So I am taking back all of the Enola Holmes books to the library, making it necessary to finish up these reviews before doing so, just so I can check little things. Mostly, I know the series pretty well, so I could probably talk out of a certain part of my body and have no problem with the general story, but to be fair to you, I don't want to do that. This particular title resonates with me as I am left-handed. Sometimes my brain works in mysterious ways, which I think may be a product of everything being made for a right-handed world. Or I am just making that up in order to have a reason for my brain. Either way, enjoy...
* * * * *
The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
by Nancy Springer
Since she is rather pleased with how she was able to find the missing young marquess, Enola decides to put her skills to work by advertising herself as a Perditorian. That would be someone who finds missing people or things for a living. However, she cannot be a female Perditorian, as that would not be feasible in Victorian London, so she makes herself up as a secretary to Dr. Leslie T. Ragostin, Scientific Perditorian. As Ivy Meshle, Enola has changed her appearance to that of a Victorian shopgirl, looking nothing like her former self.
Strangely, one of her first customers is Dr. John Watson, who wants Dr. Ragostin to help her find. . . herself? And her mother? Oh dear. While Dr Watson is there, Enola gleams a case that her brother is working on, a missing daughter of baron, and is also worried to learn that Sherlock appears to be in a decline (though she also fears the entire visit may be a trap).
Enola keeps up correspondence with her mother via flower cipher in the magazines, goes out at night giving to the poor in the guise of a Nun, and now begins work on the case of the missing Lady Cecily Alistair. New disguises abound, as do close calls and meetings with her dear brothers. Enola won't be dismayed, even after a rather terrible run-in with a garrote.
-------
The overall mystery is great, with questions of dual identity with the left-handed drawings of Lady Cecily (something that wouldn't have been tolerated in that time). I don't think I figured out the mystery the first time around, not until it became obvious to Enola. There are plenty of scary scenes, especially when Enola gets garrotted, but I think the mature readers that would be involved can handle it. After all, there is much worse stuff on television and movies. The writing continues to impress.
I give book Two of Six: 9 out of 10 sonic screwdrivers, again. I love this series.
Friday, August 9, 2013
The Case of the Missing Marquess
Yes, I have been terrible once more with updates. Can I just give the excuse that I love reading so much, I would rather do it than write? However, if you like children's mysteries, historical fiction, and Sherlock Holmes (that would pretty much describe me to a T), then you should enjoy the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer. Now, Enola is an odd name, to be sure, but if you look at it backwards, you will realize it has meaning.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Case of the Missing Marquess
by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes is a much younger sister to the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Her mother had Enola late in life, and so Enola is about to turn 14 as our story begins, while her brothers are much older gentlemen. Enola has been raised by her somewhat liberal and suffragette mother, though perhaps raised would not be the best term. The butler and housekeeper have acted more as parents, as her mother, descended of the Vernets, goes out daily to draw and paint watercolors of flowers out in the fields. Enola, left to her own devices, has become somewhat of a tomboy or hoyden. She has read every book in the library but has had no governess, can ride a bicycle, and can climb a tree pretty well.
On Enola's 14th birthday, she has a mostly normal day, but her mother is not back for tea, so the butler Lane gives her the gifts her mother left for her. They include a book of ciphers, which Enola has never enjoyed. But when her mother fails to return, Enola realizes something is wrong. Her famous older brothers come at word of their mother's disappearance, full of terrible ideas for Enola of boarding school and becoming a proper young lady.
This is the last thing Enola wants, and she sets about solving the ciphers after her brothers' departures, finding hidden things about the house with the book of flower meanings that Enola also received from her mother.
For some reason I want to relay the whole book, so I think I will stop there. Suffice it to say, Enola sets off on her own, determined to escape her brothers and boarding school, and stumbles onto another mystery. The book is surprisingly adept at creating a real, if tomboy, Victorian girl. The addition of Victorian meaning of flowers (throughout the series, actually) is quite interesting. I think anyone with a love of SH, mysteries, and children's literature would love this, though so also would bright school age readers who love delving into other time periods. (I know I did at that age.) There is some violence in the book, but the most likely readers should not have a problem with it. Who doesn't like a good adventure story, and if you find SH a bit prissy, keep reading the series. You will find that his Victorian attitude is much more flexible than Mycroft's.
I give this first book in a series of six: Nine out of Ten Sonic Screwdrivers
~~~~~~~~~~
The Case of the Missing Marquess
by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes is a much younger sister to the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Her mother had Enola late in life, and so Enola is about to turn 14 as our story begins, while her brothers are much older gentlemen. Enola has been raised by her somewhat liberal and suffragette mother, though perhaps raised would not be the best term. The butler and housekeeper have acted more as parents, as her mother, descended of the Vernets, goes out daily to draw and paint watercolors of flowers out in the fields. Enola, left to her own devices, has become somewhat of a tomboy or hoyden. She has read every book in the library but has had no governess, can ride a bicycle, and can climb a tree pretty well.
On Enola's 14th birthday, she has a mostly normal day, but her mother is not back for tea, so the butler Lane gives her the gifts her mother left for her. They include a book of ciphers, which Enola has never enjoyed. But when her mother fails to return, Enola realizes something is wrong. Her famous older brothers come at word of their mother's disappearance, full of terrible ideas for Enola of boarding school and becoming a proper young lady.
This is the last thing Enola wants, and she sets about solving the ciphers after her brothers' departures, finding hidden things about the house with the book of flower meanings that Enola also received from her mother.
For some reason I want to relay the whole book, so I think I will stop there. Suffice it to say, Enola sets off on her own, determined to escape her brothers and boarding school, and stumbles onto another mystery. The book is surprisingly adept at creating a real, if tomboy, Victorian girl. The addition of Victorian meaning of flowers (throughout the series, actually) is quite interesting. I think anyone with a love of SH, mysteries, and children's literature would love this, though so also would bright school age readers who love delving into other time periods. (I know I did at that age.) There is some violence in the book, but the most likely readers should not have a problem with it. Who doesn't like a good adventure story, and if you find SH a bit prissy, keep reading the series. You will find that his Victorian attitude is much more flexible than Mycroft's.
I give this first book in a series of six: Nine out of Ten Sonic Screwdrivers
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Airplane reading
7:17 am
What is it about airplanes that make it hard to read with full comprehension? Is it the loud droning noise in the background, the small seats, the lack of legroom? Whatever it is, I barely ever feel like reading, or when I do read, it feels somewhat awkward. Like I can't quite transport myself to London or Fool's Gold, or wherever the book is set. Because forever there is the drone of the plane, an unending loud noise that makes you feel like there are insects crawling on your skin.
So I sit here, back aching for some reason, listening to a relaxation track, hoping that the next hour will go by quickly.
8:26am
It was actually an hour and a half from then. Making descents aren't always fun. Ears popping. I did get a little reading in earlier, but not that much.
1:00pm
I'm on the second flight, tired out of my mind. I thought it was an hour later that it really is, so another 1.5 hours remain. I don't have patience for reading again, but sleeping is not working either.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris
Well, I am finally getting to what I promised initially-- reviewing the complete (so far) Theodosia Throckmorton series. And it had better not be done, Robin Lorraine LaFevers, so help me.
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris
by R. L. LaFevers
Things have settled down somewhat for Theodosia since her last escapade. However, her father makes her start cataloging the artifacts down in the basement, which is worrisome to Theo because of the potential curses she feels coming from these objects. Theo begins her usual methods of checking for dark magic, but in the midst of her working, a jackal statue seems to come to life.
Following some other strange happenings, all the mummies from all the museums and the like disappear, only to begin turning up in the hallway of Theo's father's museum. There is definitely magic afoot here, but is it the work of the Serpents of Chaos group or something else entirely?
Meanwhile, Theo's grandmother, who seems to have an admirer in an Admiral, brings new loathsome governesses to educate Theo, but our clever girl needs none of that deportment stuff. Nor does she need to be doing lessons all day when she has to protect the British empire from all these curses!
Sticky Will, the pickpocket turned messenger for the Brotherhood is not as helpful or open as he once was, and Theo feels more alone than ever. Her father is on the verge of arrest for stealing the mummies that appear in his locked museum every morning, and something is amiss with some of the artifacts down in the basement. What can Theo do to prevent the arrest, stop the mummies from wandering, defeat the Serpents again, and get back her friendship with Will?
This book continues from where the last one left off after Theo and her mother get back from her unscheduled trip to Egypt. I love how LaFevers continues to show the steps to defeat the curses. As I said before, some might find these parts slow moving, but I think it just further envelops the reader in Theodosia's world, making it seem more real. There is still plenty of excitement, though the first part of the book is not as full of action as the second. The idea of mummies walking on their own might scare younger readers in the suggested range, but if they read the first book, there isn't anything much scarier than what happened within. The book is very engaging once more, though it does suffer a little for being a second book in a series. But not too much.
I give this 8 out of 10 sonic screwdrivers.
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris
by R. L. LaFevers
Things have settled down somewhat for Theodosia since her last escapade. However, her father makes her start cataloging the artifacts down in the basement, which is worrisome to Theo because of the potential curses she feels coming from these objects. Theo begins her usual methods of checking for dark magic, but in the midst of her working, a jackal statue seems to come to life.
Following some other strange happenings, all the mummies from all the museums and the like disappear, only to begin turning up in the hallway of Theo's father's museum. There is definitely magic afoot here, but is it the work of the Serpents of Chaos group or something else entirely?
Meanwhile, Theo's grandmother, who seems to have an admirer in an Admiral, brings new loathsome governesses to educate Theo, but our clever girl needs none of that deportment stuff. Nor does she need to be doing lessons all day when she has to protect the British empire from all these curses!
Sticky Will, the pickpocket turned messenger for the Brotherhood is not as helpful or open as he once was, and Theo feels more alone than ever. Her father is on the verge of arrest for stealing the mummies that appear in his locked museum every morning, and something is amiss with some of the artifacts down in the basement. What can Theo do to prevent the arrest, stop the mummies from wandering, defeat the Serpents again, and get back her friendship with Will?
This book continues from where the last one left off after Theo and her mother get back from her unscheduled trip to Egypt. I love how LaFevers continues to show the steps to defeat the curses. As I said before, some might find these parts slow moving, but I think it just further envelops the reader in Theodosia's world, making it seem more real. There is still plenty of excitement, though the first part of the book is not as full of action as the second. The idea of mummies walking on their own might scare younger readers in the suggested range, but if they read the first book, there isn't anything much scarier than what happened within. The book is very engaging once more, though it does suffer a little for being a second book in a series. But not too much.
I give this 8 out of 10 sonic screwdrivers.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Meeting authors
I must say that meeting the authors of favorite books can be a great time. I met several awesome people last year--Meg Cabot, Deborah Harkness, Laurie R. King, and several others at Bouchercon. Cabot and King were the coolest, because I got to eat a meal with them (at separate times; together it would be an odd combination, since their writing styles are quite different). And sitting in that big circle in the Renaissance Hotel lobby with all my FOL new friends was awesome too.
However, there are other times where you put your foot in your mouth and feel like a complete dolt, and someone like Daniel Handler totally takes advantage of that and even immortalizes your gaffe in your signing. That's the other kind of meeting authors that isn't so great. After a half hour or so presentation, the rest of the time of the Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen author/illustrator visit was taken by book signing. I was basically almost the end of the line, and since I was getting both to sign The Dark, I had to wait in 2 lines. Klassen was nice and cute, and drew a picture of a car with his John Hancock. By the time I finished with him, it was after 10 (program started at 7).
I did get to chat with a nice girl who was right behind me in line, and we liked a lot of the same things. I wish I had got some contact info, cause we we both into Doctor Who, Veronica Mars, Joss Whedon, and other cool stuff. Still, I was exhausted by the time I got to Handler, the official author representative for Snicket ;). I tried to express my enjoyment for Mr. Snicket's books but it came out rather botched. I completely embarrassed myself in front of all the people left. And got it immortalized in my copy of The Dark, which is rather unfortunate. Ha!
So that is my condensed version of what happened meeting Daniel Handler. If you want to know the whole story, well, you are just going to have to ask me.
However, there are other times where you put your foot in your mouth and feel like a complete dolt, and someone like Daniel Handler totally takes advantage of that and even immortalizes your gaffe in your signing. That's the other kind of meeting authors that isn't so great. After a half hour or so presentation, the rest of the time of the Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen author/illustrator visit was taken by book signing. I was basically almost the end of the line, and since I was getting both to sign The Dark, I had to wait in 2 lines. Klassen was nice and cute, and drew a picture of a car with his John Hancock. By the time I finished with him, it was after 10 (program started at 7).
I did get to chat with a nice girl who was right behind me in line, and we liked a lot of the same things. I wish I had got some contact info, cause we we both into Doctor Who, Veronica Mars, Joss Whedon, and other cool stuff. Still, I was exhausted by the time I got to Handler, the official author representative for Snicket ;). I tried to express my enjoyment for Mr. Snicket's books but it came out rather botched. I completely embarrassed myself in front of all the people left. And got it immortalized in my copy of The Dark, which is rather unfortunate. Ha!
 | |
| Mr. Handler's inscription reads: To Jessica, who ought to know better. |
Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies
So, another Goodreads review since I haven't been blogging at all recently. Much apologies to Mary Michelle and whoever else is out there. I liked this one, but as a librarian type I wasn't sure of the intended audience. The protagonist was younger than most people who might have developed an intense archaeology interest, and the writing style was also geared towards the earlier middle grades.
* * * * *
Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies
by Jordan Jacobs
I really wanted to love this, because it combines so many things I adore--mystery, children's lit, archaeology, and adventure. However, I have been waffling between 3 and 4 stars because though I enjoyed the book, I feel like its audience is limited. I suppose this is a good thing, it means I am thinking like a librarian. Samantha is a character I can relate to, but I sort of felt there was some spark of personality missing from her, or that I didn't quite connect with her. And while the descriptive archaeology terms were great, I felt like it might detract some younger readers from the story. So while it is a story that I would love to love, I can't quite get there. The mystery is well formed, however, and though I had my suspicions I didn't quite get the answer before the reveal. I love the pieces of Samantha's notebook between chapters. So after looking over what I have written, a 3 star review seems to correspond. Maybe the next book in the series will have more characterization. I will probably stick with it to see what happens, but it won't be at the top of my TBR list.
* * * * *
So, I suppose it is 6 out of 10 sonic screwdrivers.
* * * * *
Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies
by Jordan Jacobs
I really wanted to love this, because it combines so many things I adore--mystery, children's lit, archaeology, and adventure. However, I have been waffling between 3 and 4 stars because though I enjoyed the book, I feel like its audience is limited. I suppose this is a good thing, it means I am thinking like a librarian. Samantha is a character I can relate to, but I sort of felt there was some spark of personality missing from her, or that I didn't quite connect with her. And while the descriptive archaeology terms were great, I felt like it might detract some younger readers from the story. So while it is a story that I would love to love, I can't quite get there. The mystery is well formed, however, and though I had my suspicions I didn't quite get the answer before the reveal. I love the pieces of Samantha's notebook between chapters. So after looking over what I have written, a 3 star review seems to correspond. Maybe the next book in the series will have more characterization. I will probably stick with it to see what happens, but it won't be at the top of my TBR list.
* * * * *
So, I suppose it is 6 out of 10 sonic screwdrivers.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Many apologies
Not totally sure if anyone is actually reading this. But if you are, I wanted to apologize that I haven't been posting. It isn't that I haven't been reading, but I fear I am being lazy about the blog. Still, I really would like to to keep it up. Any sort of response would help encourage me, though I do want to keep trying no matter what.
Right now I am staffing Ohio's KnowItNow 24x7, an online chat reference service for anyone in the state. I did some training a couple weeks ago, and today is my first time. I was talking to a librarian in Dayton who said it was quiet for a Monday, so I hope next week should bring more opportunity. Still, it is nice to try to hone my reference skills, though the two chats I have taken both got disconnected. Sadly, since they both seemed to be nice people.
I think part of what makes it hard to do this is that I am then admitting I have time to do it, which is depressing. The job market for librarians is a bit shaky right now, so finding a job and getting to the interview point is even harder. Let alone actually getting a job.
I will see about an entry later today. Maybe for one of the numerous paranormal mystery series I have been reading of late. Better get back to staffing the service, though there are no users on right now. Au revoir.
Right now I am staffing Ohio's KnowItNow 24x7, an online chat reference service for anyone in the state. I did some training a couple weeks ago, and today is my first time. I was talking to a librarian in Dayton who said it was quiet for a Monday, so I hope next week should bring more opportunity. Still, it is nice to try to hone my reference skills, though the two chats I have taken both got disconnected. Sadly, since they both seemed to be nice people.
I think part of what makes it hard to do this is that I am then admitting I have time to do it, which is depressing. The job market for librarians is a bit shaky right now, so finding a job and getting to the interview point is even harder. Let alone actually getting a job.
I will see about an entry later today. Maybe for one of the numerous paranormal mystery series I have been reading of late. Better get back to staffing the service, though there are no users on right now. Au revoir.
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