January was kinda rough on me but February has been much better - so far. I'm still babysitting my Granddaughter several days a week but I'm no longer doing the early morning radiation. We haven't had any appreciable snow (although there is a storm predicted for Tuesday/Wednesday). And we've had some really cold weather but this weekend has been warm. I'm still not reading as much as I used to but I'm still able to find the time to squeeze in a book or two. Here's what I read this month.
Series
Good Night, Mr. Holmes - Carole Nelson Douglas ($4.49/$4.99, copyright 1990, 408 pages, Paperback)
I first read this book years ago and recently found out that this was the first volume in a series by finding two more at a Library sale in Metuchen. Of course, I had to reread this one first so "Off the shelf" it came. Douglas has written a prequel to "A Scandal In Bohemia" in which we learn how Irene Adler and her personal assistant, Penelope Huxleigh, met and how they got caught up in the situation that introduced Sherlock Holmes into their lives.The pairing of the ultra-respectable Penelope, the country parson's daughter, with Irene, the convention breaking American singer, and their interaction with Godfrey Norton, a Barrister, bring a bit of lightness to the book. Also, appearances by famed historical personages (Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and later on the Divine Sarah Bernhardt) and famed fictional personages (Holmes and Watson) make this a bit more realistic and amusing to read. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
The Hot Kid - Elmore Leonard ($6.99/$.50, copyright 2005, 387 pages, Paperback)
I picked this up because I hadn't read a Leonard book before and the time-frame interested me -1930s Oklahoma - which includes the Dust Bowl, Prohibition, Bank Robbers, and U. S. Marshals. It's not really a novel but a series of vignettes in the life of oil-well boy Carl Webster, who witnesses a crime as a child and grows up to become the most respected Marshal in the state. His nemesis is Jack Belmont, a wanna-be criminal rebelling against his millionaire dad, and the two cross paths repeatedly throughout the book. Leonard has created a cast of memorable characters and his writing captures the feel of that other time and place. I enjoyed it.
That's it for this month. I just started 2 new books in 2 different genres and we'll see how that goes. It's too early to tell. While we're waiting, the days are getting longer and warmer and Spring is on the way. Until next month ...
Keep reading!
