July has become the new August. When it's hot, it's HOT. When it rains, it RAINS. Usually on the same day. I have been dealing with some stuff that has had me running around getting scans and gathering info. This has cut into my free time a lot but I did manage to get a couple of books read.
Series
The Turtle Boy - Kealan Patrick Burke ($5.99/$5.99, copyright 2002, 109 pages, Trade Paperback)
Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed but thought that the author could've easily told the story in a lot fewer pages? Burke has done that with this book. It's the first in his Timmy Quinn Series and it reminded me of those summer coming-of-age books written by Robert McCammon and Dan Simmons but without all the extra melodrama. Timmy Quinn is an 11 year old boy living in rural Delaware and he has a best friend named Pete. School is over, summer has started, and the possibilities for adventure are wide open. While exploring the muddy banks of an abandoned pond - one that they were told not to go near - they come across an unexpected visitor. A creepy looking young boy whose appearance alone scares the boys. From there, Burke takes us on a non-stop ride that runs from the first inklings of love to the final realizations of the cruelty that some people are capable of. Like I said, this is a very short book but Burke has done a great job with the characters and the atmosphere. I enjoyed it. Note: This is the first in the Timmy Quinn series and it's self-published (I bought it through Amazon). When I looked to continue the series I found that the individual follow-up volumes are no longer printed and I had to order the "complete" series which includes 3 additional novels and a prolog for $12. I was OK with this until I found out that there's a final book in the series that wasn't included and I had to order it separately for another $10. Hopefully they'll turn out to be as captivating as this one was.
Sherlock Holmes
As most of you know, I am a Sherlock fan. As far as I know, he is the only literary character who is still "alive" and well in the public's imagination. He has appeared in several TV shows and movies recently and books starring and/or about him continue to be published. These books are generally classified as Parodies (spoofs or mysteries where a renamed Holmes comes across as inept) and Pastiches (homages to the Master that strictly adhere to the Canon). Many of these Pastiches are based on references from the source material itself.
The Giant Rat of Sumatra - Richard L. Boyer ($.50/$1.50, copyright 1976, 223 pages, Paperback)
Boyer has based his book on one of the most famous references in the Canon - the Giant Rat first mentioned in the "Adventure of the Sussex Vampire". Holmes himself considered it so potentially damaging to some of the protagonists that he persuaded Watson to lock it away in his bank vault until everyone had passed. The case is actually 2 cases at once. While Holmes finds himself stumped by the kidnapping and ransom of a wealthy couple's daughter he becomes drawn into a bizarre situation that starts with a waterfront fire and the recent arrival of the Matilda Briggs and the murder of one of her crew. Upon investigation, he and Watson uncover the unbelievable story of several passengers who seem to have brought aboard the Giant Rat. Since he can't follow up both cases at the same time, Holmes stays in London and sends Watson to accompany the couple to their country home to keep tabs on the kidnapping. Boyer does a great job describing the various scenarios throughout and his characters ring true. He evens add a lot more adventure and danger then are usually found in one of these. His depiction of Holmes and Watson seem, to me, as if he based them on Jeremy Brett's mischievous Holmes and Nigel Bruce's stalwart but somewhat dense Watson. I enjoyed it.
Of course, I've started and stopped several other books and have ordered and received even more. My TBR pile continues to grow. I have to do something next week that might keep me from reading for a few days but, comes August, I should be back at it again. Till then please continue to ...
Wash your Hands,
Maintain your Distance,
Wear your Mask, and
Keep Reading.
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