based off of his works.  After finishing the above, I decided I would start A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon.  This book is a collection of stories by a variety of authors including Neil Gaiman (totally why I picked this up), Colin Cotterill, Jerry Margolin, and Alan Bradley just to name a few.  These authors have all written stories which have some Sherlockian aspect whether it be a continuation of a story only mentioned by Doyle, an alternate universe with these characters, or modern day mysteries at 221B Baker St.  I cannot wait to delve into this book and uncover the mysteries that lie within!!

Enough of this seriousness!

FINALLY, I'm finished with The Emperor of All Maladies.  The book was fantastic but lengthy.  I don't recommend starting this book unless you have a lot of free time on your hands (and an interest in the intense subject matter that is cancer).  I DO recommend it if you're looking to gain insight into a disease that effects 1 in 2 people on this planet.

Of course, now that I've finished this book which covered such a serious topic I'm ready for something a little lighter.  I recently watched an episode of the Graham Norton Show and he had on a comedian named Jon Richardson.  This guy is so neurotic that he makes me feel normal.  He recently penned a book entitled It's Not Me, It's You which of course I immediately placed on my wish list.  Fortunately, I received it for Christmas and that's what I'm going to crack open next.  The book describes his quest to find his other half despite the fact that women are repelled by all of his eccentricities (and he is constantly disgusted by their complete lack of disregard for staying tidy).  I can't wait to deliver my take on it!

In the meantime, keep reading!

Good morning!!!

Yayyyyy!  The semester is over which means that I'll be back in the world of books again!  Oh how I've missed the oblivion of a fantastically written tome!  I'm going to start off my weeks of freedom by delving back into Emperor of All Maladies which I just know is going to rock this first week of vacay.

Results soon!!

Long time no update!

Well, hello there!  I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in forever but it's been busy with school and such.  HOWEVER, I have finished Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and declare it to be absolutely delightful and worth the read.  I must reiterate my earlier sentiments that if you can't handle detailed descriptions of gore and a wit that is very macabre you'd best stay away from this book.  If you're like me and really enjoy books that talk about really interesting and sometimes gross things then get to reading!

I'm now reading (completely for my own enjoyment I might add) Serial Killers & Mass Murderers: Profiles of the World's Most Barbaric Criminals by Nigel Cawthorne.  I'd like to blame my obsession on the tv show Criminal Minds for my interest in this read but that would be a lie.  The truth is that I've always loved true crime and all that is macabre so this book fairly leapt off of the shelf at me.  The title pretty much tells you exactly what you're in for when you read this book.  It discusses some of the most prolific serial killers and the heinous crimes that they committed.  Some of the criminals you'll find within its pages: The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy, Doctor Death, etc.  Each chapter starts off with how many people were killed, the modus operandi (look at how fancy I am!), and if the killer was caught and since sentenced to death.  If you're interested in what makes up the mind of a killer then you'll probably like this book.  I have to be honest that I don't find it all that well written but the meat of the story is what I'm after so I can look past that for the most part.  I should be finished with this one fairly quickly and when I am I will be sure to let you all know my thoughts on it. :o)

Until next time, happy reading!!

PS It just so happened that I've been reading these rather ghastly books around the time of Halloween.  Sheer coincidence, I swear!

EDIT: Because I just can't help myself here's a booktrailer that I created for Stiff.

This junk is rough!

I've come across a snag.  I'm back in school for the fall semester and as I should have predicted I've been too busy to read for leisure.  Soooo I'm going to have to talk about the books I'm reading for class for a while.  Luckily, I now own Maladies so I will be able to get back to it. 

Alright, so I'm currently reading a young adult book entitled  Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.  When you're in the business of reader's advisory you learn that young people (and boys in general) tend to like those books that are more gruesome and feature grotesque storylines.  This book delivers that along with some great potty humor.  If you don't have a strong stomach and aren't into jokes about the dead then I don't recommend you pick up this book.  I chose this book specifically for our assignment on creating booktrailers.  Booktrailers are created to entice potential readers to pick up and read books that you (as the librarian) particularly recommend.  I'm still in the process of reading the book so I'm not sure yet how I'm going to structure the trailer (although I know it's going to be full of humor).  I'll keep you all updated. :oD

Until then, hang tight and keep reading!

still here!

Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still here!  This book I'm currently working on, The Emperor of All Maladies, is a beast (in an extremely good way) and I'm not done yet.  :o)  As soon as I've finished you can be sure that I'll let you all know what I think (I'm about 3/4 of the way through and it's fantastic thus far).

Stay tuned!