Working On Those New Year's Goals...
Now that we're just over a month in, I though I'd check in on my New Year's Resolutions.
Did I crochet some stuff? Check! Scarves for everybody! Well, me and the kids, anyway. Bonus hat for me.
Did I play some D&D? Nope. Sadly, my Monday Night Group sort of fell apart, though some of us still get together occasionally (about once a week) to play games, watch movies, eat, drink, be merry. I'm sure there'll be more D&D eventually, but it's gone on hiatus for now. Still, I assume I can get in some games at some point this year.
Have I spent time with my family? Check! Er, pretty much every day, really. That...that one was a given, honestly.
Have I read books? Check! Of course. There were two mini-goals in there, too, though. And I'm still working on those. (I have to have something left for the rest of the year!)
Have I read 100 books yet? Nope! But I'm at 16, which ain't a bad start.
Have I read a series in a genre I don't normally read? Nope! Series are long, guys! It doesn't even count (for me) as a series unless it's got more than five good-size books in it! Also, if I'm going to devote a healthy chunk of time to reading a series, I want to make sure I pick a good one. (I thought this through, guys!)
I decided on mystery, which isn't a genre I tend to read, but I have read some mysteries and liked them. I thought I'd reread two which are the first books of series. Both of them I remembered liking, and I couldn't really recall the plots, so I thought I'd read them again, pick my favorite, and go from there.
First up: The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King, the first novel of the soon-to-be 13 book long Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.
Extraordinarily intelligent 15 year old Miss Mary Russell stumbles (almost literally) upon the somewhat retired Sherlock Holmes and an unusual friendship and eventual partnership develops. When a determined and cunning adversary puts the lives of Holmes' friends - old and new - in danger, the Great Detective's skills, as well as his heart, face a terrible challenge.
I enjoyed this book the first time around - I liked the romance of it, given the main characters' often acerbic personalities. And, while I'm not a big mystery reader, I've always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. Still, I felt the actual mystery in this book didn't hold up as well as I'd have liked. That might be because I only read it a couple (maybe three) years ago, but the story seemed more about Holmes and Russell falling in love and less about the pair solving crime. Perhaps the rest of the series focuses more on the cases and less on the growing relationship between Holmes and Russell. It does seem like a great series for someone who likes romance and wants to branch out a bit into mystery.
Next up: Cover Her Face by P. D. James, the first of the 14 book long Adam Dalgliesh series.
When young Sally Jupp, an unwed mother working as a domestic servant for the Maxie family, is found strangled in her bed behind a locked door, Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh is sent out to investigate. Finding the killer is complicated when every suspect has a reason to hate the victim; it's even more difficult when it turns out no one really knew her at all.
I liked this book the first time around; I think I actually liked it better the second time. James does an excellent job of letting you into the thoughts of everyone involved, including the killer, without giving away the story entirely. I figured out some of it (I have a knack for that - DH hates watching shows with me, sometimes, because I can tell him how it'll end), and all the necessary clues were there, but I didn't put it all together until Dalgliesh laid it out - and that's with having read it before! (Admittedly, it's been more years than I care to admit.)
I think it's pretty obvious, given my reviews, that I'll be going on with the Adam Dalgliesh series. I loved that the story stayed mostly with the case, that the reader gets into the heads of everyone involved without knowing who the killer is until the end, and that the actual mystery is more than just "Who done it?" I do highly recommend the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, though, to anyone who likes romance, strong female characters, and a hint of mystery thrown in!
Links! (So many links today! I need to weed my sources, I think...)
Did I crochet some stuff? Check! Scarves for everybody! Well, me and the kids, anyway. Bonus hat for me.
Did I play some D&D? Nope. Sadly, my Monday Night Group sort of fell apart, though some of us still get together occasionally (about once a week) to play games, watch movies, eat, drink, be merry. I'm sure there'll be more D&D eventually, but it's gone on hiatus for now. Still, I assume I can get in some games at some point this year.
Have I spent time with my family? Check! Er, pretty much every day, really. That...that one was a given, honestly.
Have I read books? Check! Of course. There were two mini-goals in there, too, though. And I'm still working on those. (I have to have something left for the rest of the year!)
Have I read 100 books yet? Nope! But I'm at 16, which ain't a bad start.
Have I read a series in a genre I don't normally read? Nope! Series are long, guys! It doesn't even count (for me) as a series unless it's got more than five good-size books in it! Also, if I'm going to devote a healthy chunk of time to reading a series, I want to make sure I pick a good one. (I thought this through, guys!)
I decided on mystery, which isn't a genre I tend to read, but I have read some mysteries and liked them. I thought I'd reread two which are the first books of series. Both of them I remembered liking, and I couldn't really recall the plots, so I thought I'd read them again, pick my favorite, and go from there.
______________________________________________
First up: The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King, the first novel of the soon-to-be 13 book long Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.
 |
| Besides, I like bees. |
Extraordinarily intelligent 15 year old Miss Mary Russell stumbles (almost literally) upon the somewhat retired Sherlock Holmes and an unusual friendship and eventual partnership develops. When a determined and cunning adversary puts the lives of Holmes' friends - old and new - in danger, the Great Detective's skills, as well as his heart, face a terrible challenge.
I enjoyed this book the first time around - I liked the romance of it, given the main characters' often acerbic personalities. And, while I'm not a big mystery reader, I've always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. Still, I felt the actual mystery in this book didn't hold up as well as I'd have liked. That might be because I only read it a couple (maybe three) years ago, but the story seemed more about Holmes and Russell falling in love and less about the pair solving crime. Perhaps the rest of the series focuses more on the cases and less on the growing relationship between Holmes and Russell. It does seem like a great series for someone who likes romance and wants to branch out a bit into mystery.
______________________________________________
Next up: Cover Her Face by P. D. James, the first of the 14 book long Adam Dalgliesh series.
 |
| Also, I want her hair. |
When young Sally Jupp, an unwed mother working as a domestic servant for the Maxie family, is found strangled in her bed behind a locked door, Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh is sent out to investigate. Finding the killer is complicated when every suspect has a reason to hate the victim; it's even more difficult when it turns out no one really knew her at all.
I liked this book the first time around; I think I actually liked it better the second time. James does an excellent job of letting you into the thoughts of everyone involved, including the killer, without giving away the story entirely. I figured out some of it (I have a knack for that - DH hates watching shows with me, sometimes, because I can tell him how it'll end), and all the necessary clues were there, but I didn't put it all together until Dalgliesh laid it out - and that's with having read it before! (Admittedly, it's been more years than I care to admit.)
______________________________________________
Links! (So many links today! I need to weed my sources, I think...)
- Libraries, Books, & Writers (and words and archives and things like that)
- President Obama’s budget increases library funding
- It's National Libraries Day in the UK! I love seeing all the pictures...
- Speaking of pictures: I Did A Photoshoot In A Real-Life Disney Library – Admont Abbey I have a new favorite library...Related: The World’s Largest Monastery Library is in Austria and it’s Beautiful
- Samuel L. Jackson To Star In Tim Burton’s ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children’ "Jackson will play Barron, a key role, and nobody will elaborate on whether he’s good or bad." I have to assume Barron plays a bigger role in the movie than he does in the book. I also have to assume that whoever wrote this article has not read the book. For shame, Mr. Fleming, for shame.
- Happy birthday, Laura Ingalls Wilder! She's got a Google Doodle today.
- Happy birthday, Charles Dickens!
- Feb 7, 1898: Zola is brought to trial
- 10 Things People Once Complained Would Ruin The English Language
- Let’s Do a Literary Version of ‘Chopped’
- Net & Tech
- Senate designates ‘Internet governance awareness week’
- Net Neutrality Rules
- Open Internet, But a Lack of Competition Among Providers
- Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to NSA: Why is Bulk Collection of Telephone Records Still Happening?
- TurboTax resumes filings amid fraud outbreak
- Health & Science
- Dad Refuses to Give Up Newborn Son With Down Syndrome
- America's New Single-Payer Majority
- The Moon was a first step, Mars will test our capabilities, but Europa is the prize
- Education
- I mentioned yesterday Scott Walker's attempt to guy the Wisconsin Idea. He denies it, of course, but no one believes him. Seriously, no one believes him. Everyone knows he's lying. It's interesting to look at the deletions he wanted to make - including (tellingly, I think) direct mentions of graduate and research programs, cooperation with other educational institutions, and public interest in higher education, as well as the search for truth and the intent to better the human condition. Instead, he would like the flagship university to focus, apparently, on "the state's workforce needs," which - to me, at least - sounds like he'd be happy transforming the university system into a tech training program. Tech training is good, but not sufficient for all our needs. I think he needs some education on why the humanities and research programs are important. Maybe he should consider getting a college degree.
- On a lighter note: Scott Walker Edits Other Documents!
- LSU outlines dire budget scenarios, layoffs and course cuts The long-term effects of such a drastic cut - including lost grant money and potential students choosing to go elsewhere (and unlikely to return) - would be devastating to Louisiana.
- Is the Professor Bossy or Brilliant? Much Depends on Gender Related: Gendered Language in Teacher Reviews
- Other
- Family Charged in Fake Kidnap Plot to Scare 'Too Nice' Child "A 6-year-old Missouri boy was led to believe he'd been kidnapped, shown a gun, and threatened with being sold into 'sex slavery' — and it was all part of an alleged plot to teach the boy a lesson because he was 'too nice' to strangers, authorities said." I honestly don't understand people sometimes. I really don't.
- How Bobby Jindal Wrecked Louisiana Yeah, I don't understand him, either.
- Former Mississippi Republican State Senator switches to Democratic Party "He gave a news conference on Wednesday where he stated that he will be leaving the Republicans. He joined the Mississippi Democratic Party. He said he will run as the Democratic candidate to be lieutenant governor."
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says The Campaign Field Is 'Being Polluted By Money' Well, she ain't wrong...
- NYPD Commissioner: Because Terrorism And Protests Are Roughly The Same Thing, A New Special Unit Will Handle Both
- Brian Williams to step away from anchor chair for 'several days'
- Polish Artist Creates Surreal Paintings Of Dream-Like Worlds Here, let's end this with some beauty:
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