Review of 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is one of those characters that has captured the English imagination for over a century in a way few others have, lining the walls of popular culture alongside the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein and Oliver Twist (all similarly eponymous characters).

I read my first Sherlock Holmes book in 2018, and if I'm being honest, I didn't expect to enjoy it. But, I loved it. Conan Doyle's books make for a comforting read, something you can curl up under a blanket with and not have to invest masses of time and energy into. This was the perfect read for a bit of a slump I was having where I just needed a little soul-soothing.

As with all the Sherlock Holmes books, this is comprised of a number of short stories all told by his best friend/assistant Dr Watson. Holmes is a man clearly admired both by the police and his friend, but always keeps his cards very close to his chest. Thus, the reader is forced to guess 'whodunnit' along with Watson as Holmes keeps him in the dark most often right up to the great reveal. 

This book also has the first story in it that I've encountered with Moriarty, and if you're a fan of the TV show, he's almost just as diabolical in this. It's the first time Sherlock is truly tested, and through Watson's eyes we see the battles with Moriarty turn into an all-encompassing obsessive disaster for Holmes.

I loved reading this. If you enjoy things like Agatha Christie's novels, or just want a crime book without *too* much drama, this is a great read.

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Review of 'A Storm of Swords Part 1: Steel and Snow' by George R R Martin

Last year was the year I really tried to get fully into the Game of Thrones series and honestly I'm pretty proud of having made my way through three of the volumes (two of the books - A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords) because these things are HEFTY. A Storm of Swords is split into two because together they'd come to over 1200 pages. This first book, although it has a fair amount of action in it, really sets up a lot of the big scenes for part two.

The book is told from the point of view of ten different narrators, switching between them as the story develops. We start off just before the Battle of Blackwater (which is where the previous book in the series finishes off). Tensions are increasing: Jamie Lannister is being held captive by Catelyn Stark and the Tullys, King's Landing is trying to rebuild itself in the midst of fractions in the Lannister family, the Red Lady has an ever-increasing hold over Stannis Baratheon, and Jon Snow is becoming truly a member of the Wildlings. 

As the book develops, Catelyn sets Jaime free in the hope that it will help her see her children again, whilst things take a turn for the worse for the Starks when Robb reneges on a marriage alliance to a supporting faction and marries for love instead. Arya's recognised for being a Stark and loses her anonymity as a wild 'boy', instead gaining a hefty target on her back worth a lot of gold. Over the sea, Daenerys is building her army and meets the Unsullied.

This is such a massive tome that it's really hard to summarise quickly without either giving everything away or ranting on forever. However, just writing this post has made me remember just how much I loved reading the series - maybe 2020 will be the year I finally complete it? The book really delves into the heart the stories of some of my favourite characters: we see Tyrion recover from the battle of Blackwater and how this changes him, and some of the scenes between Daenerys and the owners of the Unsullied are incredible.

This is for sure a 5 star read for me. If you're a fan of high fantasy, or want to push the boat out with some big books this year, I'd really recommend this. 

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Review of 'The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' by Stuart Turton

I spent a whole lot of time on twitter last year thinking that this book and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo were just one book and everyone was raving about the same thing. Turns out a lot of people loved both of them so Evelyn Hugo is going on my TBR for 2020.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hugo has been one of the hardest books I've read this year to get my head around. In essence, the unnamed main character wakes up each morning in a different person's body, tasked with finding out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle at a party at her parents' estate. He will replay each day over and over again until he finds out who killed her. Each host has a different personality, which the narrator assumes a little of when he's in their body.

The whole book was so intricate and so well done - you were not only trying to work out who killed Evelyn, and how, but also what exactly was going on in this weird purgatory. There's always someone chasing the narrator down to try and kill him, a woman called Anna who seems to be helping him (but can't be trusted) and a person wearing a plague doctor mask who seems to be at the helm of the mystery. 

It was a pretty convoluted read, and definitely one that you need to pay all your attention to rather than dipping in and out of, but it was one of my favourite things I read all year; when all the plot strands came together it was really masterful.

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